#StoryAlert 🚨

If the nation’s highest judicial chair is surrendered to a candidate of gravely doubtful integrity, Chief Justice B.R. Gavai’s name will be etched as the man who bartered it away.

Will he now hold any moral authority to invoke the ideals of Babasaheb Ambedkar in his many lectures? To preside over compromise of possibly the highest evil while preaching constitutional fidelity would be nothing short of desecration.

My piece, for the @frontline_india. A 🧵.

Link—frontline.thehindu.com/columns/suprem… The government was very keen on elevating Justice Vipul M. Pancholi to the Supreme Court in May 2025. However, Justice Nagarathna and with Justice Vikram Nath opposed. Justice Nagarathna stood her ground and blocked the proposal.

The government relented only when she, and the rest of the Collegium, agreed to Karnataka High Court Chief Justice N.V. Anjaria’s elevation to the Supreme Court. Anjaria’s parent High Court is also Gujarat.

#StoryAlert 🚨

Surendra Gadling’s bail application has become a Kafkaesque file in the Supreme Court. It appears on the cause list, only to vanish. It is mentioned, only to be deferred. It is scheduled, only to be adjourned. The judge presiding over it, Justice M.M. Sundresh, has turned the very act of not hearing into a form of adjudication. A 🧵.

My tenth 'Case In Point' column for the @frontline_india—frontline.thehindu.com/columns/suprem… Gadling, a human rights activist, has been in jail under UAPA charges in the Bhima Koregaon case for over seven years now. His bail in another case of arson from 2016 was rejected by the Bombay High Court in February 2023. His appeal has since been pending in the Supreme Court, without a hearing.

#StoryAlert 🚨

Once again, a Chief Justice of India finds himself in the throes of a propriety crisis. An important case has somehow made its way before Chief Justice Gavai’s bench, in violation of Supreme Court’s own rules and convention.

Chief Justice Gavai must face an uncomfortable question: Is he any better than his predecessors?

A thread. 🧵

Link—frontline.thehindu.com/columns/cji-b-…

1/16 The controversy stems from the aftermath of a remarkable May 2025 judgment known as the Vanashakti case, delivered by a Bench headed by Justice Abhay Oka, consisting Justice Ujjal Bhuyan.

In short, the judgment struck down as “illegal” a 2017 and 2021 procedure systemised by the Environment Ministry for ex-post facto environmental clearance. Any company that failed to get env clearance *prior* to starting the project could do so under the regime after paying a penalty.

2/16

#StoryAlert 🚨

The many analyses explaining the Aam Aadmi Party’s poll debacle in Delhi are missing one important player – the Supreme Court. While it dilly-dallied on fixing the grave constitutional crisis, governance suffered. A thread.

thewire.in/law/supreme-co… It’s not that AAP has never delivered on its promises; Delhi’s health and education landscape saw great changes. But, beginning 2015, bit by bit, the elected government’s powers to govern had been taken away by the Union government, and the judiciary allowed this to happen.

#MyPiece🚨

It is rather rich of the Supreme Court to preach morality when, not too long ago, not a single Supreme Court judge publicly objected to their Chief Justice presiding over cases despite serious allegations of sexual harassment. 1/10

thewire.in/law/supreme-co… The condition imposed on @BeerBicepsGuy and "his associates" to not air "any shows " for the time being until further orders is a sweeping condition.

One would expect the highest court to explain why it deemed it necessary to bar someone from their profession and gag their future speech-both fundamental rights. 2/10

#YearInReview: 2024 was profoundly meaningful. I worked on 2 long-form stories—investigating extrajudicial killings and police shootouts in Uttar Pradesh and profiling CJI DY Chandrachud—both of which took 4 months each, eventually published at 6,000 & 16,000 words.

A thread. In January, for @AJEnglish, I reported how the three new criminal laws and the Telecom Act have the potential to turn India into a Police and Surveillance state. Concern for civil liberty continue.
aljazeera.com/news/2024/1/17…

There is great confusion over DDA Tree Felling case being withdrawn from Justice Abhay Oka’s Bench. Let me break it down.

1. The issue of ridge- both forest ridge and morphological ridge in Delhi has always been a part of MC Mehta case (since 1985). This was before Oka J. 2. There is also the TN Godavarman case which is about larger forests etc. before Justice BR Gavai’s bench.

3. On 6 Dec 2023 the CEC filed Report no.36 of 2023 in MC Mehta case recommending that approval be granted to DDA for construction of approach roads to CAPFIMS in the Satbari area.

