Amita Dhanda moved from literature to law. The engagement with words and the narrative which began in her study of English (hons) at Miranda House continued as she pursued the study of law at the Faculty of Law, Delhi University. She had started the study of law with the intention of pursuing a career in litigation, however half a day in a lawyers office made her move from the realm of practice and litigation, to the arena of teaching and learning of law. After completing her masters, Professor Dhanda started her career by taking up an entry level position at the Indian Law Institute. From ILI, she was nominated by Chief Justice Bhagwati as his research clerk in a first-time initiative to provide research support to judges.
Even as she has an abiding interest in both interpretation of statutes and administrative law both fields in which she has also written books, it is Professor Dhanda’s writing, research and advocacy in the field of disability law generally and psychosocial disability more particularly that has achieved both national and international recognition. The Supreme Court had her investigate the condition of persons with mental illness in the jails of West Bengal and the investigative report entitled “Unlock the Padlock” (1992) resulted in the Court declaring the housing of persons with mental illness in jails as unconstitutional. More recently (2024), a report by the Centre of Disability Studies headed by Professor Dhanda submitted a report on the status of the right to accessibility of persons with disabilities. This report titled “Finding Sizes for All” has prompted the court to order the creation of a floor of non-negotiable accessibility obligations, which have to be observed by all.
Legal Order and Mental Disorder her doctoral work which demonstrated how the law reinforced the exclusion of persons with psychosocial disabilities was effectively used by Professor Dhanda and her international colleagues to advocate for and obtain inclusion of universal legal capacity with support in the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. In recognition of her expertise, the Government of India appointed her in 2010, as legal consultant to the Committee constituted to draft a CRPD compliant disability rights law for the country.
Professor Dhanda retired as Professor of Law in February 2021 after serving the University in several academic and administrative positions. However, it was as a teacher who continually exhorted her students to think for themselves and to live their best lives that she made her most abiding contribution. In recognition of her scholastic excellence and her unparallel service to the University, NALSAR conferred on her the title of Prof-Emerita. In this capacity of experienced elder she continues to mentor and support students and faculty. Professor Dhanda who has been at NALSAR almost from its inception is living archive of the institutional journey of the University.