Presenting A New Model Of Constitutionalism: Book Review Of Chintan Chandrachud’s ‘Balanced Constitutionalism’

Balanced Constitutionalism (Oxford University Press, 2017) is a rare attempt in the field of Comparative Constitutional Law. In the contemporary times, when the Constitutional systems around the world are debating between parliamentary sovereignty and judicial supremacy, the author of the book, Dr. Chintan Chandrachud, has analysed a “new model” of constitutional review- the doctrine...

Nameless - Faceless, But Not Voiceless Anymore. A Book Review

I had the privilege to recently review the heart melting book by Neelam and Shekhar Krishnamoorthy on the Uphaar Cinema tragedy.The role of victims (both first hand and second hand i.e. guardians) in our criminal administration system is very limited and in mostly non effective. Except the definition in Section 2(wa), assistance to the Public Prosecutor under Section 301, right to appeal and...

We Are Grateful You’ve Been Around; Book Review Of Raju Ramachandran’s ‘I’ve Been Around For Some Time’

Raju Ramachandran belongs to the rare category at the Supreme Court bar, who inspite of immense work pressure manage to grab a pen and nourish their academic side. His book ‘I’ve been around for some time’ is a collection of few of his columns, articles and interviews published in his 36 year long (and still going strong) tenure as an advocate. The book collects 58 pieces divided in...

Justice Krishna Iyer: A Remarkable Blend Of Judicial And Humanistic Approach To Life And Its Problems

On December 5, we will be observing the second anniversary of the passing away of Justice V.R.Krishna Iyer. The two years since his passing away have seen an extraordinary interest in the contribution of Justice Iyer to Indian Supreme Court’s jurisprudence, and to the quality of India’s public discourse, after his retirement. Although his tenure in the Supreme Court lasted only for...

Justice On Fire – Book Review Of Trial By Fire

When the Supreme Court pronounced the sentence to Ansals in 2015 for Rs 30 Crore each in lieu of imprisonment, I had criticized the sentencing to be judge centric and unprincipled. I could not apprehend then, that one of the victimized family will author a book so heart melting showing that not only that particular order but the whole trial kept the victim families on fire throughout and...

Book Review: RTI Act - Authentic Interpretation Of The Statute by Shailesh Gandhi & Pralhad Kacheri

Ambiguity is antidote of transparency. Mystery of legal language takes out the possibility of realization of the right and leaves scope for contradictory interpretations facilitating injustice. The Authentic Book on RTI by Sri Shailesh Gandhi and Sri Pralhad Kacheri is easily accessible because it is copyleft, (i.e., not copyrighted) and it is also easy to read and understand. (Note: The...

Has The Insolvency And Bankruptcy Code, 2016 Been Successfully Decoded? - Review Of Commentary On The Insolvency And Bankruptcy Code Penned By Pranav Khatavkar

To the best of my knowledge, this is the first commentary on the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016("Code"). I have perused the contents of the book and at the outset my primary remark is that the author has made a genuine attempt to simplify the law. A sound understanding of the law is evident from the manner in which the provisions have been interpreted.The entire structure of this book...

There Is Less Creative Freedom In Today's India Than At Any Time Since The Emergency, Says Historian Ramachandra Guha In His New Book

DEMOCRATS AND DISSENTERS. By Ramachandra Guha, Allen Lane, Penguin Random House India, 2016, Rs.699, Pages 317.Ramachandra Guha is a preeminent thinker of our times. His latest book, Democrats and Dissenters, quite naturally rises our curiosity about his views on contemporary issues. Readers of this book may be familiar with some of his observations, which he has expressed in his columns...

The debate on large dams

The Politics of Dams: Developmental Perspectives and Social Critique in Modern India. By Hanna Werner, Oxford University Press, 2015.The Sardar Sarovar Project: Assessing Economic and Social Impacts. By S.Jagadeesan and M.Dinesh Kumar, Sage, 2015.These two books offer two contrasting perspectives on the debate on big dams.Of the 50,000 large dams in the world, India has about 4,500. Apart from...

Sanitation Law and Policy in India: An Introduction to Basic Instruments

Edited by Philippe Cullet and Lovleen Bhullar, OUP, 2015, Rs.1195, Pages 510The former Union Minister, and Congress leader, Jairam Ramesh, while in office during the UPA regime, made a remark which earned him the wrath of the Sangh Parivar. He said that what India needs today is not more temples, but more toilets. But when the same remark was adopted with gusto by the present Prime...

Do you trust your doctor? Should you? Reality check on private medical practice in India

The time to ask ourselves this scary question has arrived. Recently a riveting book came into my hands. It presents what you might call a 'reality check' on private medical practice in India. (Dissenting Diagnosis: Voices of Conscience from the Medical Profession by Drs Arun Gadre and Abhay Shukla, based on a study by SAATHI, Pune. To put it plainly, its findings are not reassuring.Many of...

Probing violence of different dimensions

ENGINEERS OF JIHAD: The Curious Connection between Violent Extremism and Education. By Diego Gambetta and Steffen Hertog, Princeton University Press, 2016.THE NEW XENOPHOBIA. By Tabish Khair, OUP, 2016.These two books address different concerns of people living in plural societies.To what extent, our laws aimed at preventing terrorist acts, reflect an understanding of the mind of a...