Bail for Rapist, Violence for Survivor, Laughter from a Politician
A former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator convicted of gang rape has received bail, while the survivor protesting the decision was dragged away by police and ridiculed by a state minister. Together, these events show how those in power protect each other by using police to crush protest and mock the pain of ordinary people, turning justice into a show of control and humiliation.
How a Dalit Worker Was Lynched in ‘God’s Own Country’
A Dalit migrant worker named Ram Narayan was lynched in Palakkad, Kerala, by a group of men who accused him of theft and claimed he was an “illegal immigrant” from Bangladesh. The killing shows that even in Kerala, often seen as resistant to radical Hindu nationalist politics, some people now feel entitled to act on hate and deliver “punishment” without due process. It also shows that for a section of the public, the state no longer holds exclusive authority over justice.
Could Malayalam Actor’s Acquittal in Sexual Assault Case Be State-Enabled Impunity?
Malayalam actor Dileep has been acquitted in the 2017 case involving the abduction and sexual assault of a female actor. The verdict by a court in Kerala was based on the state’s failure to prove its own claims, not on any finding that cleared him of wrongdoing, and it stands as yet another example of how investigation and prosecution remain weak links in the justice system, especially in cases where the accused is powerful and influential.
India’s Juvenile Justice System Has Failed Children, Says New Nationwide Study
A decade after the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015 came into force, a new study shows that its pledges of timely, protective and rehabilitative justice for children have failed in practice. The breakdown has left thousands of children stuck in drawn-out legal processes, exposed to continued harm.
Supreme Court Rejects Timelines for Governor’s Assent
The Supreme Court has ruled that courts cannot impose deadlines on the President or State Governors for granting or withholding assent to bills passed by legislatures. Nor can courts treat inaction as assent. A Constitution Bench held that such directions, issued by a two-judge Bench in April 2024, are unconstitutional and violate the separation of powers between the judiciary and executive.
Supreme Court Reopens Door for Post-Facto Environmental Clearances
The Supreme Court has revived a mechanism that allows construction or industrial projects to obtain environmental clearance even after they have already started or expanded without approval. This means projects that violated environmental rules can now continue operations without facing legal action or being dismantled.
Supreme Court Warns Against Physical Hearings as Delhi Air Turns Toxic
During a hearing unrelated to pollution in Delhi, a Supreme Court judge urged lawyers to avoid attending court in person, warning that the air was so toxic that “even masks are not enough.” The observation came as air quality in Delhi-NCR entered the “severe” category yet again, and at a time when the government is already under scrutiny in a separate case concerning its failure to control pollution.
Supreme Court: Police Must Give Written Arrest Reasons in Understood Language
The Supreme Court has ruled that any person who is arrested must be given the reasons in writing, and in a language they understand. The rule now applies in all cases, across all laws, no matter how serious the crime is.
Tamil Nadu Party Challenges SIR in Supreme Court, Citing Risk to Electoral Rights
The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) party in Tamil Nadu has filed a writ petition in the Supreme Court challenging the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) expansion of a voter list verification drive known as the Special Intensive Revision (SIR). The petition claims that the SIR exercise, now extended to 12 states and Union Territories, threatens the right of citizens to participate in elections and imposes burdens that resemble a citizenship test without legal authority.
Govt Forensic Lab Claims ‘Manipur Tapes’ Tampered With
The Indian government’s forensic laboratory has told the Supreme Court that audio tapes allegedly implicating Biren N. Singh, former chief minister of Manipur, in ethnic violence were tampered with and cannot be used for voice comparison.
Youth Collective’s Site Set on Fire After Assault, Charges Over Books on Ideology
Unidentified individuals set fire to a rural campus run by the youth collective HOWL (How Ought We Live), which works with tribal communities, destroying property worth lakhs. The suspected arson came after months of rising hostility, including physical assaults, allegedly by local right-wing groups, and the arrest of the group’s founder on charges of offending religious sentiments.