V. Venkatesan

V. Venkatesan is an independent legal journalist based in New Delhi. Formerly Senior Associate Editor with Frontline, he has been reporting and commenting on legal issues.

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Demolition taking place at the Khyber Pass area in Delhi in August 2024. On September 2, the Supreme Court bench declared it would lay down guidelines on a “Pan-India Basis” to address petitioners’ concerns about illegal property demolition.

Supreme Court confronts ‘bulldozer justice’: Can it rein in demolition-happy States?

Stay on arbitrary demolitions, a result of court’s distrust in the executive, signals a new era of judicial intervention to protect citizens’ rights.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi attends ‘Ganpati Poojan’ at the residence of Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, in New Delhi on September 11, 2024.

Does the CJI’s Ganesh Chaturthi celebration with Modi cross a line?

Prime Minister Modi’s visit to the Chief Justice’s residence has set off debate on the separation of powers and post-retirement sinecures for judges.

BRS leader K Kavitha reaches Hyderabad after being released from Tihar Jail in Delhi following the Supreme Court’s decision to grant her bail in the irregularities in the “excise policy case” by the CBI and the ED, on August 28, 2024.

Supreme Court champions bail reform. But will lower courts listen?

Recent judgments reaffirm “bail is the rule, jail the exception”. Yet crucial bail pleas languish in courts for years on trivial grounds.

The family of a deceased sewer worker at a protest called by Bezwada Wilson at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on September 25, 2018.

Subclassification of Scheduled Castes: Policymakers face the challenge of addressing inequality without fracturing unity

Supreme Court ruling aims to level the playing field within marginalised communities, but risks deepening existing fault lines.

Coal pickers work at an open-cast mine in Jharia, on the outskirts of Dhanbad in Jharkhand on May 24, 2024. A Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court held that unless Parliament imposes a limitation, the plenary power of the State legislature to levy taxes on mineral rights is unaffected.

India’s mineral tax tussle: States win, but Centre may have the last laugh

Supreme Court empowers States on mining levies, but leaves room for federal manoeuvring. Critics fear a race to the bottom that can cripple industry.

Kanwariyas gather to collect water from the Mahanadi river for the Kanwar Yatra, at Gadagadia Ghata in Cuttack earlier this month.

Kanwar Yatra: A stay that enhances the Supreme Court’s credibility

Halting directives that could lead to religious profiling, the court demonstrates its commitment to protecting constitutional values, minority rights.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal addresses supporters and members of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) at the party’s headquarters in New Delhi on June 2, 2024.

Kejriwal case: Supreme Court bail order shakes ED’s ground but leaves Delhi CM hanging

AAP leader gets interim bail, but court punts on core issues of arrest necessity and agency discretion to larger bench.

Activists hold placards during a protest against the order to prosecute Arundhati Roy and Sheikh Showkat Hussain, under the UAPA. Bengaluru, June 20, 2024.

Supreme Court sends mixed signals on bail in UAPA cases

Some benches grant relief citing prolonged detention and trial delays, while others maintain a stringent approach, leaving accused in limbo.

Delhi Police display awareness poster for new criminal laws on July 1, 2024.

New criminal laws push India toward a regressive past

Legal experts warn of eroded civil liberties as BNS, BNSS, BSA replace longstanding codes, altering FIR procedures and expanding police discretion.

Students stage a protest demanding re-examination of NEET-UG 2024 results outside the Kashi Hindu University in Varanasi on June 8.

Public Examinations Act 2024: Too late, too little

Passed in February but notified in June, it lacks rules for implementation and might not be effective in checking malpractices like the NEET-UG leaks.

Author and activist Arundhati Roy at a press conference in New Delhi, August 30, 2018.

Delhi LG’s sanction for Arundhati Roy’s prosecution under UAPA is legally vulnerable

The sanction appears to have been granted without proper application of mind, as the police investigation itself is nowhere near completion.

Vivekananda Rock Memorial where Prime Minister Narendra Modi plans his 45-hour-long meditation since May 31 (Thursday) evening.

EC’s radio silence on Modi’s ‘meditation’ spectacle raises serious concerns over its neutrality

The Opposition alleges that the Prime Minister’s public meditation event during the ‘silence period’ blatantly violates the Model Code of Conduct.

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