Course Name : Human Rights Law

Code : NA

Compulsory or Elective : Compulsory

Session : Winter Session (A and B)

Class Semester : 6th Semester/3rd Year

Teacher : Dr. Atul Alexander and Somabha Bandopadhay

CONTENTS

I. Course Name: Human Rights Law

Introduction

The phrase ‘human rights’ may be used in an abstract and philosophical sense, either
as denoting a special category of the moral claim that all humans may invoke or, more
pragmatically, as the manifestation of these claims in positive law, for example, as
constitutional guarantees to hold Governments accountable under national legal
processes. While the first understanding of the phrase may be referred to as human
rights, the second is described herein as ‘human rights law’.

While the origin of ‘human rights’ lies in the nature of the human being itself, as
articulated in all the world's major religions and moral philosophy, ‘human rights law’
is a more recent phenomenon that is closely associated with the rise of the liberal
democratic State. In such States, majoritarianism legitimizes legislation and the
increasingly bureaucratized functioning of the executive. However, majorities
sometimes may have little regard for ‘numerical’ minorities, such as sentenced
criminals, linguistic or religious groups, non-nationals, indigenous peoples and the
socially stigmatized. It, therefore, becomes necessary to guarantee the existence and
rights of numerical minorities, the vulnerable and the powerless. This is done by
agreeing on the rules governing society in the form of a constitutionally entrenched and
justiciable bill of rights containing basic human rights for all. Through this bill of rights,
‘human rights law’ is created, becoming integral to the legal system and superior to
ordinary law and executive action.1

The course will focus on the United Nations human rights system. After briefly
exploring the Charter-based part of the UN system, we will delve deeper into the treaty-
based human rights instruments. Since the inception of the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights and the two founding covenants on civil and political rights and on
social and economic rights, a number of more specialized human rights conventions
have come into existence. We will analyze the various monitoring and complaints
mechanisms that have been put in place under these conventions and their role in
promoting the realization of human rights across the world. We will pay specific
attention to several human rights topics of global importance in more detail. The latter
will include issues concerning women’s human rights, sexual orientation, children’s
rights, human rights and the fight against terrorism, and social and economic rights.2

After taking the broader universal and international development of human rights, the
course shall introduce the students to the domestic Indian framework of human rights.
In that sense, the discourse that emerged subsequent to the formalization of the
international developments shall be discussed with discussion of case laws from
1 https://www.un.org/en/chronicle/article/international-human-rights-law-short-history
2 https://studiegids.universiteitleiden.nl/en/courses/104901/introduction-to-international-human-rights-law
 various bodies and commissions that have, in unison, enabled the jurisprudential
development in India. For the domestic human rights jurisprudence, the course shall
see discussions on the minor statutes that are many times not taught in classes but have
impinging effect on the human rights of the citizens in India.

The course shall accordingly try to inculcate in the students the understanding of
universalism and cultural relativism from the context of the human rights treaties and
their adoption in India to finally conclude the position of human rights discourse. The
course shall focus on discussing the contemporary issues that have challenged the
notions of human rights law in the recent past and enable the students to critically use
the principles of human rights law.

II. Course Outcome

1. Provides an overview of human rights protection at the regional, national and
international levels.
2. Appreciate the role of state and non-state actors in human rights discourse.
3. To understand the contemporary developments in the human rights discourse.
4. To understand the Indian position of human rights law development with statutes
and case laws.
5. To ensure students understand the importance of human rights law in every field
of law.
6. To enable the students to appreciate the importance of human rights and be able to
implement the principles in their fields of work.

III. Programme Outcomes

1. To be able to comprehend the nuances of human rights law.

2. Be able to apply and implement human rights law principles in all other fields of
study.
3. Be able to appreciate the need of human rights dimensions in legal studies and
practice.
4. Be humane and compassionate students of law who are involved with the subjects
that law ultimately benefits.

