Articles
Who Qualifies As Scheduled Caste?
The Supreme Court clarified the constitutional framework governing the Scheduled Caste Status; Conversion to any other religion other than Hindu, Sikh, and Buddhist would lead to loss of the benefits of the Scheduled CastesThe Story so farThe Supreme Court, recently in the case of Chinthada Anand v. State of Andhra Pradesh (March 2026), has decided a complex and constitutional question of who is entitled to be recognised as a Scheduled Caste. This question arose while deciding a criminal...
From Regulation To Expropriation: Draconian Provisions Of FCRA Amendment Bill, 2026
The preamble in Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act of 2010 says that this Act is to regulate acceptance and utilisation of foreign contribution by individuals and associations. This Act provides reasonable mechanism to supervise and regulate foreign contributions to coming to India through individuals and associations. As per this Act, no person or association can accept foreign contribution unless such person obtains a certificate of registration from the central government. Thus only those...
1st Of April – Two Stalwarts At The Bar
It is always in jest or laughter that references are made to the 1st of April – April Fools' Day – a day when practical jokes are customarily a part of life. For the banker, it is the beginning of the new financial year. For the history buff, it is the day on which Adolf Hitler was sentenced to five years imprisonment for his participation in the Beer Hall Putsch. The day, however, commemorates the birth anniversary of two legends of the law who walked the corridors of the Court – both of whom...
The Inimitable C.K. Daphtary
C.K. Daphtary is a jewel of the legal profession in India. He occupied the high offices of Solicitor General and Attorney General and by his superior powers of advocacy and the warmth of his personality carved for himself a unique niche amongst the immortals in the world of law. It is appropriate to remember him and salute his memory on his birth anniversary.Chander Kishan Daphtary affectionately called C.K or Chandubhai was born on 1st April, 1893. It was Hanuman Jayanti according to the Hindu...
Truth, Procedure And Judicial Discipline: Re-Examining Foundations Of Adjudication In India
Indian courts have uniformly stressed that adjudication is not an exercise of personal intuition, nor a mechanical application of rules. No, it is a disciplined institutional process designed to bring to light the legally relevant truth through structured procedures.The persistent assertion is that there is not a judicial exercise of discretion to decide a case as a private individual under the sway of them that goes along with instincts, pity or their private morality, a point being expressed...
Artificial Intelligence In Courts: Promise, Peril, And Path Ahead
Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools are increasingly relied upon and being used in Indian courts by lawyers. The unbridled growth of AI tools in courtrooms have sparked a fundamental debate: is reliance on AI in legal practice a legitimate evolution, or does it undermine the ethical foundations of advocacy?AI, in essence, draws upon vast repositories of human knowledge recorded digitally across the web. Its initial entry into the legal domain came through search engines that provided case...
Doctrinally Correct But Institutionally Problematic Approach To Kolhapur HC Bench Jurisdiction
Recently, the Bombay High Court has held that despite creation of a circuit bench, the principal seat will continue to retain jurisdiction. Apart from the legal impact, this decision is going to have wider repercussions for the cases which have been transferred or were due to be transferred to the circuit bench Kolhapur.The Order dated March 06, 2026, delivered by the Division Bench of the Bombay High Court in Shekhar Champalal Pagaria & Ors. v. CFM Assets Reconstruction Pvt. Ltd. & Ors....
A Hope of Clean Cities: Why India's New Waste Laws maybe More Than Just Paperwork
Poor waste management and lack of basic sanitation has become a curse for cities throughout the Indian subcontinent, to the extent that it significantly affects the quality and expectancy of life of the citizens throughout the economic and social strata. Towering landfills like those in Ghazipur and Deonar are a source of collective shame and concern for each citizen of this nation. India generates over 62 million tonnes of waste annually, a figure projected to nearly triple by 2030. For...
When Data Is The Market: India's Competition Law Blind Spots
Artificial Intelligence tools such as ChatGPT and Gemini are now part of everyday life. A student may use ChatGPT to draft notes, while business owners may rely on Gemini to create marketing content or respond to customers. These tools appear as simple applications but behind them lies a complex ecosystem involving cloud computing, datasets and AI models controlled by a handful of large technology companies. This raises a question that is if a few firms control both the infrastructure and the...
From Pandemic Protectionism To Strategic Liberalisation: Rethinking India's FDI Security Regime After 2026 Amendment To Press Note 3
Among the most important and impactful regulatory decisions in the recent times in terms of the impact on the Indian foreign investment regime is the Press Note 3 (2020 Series) FDI Policy issued by the Government of India in 2020. The policy was issued during the COVID-19 pandemic with the objective of protecting Indian companies from opportunistic acquisitions by investors from countries that share a land border with India.The policy significantly modified the Indian regulatory framework of...
Consent Cannot Be Constructed: A Review Of M Space Master Realtors v Mulund Sandhyaprakash
Redevelopment disputes in Mumbai have long exposed a fault line in arbitration law. On one side lies the collective nature of a cooperative housing society, whose decisions bind even dissenting members; on the other lies arbitration, whose foundation remains consent. The two do not always sit comfortably together. The Bombay High Court's recent decision in M Space Master Realtors v...