The writer is a former attorney general of India.
May 18, 2020 03:32 IST
There are judges and judges and lawyers and lawyers, and as Charles Dickens wrote, “if the law supposes that, the law is a ass”. I wonder what would be Dickens’ reaction to this incident.
Mon, May 18, 2020December 03, 2019 00:09 IST
Ordinarily, the Supreme Court judgment should finally settle any controversial issue, but not in our country. This is evident from the heated debates on the issue on TV channels and in public meetings.
Wed, Dec 04, 2019October 14, 2019 23:58 IST
Ambedkar emphasised that this caution is far more necessary in the case of India. For in India, bhakti, or what may be called the path of devotion or hero-worship, plays a part in politics, unequalled in magnitude by the part it plays in the politics of any other country.
Tue, Oct 15, 2019May 14, 2019 00:05 IST
If we do not trust judges of the Supreme Court, then God save the country. We must put a lid upon the unfortunate controversy and save the institution, the office of the Chief Justice of India, from further damage.
Tue, May 14, 2019April 18, 2019 00:59 IST
Ambedkar believed that unless the moral values of a constitution are upheld, the grandiloquent words in it will not protect the freedom and democratic values of the people.
Thu, Apr 18, 2019February 07, 2019 00:10 IST
Constituent Assembly debates were full of disagreement, humour and hope. Will the dreams of the founding fathers come true?
Thu, Feb 07, 2019January 17, 2019 00:16 IST
Invocation of the section (on sedition) should only be in cases of slogans which incite violence and have a tendency to create public disorder. Our state rests on solid foundations which cannot be disturbed by ill-tempered or pungent or stupid slogans.
Thu, Jan 17, 2019December 17, 2018 00:20 IST
The movie Kedarnath, which depicts the love story, has sparked a controversy. There are shrill demands for banning its exhibition. The Uttarakhand High Court observed that those who do not like the movie need not watch it.
Mon, Dec 17, 2018October 06, 2018 00:02 IST
Dissenting judgments on Sabarimala and Bhima Koregaon speak to the future.
Sat, Oct 06, 2018August 22, 2018 00:03 IST
Atalji made friends and disarmed his opponents
Wed, Aug 22, 2018April 21, 2018 00:20 IST
Our founding fathers were driven by the learnings of the past, the turmoil of the present and the possibilities of the future.
Sat, Apr 21, 2018January 30, 2018 00:22 IST
Sedition law has been misused by over-zealous agencies. That’s no reason to scrap it
Tue, Jan 30, 2018January 04, 2018 00:05 IST
And other memories starring leaders and lawyers
Thu, Jan 04, 2018November 22, 2017 00:57 IST
Why the Supreme Court judgment in the case of ‘An Insignificant Man’ shows the way.
Wed, Nov 22, 2017November 01, 2017 00:35 IST
The rise of intolerance is alarming. Dissent is smothered and self-censorship takes its place, endangering democracy itself.
Wed, Nov 01, 2017September 09, 2017 00:26 IST
That is the state’s responsibility. It must punish those who violently target dissent
Sat, Sep 09, 2017August 26, 2017 00:00 IST
One salutary consequence is that the right to privacy cannot be curtailed or abrogated by merely enacting a statute but can be done only by a constitutional amendment after complying with certain constitutional prerequisites.
Sat, Aug 26, 2017April 01, 2017 00:18 IST
This erudite book illuminates how judicial review of legislation empowers and protects democracy.
Sat, Apr 01, 2017March 23, 2017 00:57 IST
It should be expressly included and highlighted in the list of fundamental duties in our Constitution
Thu, Mar 23, 2017January 12, 2017 00:00 IST
Fundamental rights are no gifts of the state, the Constitution only confirms their existence.
Thu, Jan 12, 2017November 09, 2016 00:02 IST
Intolerance has a chilling effect on freedom of thought and discussion. It places democracy under siege.
Wed, Jan 11, 2017August 25, 2016 00:54 IST
It is the need of the hour to contain the forces of bigotry and intolerance which pose a grave threat to our democratic secular republic.
Thu, Aug 25, 2016October 16, 2015 00:03 IST
The temples of justice are also home to moments of laughter.
Fri, Oct 16, 2015September 22, 2015 00:05 IST
Rule of law must become a part of people’s everyday lives if it is to be safeguarded .
Tue, Sep 22, 2015October 27, 2014 02:15 IST
Pakistan must stop offering specious alibis against prosecuting Hafiz Saeed.
Mon, Oct 27, 2014