As time and again highlighted by our national leaders, Arteries and veins are to the human body, that Roads and Highways are to the nation. Drawing a parallel between the importance of roads and highways to that of the human circulatory system itself emphasizes the crucial role played by them Read more…
An individual comes into the world with certain rights. The freedom to live a life with respect and dignity is one of them. This fundamental right confers the state to provide a good and respectable life to its citizens. However, some exceptional circumstances warrant a different outcome. While the constitution Read more…
“Life is precious and death is irrevocable”- Yogesh V Nayyar Capital punishment also referred to the ‘death penalty’ is an institutionalized practice aimed at the deliberate execution of an individual or individuals in response to a definitive or supposed crime committed by the accused. This decision to execute follows a Read more…
“Why are you making my innocent child stand in the rain even after his death?”. This line from the Memories of a Father by T.V. Eachara Warrier points to the agony and deprivation caused by arbitrary state action not only on the rights of an individual but also on their Read more…
A couple of months back, a daily wager in Odisha sued the Prime Minister of India in a Lok Adalat. He stated that he had applied for an Adhaar card and failed in as many as 21 attempts to get one. Reasoning that the Prime Minister “is responsible for the implementation of Read more…
In a recent interview to The Hindu, advocate Prashant Bhushan lamented how Gram Nyayalayas were meant to function as courts where the CPC and CrPC (Civil and Criminal Procedure) wouldn’t apply, which would be closer to the people at sub-tehsil levels and be more accessible to those even without a lawyer. Read more…
It was in late 1979 when Justice P.N. Bhagwati, in Hussainara Khatoon Vs State of Bihar case, set off the phenomenon that Public Interest Litigations (PILs) evolved to become what it is today. Brought about by a substantial relaxation in the traditional interpretation of the term “locus standii”, the Supreme Court formally Read more…
The Supreme Court of India had recognised speedy trial as a fundamental right as far back as 1986. We know how that has worked out in reality over the three decades since. Cases continue to languish, pendency continues to worsen and an ever-larger proportion of Indians continue to be deprived Read more…
How do we integrate virtual courts and digital justice delivery into the broader legal ecosystem of India? The urgency for developing some methodology or procedure for this has gained new relevance in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Parliamentary Standing Committee (PSC) of the Department of Personnel, Public Grievances Read more…
The first sentence on the Ministry of Law and Justice’s website states “Ministry of Law and Justice is the oldest limb of the Government of India dating back to 1833 when the Charter Act 1833 enacted by the British Parliament.” Why is the oldest limb not taken adequate care of? The Law Read more…