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{{Short description|Indian scholar of constitutional law}}

'''Gautam Bhatia''' is a scholar of [[constitutional law]] and science-fiction author from India.

{{Infobox person
| name = Gautam Bhatia
| image = Gautam Bhatia in Bangalore, Jan 2020.jpg
| caption = Gautam Bhatia at a Bangalore event in January 2020
| birth_date = {{birth year and age|1988}}
| birth_place = [[New Delhi]]
| nationality = [[India]]
| occupation = [[scholar]], [[lawyer]], [[author]]
| awards = [[Rhodes Scholar|Rhodes Scholarship]]
| alma mater = [[National Law School of India University]], [[Balliol College, Oxford|Balliol College, University of Oxford]], [[Yale University]]
}}

== Early life and education ==
Bhatia was born to a mathematician father and a documentary-film-maker mother; he was raised in [[New Delhi]].<ref name="thehindubusinessline">{{Cite web|last=Najib|first=Rihan|title=Case by case|url=https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/blink/read/case-by-case/article26673053.ece|access-date=2021-02-21|website=@businessline|language=en}}</ref>

He attained his [[Bachelor of Laws|LL.B.]] from [[National Law School of India University]] in 2011,<ref name="thehindubusinessline"/> and went on to pursue a [[Bachelor of Civil Law|B.C.L.]] (2012) and [[Master of Philosophy|M.Phil.]] (2013) from [[Balliol College, Oxford|Balliol College, University of Oxford]] as a [[Rhodes Scholarship|Rhodes Scholar]].<ref>{{Cite web|date=2017-08-07|title=Rhodes scholar to Carnatic singer, meet 4 young lawyers in privacy fight|url=https://indianexpress.com/article/india/rhodes-scholar-to-carnatic-singer-meet-4-young-lawyers-in-privacy-fight-4785544/|access-date=2021-02-21|website=The Indian Express|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2015-07-16|title=Gautam Bhatia|url=https://www.law.ox.ac.uk/people/gautam-bhatia|access-date=2021-02-21|website=Oxford Law Faculty|language=en}}</ref> Subsequently, he received a [[Master of Laws|LL.M.]] from [[Yale University]] (2014) specializing in constitutional law, and is currently a doctoral scholar at University of Oxford.<ref name="thehindubusinessline"/><ref>{{Cite web|title=Gautam Bhatia - Forbes India Magazine|url=https://www.forbesindia.com/thirtyprofile2018/gautam-bhatia/1679/33|access-date=2021-02-21|website=Forbes India|language=en}}</ref>

== Works ==

=== Law ===
In 2016, ''Offend, Shock, Or Disturb: Free Speech Under the Indian Constitution'' was published by [[Oxford University Press]]. The book provides a philosophical as well as analysis of Indian free speech jurisprudence on the touchstone of [[Constitution of India]], probing into issues of autonomy, equality, and anti-subordination from both legal and philosophical grounds.<ref name="scroll"/><ref name="doi"/><ref name="thehindu"/><ref name="epw"/> Bhatia largely agrees with the decision of the Supreme Court of India in ''[[S. Rangarajan v. Jagjivan Ram]]'' and goes on to propose a realm of 'constitutional morality' to evaluate restrictions on free speech, wherein the identity of the speaker, target, historical and cultural associations, and social situation should be taken into account to decide upon each case.<ref name="scroll"/><ref name="doi"/><ref name="epw"/>

