Dowry has not disappeared from Indian society — it has simply changed its name. The Supreme Court in State of U.P. v. Ajmal Beg (2025 INSC 1435) cut through this fiction, restoring a conviction in a dowry death case and declaring that eliminating dowry is a constitutional necessity. This editorial examines the judgment's background, key legal findings, constitutional provisions, implementation challenges, and possible alternatives — written accessibly for students and practit

Imagine you're studying law for about five to six years, chasing one single dream — becoming a judge the day you graduate. Now imagine being told, almost overnight, that the dream must wait three more years. This is exactly what happened to thousands of law graduates across India when the Supreme Court decided that no one can become an entry-level judge without first practising as a lawyer for three years. What started as one court order has turned into one of the most talked

The Refugee Shield Has Become a Gateway for Illegal Immigration — and Ordinary Indians Are Paying the Price The Question Every Indian Deserves an Answer To Here is a straightforward question that rarely gets asked plainly enough. When an undocumented person from another country enters India without papers, acquires a fake Aadhaar card, registers on a voter list, settles into a city slum, and then — when caught — claims to be a refugee deserving international protection, what

If someone damages your reputation with words, should they pay compensation—or should they face criminal prosecution? This is not a question reserved for courtrooms or law journals. It is a question that affects journalists reporting on the powerful, activists speaking truth to authority, ordinary citizens who raise complaints, and public figures trying to protect their dignity. It is a question about the kind of democracy we want to live in—and the kind of society we are bui

When a marriage breaks down in a Delhi apartment, lawyers are called. When it breaks down in a village in Rajasthan, the elders are called. Both arrive at the same destination — a separated couple — but by very different roads. Which road is faster, cheaper, and more humane? The Numbers Don't Lie: Cities Break Marriages More Often Before we dive into the "how" of village divorce, we need to ask — is it actually true that rural India divorces less? The answer is a clear yes, a