Justice Sunanda Bhandare Foundation and QAble to host conference on Judging and Lawyering at the Margins

The Justice Sunanda Bhandare Foundation in collaboration with QAble will be hosting conference titled 'Judging and Lawyering at the Margins Disability Rights and Beyond' at Lecture Hall No 2, Indian International Centre, Annexe, New Delhi - 03, on August 2 from 10:30AM - 2:00PM..The upcoming conference seeks to explore how lawyers and judges can meaningfully engage with disability rights, especially when gender, and sexuality, intersect to further marginalize individuals.The Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act, 2016, marked a transformative shift in India's disability rights landscape. It provided statutory recognition to the core principles of dignity, accessibility, and reasonable accommodation, aligning Indian law with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD). However, the law's implementation continues to be uneven, and the everyday experience of disabled persons remains shaped by legal invisibility, institutional resistance, and intersectional exclusion..While administrative and executive directives have laid down pathways for compliance, the law's true potential lies in how courts interpret, and advocates represent these rights. .The upcoming will bring together senior jurists, practicing advocates, academics, and community leaders to reflect on the challenges, faced by clients and by lawyers with disabilities and ways in which advocacy and adjudication can become more disability inclusive..Conference Themes and Panels.Inauguration byJustice Manmohan, Judge, Supreme Court of IndiaPanel 1: Lawyering for Clients with Disabilities SpeakersJustice Manmohan, Judge, Supreme Court of IndiaJustice AK Sikri, Former Judge, Supreme Court of IndiaRahul Bajaj, Advocate and Co-Founder, Mission AccessibilityPraveen Prakash Ambashta, Deputy Commissioner, Office of the Chief Commissioner for Persons with DisabilitiesModeratorAmar Jain, Advocate and Co-Founder, Mission Accessibility.Discussion PointsCommon legal challenges faced by persons with disabilitiesEnsuring accessible and ethical client consultationsBalancing strategic litigation with timely access to justiceInstitutional resistance in education and employmentAdvocating for reasonable accommodation in legal proceduresAvoiding patronisation and ensuring dignity in representation.Panel 2: Lawyering for Women with Disabilities PanellistsJustice Neena Bansal Krishna, Judge, Delhi High CourtJayna Kothari, Senior Advocate, Supreme Court of India; Co-Founder, Centre for Law and Policy Research Shampa Sengupta, Disability Rights Activist and Co-Founder, Sruti Disability Rights Sanchita Ain, Advocate-on-Record, Supreme Court of IndiaCentre ModeratorNamita Bhandare, Justice Sunanda Bhandare FoundationDiscussion PointsGendered dimensions of disability in legal processes Trauma-informed testimony and confidentiality Navigating patriarchal and ableist legal institutions Criminal, civil, and family law challenges for women with disabilities.Panel 3: Queer and Disabled Lawyering at the Margins PanellistsJustice Sanjay Kishan Kaul, Former Judge, Supreme Court of IndiaSaurabh Kirpal, Senior Advocate, Delhi High Court Kiran Nayak, transgender and disability rights activist ModeratorAnchal S Bhatheja, Research Fellow, Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy and Founder, QAble Discussion PointsRepresenting queer and disabled clients in hostile legal environments The role of identity and positionality in lawyering Queerphobia and ableism in legal education and practice Building inclusive networks of support for queer-disabled legal professionals Objectives of the Conference To foreground lived experiences in legal representation and adjudication To generate dialogue on ethical, accessible, and inclusive lawyering To create a platform for disability and queer-inclusive legal discourse To identify barriers in the legal ecosystem and brainstorm systemic solutions To build solidarity across movements and professional roles.Date: August 2, 2025Time: 10:30AM - 2:00PMVenue: Hall No. 2, Annex, India International Centre, New DelhiDeadline to register: August 1 | Register via this Google Form.[Read Conference Schedule]