Arudra Burra, a professor of philosophy at [[IIT Delhi]], reviewing for [[Scroll.in]], noted it to be an interesting and illuminating "must-read" despite some issues.<ref name="scroll">{{Cite web|last=Burra|first=Arudra|title=Why you must read Gautam Bhatia's 'Offend, Shock, and Disturb' to debate Free Speech in India|url=http://scroll.in/article/778129/why-you-must-read-gautam-bhatias-offend-shock-and-disturb-to-debate-free-speech-in-india|access-date=2021-02-21|website=Scroll.in|language=en-US}}</ref> Jinee Lokaneeta, a professor of political science at [[Drew University]], noted the work to be powerful, chilling and insightful in that it "raised important questions about colonial continuities, postcolonial choices, and the quotidian life of the law in relation to societal hierarchies" but lacking in the [[Subaltern (postcolonialism)|subaltern]].<ref name="doi">{{Cite journal|last=Lokaneeta|first=Jinee|date=2020-12-01|title=Book review: Gautam Bhatia, Offend, Shock, or Disturb: Free Speech Under the Indian Constitution, Abhinav Chandrachud, Republic of Rhetoric: Free Speech and the Constitution of India and Anushka Singh, Sedition in Liberal Democracies|url=https://doi.org/10.1177/2321023020963410|journal=Studies in Indian Politics|language=en|volume=8|issue=2|pages=300–303|doi=10.1177/2321023020963410|s2cid=228084616|issn=2321-0230}}</ref> [[Mark Tushnet]] noted the monograph to have provided a clear and comprehensive account of Indian free-speech-laws; however, he had mild criticisms for Bhatia's universalist and normative approach.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Tushnet|first=Mark|date=2017-01-02|title=Offend, shock, or disturb: free speech under the Indian constitution, Gautam Bhatia, New Delhi, Oxford University Press, 2016, 392 pp., $39.95 (hardback), ISBN 9780199460878|url=https://doi.org/10.1080/24730580.2017.1306993|journal=Indian Law Review|volume=1|issue=1|pages=83–86|doi=10.1080/24730580.2017.1306993|s2cid=166010258|issn=2473-0580}}</ref> A review over [[Economic and Political Weekly]] admired of the work as splendidly erudite and a compelling marshaling of facts in favor of a liberal defense of free-speech-rights; however Bhatia's insistence on attributing judgements to legal theories whilst ignoring the practicalities of an over-burdened legal system and other external factors were criticized, and a series of questions were posed for a potential second edition.<ref name="epw">{{Cite journal|date=2015-06-05|title=Taking Free Speech Seriously|url=https://www.epw.in/journal/2016/32/book-reviews/taking-free-speech-seriously.html|journal=Economic and Political Weekly|language=en|volume=51|issue=32|pages=7–8|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160807043311/https://www.epw.in/journal/2016/32/book-reviews/taking-free-speech-seriously.html|archive-date=2016-08-07}}</ref> Avantika Mehra, reviewing for [[The Hindustan Times]], found the book to be a specialist work which was invaluable for research-purposes; however, she criticized Bhatia for locating his theorizing in a realpolitik vacuum and ignoring plausible cases which challenged his analyses.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2016-06-24|title=Offend, Shock, or Disturb: The limitations to free speech in India|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/art-and-culture/a-new-book-looks-at-limitations-to-free-speech-in-india/story-mF9tcylLiAxpiS255zL16H.html|access-date=2021-02-21|website=Hindustan Times|language=en}}</ref> A review in [[The Hindu]] noted of the work to be a lucid and detailed examination of the law of free speech in India, which provided valuable historical insight on its evolution.<ref name="thehindu">{{Cite news|last=Venkataramanan|first=K.|date=2016-02-28|title=How free can free speech be?|language=en-IN|work=The Hindu|url=https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/how-free-can-free-speech-be/article8289947.ece|access-date=2021-02-21|issn=0971-751X}}</ref>

In February 2019, ''The Transformative Constitution: A Radical Biography in Nine Acts'' was published by Oxford University Press. The book drew praises from critics, and was shortlisted for the [[The Hindu Literary Prize|The Hindu Literary Prize, 2019]] under Non-Fiction category.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Datta|first=Sudipta|date=2020-03-14|title='The Constitution was meant to interrogate relationships of power': Gautam Bhatia|language=en-IN|work=The Hindu|url=https://www.thehindu.com/books/the-constitution-was-meant-to-interrogate-relationships-of-power-gautam-bhatia/article31058570.ece|access-date=2021-02-21|issn=0971-751X}}</ref>

