Columns

The terror bombings and killings around Kabul’s airport have once again focused world attention on the “sudden” American pull out. Actually, President Joe Biden’s “new” Afghanistan policy is old wine in new bottles.

The apex court and the Gujarat High Court have stressed that federalism is an integral aspect of the BSEF doctrine and thereby saved it from the excesses of the amending power.

The recommendation made by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights to bring all minority-run schools, including madrasas, under the purview of the Right to Education Act and the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan has generated much consternation and apprehension. What exactly are the issues?

Even as the collegium recommended nine names as judges to the apex court, there was none from minority communities. The Court should reflect the composite culture and constitutional values of the nation.

The legislation has stringent provisions against any individual or institution indulging in forcible religious conversion by marriage. The Gujarat High Court is hearing two petitions that have challenged the newly enacted amendment. What are the legal issues at stake?

CJI NV Ramana said there are misconceptions of a judge having an “easy life”. Judges have lots of work—reading pleas, hearing cases, recording evidence, writing opinions and keeping abreast with law. Here is an insider’s view.

Here are some sobering bits of information. Afghanistan has now endured two decades of horrifying war and brutality under the Taliban, followed by another two decades of American “occupation”, purportedly to the benefit of the common man, and to help set up a legitimate government. Yet, the country now descends into god knows how many years of complete chaos under the Taliban, again.

The Taliban sealed the fate of the democratically elected government in Afghanistan when it marched trium­phantly into Kabul on Aug­ust 15. The Latin phrase veni, vidi, vici (I came, I saw, I conquered) attributed to Julius Caesar following his victory at the Battle of Zela in 42 BC may well apply to the Taliban’s victory in Afghanistan.

The blame game for who “lost” Afghanistan is absurd. The real issue is why was America there in the first place? The US military adopted a pattern of deceiving the public about many facets of the war, including willful distortions or flat-out fabrications.

It is time to appoint a distinguished jurist as a judge in the Supreme Court. Professors of law who are engaged in high-quality teaching and research have considerable value in judicial adjudication.