Arpit Jain Sec- B 2023 <arpit.232920@hnlu.ac.

in>

Public International Law - Syllabus

Dr. Ankit Singh HNLU <ankit.singh@hnlu.ac.in> Tue, Jul 15, 2025 at 1:26 PM
Bcc: batch2023b@hnlu.ac.in

Dear Students,

Please find below the syllabus:

COURSE PLAN

MODULE I: INTRODUCTION

Unit I Public International Law: Meaning and Scope

Unit II Definitions and Development through Centuries
Unit III Theories of Public International Law
Unit IV International Law: A Tool of Diplomacy and Positive Morality
Unit V TWAIL: Third World Approaches to International Law

Landmark
Case laws --

Relevant Laws · UN Charter

· International Bill of Rights
Essential · I.A. Shearer, Starke’s International Law, Eleventh Edition, Oxford
Readings · Gurdip Singh, International Law, Eastern Book Company, Fourth Edition
· Malcolm N. Shaw, International Law, Cambridge, Ninth Edition
·

Suggested · https://www.studocu.com/in/document/kle-societys-law-college/public-international-
Readings law/theories-of-international-law/65380980
· https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/international-law/
· B.S. Chimni (2006), Third World Approached to International Law: A Manifesto,
International Community Law Review, pp. 3- 27
· https://criticallegalthinking.com/2019/04/02/twail-coordinates/#:~:text=
Coordenadas%20TWAIL&text=Los%20acad%C3%A9micos%20asociados%
20a%20las,'la%20mayor%C3%ADa%20del%20mundo'

MODULE II: SOURCES OF PUBLIC INTERNATIONAL LAW

Unit I Starke’s Material Sources and Art. 38 of the ICJ Statute

Unit II Treaties and Conventions
Unit III Customs – Customary International Law
Unit IV Judicial Decisions: Ex Aequo Et Bono
Unit V General Principles of Law: Jus Cogens – Other Sources

Landmark · Colombia v. Peru, [1950] ICJ 6

Case laws · Portugal v India, [1960] ICJ Rep 6
· Denmark/Federal Republic of Germany/Netherlands, [1969] ICJ 1
 · S.S. Lotus (Fr. v. Turk.), 1927 P.C.I.J. (ser. A) No. 10 (Sept. 7)
· The Republic of Nicaragua v. The United States of America, 1986 I.C.J. 14
· Corfu Channel (United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland v. People's
Republic of Albania), 1947-49
· United Kingdom v. Norway, [1951] ICJ 3
· The Paquete Habana; The Lola, 175 U.S. 677 (1900)
· Case Concerning Barcelona Traction, Light, and Power Company Ltd., [1970] ICJ 1

Relevant Law · Art. 38, ICJ Statute

· Vienna Convention on Law of Treaties, 1969

Essential · I.A. Shearer, Starke’s International Law, Eleventh Edition, Oxford

Readings · Gurdip Singh, International Law, Eastern Book Company, Fourth Edition
· Malcolm N. Shaw, International Law, Cambridge, Ninth Edition
· Michael Wood and Omri Sender, Customary International Law, available at
https://opil.ouplaw.com/display/10.1093/law:epil/9780199231690/law-9780199231690-
e1393

Suggested · https://www.diakonia.se/ihl/resources/international-law/sources-of-international-
Readings law/

MODULE III: RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MUNICIPAL LAW AND INTERNATIONAL LAW

Unit I Theories: Monist, Dualist, Specific Adoption, Transformation and Delegation

Unit II Interplay between Municipal Law and International Law: Practice in the US
Unit III Interplay between Municipal Law and International Law: Practice in the UK
Unit IV Interplay between Municipal Law and International Law: Practice in India