Sandeep Suresh, a professor of law at [[Jindal Global Law School]], reviewing for [[International Journal of Constitutional Law]], noted Bhatia to have added an erudite and painstakingly researched monograph to the existing literature on Indian constitutional law.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Suresh|first=Sandeep|date=2020-08-04|title=The Transformative Constitution: A Radical Biography in Nine Acts|url=https://academic.oup.com/icon/article/18/2/668/5880187|journal=International Journal of Constitutional Law|language=en|volume=18|issue=2|pages=668–672|doi=10.1093/icon/moaa046|issn=1474-2640|doi-access=free}}</ref> [[Mukul Kesavan]], reviewing for [[The Hindu]], admired Bhatia for his lucid writing, systematic argumentation and enviable marshaling of history, political ideas and jurisprudence; overall, he noted of the work to be a formidable achievement.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Kesavan|first=Mukul|date=2019-05-18|title='The Transformative Constitution — A Radical Biography in Nine Acts' review: Progressive charter|language=en-IN|work=The Hindu|url=https://www.thehindu.com/books/books-reviews/the-transformative-constitution-a-radical-biography-in-nine-acts-review-progressive-charter/article27170765.ece|access-date=2021-02-21|issn=0971-751X}}</ref> Nikhil Govind, a professor of philosophy at [[Manipal University]], reviewing for [[Scroll.in]], noted it to be a timely work that would aid in increasing legal literacy and lead to a more participative citizenship.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Govind|first=Nikhil|title=This biography of the Indian Constitution is not about the law today but about the ideal equilibrium|url=https://scroll.in/article/924449/this-biography-of-the-indian-constitution-is-not-about-the-law-today-but-about-the-ideal-equilibrium|access-date=2021-02-21|website=Scroll.in|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Narrain|first=Siddharth|date=2021-02-17|title=Transformative constitutionalism: a radical biography in nine acts|url=https://doi.org/10.1080/24730580.2021.1880722|journal=Indian Law Review|volume=5|pages=139–147|doi=10.1080/24730580.2021.1880722|issn=2473-0580|s2cid=232020841}}</ref> Shefali Jha, a professor of political science at [[Jawaharlal Nehru University]], found the work to be a valuable contribution to the field of constitutional studies, which advocated for [[contestatory democracy]] in place of [[electoral democracy]].<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Jha|first=Shefali|date=2020-06-01|title=Book review: Rohit De, A People's Constitution: The Everyday Life of Law in the Indian Republic and Gautam Bhatia, The Transformative Constitution: A Radical Biography in Nine Acts|url=https://doi.org/10.1177/2321023020918071|journal=Studies in Indian Politics|language=en|volume=8|issue=1|pages=118–120|doi=10.1177/2321023020918071|issn=2321-0230|s2cid=220321899|doi-access=free}}</ref> [[Rajeev Dhavan]], reviewing for [[The Indian Express]], admired of Bhatia as an excellent jurist but aired pessimism about the practicalities.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2019-03-30|title=Morning Constitutionals|url=https://indianexpress.com/article/lifestyle/books/morning-constitutionals-5650053/|access-date=2021-02-21|website=The Indian Express|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Hailbronner|first=Michaela|date=2020-12-31|title=Indian public law scholarship roundtable: An introduction|url=https://academic.oup.com/icon/article/18/3/1021/6058966|journal=International Journal of Constitutional Law|language=en|volume=18|issue=3|pages=1021|doi=10.1093/icon/moaa080|issn=1474-2640}}</ref><ref name="indiatoday">{{cite web|date=2019-05-03|title=The once and future Constitution | Books - UP Front News - Issue Date: May 13, 2019|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/up-front/story/20190513-gautam-bhatia-s-book-the-transformative-constitution-1515581-2019-05-03|access-date=2021-02-24|website=India Today}}</ref>

