Rule of Law

Given the flip-flops by India’s constitutional courts on protection of the environment, this three part legal investigation delves deep: In Part 1, we look at how High Courts across different regions of India are contributing to, or departing from, the trajectory of environmental jurisprudence. This part looks at Central India: Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha and Jharkhand. A region that is home to some of the country’s richest forests, its most significant mineral reserves, and its most vulnerable tribal populations.

While granting bail to Syed Iftikhar Andrabi, the Supreme Court on Monday, May 19, observed that UAPA conviction rates stand between 1.5% and 4% nationally, while remaining below 1% in Jammu and Kashmir.

Granting bail to a J&K man jailed for nearly six years in a narco-terror case, the Supreme Court cited abysmally low UAPA conviction rates, and warned that prolonged incarceration under anti-terror laws cannot override Article 21 protections

Petitioner attributes delay in challenging 2018 ex parte FT opinion to financial incapacity, and absence of legal aid; Court says if a case for fresh hearing is made out, it should be considered “immediately”

Setting aside a Foreigners Tribunal order against five children, the High Court ruled that kinship alone cannot determine citizenship status and reiterated that every individual must face an independent legal reference before being declared a foreigner

Across two days of intense legal arguments, the Supreme Court scrutinising the 2023 Act governing the appointment of Election Commissioners, as petitioners argued that replacing the Chief Justice of India with a Union Minister creates a "Home Umpire" system, while the Bench questioned the limits of parliamentary power, counsel warned that executive dominance over the "referee" of democracy threatens the basic structure of free and fair elections

While emphasising gravity and custodial interrogation, Sessions Court order leans heavily on narrative of “organised influence”—raising concerns over evidentiary thresholds, criminalisation of religious interaction, and expansion of bail-stage reasoning

In a sharply reasoned ruling, the Court holds that when police investigate their own, fairness cannot merely exist—it must be demonstrable, credible, and constitutionally defensible

Acting on suo-moto proceedings triggered by media reports, the Court condemns “degrading” bail conditions imposed on Dalit and Adivasi accused, warns against judicial overreach, and reinforces that liberty cannot be conditioned on humiliation or caste-based labour

Holding that a woman’s choice is paramount under Article 21, the SC affirms that constitutional courts must prioritise dignity, mental health, and bodily autonomy over statutory limits under the MTP framework