Fellow lawyers, outside the Courtroom lose the band and gown

Advocates outside the Supreme Court of India dressed in gowns and bands. (Image Credits - BQ Prime) In a previous post, I had discussed the rising trend of young judicial magistrates having an influential online presence via social media. I had argued that although the lack of regulations allows Judges to be on social media,...

Revisiting the Constituent Assembly proceedings of 26th November 1949

73 years ago on this day, India adopted its Constitution. The Constitution was a product of years of hard work and sweat of the members of the constituent assembly, who debated and discussed every provision of the draft Constitution and thereafter gave India its own document of governance. This was the final break from our...

A dent on Indian secularity, that no longer celebrates diversity

In this guest post, Shivani Vij critiques the Supreme Court's split judgment concerning the Karnataka Government’s order on uniform dress code in schools (the Hijab case). She particularly critiques the judgment of Justice Gupta and highlights its four constitutional fallacies. She argues that both the Judges failed to adopt a reasoning based on equal treatment...

Fundamental rights must be enforced

In this guest post, Shrutanjay Bhardwaj argues that a major challenge facing our Constitution is the Supreme Court’s aversion to Article 32 petitions. He discusses the evolution of this trend and recommends a way out. “It is the remedy that makes a right real. If there is no remedy, there is no right of all,...

Challenging the Appointment of the Chief Justice of India: A New Norm

Swearing in ceremony of Justice D.Y. Chandrachud as the Chief Justice of India Last week, Justice D.Y. Chandrachud took oath as the 50th Chief Justice of India. (‘CJI’) The same week, the Delhi High Court dismissed a petition questioning Justice Chandrachud’s appointment as the Chief Justice and seeking a stay on his oath ceremony. A...

Unpacking the 103rd Amendment Verdict (Part I)

Justice Bela Trivedi upheld the constitutional validity of the Constitutional Amendment. JUSTICE TRIVEDI'S OPINION: STRICT INTERPRETATION & LIMITED ROLE OF COURTS Earlier this week, the Hon’ble Supreme Court delivered its verdict in Janhit Abhiyan v. Union of India, which concerned the constitutional validity of the Constitution (One Hundred and Third Amendment) Act, 2019 (“Constitutional Amendment”)....

Students of National Law Universities are protesting

Students of National Law Universities in Sonipat and Jabalpur sitting in protest. The students of premier law universities in the country are on ground protesting against their respective administrations. Students of Dr. Bhim Rao Ambedkar National Law University in Sonipat, are protesting because they have been allegedly made to pay for facilities that have not...

75 years of Independence – A Letter to India

Image Credits - Latestly My beloved India, 76 years ago today, you made a tryst with destiny. While the world slept, you woke up to life and freedom. After years of colonialisation, you were free. In the process of moving from an enslaved to a free nation, you lost many of your brave children. Children...

Bombay High Court’s recent observations on PILs indicate a worrying trend

Recently, the Bombay High Court made some interesting observations while hearing a Public Interest Litigation petition (‘PIL’) filed by a BJP MLA, challenging the state government’s notification which amends the rules governing the election of the state assembly’s speaker. The amended rules permit only the Chief Minister to advise the Governor on the election of...

Sidhartha Shukla’s funeral exposes the media’s lack of respect for the dead, again!

Picture Credits - Indian Express In a recent post on his Instagram, comedian Zakir Khan wrote, ‘Wo tumhe insaan nahi samajhte. Isliye nahi hai koi line, na koi boundaries hain. Tumhari laash unke liye koi rooh nikla hua jism nahi. Bas tasveer lene ka ek aur mauka hai. Jitni ho sake utni. Ye waise hai...