NJAC and The Tragedy of the Library of Alexadria

The Royal Library of Alexandria was founded by the Greek general Ptolomy II, the successor to Alexander the Great. Built in the 3rd century BC, it was the  centre of learning of the classical world. It had a precious collection of 5,00,000 papyrus scrolls of world's greatest and foremost thinkers, astronomers, philosophers, mathematicians, litterateurs, scientists like Homer, Plato,...

NLU Delhi’s Death Penalty Research Project raises 7 lakhs in 7 days for rehabilitation of Adambhai, one of the acquitted persons in the 2002 Akshardham terror case

In a display of unparalleled compassion, the Death Penalty Research Project, National Law University has successfully raised the target amount of Rs. 7 lakhs in 7 days, to help in rehabilitation of Adam Suleiman Ajmeri, one of the acquitted persons in the 2002 Akshardham terror case.Seeking support for Adambhai and his family, the campaign note had said, “Grim memories are woven...

[Exclusive] : A true Account by Anoop Kumaran , who slayed draconian 118(d) of Kerala Police Act, along with 66A IT Act; Why our ruling class panic of the democratization of communication space?

The recent judgment of the Honourable Supreme Court of India in Shreya Singhal v. UoI [Anoop.M.K v. UoI] is a milestone in the history of fights for rights and freedom in India. It will be hailed for years to come for upholding the freedom of speech and expression. In this case, the Supreme Court declared section 66A of the Information Technology Act and Section 118d of the Kerala Police Act...

Judicial Misconduct of some Judges of High Courts and Supreme Court provoked me to file RTIs relating to Judiciary; In Conversation with Subhash Chandra Agrawal

Mr. Subhash Chandra Agrawal, aptly referred to as the “Badshah (King) of RTI”, has been considered to be on a quest to make the right to information the right to action. He holds the Guinness world records for writing maximum letters published in a newspaper till date. His expertise with the RTI is unparalleled by none other.In 2009, Vice President Mohammad Hamid Ansari gave him the first ever RTI award. He firmly believes that “No subject is too trivial – small correction in the society can...

Interview with Shreya Singhal; Second Year DU Law Student who made ONLINE AZADI a reality

Section 66 (A) of IT Act, which allowed arrests for posting offensive content online, has finally come to an end. The credit for this victory goes to Shreya Singhal, who filed a PIL in the Supreme Court calling Section 66(A) of the Information Technology (IT) Act unconstitutional. She is a second year law student of Faculty of Law, DU and came back to India a few months ago after studying in UK for three years.She finished her schooling from the Vasant Valley School in Delhi, after which she...

For 66A, the 19(2) operated as AK 56 !!!

Can anyone in any democracy imagine an expression crime without defaming or inciting a crime, affecting public order, decency or morality and devoid of mens rea? Section 66A was opposed not only to constitutionally guaranteed expression freedom but also to cardinal principles of criminal justice anywhere in the rule-of-law-governed states. The offence created by Section 66A (of...

Women’s Day Special: 15 Supreme Court judgments that made India a better place for women

“Women have served all these centuries as looking glasses possessing the magic and delicious power of reflecting the figure of man at twice its natural size.” -Virginia Woolf, A Room of One's OwnWomen have always been considered as the weaker sections of the society, as the victims. They have been shown merely as characters in a man’s world. What they don’t realise is that women...

Breaking; Two Judge Bench (SC) Lets off Rapist with the 'sentence already undergone' citing a Judgment which was held as 'no longer a precedent' by Three Judge Bench [Read Jt]

A two Judge Bench of the Supreme Court in Ravindra Vs State of MP, while upholding the conviction of an accused in a Rape Case, sentenced him to the 'sentence already undergone' by reducing the mandatory minimum sentence for Rape. The Bench comprising of Justices M.Y.Eqbal and Pinaki Chandra Ghosh held that a rape convict can be awarded lesser punishment if courts find "adequate and...

BREAKING: SC again violates privacy of a rape victim; mentions her name and age – ironically, voices concern over violence against women! [Read the Judgment]

Violating the mandate against identity disclosure of a victim of rape, a 2 judge bench of Supreme Court has published not only the name of the petitioner but also her age and area to which she belongs. In a clear breach of the spirit of Sec. 228A of IPC, the judgment title mentions the full name and the very first line mentions her age and resident state. (which could have been easily...

National Judicial Appointments Commission is a greater disaster than Collegium system ; In Conversation with Iqbal Chagla, Senior Advocate, Bombay High Court

Mr. Iqbal M. Chagla is one of the most sought-after counsels in civil litigation and company matters and the successor to the very illustrious Lt. Justice M. C. Chagla. Recently, he completed 50 years at the Bombay Bar and has appeared in many high-profile cases as one of the most distinguished Senior Advocate of the Bombay High Court. He represented Mr. Cyril Shroff against Mr. Shardul S. Shroff, who was represented by Mr. P. Chidambaram in the well-known Amarchand Mangaldas dispute. In this...

Re-writing the Concept of Burden of Proof; Supreme Court Judgment in Sher Singh @ Partapa Vs. State of Haryana requires re-consideration

The golden rule that runs through the web of civilised criminal jurisprudence is that an accused is presumed to be innocent unless he is found guilty of the charged offence. Presumption of innocence is a human right as envisaged under Art.14 (2) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights 1966. Art.11(1) of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights 1948 also provides that...

Law Commission is working on Criminal Law Reforms including decriminalization of some Offences and introducing some Offences such as those relating to mass-scale communal violence; Justice AP Shah, Chairman Law Commission of India

Justice (Retd.) Ajit Prakash Shah is the Chairman of the 20th Law Commission of India. He was the Chief Justice of Delhi High Court from May 2008 till his retirement in February 2010.Justice Shah has delivered several landmark judgments during his tenure ranging on diverse issues such as Application of the Right to Information Act to the Office of the Chief Justice of India; Decriminalization of homosexuality; Freedom of speech and expression; Environment and ecological matters; Protection of...