Rarest Of Rare : Nine Policemen Sentenced To Death In Sathankulam Custodial Killings

In a ruling that'll probably get dissected in law classrooms for a long time, a Madurai court delivered one of India's harshest punishments yet for custodial violence yesterday. Nine police personnel were sentenced to death for the brutal torture and killing of P. Jayaraj (58) and his son J. Bennix (31), a father and son whose only “crime” was keeping their mobile phone shop open a few minutes past closing time during the 2020 COVID-19 lockdown.What Happened in Sathankulam?Most people across the...

Situs Of Office; Cyber-Freezes And Jurisdictional Trap

In the digital age, money moves in milliseconds across state borders, but the legal remedies for innocent account holders remain shackled to physical geography. As India pushes for "Digital Inclusion," a parallel and dangerous "Financial Exclusion" is occurring. Investigating agencies, in their zeal to trace "proceeds of crime," are using a borderless digital trail to impose a medieval form...

Ambedkar Jayanti: Reminiscing A Legacy Of Equality

As we celebrate the 135th Ambedkar Jayanti, we reflect on the egalitarian principle of 'one man, one value.' As the father of our Constitution, he fought against a social system that treated people unequally despite democratic promises. Today, Dr. Ambedkar is honored everywhere with statues and memorials, and we even dedicated a year to Social Justice in his name. However, much of this praise feels hollow. While we celebrate his legacy, the tragic death of a Dalit medical student in Kerala...

Ambedkarism - Celebrated In Theory, Disliked In Practice?

In the current modern Indian political process, Ambedkarism in theory is acceptable, but in practice, it is not encouraged. So far, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar has been appropriated by many, from Caste Hindus to OBCs and Dalits, each as per their own convenience. This phenomenon is not limited to Ambedkar alone. We see it in how the ultimate atheist and communist revolutionary, Bhagat Singh, is being used by forces diametrically opposed to his ideology. Today, one can find a range of past leaders, from...

Article 226(2) And Criminal Jurisprudence: Navigating Civil Law Concept Of Cause of Action

The Constitution of India vests the High Courts with a special writ jurisdiction under Article 226 to ensure the delivery of complete justice. Initially, the scope of Article 226 was confined to the “territories in relation to which it exercises jurisdiction.” However, this created a serious problem by restricting writ jurisdiction in Union matters solely to the Punjab High Court (before formation of Delhi High Court) as the seat of Government of India was located in New Delhi, thereby causing...

Reaffirmation Of Article 25: Chhattisgarh High Court's Stance On Prohibition Of Private Prayer Meeting

Every person has a right to practice their own religion as per Article 25 of the Indian Constitution, state can only interfere when it affects public order, morality or health. State should have no objection if a person is practicing his religion within his domestic household.The present case “Badri Prasad Sahu & Anr. v. State of Chhattisgarh” 2026:CGHC:13995 as decided by the Chhattisgarh High Court on 1st April 2026 held that individuals do not require prior state permission to conduct...

Fractured World Order: War Beyond Law and Lawlessness

Wars are often narrated as discrete events, bounded by geography and driven by immediate triggers. The ongoing conflict involving the United States, Israel and Iran resists such containment. What appears as a regional escalation is, in reality, a systemic disturbance, one that is simultaneously testing legal norms, economic structures and geopolitical alignments. Recent developments only reinforce this character: the conflict has expanded across multiple theatres, drawn in non-state actors and...

From Aspiration To Accountability: Plastic Waste Management (Amendment) Rules, 2026 And India's Evolving War On Plastic Pollution

On 31 March 2026, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (“MoEFCC”) notified the Plastic Waste Management (Amendment) Rules, 2026 (“2026 Amendment Rules”), vide notification G.S.R. 237(E), further amending the Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016 (“Principal Rules”). The Rules came into force on the date of their publication in the Official Gazette, following the publication of a draft notification, G.S.R. 365(E), on 3 June 2025 and the consideration of representations received...

Law On Reels- Why Does The Show 'Chiraiya' Legally Matter To Women?

The marital contract The idea that marriage confers a blanket consent has long embedded the Indian law. Section 375 of the IPC which is now Section 63 (exception 2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, says that if a wife is over a certain age, a husband cannot be charged with rape. The JioHotstar show 'Chiraiya', which stars Divya Dutta, goes against this idea. The story follows Kamlesh, a woman who at first follows traditional rules, and her sister-in-law Pooja, who is forced to have sex by her...

The Unbroken Nib

When the state kills, who bears the weight, and why the death penalty must endThere is a moment near the end of Maamla Legal Hai Season 2 that stops being funny altogether. A Principal District Judge sits alone in his chamber, a case file open before him. He must decide whether another man should live or die. He signs the order. He awards the death penalty. And then, he does not break the nib.The breaking of the nib is not law. It appears in no statute, no schedule of the Constitution. It is...

Nazi Germany And Legal Ambiguity

Did you know there were laws similar to the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Amendment Bill 2026 in Nazi Germany? Germany, as a democracy (roughly 1919 to 1933, after 1933 Hitler came into power), was known for its legal frameworks of queer rights of its time. This was also a result of Germany being home to one of the world's first “organized” queer rights movements (Wissenschaftlich-humanitäres Komitee), founded in 1897. In addition to this, it also was home to one of the world's...

Swords, Stars And Equality: Supreme Court's Definitive Verdict On Women Officers And Long Arc Of Constitutional Justice

“It is not enough to proudly state that women officers are allowed to serve the nation in the Armed Forces when the true picture of their service conditions tells a different story.” These words, articulated by the Supreme Court in Lt. Col. Nitisha v. Union of India (2021), have long served as a mirror to the institutional soul of the Indian military. On March 24, 2026, that mirror finally reflected a finished portrait of justice. In a landmark decision that closes a twenty-three-year...