Call for Papers: National Level Seminar on Questing the Horizon of International Law and New World Order [Hybrid, Durgapur, 20-21 August 2026]

Durgapur Institute of Legal Studies (DILS) is a law college at City Center, Durgapur, West Bengal, established under the Durgapur Social & Educational Trust. It is affiliated to Kazi Nazrul University, Asansol and approved by the Bar Council of India, and it runs the five-year B.A. LL.B. (Hons.) and three-year LL.B. (Hons.) programmes.

The institute is organising a two-day National Level Seminar on "Questing the Horizon of International Law and New World Order: Jurisprudential Aspects, Contemporary Challenges, and Emerging Perspectives" on 20 and 21 August 2026. It is an IQAC initiative run in collaboration with the DILS Research & Development Committee, and it is open in both physical and virtual mode.

International law continues to shape, and to be reshaped by, the changing contours of the global order. Geopolitical transformations, shifting power dynamics and the growing influence of international institutions and non-state actors have produced what is often described as a new world order, in which traditional notions of sovereignty, territoriality and legal authority are being redefined. The seminar asks participants to revisit the jurisprudential foundations of international law and to assess its relevance, adaptability and normative strength against those realities.

The call also invites work on the pressures testing the system in practice: armed conflict, human rights violations, transnational terrorism, climate change, global health crises and cyber threats, alongside the uneven application of international norms and the resulting crisis of compliance. Emerging perspectives are equally welcome, including interdisciplinary approaches, critical legal theory and Global South contributions that challenge Eurocentric narratives of the discipline.

The themes below are indicative and not exhaustive. Authors are encouraged to explore interdisciplinary and contemporary issues connected to the broader theme of the seminar.

• Evolving legal orders in a changing global and domestic landscape
• Law, governance, and the crisis of legitimacy in contemporary societies
• Sovereignty, federalism, and decentralised governance
• Justice systems in transition: courts, tribunals, and ADR
• Human rights, social justice, and constitutional values
• Law and public policy: bridging theory and practice
• Economic regulation, trade, and developmental challenges
• Environmental governance and sustainable development
• Technology, digital regulation, and emerging legal challenges
• Crime, security, and accountability in modern legal systems
• Maritime law, space law, and emerging global commons
• Gender justice and intersectionality in legal systems

The seminar invites paper submissions from:

• Academicians and faculty members
• Legal practitioners and professionals
• Research scholars and students
• Policy experts and interdisciplinary researchers

A maximum of two authors is permitted per paper, which means one co-author at most. The co-author must register separately and pay the fee applicable to their own category.

Abstract. Authors must submit an abstract of 300 words with 5 to 6 keywords, in MS Word format (.doc or .docx). The submission must carry the name of the author or authors, their institutional affiliation and contact details, including an email address and phone number.

Full paper. The full-length paper must run to a minimum of 5,000 words inclusive of references, in MS Word format. Formatting is Times New Roman, font size 12 for the main text, 1.5 line spacing and footnotes in size 10. All references must be properly cited and must follow the APA 7th Edition citation style.

Originality and plagiarism. Submissions must be original, unpublished and not under consideration elsewhere. A plagiarism report must accompany the full paper, and a maximum of 10 per cent similarity is permissible, excluding references and properly cited quotations.

Only authors of accepted abstracts will be permitted to present at the seminar. Authors are encouraged to submit the full paper after the seminar so that they can work in the feedback received during their presentation.

The fee is payable online. Fees for paper presentation:

• Academicians and professionals: Rs 1,500
• Research scholars and students, other than DILS students: Rs 1,000
• Students and alumni of DILS: Rs 800
• All of the above categories presenting in virtual or online mode: Rs 800

Fees for participation only, without paper presentation:

• Physical participants (offline): Rs 800
• Virtual participants (online): Rs 500
• DILS current students and alumni, physical or offline: Rs 500
• DILS current students and alumni, virtual or online: Rs 250

Local hospitality, tea and coffee, snacks, seminar lunch and seminar kits are provided to participants. There is no travelling allowance and no accommodation.

Registration is mandatory. Participants must fill in the official registration form linked in this post within the dates set out in the timeline below, and pay the applicable fee online to the account given in the brochure.

The brochure lists the following payment details: Bandhan Bank, account name Avijit Mitra, account number 50210009368006, IFSC BDBL0001626, and UPI ID avijit92mitra-2@okaxis. Verify these against the brochure before you transfer any money.

Paper presenters must complete registration and submit their abstract on or before 10 August 2026. Those attending without presenting a paper may register up to 18 August 2026. Spot registration is permissible, subject to availability.

Only papers presented during the seminar will be considered for publication, subject to peer review. The brochure does not name the publication outlet.

DILS will provide a certificate for paper presentation and a certificate for participation.

The brochure names Prof. (Dr.) Jai S. Singh, Vice Chancellor of Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law, Punjab, among the resource persons and guests, alongside faculty from Bankura University, Banaras Hindu University, Sambalpur University, Ranchi University, DSNLU Visakhapatnam, Assam (Central) University, Kazi Nazrul University, Raiganj University and The ICFAI University, Tripura.