PURCL Journal of Law (Peer-Reviewed), Volume I, Issue II — Special Edition on Child Rights

The University Institute of Law, Panjab University Regional Centre (PURC), Ludhiana invites submissions for the Special Edition of its annual Journal of Law, Volume I, Issue II (2026). This is a peer-reviewed, refereed journal, and there is no submission or publication fee.

The special edition is built around the theme "Reimagining Child Rights in the 21st Century: Protection, Participation, and Policy Reform."

The University Institute of Law (UIL), Panjab University Regional Centre (PURC), Ludhiana has offered legal education and research since the 2003-04 academic session. It runs the LL.M. (1 year), LL.B. (3 year), and B.A. LL.B. (Hons.) (5 year integrated) courses under the leadership of Prof. (Dr.) Ashish Virk, Director, UIL, PURC.

The institute introduced the annual Journal of Law to give legal scholars, academicians, researchers, and professionals a space to exchange ideas and engage critically with contemporary legal issues.

The special edition centres on child rights in India's evolving socio-legal landscape, aiming to bridge the gap between legislation and implementation. Indicative sub-themes include:

• Legal and institutional framework for child protection in India
• Child labour and economic exploitation: enforcement challenges
• Right to education and equal access in the digital era
• Children and the digital world: privacy, protection, and consent
• Child marriage and gender dimensions of child rights
• Juvenile justice and restorative approaches to reform
• Child trafficking and sexual exploitation: enforcement of POCSO
• Climate change, displacement, and child rights
• Media ethics and representation of children
• Comparative and international perspectives on child rights

These sub-themes are indicative only; you may explore any related topic within the broader theme.

Submissions are invited from academicians, researchers, and practitioners. A submission may be co-authored by a maximum of two people.

You may submit your work in any of the following formats. Word limits are exclusive of footnotes and are strictly enforced:

• Long Articles: 4,000-5,000 words
• Short Notes: 3,000-4,000 words
• Case Comments / Legislative Comments: 1,500-3,000 words
• Book Reviews: 1,000-2,000 words

Every submission must include an abstract of not more than 250 words (not counted in the word limit) along with up to 6 keywords. If you send more than one submission, only the first will be reviewed.

Submit in .doc format. Use Times New Roman throughout: title in font size 16, body text in size 12 (1.5 line spacing), and footnotes in size 10 (single spacing). Headings are centre-aligned, bold, size 14 with Roman numbering; subheadings are justified, bold, size 12.

Footnotes and citations must follow the Indian Law Institute (ILI) format, available at www.ili.ac.in.

There is no submission fee and no publication fee. This is a free, peer-reviewed journal.

All submissions undergo peer review and may be modified as per the journal style sheet. The final decision on publication rests with the Editorial Board.

Send your original, unpublished manuscript in .doc format to purcl.journaloflaw@gmail.com before the deadline. Your submission must be accompanied by a separate covering letter containing:

• Full name of the author(s)
• Position / designation (if applicable)
• Institutional affiliation (if any)
• Contact details of the author / co-author
• Title of the paper
• Declaration of originality
• A plagiarism report showing a similarity index below 10% (mandatory — submissions without it are rejected)

Do not include any identifying information (name, contact details, affiliation) in the body of the manuscript.

• Manuscript is original, unpublished, and in .doc format
• Word count fits your chosen category (excluding footnotes)
• Abstract of up to 250 words with up to 6 keywords included
• No author-identifying information in the manuscript body
• Times New Roman formatting and ILI citation style followed
• Plagiarism report under 10% similarity attached
• Separate covering letter with all required author details and originality declaration
• Emailed to purcl.journaloflaw@gmail.com on or before 30 June 2026