An interview with Prof Chetan Basavaraj Singai (Dean, Chanakya University)

Chanakya University was established in November 2022. Chanakya University Bangalore courses include BBA Hons, BTech, BBA LLB Hons, BCA Hons, BA LLB Hons, MSW, MBA, CFSS, MCA, LLM, MA, and M.Sc programmes. Chanakya University admissions are entrance-based.

This interview with Professor Chetan Basavaraj Singai, Dean at the School of Law, Governance, and Public Policy, is presented by Careeers360. In this Interview, Professor Chetan talks about the admission process and key features at the School of Law, Chanakya University.

Dr Chetan Singai obtained his doctoral degree (PhD) from the National Institute of Advanced Studies, Indian Institute of Science Campus, Bengaluru, India. His doctoral thesis was on ‘Higher Education and University Governance in India: A case study of public and private universities. He completed his M Phil in Law and Governance at the Centre for the Study of Law and Governance, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. Dr Chetan received his master’s in political science from the Centre for Political Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. He received the prestigious Erasmus Mundus Scholarship to pursue a Master’s in Lifelong Learning: Policy and Management, a joint degree from University of London (UK), University of Aarhus (Denmark) and University of Deusto (Spain).

Dr Chetan has worked as Assistant Professor at the National Law School of India University, Bengaluru and St. Joseph’s College (Autonomous), Bengaluru. He has been at DAAD visiting faculty at, Julius-Maximilian-University in Germany from 2014 to 2017. He is a recipient of the Social Justice Medal awarded by the Ministry of Law and Justice, Government of India, for his service towards Human Rights and Women Empowerment, the Hon’ble Chief Justice of India in 2007. Furthermore, he has worked as a Policy Analyst at the Directorate of Education and Culture, European Commission, Brussels, Belgium. He has served as Member, Academic Council, Karnataka Residential Educational Institutions Society (KRIES), Government of Karnataka.

He was nominated as Member, TS, Committee to Finalise the Draft National Education Policy 2020 constituted by the Ministry of Education, Government of India (2019 – 2020). He was associated with the Committee to Draft the National Education Policy-2017-2019 (Padma Vibhushan Dr K. Kasturirangan), Ministry of Education, Government of India, New Delhi as Chief Consultant (Technical Secretariat at NAAC, Bengaluru). He was appointed as Special Officer, Department of Higher Education, Government of Karnataka, from 2021-2022.

He was associated as Member-Secretary to the committee to review the Quality Mandate relating to the promotion of research and M.Phil./Ph.D. Regulation in India (Committee chaired by Padma Bhushan Dr P. Balaram, Former Director, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru). He was nominated as Member-Convenor to the Subcommittee to draft the Implementation Roadmap on Governance and Regulation in Higher Education aligned to the NEP-2020 by the Government of Karnataka.

He is nominated as Chief Consultant and Convenor, Technical Secretariat, National Steering Committee-National Curriculum Framework, Ministry of Education, Government of India.

He has published two books and more than 25 national and international articles in peer-reviewed journals on higher education, space policy and human rights issues.

Careers360: Describe the mission and vision of the School of Law at Chanakya University.

Prof. Chetan: Vision: Become a leading Interdisciplinary school in applied learning and research through teaching, research, and service for social transformation.

Mission

• Develop youth with the capabilities to be inspiring leaders

• Nurture world-class scholarship with high-impact research and practice

• Facilitate transdisciplinary studies and research to provide a sustainable solution for human and environmental challenges

• Building- of-the-art knowledge repository and digital infrastructure to expand the horizon of understanding among all

• Create an innovative educational ecosystem to foster engagement with Business, Government and Society for holistic development

Careers360: In your opinion, what factors should students consider before deciding on law as a career path?

Prof. Chetan: Law degree gives a Wide Range of Career Options and does not let you be boxed into one role. Law degrees open doors to: Corporate law, Criminal law, Human rights law, Environmental law, Intellectual property, Family law, Government, academia, international organisations and more. A person can align any of their areas of interest while studying law. This requires constant readings and sharpening communication and critical thinking skills.

Careers360: What are the unique and key features of the School of Law that set it apart?

Prof. Chetan: School of Law, Governance and Public Policy at Chanakya University identifies the significance of Indian values embedded in the legal arena. Established under the umbrella of NEP, the School emphasises multidisciplinary studies, for which experts from the respective domains are invited for the lectures. The school also ensures the design of the curriculum on the lines of Bhartiya Jurisprudence. Additionally, the courses also offer various minor subjects to help the students explore their cross-area interests of learning.

Careers360: Please specify the selection criteria and admission process for the programmes.

Prof. Chetan: The interested students should either clear CLAT (Common Law Admission Test) or CUPP (Chanakya University Pravesh Pariksha) after which the student has to appear for counselling (either online or offline).

Careers360: Practical law training is vastly different in comparison to other courses. How is this met at the institute?

Prof. Chetan: In addition to academic readings, the law students are also required to understand the practical application of the laws that they study. To ensure this, the School of Law, Governance and Public Policy offers various opportunities to the students, such as moot court participation, debates, classroom presentations of various cases and internship opportunities. Additionally, the school continuously strives to invite eminent intellectuals from the law domain, for instance, Vindhya Mani, Partner of Lakshmikumaran and Shridharn Attorneys, Bangalore was invited for a talk on IPR Laws; Ms. Sanjana Pattanshetti, Partner at Jayanth Pattanshetti Associates, Bangalore was invited to share her experience on AI, Technology and Legal Education; Sri Rajashekara N, IPS, Director, Central Detective Training Institute, Hyderabad delivered talk on new criminal laws of India; Adv. S S Naganand, Senior Partner, Just Law Advocates, Bangalore, was invited to enlighten the students on challenges in Corporate and commercial laws in India. These practices have ensured that the students understand the application of laws in real time.

Careers360: How is the School of Law at Chanakya University's curriculum updated so that it helps to become adept practitioners?

Prof. Chetan: School of Law, Governance and Public Policy believes in delivering the best lawyers to the Bar and Bench. To attain this objective, the School has ensured that the course teachers are given the flexibility to add updates and structure the courses. The faculty of the School also proposes new courses that can be added to the curriculum to make the students more capable when they enter into practice. Additionally, the special talks that are organised at the school help in understanding the current demands of the profession and accordingly, the students are trained for the same.

Careers360: For law graduates, the career path is mostly known. What are the career paths for graduates in public policy and governance?

Prof. Chetan: Public Policy and governance are closely linked to law. The changing dimensions of law have made it essential to consider the rightness of implementation of various regulations of government agencies, having the background of public policy ensures the understanding of the effectiveness of due compliance of these processes. The students will also have the opportunity to be consultants and advisors to the legislator in legal matters. Students can also be hired as policy analysts.

Careers360: What is your advice for future students enrolling at the School of Law at Chanakya University?

Prof. Chetan: Keeping the roots strong helps in better growing of the tree. Study law for applying it to the real problems of the society and not just for clearing the exams and securing a degree, only then it is possible to have a strong legal base.

Disclaimer: This article has been published by Careers360 as a marketing initiative with Chanakya University, Bangalore.