PUNE ZILLA PARISHAD PLANS TOUGH ACTION TO CHECK DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
Why in news? To counter the increasing cases of domestic violence during the current COVID-19 lockdown, the Pune Zilla Parishad has borrowed a leaf from the virus prevention handbook. Abusive husbands and wife-beaters across Pune district now face institutional quarantine if there is a complaint of domestic violence. Surge in cases Globally, there has been […]
FOR A NEW GENERATION OF HEROES IN COURT
A primer It is because of their righteous conduct and commitment to the Constitution that some judges stand out. The travails of judicial life have been well catalogued, particularly withdrawal from society and the financial handicaps that accrue, but there are several who have sacrificed thriving litigation practices in order to offer their services to […]
FOR A FLOOR TEST FIRST: ON MADHYA PRADESH CRISIS
Why in news? Kamal Nath-led Congress government in Madhya Pradesh has to prove its majority on the floor of the legislature at the earliest. Delaying tactics by Mr. Nath goes against democratic principles. Also, the Governor’s position that the government will be presumed to have lost the majority unless it takes a floor test immediately […]
FOR A UNIVERSAL STATUS OF PERSONHOOD: FOREIGNERS ACT
Why in news? A series of judgments delivered by the Gauhati High Court over the course of the last few weeks has brought into sharp focus the utter brutality of the regime governing the Foreigners’ Tribunals in Assam. Difficulty in Proving These verdicts entrench the establishment of an unreasonable burden on people declared as deemed […]
MAKING THE ENVIRONMENT CONDUCIVE FOR JUSTICE
Why in news? Some of the areas affected by the recent riots in Delhi resemble a battlefield — and more than 50 people have died. Judiciary’s moral authority The role of the judiciary in riot situations is extremely important, in that it could prevent a slide into chaos. The judiciary does not wield a sword […]
DISABLED AND EXTREMELY POOR
Why in news? Using the two rounds of the India Human Development Survey (IHDS) data for 2005 and 2012, the analysis shows there is a link between disability, loss of employment and impoverishment in rural India. Patterns of disability The prevalence of disability was 9.70% in the rural population in 2012. Of the disabled, more […]
SHOULD THE SEDITION LAW BE SCRAPPED?
Why in news? On March 2, a 43-year-old man was charged with sedition after he allegedly chanted pro-Pakistan slogans before the mini Vidhan Soudha at Kundapur in Karnataka’s Udupi district. Last month, the police arrested a school principal and a parent in Bidar, Karnataka, for an allegedly seditious and inflammatory play against the Citizenship (Amendment) […]
CAUGHT IN A BUREAUCRATIC WEB
Why in news? The Gauhati High Court declared Sahijuddin a foreigner on November 13, 2015. He had appealed to the High Court against an ex-parte order of the Foreigners Tribunal in Kokrajhar declaring him a foreigner. Mr. Sahijuddin was too poor to afford the services of a lawyer and was not represented before the Tribunal. […]
THE CURRENT STATE OF COOPERATIVE FEDERALISM IN INDIA
Why in news? Amid the growing rhetoric of strengthening cooperative federalism in India, it is useful to pause from time to time and review the actual progress. The ongoing budget season is the right time to carry out a realistic assessment. Details about budget picture: In her budget speech, Union finance minister highlighted the need […]
A BLOW AGAINST SOCIAL JUSTICE
Why in news? The recent verdict of a two-judge Supreme Court Bench on reservations and Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes promotions — “that no individual could claim reservation in promotions and that the court could not issue a mandamus directing State governments to provide reservation”. Details: This judgement has mainly raised four constitutional questions: Whether […]