Peregrinator Of A Road Less Travelled By

I have chosen the title of this tribute after long thought and am convinced that no other can describe the life of Justice Krishna Iyer any better.The life and times of Justice Krishna Iyer is in itself a festival that coronates the most fitting commemoration.That he is the tallest jurist who walked this part of the world would, when made with reference to the redoubtable Justice Krishna Iyer,...

Demystifying Indian President’s Powers: Interview With Debtoru Chatterjee, Author Of The Recent Book On Presidential Discretion

DEBTORU CHATTERJEE is a senior civil servant working with the Government of India. Rarely, civil servants find the time and the inclination to research and write on contemporary issues, let alone those which are extremely controversial. Therefore, when Chatterjee decided to research the subject of discretion of the President under the Indian Constitution, and write a book on it, both the academic world and a newspaper reader seeking insights beyond the headlines, stood to benefit from it. The...

Forsaking Constitutional Morality At The Altar Of Constitutional Patriotism?

On 29th November the President elect of the United States of America (US), Donald Trump tweeted “Nobody should be allowed to burn the American flag - if they do, there must be consequences - perhaps loss of citizenship or year in jail!” The statement made by Donald Trump is significant because it goes against the Bill of Rights enshrined in the US Constitution as interpreted by the...

‘Dismantling Patriarchy Challenges Ahead’ [Text of Justice Sunanda Bhandare Memorial Lecture by VP Hamid Ansari]

The Vice President of India, Shri M. Hamid Ansari has delivered the 22nd Justice Sunanda Bhandare Memorial Lecture ‘Dismantling Patriarchy Challenges Ahead’, on 30th November 2016. He said that  the process of dismantling patriarchy may have been initiated but is yet to deliver a finished product.Here is the full text of the speech “It is a privilege to be invited to join a galaxy...

Women & Laws In India

IntroductionIn every era in the history of social development, the question of women and the question of gender justice remained on board. It remained on board in every era for the reason as rightly pointed out by famous theoretician Friedrich Engels in his classical writing “Origin of the Family, Private Property and the State” that “Woman was the first human being that tasted...

Foreign Funding: BJP And INC Withdraw Their Appeals In The Supreme Court

The Special Leave Petitions (SLPs) filed by the BJP and the Indian National Congress in the foreign contributions case were “dismissed as withdrawn” on Nov 29 by the Supreme Court after both the parties conjointly told the Apex Court about their decision to withdraw the SLPs they had filed in  2014. This decision to withdraw the appeals came after both the parties had sought time from...

Read the 7 Guidelines Issued By SC on National Anthem Today [Read Order]

The Supreme Court today made it mandatory for all cinema theatres to play the national anthem before a movie begins during which the national flag is to be shown on the screen. A bench of Justice Dipak Misra and Justice Amitava Roy also said that everyone present in cinema hall should rise up and pay respect to the anthem when it is played. There shall be no commercial exploitation to...

Appointment Of Judges: Balancing Transparency, Accountability And Independence [Full Text Of Justice VR Krishna Iyer Memorial Lecture 2016 By Justice AP Shah]

A very good morning to all of you. I am extremely honoured to be here for the Justice Krishna Iyer memorial lecture of 2016, and I would like to thank Justice Ramakrishnan and Mr Sahasranaman for having invited me on behalf of the memorial trust. Justice Krishna Iyer is so familiar to all of you, that I am quite sure that anything I might have to say about him has been heard by you already. So,...

HC Judges’ Appointment: 43 Recommendations Rejected Due To Adverse IB Inputs, Serious Complaints: Government

Out of 77 proposals submitted by the Supreme Court Collegium (SCC), the Government has appointed 34 Judges in various High Courts and sent the names of 43 recommendees to the SCC for reconsideration. The SCC reiterated the names of 37 recommendees; the proposal of three recommendees has been deferred and the proposal of other three recommendees are with SCMinister of State for Law PP...

Air Pollution: SC Bans Sale, Stocking Of Crackers & Issuance Of New Licenses In Delhi, NCR [Read Order]

In a significant order which is a direct fall out of the worsening of pollution level in Delhi and National Capital Region (NCR) for nearly two weeks after Diwali when the region was enveloped by thick smog, the Supreme Court today forthwith banned sale, stocking of all kinds of fire crackers and issuance of new license in Delhi and NCR region.A bench of Chief Justice T S Thakur and justices A...

Demonetisation: SC Decides To Examine Constitutional Validity And Not Just Confine To People's Problems

The Supreme Court today deferred the hearing in petitions against demonetisation to December 2 after senior lawyer Kapil Sibal appearing for petitioners insisted that he wanted to challenge the constitutional validity of the measure and not just confine to problems faced by the people.At the outset Sibal said a larger bench should hear the challenge to the constitutional validity of the...

Mere Extra-Marital Relationship By Husband Not ‘Cruelty’ To Attract Section 498A/306 IPC: SC [Read Judgment]

If the husband gets involved in an extra-marital affair that may not in all circumstances invite conviction under Section 306 of the IPC, but definitely that can be a ground for divorce or other reliefs in a matrimonial dispute under other enactments, the bench said.The Supreme Court in K.V. Prakash Babu vs. State of Karnataka, has held that solely because the husband is involved in...