IV. Assessment Plan

Criteria Description Marks

1. Continuous Assessment Presentation of the Project 25
Written Project 25
Class Participation 10
2. End Term Closed Book 40

V. Curriculum
Unit – 1

Introduction To International Law.

1.1 Nature of International Human Rights law
1.2 Evolution of International Human Rights law
1.3 Normative Framework
1.4 UN Charter System
1.5 UN Human Rights Treaty Framework

Unit – 2

Regional And International Human Rights System

2.1 European Human Rights Mechanism
2.2 African System of Human Rights
2.3 American System of Human Rights
2.4 Human Rights system in Asia
2.5 Individual Complaints Procedures
2.6 Civil and Political Rights
2.7 Economic, Social and Cultural Rights

Unit -3

The Recognition and Protection of the Human Rights of Vulnerable Groups and
Persons

3.1 Women and Human Rights

3.2 Children and Human Rights
3.3 Persons with Disability and Human Rights
3.4 Refugees and Human Rights Issue
3.5 Minorities/Indigenous People and Human Rights
3.6 Transgender and Human Rights

Unit-4

International Human Rights and Contemporary Issues

4.1 The Application of Human Rights in Armed Conflict

4.2 Human Rights Obligations of Non-state Actors
4.3 International Court of Justice and Human Rights (Specific Cases)
4.4 Counter-terrorism and human rights
4.5 Human Rights Education
4.6 Globalisation and Human Rights
4.7 Human Rights and International Criminal Justice
4.8 International Human Rights and Protection of the
Environment
4.9 Victims’ Rights and Reparations

Unit-5
Human Rights Law in India- An Introduction

5.1 Human Rights framework India- historical background

5.2 Human Rights Law adoption in India from international developments
5.3 Recent case laws that have introduced a human rights law paradigm shift in India

Unit -6

Human Rights Law development in India contributing to the jurisprudence

6.1 Generations of Human Rights Law and development of human rights law regime in India
6.2 Minor Human Rights Law statutes in India and case laws
6.3 United Nations resolutions and initiatives that propelled Indian human rights law discourse
6.4 Universal Periodic Review- India report and stakeholders Report

Unit- 7

Human Rights Protection mechanisms in India

7.1 United Nations proposed mechanism of National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs)
7.2 National Commissions protecting human rights in India
7.3 Case Laws, opinions and reports of NCW, NCPCR, NHRC and others
7.4 Role of High Courts and Supreme Court in protecting human rights laws

Unit- 8
Human Rights Law in India: an ever-evolving process

8.1 Recent case laws and discussion thereof

8.2 Universalism and Cultural Relativism debate in the context of Indian human rights development
in India
8.3 Deliberations and discussions on the field work aligning itself to the laws in India

VI. Book/ Text Book / Reference Book

1. International Human Rights Law and Practice, Third Edition Ilias Bantekas and Lutz
Oette, Cambridge University Press (CUP), 2020.

2. Research Handbook on International Human Rights Law, Edited by Sarah Joseph and
Adam McBeth, Edward Elgar, 2010.

3. International Human Rights, Second Revised Edition, Philip Alston and Ryan
Goodman, Oxford, 2012.

4. Human Rights: Contemporary Issues; Festschrift in the honor of Prof. Upendra Baxi,
EBC, V. K. Ahuja, 2019.

5. Human Rights in India, Satvinder Juss, Routledge, 2020.

 6. Human Rights, Justice and Constitutional Empowerment, K. Chokalingam and C. Raj
Kumar, OUP, 2011.

7. Supreme Court on Human Rights and Civil Rights and Political, Social, Individual
and Economic Rights (1950 to 2018), Surendra Mallik and Sudeep Mallik, EBC,
2019.

8. The Transgender Studies Reader by Susan Stryker, Stephen Whittle, 2016.

9. Protecting Human Rights Of Transgender Persons, A Short Guide To Legal

Gender Recognition, 2017.

