South Asian University
A University established by SAARC Nations
Dr. Stellina Jolly is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Legal Studies, South Asian University (SAU). She is a Visiting Senior Research Associate with the Centre for Emerging Countries in Private international law at the University of Johannesburg. She is also a Visiting Professor at the Maharashtra National Law University, Mumbai. She is a Fulbright Scholar with the University of San Francisco and a recipient of the International Visitors Leadership Program (IVLP). She researches in international environmental law and conflict of laws.
In the area of environmental law, her research papers have explored the north-south dimensions of environmental justice. Her book, ‘Climate Refugees in South Asia’ published by Springer, explored the legal and policy framework of climate refugees in South Asia; she has also written on the environmental justice and governance concerns and intersectionalities of climate change, water, gender, disaster management, and sustainable development goals focusing on South Asian jurisdictions. Her recent researches also focus on the emerging global trend of the rights of nature. In her research, she advocates an approach based on just sustainability, hybrid law mechanism, and environmental justice to tide over the ecological crisis. Stellina has published in several leading international journals like the Transnational Environmental Law, Washington Journal of Environmental Law and Policy, Review of European, Comparative & International Environmental Law, Texas Environmental Law Journal, and Chinese Journal of Environmental Law, to name a few. Her book on Indian private international law is published by Hart. She has also co-edited a book collection published by Springer on private international law of South Asian jurisdictions.
She is a member of the IUCN World Commission on Environmental Law and part of the Network of Environmental Law Champions, Asian Development Bank. She is a member of Advisory Council, Centre for Private International Law, Gujarat National Law University(GNLU), India. She has undertaken projects and consultancies with various organizations, including the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation, European Union, International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), Asian Development Bank, Raoul Walllenberg Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law (RWI) and Asia Europe Foundation. She was awarded an educational grant on Civil Society Law from International Centre for Not for Profit Law (ICNL) and USAID.
PhD in Legal Studies from Panjab University in 2009
L.L.M. in Legal Studies from Delhi University
International Environmental Law
Private International Law
Peer Reviewed Journal Articles
Mainstreaming Gender inTransboundary Water Governance: A South Asian Perspective, Asia Pacific Journal of Environmental Law (2023) 26(2) forthcoming (with S Singh and A Saraswat)
“Domestic Entities and the Access and Benefit Sharing Mechanism: A Legal Critique of Divya Pharmacy v. Union of India,” Review of European, Comparative & International Environmental Law (2022) 1-17.
Rivers as Legal Personalities in India and Bangladesh from an Eco-Centric Perspective: Balancing Developmental Needs and Environmental Protection, Chinese Journal of Environmental Law (2022) 6, 253–274.(with G Naik)
Construing Climate Change Adaptation as Global Public Good Under International Law: Problems and Prospects, Liverpool Law Review (2023) 44, 37-62 .(with A Trivedi)
Regulating Surrogacy as a Reproductive Practice in India and Sri Lanka A Comparative Analysis and Reflections, Global Journal of Comparative Law (Brill) (2023) 12, 300-324 .( with D Abeyrathna)
“Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Divorce Judgments in India and Nepal: A Comparative Analysis,” Global Journal of Comparative Law (2022) 11(2) 197-221. (with P.Malla)
“Of Ebbs and Flows : Understanding the Legal Consequences of Granting Personhood to Natural Entities in India,” Transnational Environmental Law Journal (2021) 10(3) 467-492. ( with K.S. Roshan Menon)
“Principle of CBDR-RC, Its Interpretation and Implementation through NDCs in the Context of Sustainable Development: Challenges and Opportunities,” Washington Journal of Environmental Law and Policy (2021) 11(3) 309-348. (with A.Trivedi)
“Domestic Violence and Inter-Country Child Abduction: An Indian Judicial and Legislative Exploration,” Journal of Private International Law (2021) 17(1) 114-146. (with A.V. Sharma)
“Climate Change and Legal Framework in India: A Legal Assessment with Special Reference to Forest Sector,” Fordham Environmental Law Review (2022) 33 (2) 42-75.(with A. Lamba)
“Environmental Impact Assessment Draft Notification 2020, India: A Critique,” Chinese Journal of Environmental Law (2021) 5(1) 11-36. (with S. Singh)
“Sustainable Development’ to ‘Just Sustainability’: Judicial Contribution in Enhancing Environmental Justice in India,” Texas Journal of Environmental Law and Policy (2021) 51(2) 36—60. (with S. Singh)
“UN Human Rights Committee on Climate Displacement: Legal Reflections,” Public Jurist (Government and Laws Committee Hong Kong University Faculty of Law (2020) (3) 44-47.
