Dr Abhishek Atrey

Despite Supreme Court ju...

With over 5,000 criminal cases pending against MPs and MLAs as of November 2022, the Supreme Court has asked High Courts to set up special benches for their speedy disposal

The Chief Justice of India, DY Chandrachud, has taken strong exception to High Courts being “tech indifferent” and judges not being tech friendly. He has issued directions to courts to ensure video conferencing and hybrid hearing

While various judgments have given precedence to eyewitness accounts over those of medical experts and convicted the accused, this can shake the confidence of the people in the justice delivery system

While various judgments have said that a police officer has to register a Zero FIR if a cognizable offence is not committed within the jurisdiction of his police station, Manipur has shown that this doesn’t happen

In a sign of progress, various courts have urged that the age of consent be reduced from 18 years to 16. Even the CJI is against the criminalisation of adolescents engaging in consensual sex

Some states have asked the public for suggestions for a draft UCC. Regulation of live-in relationships and giving equal rights to women in property are some of the issues that need looking into.

The Madras High Court quashed two orders allowing executive magistrates to make habitual offenders execute “good behaviour” bonds as these magistrates are not judicial officers and cannot conduct trials.

A question raised after Manish Sisodia’s arrest was whether an accused can be arrested for non-cooperation with the police. But the nature of the offence and chances of him tampering with evidence are taken into consideration

Apart from hostility from the public regarding same sex marriages, the other big hurdles in granting marriage status to same sex couples will come while defining laws of adoption, guardianship and succession for them.