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Indian American professor helps revamp Connecticut hate crime laws
The measure consolidates and modernizes the state's hate crime statutes.
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Malvika Choudhary - Wed, 08, Jul 2026
- 18:07 EDT
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Gov. Ned Lamont signs Public Act 26-77, legislation recommended by the Connecticut Hate Crimes Advisory Council that strengthens and modernizes the state’s hate crimes laws, during an event June 8 at Congregation Beth Israel in West Hartford / Valerie Gordon/UConn Photo
Indian American professor Sachin S. Pandya helped develop legislation overhauling Connecticut's hate crime laws, which was signed by Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont on June 8.
The new law, Public Act 26-77, consolidates and modernizes the state's hate crime statutes, addressing inconsistencies that had made them difficult to interpret and enforce.
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A professor at the University of Connecticut School of Law professor,Pandya drafted the model bill that formed the basis of the legislation alongside then-UConn Law professor Richard Wilson.
He also worked with the Connecticut Hate Crimes Advisory Council to refine the proposal with input from prosecutors, defense attorneys, civil rights lawyers, and other stakeholders.
Furthermore, Pandya advised the governor's office and testified before the Connecticut Judiciary Committee on legislation based on the proposal. Speaking at the bill-signing ceremony, Pandya said the legislation was only the beginning of the state's efforts to combat hate crimes.
"This law is just a first step," he said. "The law on the books is still far from perfect. And if it takes a village to make a good law, it takes even a bigger village–a whole state even–to make that law work for real. It takes ... everyone working together to make clear that threats and violence, big or small, motivated by someone's race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, or another socially protected category – they're not just wrong. They're crimes. They're hate crimes. And we will not tolerate that here."
The Connecticut Hate Crimes Advisory Council credited UConn Law for its role in developing the legislation.
"We are grateful for the support of the University of Connecticut School of Law, Professors Sachin Pandya and Richard Wilson … who helped foster this collaborative achievement that exemplifies the finest traditions of legal academy in service to the public good, directly contributing to a safer, more inclusive, and more just Connecticut," said Amy Lin Meyerson, co-chairperson of the council.
The legislation is part of a broader statewide initiative to improve the reporting, prevention, and enforcement of hate crimes and bias incidents. The Connecticut Hate Crimes Advisory Council has also launched a public awareness campaign and an online reporting portal, reporthate.ct.gov, with support from UConn's Institute for Municipal and Regional Policy.
Pandya has taught at UConn School of Law since 2006 and was appointed Roger Sherman Professor of Law in June 2025. He also serves as a faculty affiliate at the UConn School of Public Policy.
Before joining UConn, he was an associate in law at Columbia Law School and assistant solicitor general in the Appeals and Civil Rights bureaus of the New York State Attorney General's Office. He earned a J.D. from Yale Law School and a master's degree in sociology from Columbia University.
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