The Plenary Session on Law of the 15th International Research Conference of KDU was held under the theme ‘A Multifaceted Legal Response to a Post-Pandemic Crisis through Resilience, Creativity, and Innovation’ on 29.09.2022, chaired by His Lordship Jayantha Jayasuriya PC, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka.
The speakers and the topics of their speeches were as follows:
- Hon. Dr. Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe PC, Minister of Justice, Prisons Affairs and Constitutional Reforms – ‘Constitutional Reforms and the Present Crisis: A Pragmatic Approach’.
- Hon. Prof. GL Peiris, Member of Parliament – ‘Role of International Relations and International Law in Addressing the Post-Pandemic Crisis in Sri Lanka’.
- Hon. Dr. Susil Premajayantha, Minister of Education – ‘Ensuring Right to Education in the Aftermath of a Global Pandemic: Legal Perspectives’.
- Mr. Palitha Kumarasinghe PC, Chairman, Standing Committee on Legal Studies of the University Grants Commission – ‘Legal Reforms to Promote Foreign Direct Investments in Sri Lanka’.
- Dr. Athula Pathinayake, Principal of Sri Lanka Law College – ‘Legal Education in Sri Lanka during the Post-Pandemic Crisis: Importance and Impact’.
The speeches were followed by the launch of the KDU Law Journal (Vol 2, Issue II) in both electronic and print forms.
Technical Sessions on Law were held on 30.09.2022 under the themes, ‘Constitutional Governance in a Modern Democracy’, ‘Emerging Trends in International Law and State Sovereignty’, ‘Legal Reforms and Economic Revival’ and ‘Role of Law in Ensuring Sustainable National Security’ respectively. The sessions were chaired respectively by Dr. Dantha Rodrigo PC, Dr. Athula Pathinayake, Mr. Nigel Hatch PC and Mr. Sumathi Dharmawardena PC.
Papers presented at the Technical Sessions were evaluated by a panel consisting of Mr. Mahesh Abeynayake, Senior Lecturer, University of Moratuwa, Mr. Lankanath Rathnayake, Independent Legal Practitioner, and Mr. Gamini Balasooriya, Partner, Sudath Perera Associates. The Award for the Best Paper Presentation was won by Mr. V Samaraweera, Maj. WDS Rodrigo and Ms. A Rathnayake for their paper titled, ‘Futurama: Robot Rights and the Law’.
The Poster Session on Law was also held on the 29.09.2022, following the Plenary Session. It was evaluated by a panel chaired by the His Lordship the Chief Justice and comprising Hon. Dr. Susil Premajayantha, Mr. Palitha Kumarasinghe PC and Dr. Athula Pathinayake. The Award for the Best Poster Presentation was won by Ms. NHD De Silva, presented under the title, ‘ The Principle of Distinction; Oscillation between Military Objectives and Civilian Objects in IHL’.