Bhatia has contributed chapters on [[Directive Principles]] and 'Religious Speech' to The Oxford Handbook of the Indian Constitution and The Oxford Handbook of Freedom of Speech respectively.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Bhatia|first=Gautam|date=2016-03-01|title=Directive Principles of State Policy|url=https://www.oxfordhandbooks.com/view/10.1093/law/9780198704898.001.0001/oxfordhb-9780198704898-e-36|access-date=2021-02-26|website=The Oxford Handbook of the Indian Constitution|language=en|doi=10.1093/law/9780198704898.001.0001/oxfordhb-9780198704898-e-36}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-oxford-handbook-of-freedom-of-speech-9780198827580?cc=us&lang=en&|title=The Oxford Handbook of Freedom of Speech|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-882758-0|series=Oxford Handbooks|location=Oxford, New York}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Direct and Indirect Discrimination|url=https://oxcon.ouplaw.com/view/10.1093/law-mpeccol/law-mpeccol-e694|access-date=2021-02-26|website=Oxford Constitutions|language=en|doi=10.1093/law-mpeccol/law-mpeccol-e694}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Gender Discrimination|url=https://oxcon.ouplaw.com/view/10.1093/law-mpeccol/law-mpeccol-e127|access-date=2021-02-26|website=Oxford Constitutions|language=en|doi=10.1093/law-mpeccol/law-mpeccol-e127}}</ref> In 2021, on the wakes of [[Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019|Citizenship (Amendment) Act]], he coauthored a book on the multiple dimensionalities of citizenship along with [[Romila Thapar]], [[Gautam Patel]], and [[N. Ram]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=ON CITIZENSHIP {{!}} Aleph Book Company|url=https://www.alephbookcompany.com/book/on-citizenship/|access-date=2021-02-26|language=en}}</ref> He has been published in several journals of repute including [[Economic and Political Weekly]], [[Hastings Constitutional Law Quarterly]], [[The Indian Law Review]] and [[Global Constitutionalism]].

=== Science Fiction ===
In August 2020, ''The Wall'' was published by [[HarperCollins]]. A [[speculative fiction]] centered on law, it received critical acclaim.<ref name="thehindu2"/> Set in a dystopian city called ''Sumer'' guarded by impenetrable walls and having a strictly hierarchical society, the novel follows the chronicles of Mithila, a queer girl (and her cohort) who seeks to venture beyond those boundaries.<ref name="thehindu2">{{Cite news|last=Unudurti|first=Jaideep|date=2020-10-17|title=Writing on the wall: Review of Gautam Bhatia's 'The Wall'|language=en-IN|work=The Hindu|url=https://www.thehindu.com/books/writing-on-the-wall-review-of-gautam-bhatias-the-wall/article32868630.ece|access-date=2021-02-21|issn=0971-751X}}</ref><ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1">{{Cite web|last=Bhatia|first=Gautam|date=2021-01-14|title=Breaking Barriers|url=https://openthemagazine.com/lounge/books/breaking-barriers/|access-date=2021-02-21|website=Open The Magazine|language=en-GB}}</ref>

