Who will compensate an innocent whose life is wrecked by the criminal justice system?
Accused wrongfully convicted and jailed for years suffer a “virtual death”. Allahabad High Court recently acquitted a person who was incarcerated for 13 years following a miscarriage of justice. It made an important suggestion, the court acquitting an innocent should be empowered to fix compensation that will be paid by the State for destroying a life
BN Rau: Backroom boy at the heart of the making of India’s Constitution
November 26 marks the 75th anniversary of the adoption of the Indian Constitution by the Constituent Assembly. Almost obscured by the political stalwarts who played a key role in its making, but always acknowledged as the remarkable civil servant who threaded diverse needs into a coherent foundational document is Rau. He holds the distinction of also having played an important role in drafting Burma’s constitution in 1947
India's Legal System: Legal aid for the poor or poor legal aid?
India’s legal aid system remains underfunded and inefficient. Only 1% of eligible individuals access free legal aid, with poor quality and low pay for lawyers contributing to the system's failures, leaving many without proper representation
Secularism with Indian characteristics
Constituent Assembly had extensive discussions on secularism and all strands converged on two points: India’s legal architecture would not favour one religion over the other and the Western notion of separation of church and state was irrelevant here. Subsequent jurisprudence emphasised secularism with Indian characteristics is a part of the Constitution’s basic structure
Collegium: Ensuring judicial independence or perpetuating an unaccountable system?
The Collegium system was not part of the original Constitution, rather it was introduced later by a novel judicial invention—which is unparalleled in the world. But one of the prominent criticism is that the Collegium system has brought the judiciary and executive at loggerheads
Tilt towards personal liberty
Recent Supreme Court judgements have prioritised personal liberty, putting bail over jail. A judgement this month extended the logic to anticipatory bail, which will now be treated as a standalone appeal even when one is custody for an unrelated offence.
Indian Constitution @75: Saurabh Kirpal’s book traces India’s constitutional journey through equality code
As the Indian Constitution and Supreme Court mark 75 years in January 2025, it's time to evaluate their equality promises. To understand how far the Indian State has been able to implement its “equality code”, one needs to understand what ‘equality’ actually connotes in the context of law and jurisprudence
Tortuous jurisprudence of bail when jails are packed with undertrials
Bail is not a privilege but a judicial process that is intrinsically intertwined with the fairness quotient of justice. What forms its basis is the presumption of innocence and hence right to live a life of dignity and liberty
Delhi HC directs Centre to furnish blocking order for Briar messaging app
The Delhi High Court directed the Union government to furnish the order, either redacted or its summary to Briar within 2 weeks
Kolkata RG Kar Rape-Murder Case: CBI Seeks Polygraph Test on Ex-Principal Sandip Ghosh, 4 Other Doctors
The CBI has sought a polygraph test on former RG Kar Medical College principal Sandip Ghosh and four other doctors in connection with the alleged rape and murder of a postgraduate trainee at the hospital, officials said. The CBI took Ghosh and four other doctors, who were on duty on the date of the incident, to a special court for seeking permission to conduct the lie detection test on them
#rgkarhospitalnews #RapeandMurderCase #kolkataprotest #doctorsdeath #polygraphtest #cbi
Major fire in Andhra Pradesh pharma unit kills 17 people, injures 33
A major fire and explosion ripped through a pharma unit here on Wednesday leaving 17 people dead and 33 injured. The damage could have been worse but due to lunchtime fewer workers were in the plant when the accident occurred. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, will visit the site on Aug 22 and, has ordered a high-level enquiry into the incident, promising stringent action against the management in case of negligence.
Rethinking Section 29A of IBC to get the best out of a resolution process
The challenge of business recovery lies in balancing regulatory protections with realistic opportunities for revival. It is important to recognise that not all distressed companies are beyond repair, and not all promoters are incapable of restoring their businesses to health. One potential solution is to implement a tiered system within IBC’s Section 29A that allows for exceptions based on the promoter's past performance/conduct in business and their proposed resolution plan
DPDP Rules: NCPCR to recommend MeitY to bring in KYC-based age verification for children
On August 13, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), during a meeting, "warned" social media platforms and urged them to implement KYC-based systems for verifying children's age
Nirbhaya's Mother Says It Still Feels Like We Are in 2012, Nothing's Changed in the System
Asha Devi, mother of Nirbhaya, the victim of the 2012 Delhi gang rape case, expressed that it still feels like 2012 and questioned West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's handling of doctor’s rape and murder case. She criticized Banerjee, saying, “Mamata Banerjee is protesting to divert people's attention from this issue. She herself is a woman. She should have taken strict action against the culprits while discharging her responsibility as the head of the state.”