Landmark · The Paquete Habana; The Lola, 175 U.S. 677 (1900)
Case laws · United States v. Melekh, 190 F. Supp. 67 (S.D.N.Y. 1960)
· Tag v. Rogers, 14591. (267 F.2d 664)
· Fujii v. California, (38 Cal 2nd 718)
· Committee of U.S. Citizens Living in Nicaragua v. Reagan, 89 F.2d 929 (D.C.Cir. 1988)
· M.S.S.V.M. & Co., Ramanathapuram vs. The State of Madras, (1953) IIMLJ 587
· Additional District Magistrate, Jabalpur v. Shivkant Shukla, AIR 1976 SC 1207
· Nirmal Bose vs. Union of India, AIR 1959 CAL 506
· Rai Sahib Ram Jawaya Kapur and Ors. vs. The State of Punjab, AIR 1955 SC 549
· Maganbhai Ishwarbhai Patel vs. Union Of India and Anr., 1969 AIR 783
· Jolly George Verghese & Anr. vs. The Bank of Cochin, 1980 AIR 470
· People's Union of Civil Liberties vs. Union of India, AIR 1997 SC 568

Relevant Law · Art. 1, US Constitution

· Art. 51, Constitution of India
· Art. 253, Constitution of India
· Universal Declaration of Human Rights
· ICCPR, 1966

Essential · I.A. Shearer, Starke’s International Law, Eleventh Edition, Oxford

Readings · Gurdip Singh, International Law, Eastern Book Company, Fourth Edition
· Malcolm N. Shaw, International Law, Cambridge, Ninth Edition

Suggested · https://www.drishtijudiciary.com/public-international-law/relation-between-
Readings international-law-and-municipal-law

MODULE IV: STATE: SOVEREIGNTY AND JURISDICTION

Unit I Concept of State

Unit II State Sovereignty
Unit III State Territorial Jurisdiction
Unit IV State Jurisdiction: Civil and Criminal
Unit V Exemptions from Territorial Jurisdiction
Unit VI Law of the Sea

Landmark · Dickinson v. Del Solar, (1930) 1 KB 376

Case laws · Jurisdictional Immunities of the State (Germany v. Italy: Greece intervening), 2008
· Trendtex Trading v. Bank of Nigeria, [1977] 1 QB 529
· The Cutting Case, 1887, Mexico vs. USA

Relevant Law · Art. 1, Montevideo Convention, 1933

· Sections 86, 87 and 87A, Code of Civil Procedure, 1908
· Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, 1961
· Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, 1963
· United Nations (Privileges and Immunities) Act, 1947
· Articles 95 and 96 of the UNCLOS, 1982
· Tokyo Convention, 1963 (The Convention on Offences and Certain Other Acts Committed
on Board Aircraft)
· Hague Convention, 1970 (convention for the suppression of unlawful seizure of aircraft)
· Montreal Convention, 1971
· Maritime Zones Act, 1976
· Continental Shelf Act, 2002

Essential · I.A. Shearer, Starke’s International Law, Eleventh Edition, Oxford

Readings · Gurdip Singh, International Law, Eastern Book Company, Fourth Edition
· Malcolm N. Shaw, International Law, Cambridge, Ninth Edition

Suggested · https://www.britannica.com/topic/international-law/Jurisdiction
Readings · Asha Kaushal (2024), The Space between Sovereignty and Jurisdiction, NLS Review, 35(2),
pp. 84-93.
· Bimal N. Patel, Law of the Sea, 2015 Edition, Eastern Book Company

MODULE V: RECOGNITION AND SUCCESSION OF STATES

Unit I Recognition of States: De Facto and De Jure, Collective Recognition

Unit II Theories of Recognition: Constitutive and Declarative
Unit III Doctrines of State Recognition
Unit IV Recognition of Insurgency and Belligerency
Unit V Concept of State Succession: Meaning and Kinds
Unit VI Theories of State Succession

Landmark · Tinoco Claims Arbitration (Great Britain v. Costa Rica), 1 U.N. Rep. Int’l Arb. Awards 369
Case laws (1923)
· Luther v. Sagor, (KB, CoA 1921)
· The Arantzazu Mendi Case (UK), 1939

Relevant Laws · Art. 1, Montevideo Convention, 1933

· Art. 4, UN Charter
· Art 2(1)(b), Vienna Convention on the Succession of States in respect of Treaties, 1978

