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1. The overwhelming majority of law PhD programmes in India are not worth the paper (or website space) their entry requirements are written on.
2. Therefore, the best thing for you to do would be to go abroad with funding - difficult, but not impossible (see LISSDTP, GTA, UCL GCDC, etc).
3. There is one exception to point 1 - just the one exception, unfortunately. That is the PhD at the National Law School of India University.
4. If you can't go abroad and can't go for NLSIU, then PhD's a pipe dream. That's it.
5. Please don't do a PhD unless you want to be an academic.
2. I agree. However, not everyone has the means, qualifications, intellect and/or finances to go abroad and not everyone can secure a scholarship. Therefore we have to settle with what's available here. So back to my point 1, let's identify atleast few that are decent for a respectable pedigree in India.
3. I disagree. Maybe you are enamored by the tag, but NLS is currently not a great place to be in for a research scholar. Reason being low input and extremely low output. For the last few years, only one candidate out of 50-60 applicants is being selected. I can understand the reason of quality over quantity. But just one !? Moreover ask the current scholars there, their PhD has been halted with no explanation. People who have been working diligently for the last 5 years have their final thesis submission delayed despite receiving a pass from the advisor and the RAC. Low input and low output. Moreover, the research publications are low to nil. You may check the indexes, there is hardly any publication from NLS scholars.
4. If going abroad and NLS are the only choice, then that's a sad state for Indian education since every single professor requires a PhD as qualification for promotion. However I disagree since you forget that other institutions like JNU, IIT, NLUD, NALSAR, Jindal, Ashoka are producing better publications than NLS.
5. I believe the OP is planning to get into academia, maybe that's why they asked this query. So instead of sending everyone abroad or to NLS. Why not suggest better alternatives ? However for people like you who only salivate by seeing a "foreign" degree, you wouldn't bother knowing which Indian institutes are actually doing great work.
---- This is for you OP. I would suggest clearing the JRF if you can and apply at JNU L&G, NLUD, NALSAR, NUJS, GNLU, Jindal, Ashoka, IIT or IIM (the last three for interdisciplinary socio-legal research). That will get you a "tag". In the meantime understand that more than the institute your proposal and publications will determine your future. So work smarter and target universities abroad for postdoc. See which kind of publications and conferences they accept and work towards it for connections. Then apply abroad for postdoc. The difference between PhD and postdoc abroad is that you need an advisor approval, not easy for every Indian, or scholarships. However, for post doctoral opportunities, you get paid to work based on your PhD work and publications which is definitely a doable job during your PhD. So get your PhD tag, publish and aim for postdoc opportunities.
"A smart and hardworking person will still make a name for themselves especially in research irrespective of the university."
1. Definitely possible, for sure.
2. But also there is a chance that it may not end up happening. Bad environments do hold people back, you know...
2. Dr Saurabh's PhD thesis on sports law
3. There are few like Siddharth Chouhan who I haven't read but heard that they have done quite good work. Some are doing good work while doing PhD.