The sex discrimination argument for LGBTQ rights: Contrasting the US with India
In October 2019, the United States Supreme Court heard arguments on a question of law that might shape the trajectory of LGBTQ rights for the years to come. The court...
The Communications Blackout in Kashmir: The Rebirth of a ‘National Security’ Court?
On October 1st, the Indian Supreme Court heard petitions relating to the media and communications blackout in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) following the government’s effective abrogation of Article 370 on...
Failure of the Indian Supreme Court to Protect the Rights of Dalits
The Indian society is characterised by a caste system, which is a hierarchical social stratification based on descent and occupation. Members of the scheduled castes, also referred to as Dalits...
Human Rights and Internet Shut-Downs in Jammu & Kashmir
The developments in Valleys of Jammu and Kashmir (hereinafter J&K or valley) has witnessed innumerable counts of pre-emptive internet shut downs. Amidst the recent political disruption, this is the 54th...
The Eroding Foundations of Freedom of Information in India
The right to information is often understood as essential for the effective exercise of the right to expression, including within the latter’s ambit, not just information disseminators, but also information...
Constitutionality of India’s Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Amendment Bill, 2019: India’s McCarthyism Moment
In a chilling throwback McCarthyism in the United States, India’s Parliament has passed the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Amendment Bill, 2019 which will allow the Central government to designate individuals as...
Non-abyssal and Ableist Indian Supreme Court: The Abyssal Exclusion of Persons with Disabilities
The famous critical thinker, Santos, has forcefully argued that critical theorists and social scientists have never acknowledged the existence of an abyssal line. The conception of an abyssal line draws...
An Indian High Court Recognises Transgender Individuals’ Right to Marry
On April 22, 2019, in a significant decision for India’s transgender community, the Madras High Court in Tamil Nadu upheld the right of a trans-woman and a man to register...
Under India’s New Intermediary Rules, Fundamental Rights Take Backstage
The Indian Government’s Information Technology Ministry had recently invited comments on proposed amendments to the existing guidelines for intermediaries mainly governing how social networks (and other intermediaries) facilitate the flow...
Indian Supreme Court on Dance Bar Regulations: Victory for Bar Dancers?
A two-judge bench of the Supreme Court of India (‘SC’) recently relaxed the stringent conditions imposed by the Maharashtra government for obtaining licenses and running dance bars, public establishments which...
Re: Inhuman conditions in 1382 Prisons – Development in Indian Prisoner’s Rights
In June 2013, Justice R C Lahoti, a retired Chief Justice of the Indian Supreme Court, wrote to the then Chief Justice on overcrowding, unnatural deaths, inadequacy of staff and...
Elusive Equality: The Missing Element in the Oxytocin Ban Decision
Oxytocin is a WHO-recommended drug for the inducement of labour during childbirth, and in the prevention and treatment of post-partum haemorrhage. Recently, a two-judge bench of the Delhi High Court...