Shantanu Pachauri

About

Shantanu Pachauri is an Assistant Professor at School of Law, RV University. He graduated from the National Law Institute University, Bhopal. He has completed his post-graduation from the National Law University, Delhi with a specialization in Criminal and Constitutional Law. In his dissertation, he analyzed the death sentences awarded by Madhya Pradesh trial courts in 2018, and argued that the trial courts of Madhya Pradesh moved further away from individualized sentencing, especially after the legislative and executive developments in the State.

He has published a number of articles with various journals and other platforms including the Indian Law Review, NALSAR Student Law Review, GNLU Law Review, NUJS SACJ Criminal Law Review, and NLS Socio Legal Review Forum among others. His interest lies in the intersection of constitutional and criminal law. He has published articles on various legislative and judicial developments including death penalty, simultaneous elections, witness protection scheme, sentencing policy for rape, etc. His article on simultaneous elections received an honourable mention in the Indian Law Review Best Article Prize, 2022. The article argues that the introduction and sustenance of simultaneous elections with the aid of mechanisms like constructive vote of no-confidence, fixed-term legislature, and executive rule make the system rigid, attack the principles of democracy and federalism, and erode executive accountability towards the legislature.