Hidayatullah National Law University (HNLU), Raipur, announced plans to establish an International Arbitration and Mediation Centre on the university campus at the conclusion of a two-day International Conference on International Arbitration held on 10–11 October 2026. The conference, themed “Governing Disputes: International Law, Treaty Frameworks & Commercial Arbitration,” aimed to advance academic and professional discourse on contemporary issues related to international law, treaty frameworks, and commercial arbitration.
HNLU Vice-Chancellor Prof. V.C. Vivekanandan made the announcement during a media interaction on the concluding day of the conference. A budget of ₹30 crore is proposed for the establishment of the proposed HNLU International Arbitration and Mediation Institute (HIAMI) . It is planned to be launched during HNLU’s Silver Jubilee year in early 2028.
The conference was organized by the Center for Commercial Arbitration within the School of Law and Business and the Center for International Law and Diplomacy within the School of Law and Governance . The School of Law, Mahindra University, Hyderabad, supported the conference, with UNCC India as the institutional and knowledge partner.
Opening ceremony
The inaugural ceremony, held on October 10, 2026, was graced by the Chief Guest, Hon’ble Justice Goda Raghuram , Distinguished Jurist Professor, HNLU and former Director of the National Judicial Academy, Bhopal. He was joined by Prof. Ranbir Singh , Distinguished Jurist Professor and eminent academician, and Mr. A. J. Jawad , CEO and Registrar, International Arbitration and Mediation Centre (IAMC), Hyderabad, as Guests of Honor.
In his inaugural address, Prof. Vivekanandan said: “The transaction belongs to the twenty-first century, but the dispute runs the risk of becoming a prisoner of procedural time.”
He added: “The shelf life of technology is constantly decreasing, while the shelf life of legal disputes can remain for a long time.”
He also underlined: “International arbitration should be understood not simply as a specialized branch of legal practice, but as part of the institutional infrastructure of the global economy.”
A significant highlight of the inaugural ceremony was the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between HNLU and the International Arbitration and Mediation Centre, Hyderabad . This MoU marked an important step towards strengthening institutional cooperation in the field of arbitration and mediation. The ceremony also witnessed the digital release of the Book of Abstracts, a compilation of research contributions presented at the conference.
Panel Discussions: Contemporary Arbitration Questions
The conference featured three panel discussions on key issues related to domestic and international arbitration.
The first panel focused on “When Arbitration Meets the State: Where Does Private Adjudication and Public Law Begin?” It discussed the relationship between arbitration and public law, the role of the state, judicial oversight, and the limitations of private adjudication.
The panel comprised Hon’ble Justice G. Raghuram; Shri P. V. S. Giridhar , Senior Advocate, Madras High Court and Distinguished Jurist Professor, HNLU; Prof. (Dr.) E. R. Jayaram , Dean, School of Law, Mahindra University; and Dr. Daniel Mathew , Associate Professor of Law, NLU Delhi. Justice G. Raghuram chaired the panel, while Dr. Kaumudi Challa , Associate Professor of Law, HNLU, moderated the panel discussion.
The second panel, titled “Arbitration for Young Practitioners: What Changes When Arbitration Goes International?” , discussed the changing professional landscape of international arbitration and the challenges and opportunities facing young practitioners.
The panel included Prof. (Dr.) O. V. Nandimath , Vice-Chancellor, NUJS, Kolkata; Prof. (Dr.) Priya Vinjamuri , Professor of Law, Law College, Dehradun, Uttarakhand University; Mr. A. J. Jawad , CEO and Registrar, IAMC, Hyderabad; and Ms. Advaita Sharma , Advocate and Secretary, UNCITRAL National Coordination Committee, India. The panel was moderated by Dr. Amitesh Deshmukh , Assistant Professor of Law, HNLU.
The third panel, titled “The Next Chapter of Indian Arbitration: On the Movement from Domestic Practice to Global Seat ,” discussed India’s changing position in the field of international arbitration and the institutional and professional developments needed to strengthen India’s presence globally.
The panel included Mr. A. J. Jawad , CEO and Registrar, IAMC Hyderabad; Mr. Ajay Thomas , Independent Arbitrator and ADR Consultant; Ms. Hamida Siddiqui , Senior Advocate, Chhattisgarh High Court and Executive Director, Chhattisgarh Institute of Arbitration and Mediation; and Mr. Loknath Chatterjee , Standing Counsel, Government of West Bengal. The discussion was moderated by Dr. Anindya Tiwari , Assistant Professor of Law, HNLU.
A key component of the conference was a series of seven parallel technical sessions. These sessions featured research papers and academic discussions on contemporary issues related to arbitration. These included topics such as treaty interpretation, international investment, commercial disputes, enforcement of arbitral awards, public policy, national security, climate change, and emerging technologies.
Valedictory Ceremony and Recognition of Research Contributions
The two-day academic event concluded with a Valedictory Ceremony held on October 11, 2026. The program began with a welcome address by Dr. Anita Singh , Faculty Convener, ICIA 2026. This was followed by a presentation of the conference report by Dr. Amitesh Deshmukh , Faculty Convener, ICIA 2026.
The inaugural address was delivered by Prof. (Dr.) V. C. Vivekanandan , Vice-Chancellor, HNLU, Raipur. Advocate Ajay Thomas , Independent Arbitrator and ADR Consultant, and Prof. (Dr.) E. R. Jayaram , Dean, School of Law, Mahindra University, also spoke at the event. Prof. (Dr.) O. V. Nandimath , Vice-Chancellor, NUJS, Kolkata, attended as the chief guest and addressed the participants.
The Valedictory Program also featured a Best Paper Presenters Award Ceremony to recognize research contributions presented in seven technical sessions . Research papers were presented at the conference by participants from various parts of the country.
- Best Paper Awards in the seven technical sessions were presented to the following participants:
- Shri Vivek Kushwaha and Shri Devraj Singh Rawat , Faculty of Law, Allahabad University.
- Lt. Col. (Dr.) Mahipal Lather , National Forensic Science University, Delhi, and Mr. Pratyush Pandey , HNLU, Raipur.
- Mr. Ayush Pathak and Mr. Abhinav Ojha , MNLU, Nagpur.
- Mr. Rajib Kumar Mohanty , HNLU, Raipur, and Mr. Anmol Sai , NLSIU, Bengaluru.
- Ms. Anushka Sharma and Ms. Mehak Joshi , DNLU, Jabalpur.
- Mr. Shreyansh Jain and Ms. Kirti Sinha , NLU, Odisha.
- Shri Anirudh Gupta and Shri Abhishek Kumar , National Defence University, Gandhinagar.
On the inaugural day of the conference, Prof. Yogendra Srivastava , Director, School of Public Policy, welcomed the gathering. Dr. Anita Singh , Head, Center for International Law and Diplomacy, and Dr. Amitesh Deshmukh , Head, Center for Commercial Arbitration, played a key role in designing and conducting the conference. Mr. Ansh Parashar and Mr. Suyash Kapasiya assisted as student conveners.
The event also featured the curtain raiser of ‘HAT’ – the HNLU Arbitration Thought Book . This proposed publication has the tagline “Thoughtscaping the Future of Arbitration” and is planned to be published starting in 2027.
This conference provided an important platform for advancing academic discourse, institutional collaboration, and practical training in the field of international arbitration and mediation. The proposed HNLU International Arbitration and Mediation Institute reflects the University’s long-term commitment in this direction.