10. Unseen: The Truth about India's Manual Scavengers by Bhasha Singh and Reenu
Talwar, 2014.

VII. Lecture Plan

Lectur
Topic Unit Pedagogy Materials
e no.
International Human Rights Law and
Introduction and
Lecture cum Practice, Third Edition Ilias Bantekas and
Nature of Human 2
discussion Lutz Oette, Cambridge University Press
Rights
(CUP), 2020
Evolution of International Human Rights, Second
Lecture cum
International Human Revised Edition, Philip Alston and Ryan 1
discussion
Rights Law. Goodman, Oxford, 2012.
https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/abs/
International international-human-rights-law-and-
Human Rights Law: Lecture cum practice/international-human-rights-law-the-
1
The Normative discussion normative-
Framework framework/EBD2EB776A30A98D3ACB30
9AB4EA5A8A
https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/abs/
international-human-rights-law-and-
The United Nations Lecture cum
practice/united-nations-charter- 1
Charter System discussion
system/2FB5CB4BFDE56EAAD21E1946D
E799F4C
The UN Human Lecture cum Anne Bayefsky , The UN Human Rights
1
Rights Treaty System discussion Treaty System in the 21 Century (2000).
https://guides.ll.georgetown.edu/c.php?g=2
73364&p=6025368
Regional Human Group
https://www.universal-rights.org/human- 3
Rights Treaty Systems Discussion
rights-rough-guides/a-rough-guide-to-the-
regional-human-rights-systems/
Individual Group https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/abs/ 1
Complaints Discussion international-human-rights-law-and-
Procedures practice/individual-complaints-
procedures/4F5D308A5FF62AD4A608E78
D10719740
https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/abs/
international-human-rights-law-and-
Civil and Political Group
practice/civil-and-political- 1
Rights Discussion
rights/A6577E4A13922AE183A557996E76
20EF
Economic, Social Lecture cum https://www.corteidh.or.cr/tablas/r28245.pd
1
and Cultural Rights discussion f
The Recognition and
Protection of the
Lecture cum https://www.sagepub.com/sites/default/files
Human Rights of 3
discussion /upm-binaries/11973_Chapter_5.pdf
Vulnerable Groups
and Persons
Noam Lubell, Challenges in applying
The Application of
Lecture cum human rights law
Human Rights in 1
discussion to armed conflict, Volume 87 Number 860
Armed Conflict
December 2005 ( ICRC).
https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/abs/
international-human-rights-law-beyond-
Human Rights
Lecture cum state-territorial-control/human-rights-
Obligations of Non- 1
discussion obligations-of-nonstate-
state Actors
actors/377F2ACC05C4FDADA25B7CB169
AD726E
International Court of The ICJ and the challenges of human rights
Justice and Human law in A Farewell to Fragmentation
Rights (Specific Reassertion and Convergence in
International Law (2015)-
Lecture cum
https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/abs/f 1
discussion
arewell-to-fragmentation/icj-and-the-
Cases)
challenges-of-human-rights-
law/822C48E682FBBB9154F11406DF7F4
FF1
https://digitallibrary.un.org/record/3802009
Counter-terrorism Lecture cum ?ln=en ,
1
and human rights discussion https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/Do
cuments/Publications/Factsheet32EN.pdf
Human Rights Lecture cum http://hrlibrary.umn.edu/edumat/pdf/hreh.p
1
Education discussion df
Globalisation—A Human Rights
Perspective, C SHEELA REDDY, World
Globalisation and Lecture cum Affairs: The Journal of International Issues
1
Human Rights discussion Vol. 12, No. 2 (SUMMER 2008), pp. 84-95
(12 pages)
Published By: Kapur Surya Foundation
Human Rights and
Lecture cum
International Criminal https://brill.com/edcollbook/title/59521 1
discussion
Justice
International Lecture cum https://archive.unu.edu/unupress/unupbooks 1
human Rights and discussion /uu25ee/uu25ee0k.htm ,
Protection of the https://www.eui.eu/documents/departmentsc
Environment entres/law/researchteaching/workinggroups/
08-03-humanrights.pdf

