Israel Can't Claim Right To Self Defence Under UN Charter Against Threat From A Territory Under Its Belligerent Occupation: UN Expert

Amidst escalating tensions over Israel’s war in Gaza, Francesca Albanese, United Nations Special Rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territory has recently called for an immediate ceasefire and an arms embargo against all warring parties. She has also insisted on the unconditional release of all hostages, humanitarian corridors not being used as means to ‘forcibly...

Hong Kong Court Refuses To Enforce A Mainland Arbitration Award For Failure Of Arbitrator To Meaningfully Engage With Arbitral Proceedings

The Hong Kong Court of First Instance has refused enforcement of a Mainland (China) award on the ground that one of the members of the arbitral tribunal failed to meaningfully engage with the arbitral proceedings. The bench of Judge Mimmie Chan found that enforcing a Mainland award with a tribunal member absent during significant proceedings would violate Hong Kong's 'Public Policy'...

‘Inhumane, Violates Right To Dignity’, Kenya Court Declares Mandatory Life Imprisonment Unconstitutional

The Kenya Court of Appeal has declared the imposition of mandatory life imprisonment as unconstitutional, while hearing a rape case committed on a four-year-old girl in 2013. Partially allowing the appeal, it modified the life imprisonment sentence to imprisonment of 40 years for the convict.Article 27 of the Constitution of Kenya ensures fundamental right to equality before the law and...

Thumbs Up Emoji (👍) Amounts To Acceptance, Binds Parties Under A Legal Contract: Canada Court

The King's Bench of Saskatchewan in Canada has held that sending a thumbs up emoji in response to a contract will amount to acceptance and bind the parties under a legal contract. The Canadian Court awarded $82,200.21 to the crop seller for breach of contract as he had failed to deliver the crop to the seller after responding to the contract on message with a thumbs up emoji.Rejecting...

UN Human Rights Council Appoints Advocate Vrinda Grover As Member Of Ukraine Commission Of Inquiry

Advocate Vrinda Grover has been appointed as a member of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine by the President of the United Nations Human Rights Council, Ambassador Václav Bálek (Czechia)."A practicing advocate in India, Grover has more than 34 years of experience in constitutional law, criminal law and human rights. She has appeared as counsel in landmark...

Indus Water Treaty: Hague Court of Arbitration Says It Is Competent To Decide Proceedings Initiated By Pakistan; India Rejects Ruling

Rejecting India's objections, the Permanent Court Of Arbitration at The Hague has ruled that it is competent to decide the proceedings instituted by Pakistan in relation to the Indus Water Treaty in 2016. Pakistan had approached the court over the design and operation of run-of-river hydro-electric plants on the Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab rivers and their tributaries. India had said the Court...

Race-Based Affirmative Action In College Admissions Unconstitutional : US Supreme Court

Holding that race cannot be considered while granting college admissions to students, the Supreme Court of the United States of America declared as unconstitutional the race-conscious admission policies at the Harvard University and the University of North Carolina, which were being followed as an affirmative action to ensure representation for marginalised and under-represented...

Uganda Enacts Anti-Homosexuality Act Prescribing Death Penalty For ‘Aggravated Homosexuality’

The President of Uganda Yoweri Museveni has assented to the stringent Anti-Homosexuality Bill, 2023. The law was initially passed by Parliament on March 22, 2023, having been introduced as a Private Member Bill. Though the Bill received unanimous legislative support, it was returned to the Parliament by the President on April 27, 2023 suggesting some changes. The House reconsidered the Bill...

Pakistan Supreme Court Declares Arrest of Former PM Imran Khan Unlawful

On Thursday, the Supreme Court Of Pakistan declared the execution of the arrest warrant issued by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on May 1 in the Al-Qadir Trust case against Imran Khan as “invalid” and “unlawful”.The bench of Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial, Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar and Justice Athar Minallah said, “The execution of said warrant violated the...

Sri Lankan Supreme Court Cites Indian Supreme Court Judgments While Upholding Bill Decriminalising Homosexuality [Read Judgment]

The judgments in Navtej Johar & KS Puttaswamy cases were cited by the Sri Lankan SC.

Israel’s Judicial Reform Bill: A Threat To Judicial Independence & Democracy?

On February 20, 2023, two bills that aim to "overhaul Israel's judiciary" were approved by a vote of 63 to 47 in the 120-member Parliament of Israel, just barely after midnight. In the middle of continuous demonstrations in which tens of thousands of Israelis assembled on the streets and blocked highways heading towards the capital city of Jerusalem, the far-right government coalition's planned bills were approved in the first of three readings, while at the parliament, members of the ...

Sedition Law Intended To Wreak Revenge On A Political Dissenter; Loyalty To State & Govt Must Be Distinguished: Lahore High Court

Finding SEDITION LAW to be in significant tension with constitutionalism and constitutional democracy, Pakistan's Lahore High Court last week invalidated Section 124A of the Pakistan Penal Code which pertains to the crime of sedition or inciting “disaffection” against the government. While holding so, Justice Shahid Karim underscored that Loyalty to the state has to be distinguished...