Upcoming Conference of the World Lawyers Forum, Singapore: 18th and 19th May, 2026

 

Speaking at a pre-conference webinar of the World Lawyers Forum

 Greetings!

Shared below is a link to a Youtube video posted by WLF, of  a recent pre-conference webinar at which I unpacked the topic:

ESG Litigation on the Rise: Climate Change and Corporate Accountability

Link to Shruti speaking at a pre-conference webinar webinar

Link to my participation at the World Lawyers Forum 2025, Europe, in Amsterdam

For those looking for regular posts on this blog, I hope you've been reading my updates on my social media handles!

The following is a link to my participation at the World Lawyers Forum (WLF) Europe 2025 in Amsterdam last year:

Shruti Devi Vyricherla moderating a panel, and speaking on AI and Legal Ethics

Please watch this space for more updates, and do surf the Archives section for more than a hundred-and twenty-five blog posts from me on this blog!

My social media handles are accessible via icons on shrutidevi.com

My views with reference to the recent Vande Mataram song controversy that's being discussed in the Indian Parliament today

Vande Mataram, Bhagwad Gita, how Literature is read, and why the Official Version (of Vande Mataram) should NOT include the names of Gods and Goddesses (My expert opinion as a student of Literature) :

I happen to have bought a mini Bhagwad Gita on Puri Rath Yatra Day 2025 at Khan Market, New Delhi, and placed it on display in my private drawing room in Gurugram (and might present English versions of it to any friends).

The Bhagwad Gita is a long poem WITHIN the Mahabharata, and its messages need not be quoted within the context of the larger Mahabharata story (of which I have a very sardonic view, to say the least, esp from the point of view of women's rights).

Furthermore, a student of literature will tell you that while anything, even the fine print on a medicine bottle, counts as Literature, there are certain ways in which to understand and analyse Literature.

Extracts often go way beyond the intention of the writer, and may be viewed as a piece of writing in itself.

This is how we view the employment of the lines that made it to National Song (by the way, not Anthem) status.

The background of Vande Mataram could therefore be of academic and cultural interest, but those who selected certain lines to make it the national song very deliberately selected only those lines. I agree with them (whoever they were), and not the BJP government that is trying to recontextualize the official usage and force religion down the throats of secular citizens.

We are not America that sings Christian songs at official functions.

We are Secular India.

V. Shruti Devi

My differentiated "macro-views" on the BJP Government's recent attempts at labour law reform (Also on my Twitter/X and Facebook handles today)

 My concerns, broadly speaking, on the BJP government's new set of Labour Laws:

1. I think the onus should be on the government's Essential Services-ensuring role, to make budgetary allocations for certain labour concerns, and to not impose that role and power on the private sector's other processes by making it one of it's incidental by-products as has been the case for some time. My previous reluctance to welcome Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), is a matter of written record. Therefore, while I would not jump into the fray to agitate for such workers' rights to be obtained from their employers, I would definitely hold the government to account if it fails to address the above macro view in a dramatic way in its budgetary planning. My pro bono advice to the BJP-led Union Government would then be to ask them to specify if this is their thinking on the issue. If not, we definitely have a problem on our hands in terms of there being a lack of ideological clarity on the part of all planners. 2. In my humble opinion, it is my view that Collective Bargaining by Labour Unions leaves much to be desired as of today. I think the present government ought to be held to account in terms of what it is doing for individual unorganized workers. 3. My answer to some of the above concerns has been, for some time, the setting up of a central-level legislation, for employment guarantee across the country, not only in rural areas, and for it to include, in it's scheduled list of activities, a number of skilled and unskilled Services, including in the peripheral healthcare sector. 4. I speak for all, but I believe Affirmative Action in the area of unorganized labour in fields such as Domestic Labour needs to be in favour of individual girls and women in the Employers' families, and that one should refrain from populistic and feudal politics by piously speaking for Employees. This would also apply to agricultural labour. I speak as a Social Reformer.

Reports of Taliban's discrimination against women journalists in New Delhi, India, being tolerated by the Modi government!

 11th October, 2025, Andhra Pradesh, India

Sections of the Taliban need to be checked!

The way women are treated is a priority in Indian Foreign policy.

The Constitution of India ensures the right to equality and the right to livelihood.

We cannot allow the Taliban in India's capital, New Delhi, to place unreasonable restrictions on women journalists like they reportedly just did!

We seek immediate clarifications!

How is the Modi Govt. allowing this? Are they not capable of appropriate international diplomacy?

A total red flag, calling for an immediate clamp-down on those who think this is insignificant.

What are the BJP government's alliance partners like the TDP of Andhra saying about this?

- V. Shruti Devi, India

Member, All India Congress Committee, Advocate, Supreme Court of India

Travel logs to follow!

Sharing a link to my post on Twitter/X today...exclusive writings for this blog to follow over the next few weeks, hopefully! - Shruti

https://x.com/ShrutiDevi/status/1937799567619051947