Essential · I.A. Shearer, Starke’s International Law, Eleventh Edition, Oxford

Readings · Gurdip Singh, International Law, Eastern Book Company, Fourth Edition
· Malcolm N. Shaw, International Law, Cambridge, Ninth Edition

Suggested · https://www.defactolaw.in/post/understanding-recognition-in-international-law-
Readings states-governments-and-types
· https://www.drishtijudiciary.com/public-international-law/formation-and-
recognition-of-states-under-international-law
· https://www.numberanalytics.com/blog/navigating-state-succession-in-
 international-law
· https://lawbhoomi.com/state-succession-under-international-law/

MODULE VI: INDIVIDUALS AND PUBLIC INTERNATIONAL LAW

Unit I Acquisition and Loss of Nationality: Refugees and Stateless Persons

Unit II Exile and Asylum
Unit III Extradition and Rendition
Unit IV Case Studies (Nuremberg Trials, Tokyo Trial, Trial of Captain Francis Gary Powers)

Landmark --
Case laws

Relevant Law · Art. 18, ICCPR

· Art. 6, ICESCR
· Art. 3, UDHR
· Art. 110, UNCLOS
· Sec. 25, ICC Rome Statute
· Art. 1, Refugee Convention, 1951
· Convention Relating to the Status of Stateless Persons,1954
· Sec. 2(d), Extradition Act, 1962
· Vienna Convention, 1988

Essential · I.A. Shearer, Starke’s International Law, Eleventh Edition, Oxford

Readings · Gurdip Singh, International Law, Eastern Book Company, Fourth Edition
· Malcolm N. Shaw, International Law, Cambridge, Ninth Edition

Suggested · https://www.unhcr.org/about-unhcr/who-we-protect/stateless-people
Readings · https://blog.finology.in/Legal-news/asylum-extradition

MODULE VII: CONTEMPORARY TRENDS AND DEVELOPMENTS

Unit I Climate Change and International Law

Unit II Drug Trafficking and Human Trafficking
Unit III Cyber-terrorism and Cyber Warfare
Univ IV Recent Geopolitical Conflicts in light of the UN Charter

Landmark --
Case laws

Relevant Law · Paris Agreement, 2015 and UNFCCC

· Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, 1961
· United Nations Convention against Cybercrime, 2024

Essential · https://climatehughes.org/law-and-climate-atlas/public-international-law-and-climate-
Readings change/
· https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/drug-trafficking/legal-framework.html

Suggested · Lindsey King (2009), International Law and Human Trafficking, Human Rights and Human
Readings Welfare, 9(1)
· Joseph N. Madubuike-Ekwe (2021), Cyberattack and the Use of Force in International Law,
Beijing Law Review, 12(2), available at https://www.scirp.org/journal/paperinformation?
paperid=109997

SUGGESTED READINGS:
• Malcolm Nathan Shaw, International Law, Cambridge University Press, 2003
• Tim Hillier, Sourcebook on Public International Law, Routledge, 1998
• Ian Brownlie, Principles of Public International Law, Oxford University Press, 2008
• Joseph Gabriel Starke, Ivan Anthony Shearer, Starke's International Law, Butterworths, 1994
• Lassa Oppenheim, Robert Jennings and Arthur Watts, Oppenheim's International Law, Oxford University Press,
USA, 2008
• Ian Brownlie, Basic Documents in International Law, Oxford University Press, 2008
• Gideon Boas, Public International Law, Edward Elgar, 2012.
• Anthony Aust, Handbook of International Law, 2nd Edition, Cambridge University Press, 2010
• William R. Slomanson, Fundamental Perspectives on International Law, Sixth Edition, Wadsworth, Cengage
Learning, 2011.
• David Armstrong (ed.), Routledge Handbook of International Law, 2009.

Regards,

--
Dr. Ankit Singh
Assistant Professor of Law
DPIIT-IPR Chair Professor
Head, Centre for Innovation and IP Laws
Convener (Sports and Cultural Committee)
Hidayatullah National Law University
8827638448 (Call) / 8966049636 (WhatsApp)
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