Artificial Intelligence And Competition Law: Can Algorithms Collude Without Human Intent?

The rapid growth of digital markets and the use of artificial intelligence in business decision-making have fundamentally transformed how firms compete. Pricing, product recommendations, advertising and matching of buyers and sellers are increasingly driven by algorithms rather than direct human decision-making. In this background, competition law faces a novel question: can algorithms used by competing firms collude or achieve cartel-like outcomes without any express human agreement or...

Regulating Intimacy Or Violating Privacy? A Constitutional Challenge To Mandatory Live-In Registration Under Gujarat Uniform Civil Code 2026

The Gujarat Uniform Civil Code, 2026 introduces a significant shift in India's regulation of personal relationships, particularly through its mandate on live-in relationship registration reflecting a shift from mere recognition to active State involvement in intimate matters. Although intended to protect vulnerable partners, particularly women, the measure raises an important constitutional question: can the State require disclosure of such personal relationships without infringing the right to...

Ending PMLA Procrastination: How 'Wherewithal' Test Reclaims Constitutional Liberty

For nearly a decade, Section 45 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA) has been the primary site of a constitutional struggle in India. It is a place where the fundamental right to liberty frequently clashes with the State's interest in tackling systemic financial crime. The "Twin Conditions" of Section 45, which effectively require a court to be satisfied of an accused's innocence even before a trial has commenced, have created a legal landscape where bail is often viewed as a...

What If Your Weight Could Make Your Holiday Illegal?

From Santorini to Shimla, the question is no longer just about holiday and travel, but about the invisible weight animals are forced to carry.On the steep stone paths of Santorini, something quietly radical has entered the tourism economy: a weighing scale. Since 2018, tourists over 100 kg (200 pounds) have not been allowed to ride donkeys, and no animal may carry more than one-fifth of its body weight. What seems like a minor inconvenience is, in fact, a profound legal shift. For decades,...

Digitising Justice: A Blockchain Blueprint For Resolving Land Acquisition Conflict

The shadow of judicial pendency in India is often cast longest by the complexities of land acquisition. As of early 2026, the National Judicial Data Grid (NJDG) reports a staggering backlog exceeding 92,000 cases in the Supreme Court alone, a significant portion of which involves civil disputes over the State's power of eminent domain. These legal marathons typically hinge on two pivots: the justification of the acquisition and the adequacy of the compensation. However, the path to de-clogging...

Tax Searches, Digital Data And Privacy Concerns

The Ministry of Finance has issued a notification on the Income-tax Rules, 2026 on March 20, 2026. The Rules will come into effect on April 1, 2026. The Rules were framed under the Income-tax Act, 2025, and they implement search and seizure powers provided in Section 247. As we approach a new system, an extension of search and seizure powers in the digital sphere sparks an...

Juridical Debates From Banerji To Nine-Judge Bench On 'Industry' Under Industrial Relations Law

The seven decades old judicial debates on 'industry' under the Industrial Relations Law started with the interpretation of the definition Section 2 (j) of the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947. The first few years of interpretative battle was around the terminology 'undertaking' in the definition. After a 'zigzag' from broader to narrower interpretation, it settled over 'triple test' in Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board v. A. Rajappa, (1978) 2 SCC 213. However, the inconclusive debate...

Why Supreme Court's Call For Statutory Paternity Leave Law Is A Major Step Forward

The arrival of a child is often described as one of life's most profound milestones. However, in India, the laws and social norms have long been focused towards the single narrative that childcare is almost exclusively the mother's responsibility. While our laws have made significant strides in protecting the rights of working mothers, the role of the father has remained largely invisible in our statutes. This long-standing imbalance has recently come under the judicial scanner. The Supreme...

Euthanasia & Morality Of Chosen Death

On March 11 2026, the Supreme Court in a historic first permitted a plea seeking passive euthanasia. Understandably, a question as fundamental as life and death and the extent to which human intervention may be permitted in altering the cycle of life is a polarizing one. It helps greatly if the legal thing to do corresponds with the moral thing to do. The question of euthanasia, like the question of capital punishment, produces moral discomfort in both the legislature and the judiciary. Since...

Constitutional Morality: Assault On Judicial Independence

The Unjust Vilification of Justice B. Sudershan ReddyIs it an acceptable precedent in the world's largest democracy to brazenly brand a former judge of the Supreme Court an "Urban Naxal"? Can a constitutional adjudicator be subjected to a campaign of character assassination simply for discharging his judicial duties? When the Supreme Court of India strikes down a state policy as unconstitutional, is it justifiable for the Parliament or the Executive to categorically condemn the adjudicator?The...

Empowering SEBI: Case For Statutory Framework To Compensate Victims Of Corporate Fraud

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) is the market regulator focused on protecting investor interests. However, its role in settling disputes between investors and companies is still debated. While SEBI regulates and enforces rules, it does not have a solid system for providing remedies that focus on investors.Since the Securities and Exchange Board of India Act was introduced in 1992, SEBI has slowly expanded its power over intermediaries and listed companies. However, it has not...

Identity Under Scrutiny

On March 25, Parliament passed the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Amendment Bill, 2026 ("Bill"). Despite strong objections from the opposition, including a motion by DMK MP Tiruchi Siva to refer the Bill to a Select Committee, the Rajya Sabha nevertheless approved the Bill that very day.A decade ago, the Supreme Court in NALSA v. Union of India (2014), affirmed a simple but transformative principle: gender identity belongs to the individual, and the State cannot condition its...