While hearing a divorce case for a heterosexual Hindu couple a few days ago, the Delhi High Court opined that the time had come for the Central Government to introduce a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) for all Indians. In an order dated July 7, 2021, the judge presiding over the case, Justice Prathiba M. Singh, exclaimed that the modern [...]
The debate surrounding the interpretation of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) gained significant push when the matter relating to the grant of bail to three activists by the Delhi High Court reached the apex court in appeal. Though the court did not interfere in the bail order, the bench expressed anguish over the adjudication [...]
Essence, Existence and the Moaning of the Bar: In Memory of Judge James Crawford The passing of one of the undisputable greats of international law, Judge (Professor) James Richard Crawford (1948 – 2021) who embodied a towering intellectual rigour with great good humour, generosity and warmth is a momentous loss to the world of international [...]
Climate change is recognized as “the common concern of humanity.” On June 28, 2021, the European Council enacted a climate change law to reduce greenhouse gases emissions by 55% by 2030 – from 1990 levels – and to accomplish a net zero-emissions economy by 2050. Despite the legal enshrinement of net-zero and emission targets, the [...]
On June 7, at a public hearing, Representative Ilhan Omar asked Secretary of State Tony Blinken where the victims of alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity could go to seek justice if domestic prosecutors won’t pursue cases in court. Omar had noted the Biden administration’s opposition to the International Criminal Court (ICC)’s Afghanistan and [...]
The Independent Expert Panel (IEP), formulated for articulating the definition of the term “ecocide”, proposed a definition to construct a cornerstone international crime of ecocide that demonstrates a significant belief in international criminal law’s regulatory prospects. However, the proposed definition lacks the necessary rationale, and the architects of the draft hardly offer legal practitioners any [...]
The Affordable Care Act (popularly known as Obamacare) may be the Supreme Court equivalent of the cat with nine lives. Or at least four. Starting with its decision in NFIB v. Sebelius, 567 U.S. 519 (2012), the Supreme Court has now turned aside three distinct lines of attack on the Act’s controversial “individual mandate” (which [...]
After three days of Generation Equality Forum meetings in Paris (hosted by the French Government from 30 June to 2 July), the international community launched a Global Acceleration Plan (GAP) for gender equality, driven by six Action Coalitions, the Compact on Women, Peace and Security, and Humanitarian Action. The GAP aims to accelerate gender equality in the [...]
Between Saturday night on June 26 and the early hours on Sunday, June 27, two blasts rocked the high-security technical sector of the Indian Air Force (IAF) Station in Jammu. Sources reported that an IAF patrol squad witnessed two low-flying drones drop two Improvised Explosive Devices (IED). Two IAF personnel suffered minor injuries in what [...]
On June 23, 2021, the Meghalaya High Court (HC) ruled in the case of Registrar General, HC of Meghalaya v. State of Meghalaya that “The mandatory or forced vaccinations violate the individuals’ fundamental rights guaranteed under Article 21.” The court elucidated that a coercive policy of vaccination has no force in law and should be declared [...]
