Call for Papers: One-Day Regional Conference on Protecting the Rights of Senior Citizens - Contemporary Challenges and Perspectives [Offline, Bengaluru; 13 November 2026]

Presidency School of Law, Presidency University, Bengaluru, in association with the Karnataka Institute for Law and Parliamentary Reforms (KILPAR), is organising a one-day Regional Conference on “Protecting the Rights of Senior Citizens: Contemporary Challenges and Perspectives” (RCPRSC-CCP26) on 13 November 2026 at the Presidency University campus, Rajanukunte, Bengaluru.

India is witnessing a significant demographic transition with a rapidly growing elderly population, making the protection of senior citizens' rights an important legal, social and governance priority. While the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007, constitutional safeguards and various welfare schemes seek to protect the dignity, health and well-being of older persons, challenges relating to effective implementation, elder abuse, financial exploitation, healthcare access, social security, digital exclusion and access to justice continue to persist. Karnataka too is experiencing a steady increase in its ageing population, necessitating continuous review of legal, policy and institutional mechanisms.

The conference provides an interdisciplinary platform for academicians, legal professionals, policymakers, researchers, healthcare experts, civil society organisations, government representatives and students to deliberate on contemporary issues relating to senior citizens' rights and welfare, and to feed evidence-based recommendations into law reform.

Presidency School of Law (PSOL), Bengaluru, established in 2015 under Presidency University, is approved by the Bar Council of India and offers the five-year integrated B.A. LL.B. (Hons.) and B.B.A. LL.B. (Hons.) programmes, LL.M. programmes in Constitutional and Administrative Law, Corporate Law, Criminal Law, International Law and IPR and Technology Law, as well as Ph.D. programmes in law. The school was recognised as the Best Emerging Law College in India in the India Today Best Colleges Survey 2025, was awarded an AAA+ rating by Careers360 in India's Best Law Colleges 2025, and was ranked 5th in India among Top Law Schools of Eminence in the GHRDC Law Schools Survey 2026. Presidency University itself was established in 2013 and is NAAC 'A' accredited.

The Karnataka Institute for Law and Parliamentary Reforms (KILPAR) was established in 2005 under the Department of Law, Justice and Human Rights, Government of Karnataka, following a State Cabinet decision, and is registered under the Karnataka Societies Registration Act, 1960. Its Governing Council is headed by the Chief Minister as President and the Law Minister as Vice President. KILPAR has published 85 research-based books, conducted over 300 seminars on socially relevant legal topics, organised model legislative assemblies at zonal and state levels, and provides training for government advocates and prosecutors. KILPAR is the sponsor and co-organiser of this conference.

• To examine the evolving legal, policy and institutional framework relating to the protection of senior citizens' rights.
• To promote interdisciplinary dialogue on contemporary issues affecting the elderly and ageing populations.
• To deliberate upon challenges in the implementation of laws, policies and welfare schemes for senior citizens.
• To encourage research and scholarly engagement on ageing, healthcare, social security, digital inclusion and access to justice.
• To generate evidence-based policy recommendations for strengthening the protection, welfare and dignity of senior citizens.
• To facilitate collaboration among academia, government institutions, legal professionals, healthcare experts, civil society organisations and other stakeholders working in the field of elder welfare.
• To publish selected peer-reviewed papers as Conference Proceedings with ISBN and disseminate key policy recommendations emerging from the conference.

Submissions must align with the conference theme or any of the four notified themes and their sub-themes.

Theme I: Legal Framework for the Protection of Senior Citizens

• Constitutional and human rights of senior citizens
• Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007
• Elder rights and international human rights standards
• Access to justice for senior citizens
• Elder abuse, neglect and legal remedies
• Rights of elderly women
• Legal aid and alternative dispute resolution for senior citizens
• Comparative perspectives on elder law
• Emerging challenges in elder law and policy

Theme II: Health, Social Security and Inclusive Governance

• Healthcare rights and geriatric care
• Mental health and well-being of senior citizens
• Pension, insurance and social security
• Age-friendly public policies
• Role of local governments in elder care
• Community-based support systems
• Senior citizens and disaster management
• Institutional mechanisms for elder welfare and protection
• Public administration and service delivery for senior citizens

Theme III: Technology, Digital Inclusion and Financial Protection

• Digital literacy among senior citizens
• Cybercrime and financial fraud against the elderly
• Technology-enabled healthcare and telemedicine
• Artificial intelligence and elder care
• Assistive technologies for independent living
• Digital governance and accessibility
• Consumer protection for senior citizens
• Financial inclusion and digital banking security for the elderly
• Data privacy and protection of senior citizens in the digital age

Theme IV: Family, Society and Sustainable Ageing

• Changing family structures and elder care
• Intergenerational equity and family responsibility
• Elderly persons and social inclusion
• Ageing with dignity and human rights
• Sustainable Development Goals and healthy ageing
• Role of NGOs and civil society in elder care
• Public policy for active and productive ageing
• Senior citizens and community engagement
• Promoting age-friendly societies and inclusive development

The conference is open to the following categories of participants:

• Faculty members from law, social sciences, public policy, healthcare and allied disciplines
• Research scholars and doctoral candidates
• Advocates and legal practitioners
• Judicial officers and members of legal services institutions
• Policymakers and government officials
• Representatives from social welfare and senior citizens' welfare departments
• Cyber security and technology professionals
• Representatives of NGOs and civil society organisations working with senior citizens
• Healthcare professionals and geriatric care experts
• Students of law, public policy, social work and allied disciplines
• Members of senior citizens' associations and community organisations

• Abstracts must be original and unpublished.
• The abstract should be 250-300 words.
• The submission should include the title of the paper, author's name(s), institutional affiliation, email address and 3-5 keywords.
• The abstract should clearly indicate the research objective, methodology, key findings (where applicable) and conclusion.
• Abstracts should be submitted in MS Word (.doc/.docx) format.
• The submission should align with the conference theme or any of the notified sub-themes.
• A maximum of two (2) authors are permitted per paper.

• Full papers should be original and must not have been published or submitted elsewhere.
• The paper should be between 4,000 and 6,000 words, including footnotes.
• Citation style: Bluebook (21st edition).
• Font: Times New Roman, size 12 for the main text and 10 for footnotes, with 1.5 line spacing.
• Papers should include an abstract, keywords, introduction, main text, conclusion and references.
• The full paper should be submitted in MS Word (.doc/.docx) format.
• Selected peer-reviewed papers will be considered for publication in the Conference Proceedings with an ISBN.

• Academicians and professionals: Rs 500
• Students and research scholars: Rs 300

A maximum of two (2) authors are permitted per paper. In the case of joint authorship, both authors are required to register separately by paying the applicable registration fee. Registration and fee payment must be completed by 10 October 2026.

Abstracts are submitted through the official Google Form linked below, which asks for the author's name, designation, institution, number of authors, co-author details, corresponding email and contact number, the title of the abstract, the chosen theme, and an upload of the abstract file. The corresponding author will be notified of the review outcome by email by 30 September 2026.

The conference runs as a single day on 13 November 2026 with registration from 9:30 am, an inaugural session, two technical sessions covering Themes I and II and Themes III and IV, and a valedictory session. Beyond the ISBN proceedings, the organisers plan to prepare a Policy Recommendations Report capturing the key findings and suggestions emerging from the deliberations.