A Constitutional Critique Of Rajasthan's Disturbed Areas Bill, 2026

Imagine you own a house and want to sell it. You have a willing buyer. You have agreed on a price. Both of you are acting freely, with full knowledge of what you are doing. And yet, a government officer can step in and say no — not because there is anything fraudulent about your transaction, not because either of you is being coerced, but because the officer has formed an opinion that your sale might affect the demographic composition of the neighbourhood. If you proceed with the transaction...

When The Law Looks Away

On March 6, 2026, ten police officers in plain clothes arrived in Krishnarajapuram in Sivaganga district of Tamil Nadu and took away a 26-year-old Dalit engineering graduate, R. Akash Delison. He had been accused of attacking two men, a serious allegation that required investigation and trial. Instead, within forty-eight hours, he was dead.In his dying declaration, Akash described how he was blindfolded, his legs placed on stones, covered with a wet sack, and beaten repeatedly with an iron rod....

Extension Of Arbitral Tribunal Under Section 29A Of The Arbitration & Conciliation Act

The Dispute Resolution process through Arbitration has always been appealing due to its efficiency and quick resolution. However, over time, the reality of Arbitral proceedings became similar to Court Proceedings due to the long delays in pronouncing Arbitral Awards. Hence, to resolve this, the Indian Legislature in 2015 introduced Section 29A in the Arbitration & Conciliation Act of 1996 ('1996 Act'). Section 29A of the 1996 Act imposes a deadline on the Arbitral Tribunal by requiring it to...

Res Gestae Under Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023: Re-Examining Hearsay Exception In Digital Age

Res Gestae is a Latin phrase meaning “things done” or “things transacted”. It refers to the facts, statements, or acts so closely connected with the main event that they form part of the same transaction.The doctrine of Res Gestae provides one of the most important exceptions to the hearsay rule by allowing courts to use spontaneous or contemporaneous statements linked to the same transaction.In the modern digital age, the application of this doctrine has become increasingly complex. Courts are...

Beyond Policy Matters: How Jaya Thakur Verdict Redefines Menstrual Autonomy

In India, the topic of menstrual justice has been increasingly discussed in constitutional conversations over the past few years. It has emerged from the fringes of social activism. The Supreme Court's recent landmark ruling in Dr Jaya Thakur v. the Government of India recognised menstrual hygiene infrastructure as a fundamental right under Article 21, stating, “A period should end a sentence, not an education.” Earlier, in Shailendra Mani Tripathi v. Union of India (2023), when a PIL was filed...

Rape On The Pretext Of Marriage - Section 69 Of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 : A Provision Built To Be Abused

The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, the Act which replaced the Indian Penal Code, 1860, introduced a new offence which had not been codified in any previous statute—namely, sexual intercourse by “deceitful” means. Prior to the enactment of the BNS, this offence was not codified and did not form part of the IPC. This is not to say that the idea did not exist earlier, but rather that it existed only as a judicial construct, developed by combining two distinct offences—rape (Section 375, IPC) and...

From Lalita Kumari To Section 173(3) BNSS: Navigating The New Frontier Of FIR Registration

The First Information Report (“FIR”) serves as the primary jurisdictional trigger within the Indian criminal justice system. It is the formal mechanism that transitions a private grievance into a state-led prosecution, thereby activating the statutory powers of investigation, search, and arrest. For decades, the procedural governance of FIR registration has centred on the division of power between the informant and the police officer. The legal framework determining when a police officer is...

The Black Box Of Fraud: AI And Reinvention Of White-Collar Crime

The accelerating digitalization of global finance has spawned new frontiers for illicit financial behavior, notably in the realm of white-collar crime. White-collar crime, traditionally encompassing non-violent financial misconduct by individuals in positions of trust, has evolved dramatically with the advent of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, and blockchain. Once characterized by manual accounting fraud and deceptive bookkeeping, modern white-collar...

Bench On Trial: From Real Trial To The Social Media Trial

Today we are living in a digital age, where social media has become a regular part of everyday life. Almost, everything that public authorities or public figures do is recorded, shared, and discussed online. People not only watch what is happening, but they also give their opinions and share those opinions with others. This ability of citizens to express differing opinions reflects the strength of a democracy in the country. Public criticism on social media has sometimes forced authorities to...

Three Hours To Comply: India's New Rules For AI-Generated Content And Deepfakes

The February 2026 amendment to the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 represents India's most assertive regulatory intervention into AI-generated content to date. By compressing takedown timelines, mandating technical traceability, and redefining intermediary obligations, the government has shifted from reactive moderation toward proactive algorithmic governance.A major update emerged from India's tech policy landscape on February 10 when...

From Rights Recognition To Resource Deficit: Implementation Realities After Dr. Jaya Thakur v. Union Of India

The Supreme Court in the case of Dr. Jaya Thakur v. Union of India marks a very progressive shift and has set a milestone for menstrual health rights in India by recognising menstrual hygiene as a component of equality, dignity, health and education under Articles 14, 21, and 21A. The court has adopted the rights-based approach in this case and not the charitable-based approach by clearly mandating free sanitary pads, separate and clean toilets, trained staff, awareness initiatives and...

Beyond Regionalism: A Case For Multiple Campus NLU In Jammu And Kashmir

A National Law doesn't belong to any region but to the Students and constitution itself.The debate over the location of the National Law University (NLU) of Jammu and Kashmir has regrettably degenerated into a regional contest between the Kashmir and Jammu provinces, reducing an institution of national importance to a matter of regional pride. A National Law University is not an asset to be claimed by any one region; it is an institution of legal expertise that must be structured in accordance...