National Law University, Delhi

Seed sovereignty has emerged as a critical issue as the expansion of the global intellectual property rights regime is increasingly challenging traditional agricultural practices, farmers' rights, and biodiversity. This study critically explores the interplay between intellectual property rights and seed sovereignty in the region of South Asia, while focusing upon legal, institutional, and policy frameworks in the countries, while giving a special reference to the Indian legal system in the context. The research highlights how agreements like TRIPS and UPOV intersect with the domestic efforts to protect the rights of farmers and the traditional knowledge. A reference is taken from the law publications, case studies and institutional reports to assess the effectiveness of the regional mechanism and the response of civil society in ensuring that equitable access to seeds is upheld. The community programs and initiatives as Seeds Without Borders, are also examined to understand their potential to resist corporate control on the seeds and to promote regional seed exchange. The research also critically analyses the role of the intellectual property laws in supporting and undermining the idea of seed sovereignty. Overall, the study calls for uniform regional harmonization, farmer-centric approach that aligns with the biodiversity of the region, with a legal mandate to empower farmers to conserve biodiversity and develop agriculture in South Asia. SAARC J. Agric., 23(2): 239-251 (2025)

The controversy around Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002 has been fuelled by the rampant instances of curtailment of personal liberty without following the due process of law. The legal position emerging from arbitrary arrests and perpetual custody without bail has been unsatisfactory since its inception as a special law for dealing with the menace of money laundering. The attitude of over- jealous Enforcement Directorate officials and the ambivalence of our Supreme court has only made it worse. In this article, we shall revisit some of the controversial aspects on Constitutional premises.

Nagarlok - Quarterly Journal of Urban Affairs - A UGC-CARE Listed Journal. It emphasises research and scholarly analysis on urban themes, Urban life, metropolitan systems, city regions, urban planning and development, urban infrastructure, urban economy, urban environment sustainability and urban policy. Prints Publications ISSN: 00277584

Nagarlok - Quarterly Journal of Urban Affairs - A UGC-CARE Listed Journal. It emphasises research and scholarly analysis on urban themes, Urban life, metropolitan systems, city regions, urban planning and development, urban infrastructure, urban economy, urban environment sustainability and urban policy. Prints Publications ISSN: 00277584

Under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA), there is no statutory limitation period for initiating an investigation, attachment of property, or filing of prosecution complaints under Sections 3, 5, or 8, even though money laundering is considered a “continuing offence”. Critics suggest that it leads to violation of fundamental rights enshrined in the Constitution. Absence of time bar, prolonged pendency of cases and enhanced power to the Enforcement Directorate (“ED”) are some of the major issues surrounding this legal framework. The researchers have used a Doctrinal approach to analyse this issue, relying on secondary sources. The researchers, through this article, analyse the evolution and judicial interpretation of the “continuing offence” as per Section 3 PMLA, discuss the consequences of the absence of temporal bounds on pending cases, conviction rates, pre-trial detention through ED Annual Reports (2005–2025). The researchers have tried to study global models and propose suggestions that are workable.

The NIST data also supports this result and shows that faster diffusion of financial service into digital space enables penetration of microfinance institutions (MFIs) to reach rural poor that not covered up by traditional banking but also increasing defect and cyber-attack especially in mobile customer business follow-up. This paper devotes to the re-conception of the existing risk management models and comes up with a unified conceptual model tailored to high-risk context in digital mass onboarding systems of micro-finance organisations. Drawing strength from the cross-disciplinary theories and best practices, our framework integrates real-time transactional monitoring, multi-layer verification, as well as adaptive anti-fraud policies to help facilitate secure and inclusive onboarding. The model evaluation reveals high model completeness and applicability across touch points of risk taxonomy as well as guideline clarity and usability, and regulatory consistency; simulated use case assessments indicate strong potential to reduce attack vectors without compromising digital inclusion. The primary contribution of this paper is to provide a pragmatic and adaptable microfinance-policy and -practice guide to building resilient institutions and sustainable financial inclusion amidst an evolving digital threat environment.

The Constitution of India guarantees the right to practise any profession subject to reasonable restrictions and necessary professional qualifications. In the pursuit of professional legal practice, language plays a vital role. The Rules of Legal Education portray English as the predominant medium of instruction for legal education. According to Article 348 of the Constitution, until the Parliament by law provides otherwise, proceedings in the Supreme Court and different High Courts are mandated to be conducted in the English language. Proceedings before subordinate courts generally take place in regional or local languages. This situation presents a dichotomy. While English is a popular medium of instruction, it can be a barrier for students who come from a background where English is not widely spoken. It also poses a problem when the law student has gained a sufficient level of proficiency while studying law in the English language but may encounter difficulties in practising law before the subordinate courts. This research, therefore, explores the relationship between language in the study and practise of law and the purported goals of legal education considering the National Education Policy, 2020. The researchers collected and analysed data from universities and institutions in ‘law’ category based on the National Institutional Ranking Framework 2022. It was found that at the stage of granting admission, none of the universities and institutions under study were testing the linguistic skills in any language other than English of the aspirants willing to get admitted in the law degree programme. Further, at the stage of imparting legal education, the websites of only six universities and institutions displayed that courses were offered in some vernacular languages other than English and some other foreign languages. It is concluded that greater attention has to be paid towards resolving the issues associated with the language of learning and practising the law.

The paper is devoted to the legal regulation of cryptocurrencies in the context of modern global trends. It emphasizes the importance of defining the legal status of cryptocurrencies at the level of national legal systems and establishing clear and transparent legislative rules that, in one way or another, pertain to the circulation of crypto assets. In this context, studying and summarizing the relevant Chinese and American experiences is both timely and significant, as the financial, informational, and legal policies of the United States and China have a substantial impact on the entire global cryptocurrency market. The paper outlines contemporary challenges associated with the lack of a unified approach among states to understanding the legal nature of cryptocurrencies. This creates various issues related to law enforcement, fraud prevention, and combating manipulations (including at the level of transnational crime) in this domain. Current legal approaches to regulating this crucial component of modern financial systems are examined, particularly focusing on U.S. federal and state legislation and Chinese laws. The paper analyzes the powers and activities of regulatory authorities and summarizes relevant judicial practices. Additionally, it explores government information policies regarding cryptocurrency usage. The paper highlights key aspects of the current state policies of the United States and China, allowing for predictions about future trends in cryptocurrency market regulation and oversight. It investigates modern processes involving the integration of crypto assets into the U.S. financial system and examines the Chinese government's initiatives in developing its own cryptocurrency. Unlike the classical decentralized model, China’s approach involves comprehensive and strict regulatory oversight. The paper concludes that international cooperation and the harmonization of legal norms are essential to ensuring transparency in the global cryptocurrency market and protecting the rights and interests of its participants. Given the rapid advancement and proliferation of modern technologies, cryptocurrencies are no longer perceived as a temporary or incidental phenomenon but rather as an essential and integral part of the global economy. This, in turn, necessitates coordinated international regulation of relations in this field. Currently, numerous cryptocurrencies exist (Ethereum, Cardano, Bitcoin, Litecoin, Dogecoin), each serving a unique purpose. However, cryptocurrencies are still considered a relatively new financial instrument with both advantages and disadvantages that must be taken into account. There are vastly different approaches to cryptocurrency regulation worldwide, all of which deserve attention. For both lawmakers and legal professionals, detailed regulation and procedural clarity are crucial. The United States and China exert significant influence over the global market, making it relevant to examine the approaches and concepts they employ, the legal and procedural frameworks they establish, and the consequences of their policies in this field.