Imagine adopting a constitution notionally designed to install “The People” as the true repository of sovereign power and to throw off the colonial yoke, yet retaining a criminal justice system designed to maximize the police power of the colonial sovereign. That’s what happened when India adopted its Constitution in 1950 while leaving its 19th century colonial criminal codes in place.
This MCLR+ event assembles a panel of scholars and lawyers to explore fundamental issues of popular sovereignty and the intersection of constitutional and criminal law that lie at the heart of Sandipto Dasgupta’s Legalizing the Revolution: India and the Constitution of the Postcolony (Cambridge UP 2024).
This book panel forms part of the MCLR+ series of events, publications, and resources focussed on Indian criminal law. [For further information, please consult MCLR+ Resources: India.]
November 4, 2025 @ 9:30-11am (EST) / 8-9:30pm (IST)
► To join us for this free online event, please register here. Registration is encouraged, but not required; if you prefer to join the event directly, simply head over to the MCLR+ YouTube channel at the time of the event (please note the time zone). All attendees will have the opportunity to post questions and comments via YouTube live chat.
► To stay informed about upcoming MCLR+ events, publications, and projects, please sign up for the MCLR+ mailing list and check the MCLR+ website; to receive notifications about upcoming livestreams, subscribe to our YouTube channel.
Abhinav Sekhri (moderator) is a legal writer and lawyer practicing in New Delhi, India. He specializes in criminal law, evidence, and procedure.
Gautam Bhatia
Lawyer, Scholar & Author, Delhi, India
Anuj Bhuwania, SNU Chennai
Arudra Burra, IIT Delhi
Aparna Chandra, NLSIU
Sandipto Dasgupta, New School, NYC (author)