Magazine

When the hi-tech sector in America sheds tens of thousands of jobs, the tsunami of firings is felt globally, especially in India, because so many Indians work abroad in the technology sector. These companies are not on the brink of financial ruin. Quite the contrary, so why shed people?

Protests have erupted across Kerala after the state government made public a satellite survey report on areas that are to fall within the proposed buffer zone around 22 wildlife sanctuaries and parks in line with the Supreme Court directions. The protests are against what they say is the government’s “hasty” satellite survey of forest areas.

Government’s objection to Saurabh Kirpal’s appointment as a High Court judge because of his sexual orientation goes against the Constitution. Should a lesson be learnt from diverse benches of the UK and US judiciaries?

In various judgments, the Court has reiterated that bail is the rule and jail is the exception. The accused must have his freedom in order to establish his innocence, it said.

A famous liquor distilling factory in Punjab has been shut down on the orders of the chief minister. The grounds for closure are to do with environmental concerns, which is in line with current trends in other states.

The Delhi High Court recently held that while children cannot be barred from exams for non-payment of fees, private unaided schools cannot be forced to retain them.

Courts have stressed that daughters, single or married, have an equal right over their father’s property. But till mindsets change, they will continue to get the short end of the stick.

There is a contention that if women of India are allowed into the labour force as equal partners, India may reach the levels of China and Vietnam on the manufacturing scale. However, age-old religious restrictions may not allow this to ever happen in India.

A 16-year-old Muslim girl has become the focus of a petition in the Supreme Court where Muslim Personal Law clashes with the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, which prescribes 18 years as the age for sexual consent. There are some precedents, but this case is an important landmark.

As pressure bears on the judiciary for its constitutional verdicts and collegium system, Justice VS Sirpurkar, a former SC judge, says that democracy is not in danger as the constitutional bedrock is strong. He spoke to India Legal on Constitution, collegium and judges’ appointments.