Avantika Mehra, reviewing for [[Scroll.in]], noted the work to be a fine and lucid debut, which mirrored today's realities in a continuation of the themes of equality and freedom traversed in his earlier legal works; however she criticized Bhatia's over-reliance on dialogues and sketchy character-building at the cost of superb world-building.<ref name="scroll2">{{Cite web|last=Mehta|first=Avantika|title='The Wall' can be read as a continuation in fiction of Gautam Bhatia's work on freedom and equality|url=https://scroll.in/article/974765/the-wall-can-be-read-as-a-continuation-in-fiction-of-gautam-bhatias-work-on-freedom-and-equality|access-date=2021-02-21|website=Scroll.in|language=en-US}}</ref> [[Omair Ahmad]], reviewing for [[The Wire (India)|The Wire]], raised similar issues about character-development but went on to admire Bhatia's introducing characters with little explanations, comparing favorably with [[Kraken (novel)|Kraken]]; Bhatia was also admired for showing the varied [[Point of view (philosophy)|POVs]] of varied groups of inhabitants in a sympathetic manner and his unique world-building which had as many similarities as dissimilarities with reality.<ref name="thewire"/> Overall, Ahmad found the work to be a "deeply imagined, stylish and confident debut".<ref name="thewire">{{Cite web|title=Gautam Bhatia's Debut Novel Offers a Deeply Imagined Metaphor for Today's India|url=https://thewire.in/books/gautam-bhatia-the-wall-book-review|access-date=2021-02-21|website=The Wire}}</ref> A review in [[The Hindustan Times]] deemed the work to be an "allegorical examination of the present state of democracy" and an important addition to the corpus of speculative fiction.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-09-25|title=Review: The Wall by Gautam Bhatia|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/books/review-the-wall-by-gautam-bhatia/story-HEk94a3bdOLObpO6cOd3vN.html|access-date=2021-02-21|website=Hindustan Times|language=en}}</ref> Shrabontee Bagchi, for [[Mint (newspaper)|Mint Lounge]], noted ''The Wall'' to be richly layered and highly satisfying.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|date=2020-12-17|title=Your weekend fix: Lounge recommends 'The Wall' by Gautam Bhatia|url=https://lifestyle.livemint.com//how-to-lounge/books/your-weekend-fix-lounge-recommends-the-wall-by-gautam-bhatia-111608143813392.html|access-date=2021-02-21|website=Mintlounge|language=en}}</ref> A review in [[Open (Indian magazine)]] admired Bhatia for sketching a layered narrative and raising crucial political questions in a hard-to-put-down book.<ref name=":1" /> [[Manjula Padmanabhan]]. for [[India Today]], however found the novel to be a frustrating read, lacking in poignancy and character-development.<ref name="indiatoday2">{{cite web|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/leisure/story/20200928-locked-in-1723322-2020-09-19|title=Locked In - Leisure News - Issue Date: Sep 28, 2020|website=India Today|date=2020-09-19|author=Manjula Padmanabhan|access-date=2021-02-24}}</ref>

=== Columns ===
Bhatia is a regular column writer for multiple Indian news-media outlets.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Articles by Gautam Bhatia {{!}} MSN India, The Economic Times, The Times of India Journalist {{!}} Muck Rack|url=https://muckrack.com/gautam-bhatia/articles|access-date=2021-02-21|website=muckrack.com|language=en}}</ref>

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://indconlawphil.wordpress.com/author/gautambhatia1988/ Articles written by Gautam Bhatia for ''The Indian Constitutional Law and Philosophy'']
* [http://strangehorizons.com/author/gautam-bhatia/ Gautam Bhatia's reviews on Strange Horizons]
* [https://anenduringromantic.wordpress.com/ Gautam Bhatia's book blog - An Enduring Romantic]
* [https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15026530.Gautam_Bhatia Gautam Bhatia on Goodreads]
* [https://twitter.com/gautambhatia88 Gautam Bhatia on Twitter]
* [https://instagram.com/gautam_bhatia_books/ Gautam Bhatia on Instagram]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bhatia, Gautam}}
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Indian lawyers]]
[[Category:Indian writers]]
[[Category:Alumni of Balliol College, Oxford]]
[[Category:Indian Rhodes Scholars]]
[[Category:Yale Law School alumni]]
[[Category:Year of birth missing (living people)]]

Gautam Bhatia (lawyer) - Revision history

>Chris the speller: /* Law */replaced: Philosophy → philosophy (2), Law → law