Tradition Defies the Law

The ancient Hindu practice of Chhaupadi is an apt example of a religious belief having an edge over the law. This deeply rooted belief states that menstrual blood is impure. The practice is one of the forms of seclusion of women from society and is localized mostly in the far-western part of Nepal. The Supreme …

A Right to Mask?

The Hong Kong High Court has recently ruled the Prohibition on Face Covering Regulation (PFCR), the so-called ‘mask ban’, unconstitutional. The ban, which was enacted by the Chief Executive in Council, aims to suppress months-long protests sparked by the Extradition Bill that allows the Hong Kong Government to extradite suspects at the request of Beijing. …

Freedom of Expression in Myanmar: Section 66(d) of the Telecommunications Law

In November 2019, a court in the Botataung Township in Myanmar handed convictions against six members of a satirical Thangyat troupe. Six members of a troupe named Peacock Generation Thangyat were sentenced to a year in prison for allegedly mocking Myanmar’s armed forces through their live-streamed performance. Thangyat is one of the oldest forms of …

Dissecting the vires of the Supreme Court decision on the Office of Chief Justice being a Public Authority

The Bench On November 13, 2019, a five-judge constitution bench of the Supreme Court comprising the Chief Justice of India (CJI) Ranjan Gogoi (as he then was), Justices N.V. Ramana, D.Y. Chandrachud, Deepak Gupta and Sanjiv Khanna, delivered the judgment on the applicability of the Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2005 on the office of …

Pakistan: A State in the Army’s Shadow

General Qamar Javed Bajwa, the Chief of Army Staff, Pakistan, assumed office on November 29th, 2016. The COAS in Pakistan has a set term of three years. Accordingly, General Bajwa was set to retire on November 28, 2019.  On August 19th, the Pakistan PMO notified via a press release bearing official number PMO/3232/SPM/19 undersigned by …