The article was originally published in Article 14. Read here. The three new criminal laws, effective from 1 July 2024, to overhaul India’s criminal justice system have faced criticism for increasing police powers and introducing offences like terrorism without proper safeguards. Experts worry about the potential misuse of these new provisions. Right to Information requests filed…
The article was originally published in Article 14. Read here. The government of India has blocked the website and X account of Hindutva Watch, which documents hate crimes and hate speech against India’s religious minorities, latest evidence of secrecy surrounding India’s internet censorship framework. Legal experts said the current laws and rules lack transparency and appeals…
The article was originally published in Al Jazeera. Read here. India’s parliament passed controversial legislation in December that has raised concerns about civil liberties and surveillance. New Delhi, India – Late last month India’s parliament passed two sets of controversial legislation in the biggest overhaul of the criminal justice system and telecom laws that critics say could…
The article was originally published in Article 14. Read here. A September 2023 affidavit in the Supreme Court has alleged that two out of the six members of the Supreme Court-appointed expert committee investigating possible regulatory lapses in dealing with allegations against the Adani group have a “conflict of interest” and one is named in…
The article was originally published in Al Jazeera. Read here. The opposition says it is convinced the government has ‘surprise legislations’ up its sleeve as it holds a special five-day session of parliament. New Delhi, India – A “special” five-day session of India’s parliament is being held amid growing disquiet in the country over parliamentary processes being…
The article was originally published in Article 14. Read here. In this second of the two-part series, we look at the challenges faced by the Indian legal system to eradicate the widespread prevalence of perjury and fabrication of evidence. Overburdened judges, a lack of incentive for lawyers, unreliable police investigations, and long delays in the disposal…
The article was originally published in Article 14. Read here. Though perjury, or lying under oath, and fabrication of evidence remain widespread in India’s justice system, prosecutions for the two offences are rare. In the first of a two-part series, we analyse five recent court judgements that reveal how the police followed a similar modus operandi…
This article was originally published on Boomlive. MEITY blocks information requests citing national security and the requirement to maintain “strict confidentiality”. A Delhi high court case may help change practices around internet censorship in India. On March 31 this year, Kalim Ahmed, a journalist by profession, received an email from Twitter with the subject line “Twitter Notice of…
The article was originally published in Article 14. Read here. New Delhi: “The subject your lordships are dealing with is the creation of a socio-legal relationship of marriage which is the domain of the competent legislature.” That was the argument solicitor general Tushar Mehta made on behalf of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government of Prime Minister Narendra…
The article was originally published in Al Jazeera. Read here. New Delhi, India – On April 15, former Indian parliamentarian Atiq Ahmed and his brother Ashraf Ahmed were shot dead by three assailants – a brazen attack caught on live television. The two were being escorted by the police in the northern city of Prayagraj in Uttar…
The article was originally published in Boom Live. Read here. The central government has proposed some changes to India’s hallmark transparency law, the Right to Information Act (RTI), 2005 which has raised concerns and criticism. The changes are sought to be done via the proposed Digital Personal Data Protection Bill (DPDP), 2022 which will bring in…
The article was originally published in Adani Watch. Read here. The Supreme Court of India’s order in the Adani-Hindenburg case does nothing to ensure an independent and fair investigation into allegations of corporate fraud by the Adani Group. The Expert Committee appointed by the court to study regulatory frameworks has a member close to Prime…