General Council

CENTRE FOR ADVANCED STUDIES IN ENERGY LAWS (CASEL)

SIGNIFICANCE

Optimism lies in the use of renewable sources of energy to resuscitate the pollution afflicted earth. Continuous exhaustion of non-renewable sources has brought them near extinction in near future.

The significance of energy law is in providing viable solutions to administer the natural resources of a country, and in their potential for changing human and societal behaviour; another important characteristic is that of policy formulation. Both energy and environmental law demonstrate to a greater extent than other areas of the law the interchange between law and policy and the importance of policy-makers. Policy development drives forward energy and environmental law.

As the upcoming area of Law, it has various diversifying aspects from solar energy to use of nuclear energy of civilian and peaceful purposes. Moreover international treaties such as Aarhus convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental matters 1988, Convention on Bio diversity, 1992 have emphasized the need to standardize the conduct of Nations and individuals in energy, environment and ecology sector.

Moreover, International Energy Agency, International Atomic Energy Agency and National suppliers Group have been playing a pivotal role to provide analysis, new approaches and perspectives on energy policy in an international context. 

It is pertinent to mention herein that new geo political and economic order of the world is largely influenced by carbon trading, green energy, technology transfer and of course use of renewable sources of energy. It is also ardent to indicate here that the transfer of technology for greener power generation has been an agenda point in the current G-20 summit. 

Objectives

• To comprehend and consolidate the usurping scholarly literature on interface of intellectual property, nuclear energy, energy and consumerism, corporate strategies over non-renewable energy, changing dimensions of Corporate Governance and Corporate Social Responsibility.

• To provide a manifesto for policy formulation and to regulate the role of private individuals, juristic persons and positively delineating the role of state in the sphere of economics(finance), politics (energy security) and environment  (climate change mitigation) for a better future.  In essence, effective and efficient energy law and policy will balance these three aims to deliver the best outcome to society.

About the Centre

The Centre was established in January 2016 with the objective to cater the need of research in emerging area of energy law. The Centre since its inception has evolved constructively thereby organizing various programs, workshops and sensitization programmes. A brief of activities of the Centre is as under: 

(2016-2017)

TRAINING PROGRAMME

• Five-Day Training Programme on Contract Management for the officers of  Punjab State Transmission Corporation Limited, on 2^nd -6^th May, 2016 

ICSSR SEMINAR

• ICSSR sponsored National Seminar on Renewable Energy, Sustainable Development and Consumer Protection Organized by CASEL; on 30^th -31^stMarch 2017. 

(2017-18) 

SOLAR POWER PANELMENT OF THE UNIVERSITY

• The Centre along with the construction and maintenance wing of the university took the initiative to install solar panels for the generation of electricity for the university. The Centre forwarded the inputs on the agreement between University and Azure power Corporation for said installation and power generation. The university has been accelerating on the path of green energy and self-sufficiency and generating 640 MW power. The total power tariff of the university has significantly reduced. 

(2018-2019)

WEEKLY UPDATES

• Weekly energy law e- updates in the form of latest news, judgments, international agreements, electricity laws, nuclear energy etc. sent to whole of university faculty, students and other staff members. 

POLICE SENSITISATION PROGRAMME

• One- day Police Sensitization programme was organized by Centre on 27^thSeptember 2018. Students and faculty members visited police stations in district Patiala and conducted programme on various technical aspects of electricity, hydro, environment and other allied laws. 

UNITED NATIONS ENVIRONMENT PROGRAMME -NLSIU WORKSHOP

• CASEL in collaboration with National Law School of India University, Bangalore under the aegis of United Nation Development Programme, Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, Government of India and, Global Environment Facility’s Global Access and Benefit sharing Project organized a Two-Day Advanced Workshop on Strengthening Human Resources, Legal Frameworks and Institutional Capacities to Implement the Nagoya Protocol from 23^rd-24^th April, 2019.

(2019-2020)

1^ST RGNUL-L&L  NATIONAL AGREEMENT DRAFTING COMPETITION

• CASEL in collaboration with L&L Partners Law Offices organised the 1st RGNUL-L&L Partners Energy Law Agreement Drafting Competition, 2020. The Competition sought to engage with the community of law students in India to promote the art of modern legal drafting, in the less talked areas of Energy Law. It aimed at providing opportunities to the students to initiate research about legal uncertainties and further the skills of drafting. In a collaborative effort, the Competition has been judged by a panel comprising of members of the judiciary, legal experts from L&L Partners Law Offices, experts from Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), and academicians from the Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law (RGNUL), Punjab, the National Law School of India University (NLSIU), Bengaluru and the Himachal Pradesh National Law University (HPNLU), Shimla. Details could be found here and here.

(2020-2021)

• CASEL sent its publication on contemporary issues of energy sector for verification by RNI and first issue has been sent for the grant of ISSN. The RGNUL JOURNAL OF CONTEMPORARY LAWS (RJCL) will be soliciting its call form papers for its volume 2 shortly.

(2021-22)

• Organized Three Days workshop on Exploring the Dynamics of the Energy Sector from 9^th -11^th April 2021 in association with Academia-Industry Partnership with AZB partners, Senior Engineers PSPCL, BBMB, and Managing partners Trans India Law Associates.

• Lectures series on Carbon Credits and Risk Assessment in Infrastructure Projects on 21^st September 2021 organised by Centre for Advanced Studies in Energy Laws (CASEL) at Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law, Punjab. Details here and here
• Centre for Advanced Studies in Energy Laws (CASEL); in collaboration with Vidhi law and Policy Centre successfully organised a lecture on “The Prismatic Gap between Judgement and Implementation: An Assessment of SC Verdict on Environment Degradation” under its RGNUL-Research Outcome Dissemination Series (RODS) on 21^st October 2021.Details available here and here.

2022-present

• The centre has proposed 2^nd Edition of RGNUL-L&L Agreement Drafting Competition; the assent to the same has been provided for by the L&L partners, the centre should be able to float the proposition shortly after university approval.

• The Centre will solicit the papers for upcoming issue of RJCL