A Decolonial Jurisprudence in Making – the Right of a Woman to Dissolve a Marriage in Pakistan
Recently, the Supreme Court of Pakistan handed down a judgment, titled Dr. Seema Hanif Khan v.Waqas Khan and others, that may prove more significant than its immediate legal consequences suggest....
Queering Marriage Law in India (Part 6 of 6)
Marriage in India is a fraught issue, arranged between families and plagued by questions of caste, class and religion. Religious personal laws govern marriage, a remnant of British colonial rule,...
The Curious Case of Bhagwati Pathwar: What has love got to do with it? (Part 5 of 6)
In the Indian context, eloping and marrying outside of one’s faith or caste is a common occurrence but made socially and legally difficult, and as a result couples often approach...
And the Law Comes Knocking: Section 69 and the Impact on Live-in Relationships in India (Part 3 of 6)
Section 69 of the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, drags legality into the wayward path of promises and their betrayal. The law formalises the judicial treatment of sexual consent said to...
The Intimate State: India’s Legal Turn Against Interfaith Relationships (Part 2 of 6)
In January 2025, the Indian state of Uttarakhand became the first to implement a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) post-independence, ostensibly to promote gender justice, legal uniformity, and administrative efficiency. According...
Policing Love: Law, Institutions and the Limits of Autonomy (Part 1 of 6)
In June 2025, we convened a workshop at SOAS, funded by SOAS Law School, and titled Policing Intimacies: Interdisciplinary Approaches to the Regulation of Love, Marriage, and Inter-community Relationships. Our...
