Articles
Election Commission: The Credibility Question
Every five years, India rehearses the most ambitious act in a constitutional democracy: transferring power by counting votes. The institution that superintends that act, the Election Commission of India (ECI) does not merely schedule dates and print symbols. Under Article 324, it holds a public trust: to ensure that elections are free, fair, and seen to be so. The law gives the Commission teeth; legitimacy gives it a heartbeat.That legitimacy has taken visible dents. The worry is not about one...
Citizenship Eroded: Systemic Violations Of Constitutional Norms In Assam's Foreigners Tribunal Regime
“Citizenship provides a sense of belongingness and esteem, apart from furthering the self-actualization needs of individuals.” So declared the Indian Supreme Court in 2024, affirming the connection between citizenship and the rights to life, dignity, and liberty. Yet this gateway to legal identity and rights is being steadily eroded in Assam.Foreigners Tribunals have already declared over 167,000 people as “foreigners,” with more than 85,000 cases still pending. The stakes are immense—and more...
Responsible Integration Of Artificial Intelligence In Kerala's District Judiciary: A Policy Analysis
Artificial Intelligence has become the part of every field today and it includes judiciary as well. To make sure that the evolving technology doesn't compromise fairness, privacy and public trust , the Kerala High Court has taken a significant step in this regard . It has introduced a policy titled “Policy Regarding The Use Of Artificial Intelligence (AI) Tools In District Judiciary.” ...
The Speaker's Dilemma In Telangana: Defections, Partisanship, And The Erosion Of Constitutional Integrity
I have been following Indian legislative politics for long enough to know that the story of defections is not new. It is as old as the very idea of party democracy in India. Yet, what continues to surprise me is not the act of defection itself—but how routinely the Speaker of a legislative house becomes a partisan actor in what ought to be a strictly constitutional function. The recent...
Cooling‑Off And Committees: New Path For Section 85 BNS Reform
Section 85 of the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (corresponding to the earlier section 498A of IPC) deals with instances of cruelty committed against married women in their matrimonial house by the husband or his relatives. However, over the years, it has become one of the most litigated and debated provisions in criminal law, with courts grappling to curb its widespread misuse without...
Consent At Crossroads: Sexual Autonomy, Minor Girls And Age Of Consent In Indian Criminal Law
In recent years the High Courts in India have witnessed a growing conflict between the law and the lived realities of adolescents, particularly the minor girls who find themselves caught at the intersection of state protection and personal autonomy. Criminal laws in India classify any sexual activity with a girl below the age of 18 years as rape, irrespective of consent. The Indian Penal...
Digital Turn In Land Law: Federalism, Privacy, And Registration Bill, 2025
In an effort to modernise land governance through digitisation, the Department of Land Resources, Ministry of Rural Development, has released the draft Registration Bill, 2025. With the objective of replacing the old Registration Act of 1908 with a contemporary, technologically advanced framework that permits end-to-end digital registration of property documents. The bill claims...
Why Decision To Discontinue Registered Post Service A Cause For Concern For All Of Us ?
In a surprising move, the Department of Posts, issued a directive on 2nd July 2025 merging Registered Post with Speed Post services thereby discontinuing the infamous “Registered Post Service” for good from 1st September 2025. Reports seem to suggest that the reason for taking this executive action was due to decline in the use of Registered Post Services, which had dropped by 25%...
Everyday Questions – And An Inhouse Counsel's Automated Chatbot Responses
When any “Advocate” (from independent litigation practice or law firm practice) transitions to become a “lawyer” (i.e. an in-house counsel), and stop being an “Advocate” as per the Advocates Act, 1961, they encounter a wide range of experiences. Suddenly, they find themselves surrounded not by fellow Advocates (who often think alike due to shared training and mindset), but...
Humane Judicial Approach To Revenge Porn In India
Sharing non-consensual intimate images as a form to take revenge on one's ex-partner colloquially called “revenge porn” has become an ugly and unsettling truth of the Indian society. While no official data exists for revenge porn, the extent of prevalence of this cybercrime can be gauged from the fact that as per the latest available report of National Crime Records Bureau titled “Crime...
Judicial Supervision Vs. Constitutional Autonomy of High Courts
India's federal judicial structure balances the Supreme Court's role as the apex interpreter of the Constitution with the High Courts' constitutional autonomy. On 04.08.2025, the Supreme Court, in M/s. Shikhar Chemicals v. The State of Uttar Pradesh & Anr. (Special Leave Petition (Crl.) No. 11445/2025), issued administrative directives to the Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court,...