Hats-off to the Padman team for bringing up the sensitive issue of menstruation in India. I always thought periods was a word more dangerous than “Lord Voldemort” and those who dare to speak about it, open pandora’s box. But now things are changing and not only are we speaking about menstruation but are embracing it too. Sadly this is not the case with everyone. The taboo of menstruation and the draconian practice of Chhaupadi are claiming lives of many females. As per the old Hindu Custom of Chhaupadi, a menstruating female is considered impure and is therefore banished from her house during ..read more

I was born in a free country, a country where I was guaranteed the freedom of speech and expression, where I could question any political agenda and where I could rely on a free and objective media. Unfortunately, there are certain individuals who are aiming to take these rights way from me. No, the constitution is not being amended. But the close nexus between mafia, politicians and corrupt officials is ensuring that anyone who seeks to gather information against them is killed. When the government passed a significant legislation Right to Information Act in year 2005, it assured that the Act ..read more

Introduction With their father serving a life imprisonment sentence for murdering their mother, the future of seven children is now at risk with no one left to take care of them. The Delhi trial court recently convicted 40-year-old Amruddin for the murder of his wife Rihana and sentenced him to life imprisonment after relying on the testimony of his children. Rihana’s mother recently approached the court to seek help as she is financially incapable to take care of the children. Several organizations have stepped forward to help the family but the circumstances remain much the same. The case de ..read more

A five hundred rupee note was returned back to my friend by a cashier. When she inquired, she was informed that the note was fake. The cashier humbly said “Madam, the note is not genuine; you can be jailed for this. Since you have been a dedicated customer to us, I’m not tearing the note apart. Kindly try to use it elsewhere.” His reply stunned me but then I thought why do situations like these arise and what should we and what do we actually do in such situations. Well the Section 489-c of the Indian Penal Code states that if any person is aware that he was/is in possession of the counterfei ..read more

Imagine without any fault of yours; you and your family were asked to register their names with the police. Now let’s say this penalty is extended to your whole community in perpetuity. Offended? You are right, in normal circumstances this can never happen to anyone of us but if it does we can always approach the courts. But there are some people who can’t as their fundamental rights have been encroached by a draconian British Law for centuries. Denotified Tribes In India Numerous tribes find their home in India. The plight of about 150 Indian tribes started way back in 1871 when the British d ..read more

The termination of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) did not mark the end of miseries in Sri Lanka. When most of the countries in the world are favoring democracy; Sri Lanka recently opted to be governed by dictatorship. On 8 September 2010; the Parliament headed by Mr. Mahinda Rajapaksa passed the much criticized 18th Amendment of the Sri Lankan Constitution. The amendment makes substantial changes in the political structure of Sri Lanka transforming it into a de-facto dictatorship. Criticism of the 18th Amendment 1. The Amendment not only uplifted the restrictions posed on the presid ..read more

Introduction Liu Xiaobo, a Chinese Rights Activist was awarded this year’s Nobel Peace Prize. The decision was applauded all around the world except in China, where Liu is serving an 11 year sentence for inciting subversion of state power. About Liu Xiaobo :- • He is a prolific writer, scholar and pro-democracy essayist. • He was jailed for 21 months in 1989 due to his participation in the Tiananmen Square protests calling for the reform of China’s one-party Communist system. • In 1996, he was put in a “re-education” camp for three years when he supported the release of prisoners jailed in the ..read more

There is a good news for ours readers. Recently Legaldrift won accolades in a blogging competition organized by legallyindia. The prize money Rs.10,000 would be invested in the upgradation of Legal Drift. Two of our posts “Selling their bodies killing their souls: Plight of widows in Vrindavan and Mathura” and “Insight to Bhopal Gas Tragedy: A case lost before trial” recieved honourable mentions by the judges. “Legaldrift’s entry Selling their bodies killing their souls: Plight of widows in Vrindavan and Mathura I thought again was very strong on the originality front, picking an issue that is ..read more

I was born in a free country, a country where I was guaranteed the freedom of speech and expression, where I could question any political agenda and where I could rely on a free and objective media. Unfortunately, there are certain individuals who are aiming to take these rights way from me. No, the constitution is not being amended. But the close nexus between mafia, politicians and corrupt officials is ensuring that anyone who seeks to gather information against them is killed. When the government passed a significant legislation Right to Information Act in year 2005, it assured that the Act ..read more

Introduction With their father serving a life imprisonment sentence for murdering their mother, the future of seven children is now at risk with no one left to take care of them. The Delhi trial court recently convicted 40-year-old Amruddin for the murder of his wife Rihana and sentenced him to life imprisonment after relying on the testimony of his children. Rihana’s mother recently approached the court to seek help as she is financially incapable to take care of the children. Several organizations have stepped forward to help the family but the circumstances remain much the same. The case de ..read more