Arun Thiruvengadam: The classic justification for taking up these cases is to uphold the interests of a group which cannot prevail in a majoritarian system of elections, which are important but not the only concern of constitutional democracies. I think a classic instance fairly recently where the court was seen as performing that role is in the Navtej Johar case (Navtej Singh Johar v. Union of India) which relates to the question of the LGBTQ community and specifically on the question of decriminalisation of Section 377. This is an issue that the courts grappled with for a fairly long time. We know that LGBTQ populations in any human population are going to be a fairly small number. So, for them to run a political campaign and get a majority in Parliament for their position was going to be difficult. After a long struggle and considerable back and forth, the court finally decriminalised same sex relations in 2018. … [Read more...] about Are courts encroaching on the powers of the executive?
Podcasting how to record a phone call
Joe Biden’s Many Challenges
An Inauguration Day like no other Top moments from Biden's inauguration Fireworks light up Washington Joe Biden enters White House for the first time as US president In a sense, the shabby performance was no surprise as just a fortnight before, on January 6, 2021, this very site was vandalised by a pro-Trump mob. … [Read more...] about Joe Biden’s Many Challenges
Italy takes action against Tik Tok following girl’s death
The authority said it was acting with “urgency” following the death of a 10-year-old girl in Sicily, who died while participating in a so-called “blackout challenge” while using the Chinese-owned video-sharing social network. The “challenge” involves putting a belt around their neck and holding the breath while recording them on phone. The dangerous act cold lead to asphyxiation. … [Read more...] about Italy takes action against Tik Tok following girl’s death