https://www.icj.org/wp-
Victims’ Rights and Lecture cum content/uploads/2018/11/Universal-Right-
1
Reparations discussion to-a-Remedy-Publications-Reports-
Practitioners-Guides-2018-ENG.pdf
Lecture cum Summary of the previous classes with
Summation 1
discussion feedback from the students.
Audio Visual
Group
Human Rights
Discussion Justice Radhabinod Pal and his dissent at
framework India-
Lecture Tokyo Tribunal
historical background
Case laws
discussion
Audio Visual
Group 1
Human Rights
Discussion http://www.sdh-
framework India-
Lecture fact.com/CL02_1/65_S4.pdf?authuser=0
historical background
Case laws 1
discussion
Audio Visual
Group https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/blogs/sa
Human Rights
Discussion mvad/radha-binod-pal-the-forgotten-indian-
framework India-
Lecture judge/?authuser=0
historical background
Case laws
discussion
https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/Do
cuments/Issues/Women/WG/ChangingWorl
Human Rights Law Audio Visual dofWork/NHRIs/NHRCIndia/InputsIndia.pd
adoption in India from Group f?authuser=0; https://www.upr-
1
international Discussion info.org/sites/default/files/country-
developments Lecture document/2022-
10/A_HRC_WG.6_41_IND_1_E.pdf?authu
ser=0

https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/Do
cuments/Issues/Women/WG/ChangingWorl
Human Rights Law Audio Visual dofWork/NHRIs/NHRCIndia/InputsIndia.pd
adoption in India from Group f?authuser=0; https://www.upr-
1
international Discussion info.org/sites/default/files/country-
developments Lecture document/2022-
10/A_HRC_WG.6_41_IND_1_E.pdf?authu
ser=0
Human Rights Law Audio Visual https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/Do 1
adoption in India from Group cuments/Issues/Women/WG/ChangingWorl
international Discussion dofWork/NHRIs/NHRCIndia/InputsIndia.pd
developments Lecture f?authuser=0; https://www.upr-
info.org/sites/default/files/country-
document/2022-
10/A_HRC_WG.6_41_IND_1_E.pdf?authu
ser=0