Kolkata Rape-Murder Case: Nirbhaya’s Mother Counters Bengal CM, Questions Why Mamata Led Protest Rally
Who is West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee protesting against, the mother of Nirbhaya, the victim of the 2012 Delhi gang rape case, asked, after the TMC supremo took out a protest rally demanding justice for the Kolkata rape and murder victim.
Delhi Excise Policy Case: SC grants bail to Manish Sisodia after 17 months
Supreme Court granted bail to Manish Sisodia in both CBI, ED cases related to the Delhi Excise Policy case. The apex court, however, imposed certain bail conditions, such as directing him to surrender his passport and not to influence witnesses. The top court said that Sisodia has suffered a long incarceration of 17 months and the trial hasn’t even begun. AAP MP Sanjay Singh welcomed the Supreme Court’s decision and targeted the NDA-led Modi Government.
AAP MP Raghav Chadha Criticizes Finance Minister's Decisions Amid Inflation Concerns
AAP Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha questions the Finance Minister's decisions amidst rising inflation, urging for comprehensive indexation on all assets. He criticizes the current partial implementation, likening the removal of indexation for Indian investors to breaking their backbone. Chadha supports Nitin Gadkari's letter to the Finance Minister, demanding the removal of the 18% GST on life and health insurance. He highlights the need for knowledgeable economic planning to avoid frequent policy reversals. Watch for a detailed critique of the government's economic policies.
#raghavchadha #financebill2024 #nirmalasitharaman #aapvsbjp
Cong President Kharge holds meet on SC's sub-classification for quotas | Rahul, Sonia attend meet
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday night held a key party meet over the recent verdict of Supreme Court on sub-classification of SCs and STs quota.The meeting was attended by Congress MPs Sonia and Rahul Gandhi along with many other senior leaders. Listen in to what Jairam Ramesh had to say post the meeting.
#congress #mallikarjunkharge #rahulgandhi #jairamramesh
Google illegally maintains monopoly over internet search | US Court finds violation in antitrust law
A U.S. judge ruled on August 5 that Google violated antitrust law, spending billions of dollars to create an illegal monopoly and become the world's default search engine, the first big win for federal authorities taking on Big Tech's market dominance. Google controls about 90% of the online search market, and 95% on smartphones. The decision paves the way for a second trial to determine potential fixes, including a possible breakup of Alphabet
SC allows sub-classification of classes; What's the case and what the CJI said?
The Supreme Court's ruling has cleared the way for quota-within-quota. In its 2024 judgment, the top court had held that only Parliament and not state legislatures had the power to sub-classify SCs and STs for reservation
Shopkeepers Split Over Order for Eatery Owners to Display Names | Opposition Criticizes Government
The Uttarakhand government has mandated all eateries falling on the route of Kanwar Yatra to display the name of the owner and workers.This order has come into effect in Haridwar district where pilgrims will come to collect water of the holy Ganga river. Some local shopkeepers welcomed the decision of the state government saying it will enable pilgrims to eat comfortably according to their preference. Opposition leaders have slammed the government for playing divisive politics.
MeitY asks social media platforms to devise methods for age verification of children
The DPDP Act defines a child as someone below the age of 18 and Section 9 of the Act mandates that such children have to be verified and parental consent will be required before processing the data of a minor
Cauvery Water Dispute: Karnataka Decides to Release 8000 Cusecs to Tamil Nadu in All Party Meet
An All-Party meet was held in Bengaluru on July 14 where discussion regarding the issues related to the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee were put forth by members of the opposition as well as legal teams. Karnataka CM Siddramaiah said that they would appeal before CWMA and also release only 8000 cusecs of water. BJP leader CT Ravi said that Karnataka would only be able to release more water depending on the rainfall situation. Listen in to what the leaders had to say
Watch: Bihar CM Nitish Kumar Sarcastically Begs Road Engineer To Ramp Up Construction Work
A video of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is doing rounds on social media. In the video, Nitish Kumar is seen shaking the engineer's hand and sarcastically asking him whether he should touch his feet in order to hurry up the construction of the JP Ganga Path. Watch the video for more details
SC rules right to maintenance is for all women irrespective of religion, cites Shah Bano verdict
Clearing the confusion arising from the conflict between the personal law and the CrPC rule on divorces especially in the Muslim community. The Apex court ruled that the law is common to all citizens
