The Centre for Legal Theory organised its very first guest lecture for the academic year 2017-2018 on the 13th of July 2017 on the topic 'Anti- Corruption- An Open Dialogue'. The lecture was delivered by esteemed Professor Elizabeth Wilson and Professor Andrew Spalding. Prof Elizabeth is an alumni of Harvard Law School. She has been an Assistant Professor at the School of Diplomacy and International Relations at Seton Hall University. She is the current recipient of Fulbright-Nehru Senior Scholarship, and is doing research in India, where she is affiliated with the Centre for Policy Research in New Delhi. Prof Spalding is currently holding the position of a Professor at Richmond School of Law. He is also a Fulbright Senior Research Scholar. Professor Elizabeth and Professor Spalding have extensively worked in the field of international human rights law and the interface between human rights and anti- corruption.
The session commenced with Professor Spalding's discussion on whether corruption could be given a defined meaning. Professor Wilson brought in the human rights perspective on corruption, where she observed that none of the international human rights treaties mention corruption as a basic human right. The guests then sought an Indian perspective on anti-corruption's importance in governance, which elicited contrarian views from the audience derived from ancient Indian texts and practices. The discussion also focused on how corruption could be accorded the status of a human right considering it indirectly violates various fundamental human rights. The discussion was an enriching experience for both, the audience and also our guests. The evening concluded with a vote of thanks by the Centre to the guests for the valuable time and insight provided.