Actually, Menaka has an excellent chance. She has already received a lot of acclaim for getting Section 377 struck down. The Nobel has still not been awarded specifically to an LGBTQ+ activist, especially one who is personally LGBTQ+. One day the Nobel Committee may do so. They could pick someone from India, someone from Russia and a couple of people from Islamic countries and give it jointly. Menaka would be the #1 candidate from India if that happens.
Lets’s look at some star NLU alumni working in the field of human rights:
1. Menaka G and Arundhati K, NLSIU: Already won Time 100 mention and Jefferson Prize. Nobel has never been awarded to LGBT activists. So chances are good.
2. Lawrence Liang, NLSIU: He has won the Infosys Prize. If the Nobel awards people fighting for access to health and access to education over IP rights, he stands a chance as a pioneering copy left activist. But it’s a bit niche as a field.
3. Gautam Bhatia, NLSIU: Has not won any major prize yet. But future prospect.
4. Arghya Sengupta,NLSIU: Same.
5. Tarun Khaitan, NLSIU: Has won a very prestigious academic prize (Letten Prize) but more a scholar than an activist. So chances not that high.
6. Anoop Surendranath, NALSAR: He can be an interesting choice, as a death penalty abolition activist doing great work in the field. The Nobel has never been awarded for the cause of death penalty abolition. But he may have to do some more research, eg focus on political executions.
Biased list with 90% NLSIU grads. What about DU grad Rebecca John, fighting many important human rights cases? Or, among Gen Z, GNLU grad Rohin Bhat, who has filed important PILs on queer rights in India?
We can view the Magsaysay Prize as a precursor to the Nobel. The Magsaysay Prize is even called the Asian Nobel. Among lawyers, only MC Mehta has won the Magsaysay Prize. He stands a chance to win as an environmentalist if Greta Thunberg is overlooked in favour of an Asian person.
Most so called human rights lawyers, have track records of defending rapists and murderers successfully in the prime of their career, don't see the Nobel board overlooking that
- Indira Jaising
- Colin Gonsalvez
- Prashant Bhushan
- Vrinda Grover
- Karuna Nundy
- Menaka Guruswamy and Arundhati Katju
- Gautam Bhatia
Very much possible ..
But considering the iq of most first year law students, might not
1. Menaka G and Arundhati K, NLSIU: Already won Time 100 mention and Jefferson Prize. Nobel has never been awarded to LGBT activists. So chances are good.
2. Lawrence Liang, NLSIU: He has won the Infosys Prize. If the Nobel awards people fighting for access to health and access to education over IP rights, he stands a chance as a pioneering copy left activist. But it’s a bit niche as a field.
3. Gautam Bhatia, NLSIU: Has not won any major prize yet. But future prospect.
4. Arghya Sengupta,NLSIU: Same.
5. Tarun Khaitan, NLSIU: Has won a very prestigious academic prize (Letten Prize) but more a scholar than an activist. So chances not that high.
6. Anoop Surendranath, NALSAR: He can be an interesting choice, as a death penalty abolition activist doing great work in the field. The Nobel has never been awarded for the cause of death penalty abolition. But he may have to do some more research, eg focus on political executions.