From the battlefront to the courtroom, the fight for gender equality in the Indian Army has been as much about shifting mindsets as changing policy.

In 1992, women joined the Army through the Women Special Entry Scheme — short service tenures, no pathway to a Permanent Commission. Nearly three decades later, the Supreme Court in Babita Puniya marked a constitutional breakthrough, holding that physiological features and stereotypes about motherhood have no place in determining a woman’s entitlement to serve. But the battle didn’t end there...

Dr. Arghya Sengupta is joined by Sr. Advocate Meenakshi Arora, who represented the petitioners in Nitisha, to explore the constitutional, institutional, and human dimensions of this struggle.

Tune in 🎧

#genderequality #indianairforce #indianarmy #operationsindoor #womenempowerment #policyexplained #podcast

International law is often seen as an elite, inaccessible career path—limited to foreign policy professionals or top diplomats. But with globalization, transnational disputes, climate negotiations, and international arbitration gaining ground, the field is far more accessible than imagined.

To help us demystify what it takes to build a career in this field, Dr. Arghya Sengupta is joined by Dr. Rukmini Das, an academic with a focus on international commercial and investment arbitration. Her career path is a model for young Indian lawyers navigating both academia and practice in global legal spaces.

Together, we ask: What are the academic and professional pathways into international law? What skills, networks, and mindsets help? And how can we develop stronger pipelines from Indian law schools to international legal institutions?

#legalcareer #lawstudents #internationallaw #careersuccess #academia

While the Nuremberg trials echo widely in our collective pasts, much fewer remember its lesser-known twin, the Tokyo Trials. Even fewer still recall the lone voice of dissent that emerged from them: Justice Radhabinod Pal.

His judgment at the International Military Tribunal for the Far East was radical, scathing, and - depending on who you ask - either deeply principled or dangerously flawed. In post-war Japan, he’s a hero. In the West, his legal reasoning has been picked apart for decades. And yet, Pal’s dissent continues to echo—raising urgent questions about how we write the history of justice, who gets to decide what counts as a war crime, and whether international law has ever really escaped its colonial roots.

Joining us this episode is Partha Chatterjee - acclaimed anthropologist, historian of the empire, and author of ‘I Am the People’ - to explore what Pal’s dissent tells us about the global South’s search for sovereignty in a world shaped by imperial legality.

#Justify #Podcast #LegalPodcast #Imperialism #Law #LawStudents #colonialresistance

The battlefield is no longer shaped by the contours of its geography, but by data, algorithms and drones. But as India races to modernise its defence ecosystem, how prepared is it to navigate the strategic, ethical, and diplomatic challenges that AI brings?

In the seventh episode of Justify season five, Dr. Arghya Sengupta is joined by Dr. Arun Sukumar, a leading voice on international cyber governance and the politics of emerging technologies. This episode explores the tension between India’s ethical caution and technological ambition.

What does sovereignty mean in the age of algorithmic warfare?

Is precision deterrence a smarter way to fight, or just a cleaner way to escalate?

Tune in to find out.

#AI #operationsindoor #tech #aiinnovation #policy #techpolicy

In the 20th century, borders were built with barbed wire and brick walls. In the 21st, they’re drawn in code.

In the sixth episode of #justify season five, Dr. Arghya Sengupta is joined by Dr. Neha Mishra to explore how states are reasserting greater control over digital infrastructure and data flows.

➤ Can traditional legal frameworks keep up with the realities of digital trade, surveillance, and data governance?

➤ When does data protection become censorship?

➤ Is “digital colonialism” a myth or a mounting geopolitical reality?

🎧 Tune in as we unpack the legal architecture, and contradictions, of the international digital landscape.

#DigitalSovereignty #DataGovernance #InternationalLaw #Cyberlaw #JustifyPodcast #DataColonialism

The global trading system is in flux, institutions like the World Trade Organisation (WTO), once the cornerstone of a rules based trade law regime, are now in a state of paralysis. Can India leverage its expertise to lead in reforming global trade governance, or will it continue to remain a follower? And what of the future of the global trade regime?

Join Dr. Arghya Sengupta, in conversation with Mr. James Nedumpura, Head of the Centre for Trade and Investment Law, established by the Government of India under the Ministry of Commerce, to answer these pertinent questions.

Since its first nuclear test in 1974, India has walked a fine line — committed to disarmament, yet outside the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). In this episode, Dr. Arghya Sengupta and Ambassador Rakesh Sood unpack India’s nuclear doctrine, its “no first use” policy, and the complex geopolitics of deterrence, disarmament, and legitimacy.

Can a country outside the global non-proliferation regime shape its rules?

#NuclearPolicy #IndiaForeignPolicy #Disarmament #Geopolitics #Podcast

India as a Norm Maker in International Law - Justify Season 5 Episode 3 by

Is Water Still a Bridge—or Becoming a Weapon?

The Indus Waters Treaty has survived wars and decades of mistrust. But with climate shocks, development pressures, and India's recent decision to keep the treaty in abeyance, the future of this historic agreement is at a crossroads.

Join Arghya Sengupta in conversation with Dr. Daniel Haines, author of Rivers Divided and Associate Professor at UCL, as they unpack:

- The origins and evolution of the IWT

- Water as a strategic tool in India–Pakistan relations

- What a reimagined water treaty could look like in an age of climate risk and regional realignment

On May 7th, India launched Operation Sindoor in response to the brutal attack in Pahalgam. But beyond the battlefield, another fight began — in global capitals, diplomatic meetings, and legal forums.

Yet, despite the headlines, no one’s asking: Where does India stand in the realm of international law?