Prof. V. Balakista Reddy, Professor of International Space Law and Registrar NALSAR University of Law has been invited by the General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University, Colombo to deliver a series of lectures on international law and international space law to its law faculty and students. The lecture series is sponsored by the Moragoda Foundation, a family foundation set up by Mr. Christopher Pinto a distinguished international lawyer and former legal adviser to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and subsequently World Bank. The Trust invites a distinguished European and American Professors from abroad to offer a series of lectures/seminars over a period of approximately 10 days every year. This is the first time they have invited an Indian to conduct the above said lectures.
Prof. Dr. V. Balakista Reddy is a distinguished professor in the field of International Aerospace and Defence Laws. Dr. Reddy obtained M. Phil. and Ph.D. in International Aerospace Law from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi. A prolific writer, Dr. Reddy has contributed extensively to various national and international journals on different facets of International Aerospace law. His books on, (1) Air Law and Policy in India (1994) (2) Recent Trends in International Space Law and Policy (1997) and (3) Emerging Trends in Air and Space Law, (2007), (4) Space and Contemporary Issues: An Asia Pacific Perspective, (2012) have won international acclaim. These books attracted the attention of scholars and teachers in developed and developing countries. Dr. Reddy is a visiting faculty to various universities in India and abroad and also an active member of many professional institutions which include the International Institute of Space Law (IISL), Paris. Prof. Reddy has been an active part of the international space law domain and presented papers on numerous niche areas of Aerospace Law including the United Nations and Institute of Air and Space Law, Leiden University, Mississippi University, USA, McGill University, Canada and International Institute of Space Law, Paris, etc.
The NALSAR University of Law established the advanced Center for Air and Space law (CASL) in 2005 under the headship of Prof (Dr.) V. Balakista Reddy. Since then, CASL has conducted various National and International Conferences, Workshops and Published Newsletters, Books and Articles in Aerospace Law Fields. As a Head of CASL, Dr. Reddy initiated many new activities which included the launching a very state of the art Master’s Degree and Post-Graduate Diploma in Aerospace and Defence Laws. Prof. Reddy has been also a pioneer and advocated the idea of enacting national space legislation for India through his scholarly writings. Subsequently, he has recently nominated as a member of the National Drafting Committee constituted for drafting of the first space legislation for India constituted by Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO).