Generations of
Audio Visual
Human Rights Law
Group https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/144226464.
and development of 1
Discussion pdf?authuser=0
human rights law
Lecture
regime in India
Generations of
Audio Visual
Human Rights Law
Group Raha Lucienne Zohadi, The Generations of
and development of 1
Discussion Human Rights, 1 INT'l Stud. J. 95 (2004).
human rights law
Lecture
regime in India
Generations of
Audio Visual
Human Rights Law
Group
and development of Satvinder Juss, Human Rights in India 1
Discussion
human rights law
Lecture
regime in India
Audio Visual
Minor Human Rights Group
Law statutes in India Discussion Hohfled Model on Jural Postulates 1
and case laws Lecture
Brainstorming
Audio Visual
Minor Human Rights Group
Law statutes in India Discussion Hohfled Model on Jural Postulates 1
and case laws Lecture
Brainstorming
Audio Visual
Minor Human Rights Group
https://www.indiacode.nic.in/bitstream/1234
Law statutes in India Discussion 1
56789/2079/1/A2012-32.pdf?authuser=0
and case laws Lecture
Brainstorming
Audio Visual
https://www.indiacode.nic.in/bitstream/1234
Minor Human Rights Group
56789/15436/1/protection_of_women_from
Law statutes in India Discussion 1
_domestic_violence_act%2C_2005.pdf?auth
and case laws Lecture
user=0
Brainstorming
Audio Visual
https://www.indiacode.nic.in/bitstream/1234
Minor Human Rights Group 1
56789/15436/1/protection_of_women_from
Law statutes in India Discussion
_domestic_violence_act%2C_2005.pdf?auth
and case laws Lecture
user=0
Brainstorming
Audio Visual
Minor Human Rights Group https://www.indiacode.nic.in/bitstream/1234
Law statutes in India Discussion 56789/15378/1/the_immoral_traffic_%28pr
and case laws Lecture evention%29_act%2C_1956.pdf?authuser=0 1
Brainstorming
 Audio Visual
Minor Human Rights Group https://www.indiacode.nic.in/bitstream/1234
Law statutes in India Discussion 56789/15378/1/the_immoral_traffic_%28pr 1
and case laws Lecture evention%29_act%2C_1956.pdf?authuser=0
Brainstorming
Human Rights Act 1995, National
Audio Visual
National Commission for Women Act 1990 and
Group 1
Commissions related case studies
Discussion
protecting human https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/Do
Lecture
rights and case laws cuments/Publications/PTS-4Rev1-
Brainstorming
NHRI_en.pdf?authuser=0
1
https://nhrc.nic.in/sites/default/files/Scheme
Audio Visual
s_and_Programmes_of_Government_of_Ind
National Group
ia_on_Human_Rights_Related_Issues_03_0
Commissions Discussion
2_2016.pdf?authuser=0
protecting human Lecture
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1K3m0pPq6
rights and case laws Brainstorming 1
xgzTB4iKKukQKq2pozgyyQen/view?usp=
drive_web&authuser=0
Universalism and Audio Visual
Cultural Relativism Group
Jack Donnelly, The Relative Universality of
debate in the context Discussion
Human Rights 1
of Indian human Lecture
rights development Brainstorming

Universalism and Audio Visual

Cultural Relativism Group
Michael Goohart, Neither Relative nor
debate in the context Discussion
Universal: A Response to Donnelly
of Indian human Lecture
1
rights development Brainstorming
Reading of Case Laws Lecture, 1.Additional District and Sessions judge 'X'
Discussion v Registrar General, High Court of Madhya 50
Pradesh (2015) 4 Supreme Court Cases 91
2. Alok Kumar v. State- 9th August, 2010; 51
Crl.M.C.No. 299/2009
3. Arun Kumar v. Inspector General
4. Atri Kar case 52
5. B.K Pavitra v. UOI
6. Birbhum tuition teacher case
7. C. Ravichandran v. Justice A.M. 53
Bhatacharjee
8. D. Velusamy v. D. Patchaiammal. -
(2010) 10 SCC 469 54
9. Delhi Domestic Workers forum case
10. Delhi Jal Board v. National Campaign
for Dignity and Rights of Sewerage and 55
Allied
Workers
11. Dr. Malabika Bhattacharjee v. Internal 56
Complaints Committee, Vivekananda
College
& Ors. W.P.A. 9141 of 2020 57
 12. Dr. P.S. Malik v. High Court of Delhi
and Anr. (2020) 19 SCC 714
13. Gourava Data v. State of Haryana
(2020) 2 RCR (Cri) 511 58
14. Gundecha brothers case
15. Guria Swayam Sevi Sansthan v.
Satyabhama and Anr. (2018) 13 Supreme 59
Court
Cases 387
16. In Re: Prajwala
17. In Re: Prisoners (2020) Case
18. Indra Sarma v. VKV Sarma
19. Iranian Couple case 60
20. Jayalaxmi v. State of Madras
21. Joseph Shine v. UOI
22. Justice Radhabinod Pal
23. Kajal and Another v. State of Haryana-
Criminal Appeal No. 142 of 2021
24. Kajal and others v. the State of
Haryana- [CRWP No.2160 of 2021]
25. Koppisetti Subbharao v. State of A.P-
(2009) 12 SCC 331

Total Lecture Hours - 60

Presentation Hours - 20
-----------------------------------------------------
Total – 80 hours