By Shubham Pandey* The utilization rate of Indian prisons stands at a whopping 170%, with a few states having more than twice the number of prisoners deemed appropriate for their prison facilities. The overcrowding of prisons can be attributed not just to the lack of prisons but also to the inefficiency of the trial process, … Continue reading Requirement of better prison facilities for undertrial prisoners
Category: Rule of Law
Protest held in Jaipur to demand justice for Bhanwari Devi case [Source: BBC] By Deepika Barua* “Any society that fails to harness the energy and creativity of its women is at a huge disadvantage” [Quote by Tian Wei] Since childhood, parents impose a lot of restrictions on a girl compared to a boy. The upbringing … Continue reading The Bhanwari Devi case: Façade of societal norms – game of culpability
By Sanjeev Sirohi* It must be stated right at the outset that the ghastly manner in which an upright, dedicated, determined and disciplined Judge named Uttam Anand who was an Additional District Judge (ADJ) posted in Dhanbad district of Jharkhand was mowed down by an autorickshaw has sent shivers down the spine. The ghastly incident … Continue reading Colonial mindset which pervades treatment of district judiciary must change
By Sanjeev Sirohi* It goes without saying that custodial torture cannot be justified under any circumstances. Still it is a matter of utmost anguish that those who indulge in most brashly, most brazenly and most bluntly are rarely ever booked and made to face the consequences which only serves to further encourage men in uniform … Continue reading Custodial torture: 273rd report of Law Commission of India must be implemented
By Sanjeev Sirohi* It is a matter of great concern and dismay that the power of police to arrest which is conferred to police under Section 41 of CrPC is being openly misused time and again and this urgently necessitates putting in some safeguards so that the arbitrary exercise of power to arrest without warrant … Continue reading Attitude to arrest first and then investigate is despicable
By Aditya Gujarathi* The National Human Rights Commission is supposed to be the guardian of human rights in the country. While various experts have already lamented how the NHRC is a toothless body, it still has various powers in holding State authorities accountable. As the topmost Human Rights Body in the country, its staff is … Continue reading Erroneous interpretation of law by NHRC resulting in countless applications being dismissed
At least 16 RTI activists have been killed in Maharashtra since 2010. Their fault -- they used RTI to unearth corruption, misuse of public funds and exposed horsetrading of elected representatives among other things. How did the criminal justice system respond to this phenomenon? Veteran journalists, Vinita Deshmukh and Prasanna Kumar Keskar investigated the lives … Continue reading How criminal justice system responded to murder of 13 RTI activists of Maharashtra
