If Courts Only Favour the State, Justice Remains Unserved
The Supreme Court’s remarks in the case about migrant workers during the lockdown is further proof of this trend.
Coronavirus v. Free Speech: Modi Government Opens New Battlefront in Supreme Court
The Wire Analysis, 1 April 2020 On Tuesday, the Centre turned two petitions pertaining to the welfare of migrant workers affected by the 21-day lockdown into an occasion to demand the Supreme Court give it control over the media’s coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic. But though the Modi government wanted the media to be told…
‘After Justice Gogoi’s Nomination, All Judges and Their Verdicts Will Be Questioned’
Arfa Khanum Sherwani interviews Justice Anjana Prakash [The nomination of former chief justice of India Ranjan Gogoi as a member of the Rajya Sabha has come under criticism of from judges and political parties. It is even alleged that he was bestowed the favour for giving pro-government verdicts. Arfa Khanum Sherwani speaks to former judge…
Corona – A Plague on Reason
Dunu Roy, March 2020 Gautam Navlakha – journalist; rights advocate; dedicated democrat – is directed by the Supreme Court to jail for an imagined violent overthrow of the government. He invites compatriots to listen to Leonard Cohen’s bass call to, “Ring the bell/which still can ring; forget your perfect/offering”. Would Navlakha have been surprised to…
Denying Interim Bail To Anand Teltumbde and Gautam Navlakha Is Alarming
Press Release Statement by MRSD on Supreme Court’s rejection of pre-arrest bail plea of Anand Teltumbde and Gautam Navlakha in the Bhima Koregaon violence case. Mumbai Rises to Save Democracy (MRSD) is deeply disappointed with the Supreme Court’s rejection of the plea by Anand Teltumbde and Gautam Navlakha seeking anticipatory bail in the cases…
Harsh Mander’s Speech Which Centre Now Claims ‘Incited Violence’
Courtesy: The Wire Civil rights activist Harsh Mander has filed a petition in the Supreme Court seeking the registration of FIRs against BJP leaders Kapil Mishra, Parvesh Verma, Anurag Thakur and Abhay Verma for allegedly making hate speeches. In response, solicitor general Tushar Mehta on Wednesday read selective excerpts from a speech Mander made…
Police’s Stern Response Fails to Dampen Spirit of Women in Mumbai Bagh
Sukanya Shantha A young woman, in a moss green burqa, enters a barricaded space inside Morland road in South Mumbai. A policewoman, in plain clothes, rushes behind her and insists on seeing her identity proof. An argument ensues. The woman, refusing to divulge any information says, “Protester likho (mention me as a protester).” “Yeh…
Supreme Court’s (New) Reservations Judgment and Its Discontents
Gautam Bhatia On 7 February, a two-judge bench of the Supreme Court handed down a judgment holding that Article 16(4) of the Constitution is only an enabling provision, and does not confer a “right” to reservations. The context of the case was as follows: in 2012, the government of Uttarakhand decided to fill up…
Telecom: License-to-Loot Raj
Prabir Purkayastha The major private operators in the telecom sector, along with the state-run ones, are currently reeling under a three-year price war with Reliance Jio. This has hit their profitability hard, with Jio buying its entry into the market with very low call and data charges, what others have termed as predatory pricing….
Ayodhya Letter
Constitutional Conduct Group On 6 December 2019, 46 former civil servants, most having held positions of great prominence during their careers, wrote an open letter addressed to the people of India expressing deep concern on where the nation stands today, 27 years since the Babri Masjid was demolished by Hindu activists on December 6,…