Adarsh Kumar

Recently, Justice Biren Vaishnav, the senior judge of the Gujarat High Court upbraided his colleague Justice Mauna Bhatt for voicing a difference of opinion regarding an on-going tax matter. It has created something of a legal precedent

The Supreme Court recently directed the centre and all state governments to ensure complete eradication of the practice of manual scavenging while dealing with deaths occurring in sewers. The Court held that it was the centuries-old stigmatising social practices that led to the deprivation of scavengers to such levels that they were not even recognised as human beings. Regrettably, manual scavenging still persists despite many legislations

The National Medical Commission notification staying the opening of new medical colleges has raised the ire of the state chief minister who said it was tantamount to punishing states which had invested in public health infrastructure

The Bombay High Court recently upheld a 2016 order of a family court denying divorce to a man who claimed that his wife was suffering from epilepsy, which he termed as an incurable disease that had led to her being of unsound mind. The Court observed that epilepsy cannot be considered as a valid ground for divorce under the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955. This is a key judgment since it concerns petitions relating to breakdown of marriages

Slamming a petitioner who refused to pay maintenance to his wife and daughter claiming he was on study leave, the Madras High Court said his duty to them cannot take a back seat

Recently, the Kerala High Court quashed the criminal proceedings initiated against a man who was arrested by the police for watching obscene videos on his mobile phone on the roadside. The Court made it clear that the individual had committed no offence as he was viewing the obscene video in his private time without exhibiting it to others. The case has, however, revived the debate about pornography and the laws that govern it

The World Health Organization says rabies is endemic in India, which accounts for 36% of the world’s rabies deaths. The organisation estimates that the number of deaths caused by dog bites is 18,000-20,000 every year. The latest instance is a case in Ghaziabad where a 14-year-old boy died after being bitten by a pet dog. What can be done to stop this menace?

Over the years, pressures of urban development have seen forests of Delhi Ridge under threat. In many areas, landscaped public parks and public housing have come up. The area also faces dumping of construction waste. Now the Delhi High Court has expressed concern over the presence of 63 structures inside the Central Ridge in the capital

The National Medical Commission recently put on hold its earlier notification, which made it mandatory for doctors to only prescribe generic drugs. After the rules were notified, the Indian Medical Association and the Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance had expressed concern, saying this was not feasible because of the uncertainty about their quality

The Supreme Court has taken a big step to ban the use of objectionable words for women and launched a handbook that will guide judges in avoiding use of inappropriate gendered terms in court orders and legal documents. The Chief Justice of India said the handbook identifies common stereotypes about women, many of which have been utilised by courts in the past and demonstrates why they are inaccurate and how they may distort the application of the law