Tarunabh Khaitan, a law academic affiliated with the universities of Oxford and Melbourne, has been declared the winner of the inaugural Letten Prize for young researchers launched by the Letten Foundation and the Young Academy of Norway.
Khaitan won the prize from among more than 200 researchers from around the world for his work across disciplines, including discrimination law, constitutional law, legal theory, political philosophy, democratic theory, constitutional design and ethics.
“In his scholarly activities, Khaitan has brought to the fore the stark and unjust inequalities that characterise present day society, not only in his native India but also in other countries," said a statement issued on Friday by the prize organisers .
"His engagement extends way beyond his academic publishing: he has been active in mentoring young academics from the global South, and founded India’s leading academic law journal.”
Khaitan will use the prize money of $260,000 to launch an “Indian Equality Law Program” to be hosted at the Melbourne Law School.
He said: “I hope to use (the prize money) towards contributing, in a small way, towards a vision of an India free from unfair discrimination. This ideal, reflected in the principled pragmatism of Dr (BR) Ambedkar, the chief architect of India’s pluralistic Constitution, has been a guiding light for my scholarship.”
{{/usCountry}}He said: “I hope to use (the prize money) towards contributing, in a small way, towards a vision of an India free from unfair discrimination. This ideal, reflected in the principled pragmatism of Dr (BR) Ambedkar, the chief architect of India’s pluralistic Constitution, has been a guiding light for my scholarship.”
{{/usCountry}}According to the statement, Khaitan’s achievements meet all the criteria listed in the call for the prize. “His work bears on several of UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, not least goal 10 (reduced inequalities) and 16 (peace, justice, and strong institutions)," it said.
Runners-up for the prize include Robert Aldridge (University College London) for research in public health, Nassim El Achi (Global Health Institute-American University of Beirut) for safe water management, Sophie Harman (Queen Mary University of London) for international relations and global health, and Jorge E Viñuales (Clare College, University of Cambridge) for environmental law.