Columns

Bihar came under total prohibition in April 2016. This was part of an abstemious chief minister’s social reform programme. He may as well have said: “Will no one rid me of these drinkers.” The government went into overdrive to get the state legislature enact a draconian law called the Bihar Prohibition and Excise Act, 2016. Under this law, sentences are disproportionately harsh, police has power to arrest even people drinking privately at home, confiscate their properties and also detain all adults of the family present, including non-drinkers.

Recently, during his 5th Late Shri Lavu Venkateswarlu Endowment lecture in Vijayawada, Chief Justice of India (CJI) NV Ramana espoused a very fine hypothesis—the need to liberate the institution of public prosecutors. While this (freedom) is an established concept in many developed economic and social systems, including the UK and especially the US, it is a somewhat foreign concept for India. Practitioners of law and litigants in this country have suffered enough for this (lack of freedom).

The debate between practical and theoretical aspects of legal education has been growing. In this context, the norms surrounding legal pedagogy and course curriculum, along with ensuring the ethical and moral development of the students, need to be re-emphasised.

About 50 of the more than 720 people charged in the Capitol invasion and destruction have been found guilty, although punishments have tended to be lenient despite the deaths and millions of dollars in damages. Lawyers are finding plenty of work on all sides of this conflict.

It is vital for any country governed by the rule of law that its judges decide cases solely on the evidence presented by parties and law. Judicial accountability vanishes when a judge travels beyond the case and makes unnecessary remarks in his decisions. This would set a precarious precedent and is undesirable.

By Kenneth Tiven in Washington Medical experts estimate the USA could see a million new cases of Omicron Covid virus a day if the current surge rate of 50% keeps growing. The death rate is sign...

A WhatsApp message appeared on a group last week from an indignant friend. It carried images of the recent 10th Standard Board exam that had carried an English comprehension passage which subscribed to the view that the man must be the head of the household—the lord and master—and the wife should be subservient, and she in turn could supervise the children and servants basking in his glory and frequently invoking fear of him.

West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar and chief minister Mamata Banerjee have had numerous and scrappy exchanges. This time the governor has the upper hand over the chief minister who did not take him into confidence before issuing the notification to constitute the inquiry commission in the Pegasus matter.

By Dr Swati Jindal Garg It has been rightly said: “There will never be complete equality until women themselves help to make laws and elect lawmakers.” At a recent event, Chief Justice of India NV...

By Lokendra Malik and Balram Pandey “But each day brings its petty dust, our soon-chok’d souls to fill. And we forget because we must, and not because we will.” These lines were written way bac...