LiveLaw Editorial Guidelines For Article Submissions

LiveLaw publishes original, timely legal article that offers clear value to practitioners, academics, students and litigants. Owing to the volume of submissions, articles are assessed against the following editorial standards.I. Submission Categoriesa) General ArticlesLegal developments, legislation, policy and other areas of law.b) Law Firm ArticlesContributions by law firm partners, associates, general counsel and other legal professionals.c) Law School ArticlesContributions by law...

Ken-Betwa River Linking Project: Balancing Development And Environmental Justice

The Ken–Betwa River Link Project is India's first major river interlinking project. The project moves water from one river to the other through a dam and canal system, aiming to fix chronic water shortages across 10 districts in Madhya Pradesh and 4 districts in Uttar Pradesh. A link canal, which is over 220 km long, will carry water from the Ken basin to the Betwa basin. The approximate cost of the project is around ₹44,605 crore as stated in the Union Budget of 2022-23. As per the statement of...

Two Faces Of Same Algorithm: Algorithmic Disparate Impact On India's Adivasi Communities

India's forest governance is increasingly caught in a profound technological contradiction. While tribal welfare agencies deploy digital mapping tools to secure land tenure for marginalized forest dwellers, state forest departments deploy automated AI surveillance systems that criminalize the traditional, legally protected forest-dependent livelihoods of those exact same populations. This structural friction—where identical technological capabilities deployed by different branches of the same...

Branding Goondas: Misue Of Preventive Detention Laws By State Governments

The recently passed West Bengal Public Safety and Control of Anti-Social Activities Bill, 2026 (commonly called as “Goondas Act”) has put the issue of coercive state power and attack on civil liberties in the national news again but by no means this is an isolated case in any one particular part of the country. There is a growing concern that these acts are being used to book people for petty crimes and suppressing democratic dissent. This is highlighted by incidents like repeated preventive...

From ₹750 To ₹22,500: Will Proposed Enrollment Fee Strengthen Legal Profession Or Create Barrier For Young Lawyers?

The Bar Council of India (BCI) has proposed increase in the enrollment fee for advocates from ₹750 to ₹22,500 through the Draft Advocates (Amendment) Bill, 2026. It has sparked concern among law students and newly graduated lawyers across the country, although the proposal has not become law yet but it raises an important question: Whether this increase will become a financial burden for fresh graduates who are just entering the profession? The enrollment fee remained unchanged since 1993, and...

Consent That Was Never Asked: India's Public Data Exemption In Age Of Foundation Models

In July 2026, Meta briefly rolled out Muse Image, an AI tool that let anyone generate images of a person built from that person's own public Instagram photos, without asking first. Every public account was opted in by default, and the opt-out was buried deep enough that most people never found it before the feature was pulled three days later. It's a small, self-contained episode, but it's a useful stand-in for a larger assumption: that once your data is public, using it for something else,...

Performative Authenticity: Synchronizing Visual Greenwashing And Unrecognized Eco Labels Under Consumer Protection Law

The axiom of corporate sustainability marketing for decades has been to wrap a product in a brown recycling paper, then splashing a sticker of a leaf or a smiling planet on the front, and advertising it in an earthy and green tone. This has now become a business tactic called “performative authenticity”, or the deliberate coordination of visual 'green' claims with unapparent and unacknowledged eco-labels to appear as an authentic environmental steward. This is a clever way for companies to take...

Employment Bonds & The Scope Of Section 27 Indian Contract Act

The Supreme Court of India's interpretation of the validity of an employment bond between the employer and the employee has faced some obstacles, especially regarding public policy and the duration of the employment contract. The bond between an employer and an employee does not always end when the employee resigns or leaves the employment. There are instances where employment contracts contain clauses that prevent an employee from joining a competitor, soliciting clients, or leaving before...

Acceptance Of Foreign Divorce Decrees And Judicial Approach Of Indian Courts

The increasing mobility of individuals across national borders has transformed family law into one of the most dynamic areas of private international law. The significant rise in cross-border marriages involving foreign nationals, Overseas Citizens of India (OCIs), and Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) has inevitably led to an increase in matrimonial disputes spanning multiple jurisdictions. Whether a divorce order issued by a foreign court should be recognised by Indian courts is one of the most...

Beyond Breathalyzer: 5 Surprising Lessons From Indian Courts On Alcohol And Insurance Claims

For the average vehicle owner, the “influence of intoxicating liquor” clause is a standard, yet often misunderstood, fixture in insurance contracts. Most policyholders operate under the simplistic assumption that if a driver is not apprehended by the police with a breathalyzer reading exceeding the statutory limit, an insurance claim is essentially “bulletproof.” However, recent jurisprudence from the Supreme Court and various High Courts reveals a far more complex reality. The intersection of...

Who Owns the Play? Performers' Rights, Publisher Copyright, And Unresolved Tension In India's Esports Law

India recognised esports as sport under Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025 which came into force on 1st May 2026. Subsequently, in State of Tamil Nadu v. Junglee Games India Pvt. Ltd., 2026 the Supreme Court held that wagering on any game renders the activity res extra commercium leaving e-sports without monetary staking constitutionally untouched but unprotected under the Copyright Act. Yet the professional esports player lacks meaningful protection over their competitive...

Algorithmic Deactivation, Article 14 And Karnataka Gig Worker Litigation

The IssueOn 29th June 2026, IAMAI and several major platform companies, including Swiggy, Zepto, Eternal Ltd. (which operates Zomato and Blinkit) and Urban Company, filed a writ petition before the Karnataka High Court. The petition seeks to declare the Karnataka Platform-Based Gig Workers (Social Security and Welfare) Act, its Rules, related notifications and enforcement notices unconstitutional and liable to be quashed[1]. Among the notices the petition asks the Court to quash is one dated...