“Climate Change, Disaster and Gender Resilience: A Legal Analysis from India,” Journal of Indian Law Institute (2019) 61 (3) 420-438. (with K.S. Roshan Menon) listed in the Doucmentation in Public Administration ,Vol XLVIII (3) July-September 2020 , 299https://www.iipa.org.in/cms/public/uploads/211221622184527.pdf
“Implementing the SDG-13 through International Law: A Legal Overview with an Emphasis on Climate-Induced Displacement,” Brill Open Law ( 2019) 2(1) 69-100. (with A.Trivedi)
“Solar Parks and land Acquisition in India: A Legal Analysis,” International Energy Law Review (2017)(6) 227- 231. (with A. Saraswat)
“Climate Refugees under International Climate Law and International Refugee Law: Towards Addressing the Protection Gaps and Exploring the Legal Alternatives for Climate Justice”, ISIL Year Book of Humanitarian and Refugee Law (2014-2015) 14-15, 216- 248. with N.Ahmad)
BooK Chapters
ILC Draft Guidelines on the Protection of the Atmosphere : A Critique in Law Reforms Around the World Perspectives From National and International Law, Asif.H Qureshi(ed) Routledge (2024) 317-326. (with A.Trivedi)
Public-Private Coordination and Alliance Building in Implementation of Sustainable Development in the Global South: Strategies, Innovations and Challenges, Shawkat Alam, Muhammad Ekramul Haque, Sumaiya Khair (eds), Hart (forthcoming 2024).
Building Disaster Resilient Coastal Cities: An Assessment of Coastal Regulation Laws and Judicial Statements in India in Handbook of Disaster Research, Amita Singh (ed), Springer (2022), 1-12 (with H.Moosa)
Rights of Nature in Oxford Handbook of Environment and Natural Resources Law in India, Philippe Cullet, Sujith Koonan, Lovleen Bhullar (eds), Oxford University Press (forthcoming 2024).
Reception of International Environmental Law in India in India and International Law, Siddharth Misra (ed), Routledge, (forthcoming 2023). (with G.S.R Moses)
Intelelctual Property Rights and Traditional Kmowledge : New Challenges for the Environmental Protection Regime in Research Handbook on Environmental Law and Sustainable Development in South Asia Sumudu Atapattu, Cynthia Farid, Usha Natarajan and Shyami Puvimanasinghe(eds), Routledge (forthcoming 2024).(with N.Kamardeen)
Covid 19, Climate Change and Gender: Examining the Role of Indian Legal Framework in Women’s Rights International Studies on Gender Rights and Pandemic Effects, Vol 3, Mônica Sapucaia Machado, Denise Almeida De Andrade, Chiquita Howard Bostic (eds), Erechim –Deviant Brazil (2022) 135-158.(with M.Kamthan)
The Vedanta (Niyamgiri) Case: Promoting Environmental Justice and Sustainable Development in The Cambridge Handbook of Environmental Justice and Sustainable Development, Prof. Carmen Gonzalez, Sumudu Atapattu and Sara L. Seck(eds), Cambridge (2021) 89-302.
Evaluating the Community Resilience in Promoting Ecological and Social Justice in Ground Water Governance: Lessons from India in The Transformation of Environmental Law and Governance: Risk, Innovation and Resilience, Denise Antolini, Tianbao Qin, Francesco Sindico and Stephanie Switzer(eds), Edward Elgar (2021) 74-91.
Artificial Intelligence and the Legal Response Paradigms in Disaster Management in AI and Robotics in Disaster Studies, Dr. TV Vijay Kumar and Dr. Keshav Sud (eds), Springer (2020) 133-149. (with G.S.R Moses)
Saga of Saga of Indo- US Climate Contestation and Cooperation: A Legal Analysis in Indo –US Relation Analysis, Dr. Shveta Dhaliwal(ed), Routledge (2021) 60-81.(with G.Naik)
Rule of Law in Reinvigorating Environmental Protection: An Assessment of Judicial Strategies in India in Rule of Law: Cases, Strategies, and Interpretations, Barbara Faedda (ed), Italian Academy (2021) 95-102.
Substantive Innovations Propounded by Indian Judiciary in Balancing Protection of Environment and Development in A Legal Analysis in Courts and the Environment, Christina Voigit and Zen Makuch, (eds), Edward Elgar (2018) 142-186.
