Freebie Has Giver: What Pharma Marketing Committee Must Recommend

It is possible that a doctor accepting free foreign trips from pharmaceutical companies can forfeit his right to practise medicine. At worst, the drug firm paying for the trip would face a reprimand issued by its peers. This disparity raised the serious question that is now in front of the three-member committee set up by the Department of Pharmaceuticals on 22 October 2026, which is chaired by Dr M. Srinivas, the NITI Aayog member, alongside the former Union Health Secretary Preeti Sudan and Dr...

Section 163 BNSS And Its Persistent Misuse

On 10 October 2026, section 163 BNSS order was again imposed in New Delhi prohibiting assembly of five or more persons, processions, public meetings, slogan-shouting, and speeches, inter alia, ahead of protests demanding removal of Chief Election Commissioner and suspension of SIR. However, the official order was not available in public domain. It is crucial to note that the right to protest can be traced to Article 19(1)(a), 19(1)(b) and 19(1)(d) of the Indian constitution, guaranteeing us...

Who Can Challenge Candidate's False Election Affidavit? Criminal Complaints By Private Individuals Expand

When a candidate files nomination papers which include a sworn affidavit, the latter informs voters of who the candidate stands as a prospect to elect: criminal cases, assets and liabilities, education and so on. But if the affidavit proves false, who can take action?For years the answer was unclear, but on 16 October 2026 the Supreme Court answered this question. In Sri Rajkumar Madki v. Dr. Shailendra Beldale (2026 INSC 1138), the Court held that an ordinary voter could go directly to a...

Rewriting Record: Rethinking Evidentiary Consequences Of Edited Messages

Though technology has not made time travel possible, it does allow us to erase our traces and escape the consequences. While the law has sought to keep pace with technological advancement, it is merely a drop in the ocean, with a lot remaining unexplored. One such blindspot is the message editing feature of the messaging apps. Courts have dealt with deleted/disappearing/forged/unsent messages but have not explored the legal implications of editing texts. In Telegram FZ LLC & Anr. v. Union of...

Beyond Adoption Leave: Is Indian Workplace Law Doing Enough For Adoptive Parents?

Bringing home a child is one of the most significant lifestyle changes an individual can experience, and for many, adopting a child can be a truly wonderful experience. Adoption can be a challenging process, and it can demand a lot of time and require a certain amount of flexibility as well as financial and emotional support from employers. Nevertheless, for many, the most difficult part of adoption is getting the time off necessary to bond with their new child. Adoption can demand a great deal...

Misogyny Masked As Comedy: Sexist Humour, Digital Amplification And Limits Of Free Speech In India

A joke will hang around for 10 seconds on a stage. On the internet, it can remain accessible indefinitely.This change is highlighted by the recent controversy with stand-up comedian Pranit More. Audience member Himanshu Jangra, during a comedy show in Gurugram, shared that he spent ₹370 on biryani during a date with a girl and suggested that the expenditure entitled him to physical intimacy. The exchange was met with laughter from the audience, recorded and subsequently circulated widely online....

Regulation Of CCTV Footage And Installation: Much-Needed Law

Today, the world is living in the age of AI, where people can be easily reached, communicated with, accessed or stalked through their digital gadgets. These digital gadgets and technologies are coming out to make life faster, easier and more comfortable, but at the same time, humans are also misusing or abusing these digital gadgets and technologies. Indeed, there are always two sides of the same coin, but then the question arises: what to do? How to do? Who to do? When to do? These questions...

Mandatory Listing, Missing Enforcement: Default Ladder For Upper-Layer NBFCs

The debate over Reserve Bank of India's (RBI) rule that an Upper-Layer NBFC must list within three years has centered on whether the RBI can impose it. The more pressing question is what RBI can do when the deadline passes. The tools available to RBI fail on the factors that the fine is too small to deter, the license sanction fits the obligation poorly and neither reaches the shareholder who decides whether the company lists. However, the RBI can bridge this enforcement gap by extending its...

Beyond Bars: Why Supreme Court's Landmark Ruling On Grounds Of Arrest Is Triumph For Constitutionalism

On September 21, 2026, the Supreme Court of India delivered a landmark judgment regarding the arrest and detention of individuals, while dealing with a plea filed by Shiromani Akali Dal-affiliated leader Jaskaran Jeet Singh Deol in connection with a case of sexual assault on a minor in Jaskaran Jeet Singh Deol v. State of Punjab. A Bench comprising Justice Ujjal Bhuyan and Justice Atul S. Chandurkar ruled that failure to communicate the grounds of arrest in writing to the accused, subject to the...

Treatment Of Advance Deposits And Pre -CIRP Dues Under IBC Moratorium

The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) impose a moratorium upon the initiation of a Corporate Insolvency Resolution Process (CIRP). Section 14(1) of the IBC bars “any action to foreclose, recover or enforce any security interest created by the corporate debtor” and forbids the CD from “transferring, encumbering, alienating or disposing of” its assets. In effect, once insolvency proceedings start, all assets of the CD are frozen. This raises key questions: for example, if the CD had paid...

From Administrative Ease To Judicial Scrutiny: India's New Registration Regime

Anyone who wants to register a birth or death more than two years after it happened must now first obtain an order from a Judicial Magistrate of the First Class (JMFC). The Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Act, 2026 was notified on 6 August and came into force on 1 October. It adds section 13(3A) to the 1969 Act. Under the amended provision, a Registrar cannot register a birth or death more than two years after its occurrence without an order from a Judicial Magistrate of the First...

Impunity Beyond Judges: Is Section 16 Of 2023 CEC Act Justifiable?

A petition filed in November 2025 by Lok Prahari, an Uttar Pradesh-based NGO, challenging Section 16 of the Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners Act, 2023, has been pending before the Supreme Court for months, with insubstantial gain. It has acquired fresh urgency after the Court observed orally on 5 October 2026 that the protection extended to the commission may be broader than that enjoyed even by judges of constitutional courts. Section 16 bars every civil and criminal...