Role of Judiciary in Bio Diversity Enforcement and Compliance: Comparison between International Court of Justice and Indian Judiciary, in Biodiversity and Sustainable Development, Usha Tandon (ed) Routledge (2017) 231-255.
Cross Border Surrogacy: An Indian State Practice, in Private International Law: South Asian State Practice, in Sai Ramani Garimella and Stellina Jolly(eds), Springer (2017) 175-197.
A Legal Analysis of Linking Human Right Approach to Access to Water and Sharing of Trans Boundary Rivers in South Asia Water in Shifting Horizons of Public International law in South Asia, J.L.Kaul and Anupam Jha (eds), Springer (2017) 135-158.
Interrogating the Pedagogy of State Responsibility and Individual Rights in Disaster Law, in The Emerging Threshold of Disaster Law in Asia, Amita Singh(ed), Routledge(2017) 143-158.
Stellina Jolly, Saloni Khanderia, Private International Law in BRICS Convergence, Divergence and Reciprocal Lessons, (Hart 2024 forthcoming)
Stellina Jolly, Saloni Khanderia , Indian Private International Law (Hart 2021)
Stellina Jolly, Nafees Ahmad, Climate Change Refugees in South Asia: An Analysis of South Asian Legal Response (Springer 2019)
Sai Ramani and Stellina Jolly (eds)Private International Law and South Asian States Practice, (Springer 2017)
Guest Editor, Special Volume on Environmental Law in South Asia LEAD Journal Volume 19 (1) 2023 https://lead-journal.org/volume19/
Guest Editor, Special Volume of the International Journal of Legal Studies and Research (IJLSR) the journal at the WB University of Juridical Sciences, India under the theme of " "Role of Civil Society in Governance: A South Asian Case Study". http://www.ijlsr.in/ijlsr_special_issue_june_2018.
Full Bright Academic Fellowship 2018-2019 https://cies.org/grantee/stellina-jolly
Visiting Senior Research Associate, Centre for Private International Law in Emerging Countries, University of Johannesburg, South Africa https://www.uj.ac.za/faculties/law/Pages/Institute-for-Private-International-Law-in-Africa.aspx
Visiting Professor, Maharashtra National Law University, Mumbai, India https://mnlumumbai.edu.in/vaf.php
Visiting Scholar, University of San Francisco, (October 2018-January 2019)
Executive Council Member, Asian Society of International Law 2023-2025
Rapporteur, 21st Informal Asia–Europe Meeting (ASEM) Seminar on Human Rights: “Human Rights & Climate Change”,16 – 18 March 2022, Luxembourg https://asef.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/ASEMHRS21-Seminar-Report.pdf
Selected for Department of State International Visitor Leader Program on “The Hague Abduction Convention in Practice” 2019
Awarded Research Grant for “Development and Publication of an Edited Volume on Climate Change, Human Mobility and Human Right Nexus in Asia Pacific” by Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, Sweden.
Member Advisory Council, Centre for Private International Law, Gujarat National Law University.(GNLU) https://gnlu.ac.in/Private-International-Law/Team
Member: World Commission on Environmental Law
Member, Asian Development Bank Network of Environmental Law Champions https://www.teachenvirolaw.asia/profile/stellina-jolly
Rapporteur, Sabin Centre for Climate Change Law, Columbia Law School
Consultant, Asian Development Bank (ADB)
Consultant : International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA)
Consultant: European Commission (EC) for the Global Price Project Assignment “Clean Energy Cooperation Project with India (CECI): Technical Assistance for the Implementation and Management of Identified Solar Parks” 2017
Research Grant, International Centre for Not for Profit Law (ICNL) and US Aid under the Global Civil Society Legal Enabling Environment (LEEP 11) 2017-2018
Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR): Research Project on “The Municipal Solid Waste Disposal Management in Delhi: A Socio-Legal Study of Okhla Landfill” 2017-2018
External Reviewer, for research project on Judicial Reforms in India entitled “Performance Indicators for Subordinate courts and suggestive policy/procedural changes for reducing civil case pendency“ Ministry of Law, Government of India, 2016.
Editor, The Global Network of Human Rights and the Environment (GHNRE) project on Climate Litigation in the Global South co-led by Prof. Melanie Murcott and Dr Maria Antonia Tigre.
Rajiv Gandhi Foundation “Developing Indicators for Rule of Law for states in India” supported by the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation, Delhi (2009)
Rajiv Gandhi Foundation, Research Project on “Environmental Reforms” supported by Rajiv Gandhi Foundation, Delhi (2008)