#StoryAlert 🚨

Although Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud promised 14 opposition parties of safeguarding them against misuse of CBI and ED in April 2023, he has failed to list 3 "crucial cases" in the past 20 months of his 24-month tenure. A 🧵.

article-14.com/post/despite-w… At the Oxford Union Society lecture on 4 June 2024, Chief Justice Chandrachud talked about how courts “step in” when “the State may be unwilling to balance [individual] rights against weighty purposes.”

Yet, three crucial cases pertaining the draconian PMLA linger before him.

#StoryAlert 🚨

The 3 new criminal laws have been criticised for their potential to violate human rights. HM Amit Shah had claimed "extensive consultation" done but attempts to know details of inputs given failed at Supreme Court, HCs, Home Min.

A 🧵.
article-14.com/post/-extensiv… The new laws will be effective from 1st of July. They increase police powers by increasing time period for police custody, leading to fears of custodial torture, introduce special offences like terrorism without any safeguards, and bring back sedition. Amit Shah in his speech...

#Important: I have found 2 instances of alleged irregularities in allocation of government bungalows to certain Rajya Sabha MPs.

While opposition leaders like Rahul Gandhi, Mahua Moitra, Raghav Chadha were evicted or attempted to be evicted from their allocated bungalows…

1/9 …in Delhi with great haste, when it comes to leaders from friendly/alliance parties to the BJP, the government’s own norms & rules have been violated with impunity.

To understand the irregularity, we have to understand how allocation is done.

#StoryAlert 🚨

A group that has documented over 3,000 news stories and 1,600 videos of minority persecution and hate speech by right-wing Hindu groups, @HindutvaWatchIn, has become inaccessible in India, on d orders of the central government. A 🧵

Link- article-14.com/post/takedown-…
On 16 Jan- X complied with the IT Ministry's directive to block access to @HindutvaWatchIn's account in India. The reasons are unknown, its founder @raqib_naik told me.

On 19 Jan- IT Min issued a notice to Raqib stating that they may block the website too. Days later, they did.

As the year draws to a close, I find myself reflecting on the journey that the past 12 months have been—a chapter filled with growth and the joy of sharing my passion with all of you. I am profoundly grateful for the overwhelming support and encouragement. A 🧵. In Jan, I published an expose that revealed past hate speeches delivered by a soon-to-be High Court judge, Victoria Gowri. The article was very well received & led to a 2-day drama that included an urgent hearing at the Supreme Court. For @Article14live.

article-14.com/post/-problem-…

#StoryAlert 🚨

Our analysis of 8 politically sensitive cases before benches either consisting of Justice Bela Madhurya Trivedi or presided over by her reveals violations of the 2017 Supreme Court convention and Rules. A 🧵 

Link- article-14.com/post/contrary-…
The 2017 Handbook of the Supreme Court says cases should be retained before the senior judge before whom the case was first listed or listed before a judge hearing a similar case.

Despite this, 8 politically sensitive cases were shifted before Justice Bela Trivedi, in violation.

Anatomy Of The Obfuscation

Recently at Harvard Law School, Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud was asked a pointed question about his collegium's inaction in the Victoria Gowri case.

His answer is self-contradictory and obscure. Here's why.
My article exposed instances of Gowri, now a judge at the Madras High Court, making anti-minority speeches as a BJP leader.
When my article was published, on 30 January 2023, it created an uproar.
On 2 February, senior lawyers from the Madras HC wrote to the collegium...

#StoryAlert 🚨

Today is the 18th anniversary of India's hallmark Right to Information law. Here is my Op-Ed for @DeccanHerald on the state of the Central Information Commission. A thread.

Transparency Law | CIC’s evolution from defender to bystander
deccanherald.com/opinion/transp… In recent years, the CIC’s commitment to fostering a culture of free flow of information has waned. It has, at times, acted as a hindrance rather than a facilitator of information dissemination, even when they were essential for public interest.

Lalit Modi is back in the news. I dug into his case to check if the Indian government has actually tried getting him back to India. Remember he is a wanted fugitive.

Here's what I found: a department directly under d Prime Minister has stalled a CBI probe against him. A 🧵

1/15 Lalit Modi, the founder and ex-chairman of the highly lucrative Indian Premier League (IPL), is wanted by Indian law enforcement agencies in cases of financial irregularities and tax evasion dating back to 2010. The BCCI had alleged that Modi, acting as the Chairman of IPL...

#StoryAlert 🚨

On Apr 18, union govt's lawyer Tushar Mehta stood before the Supreme Court bench hearing the #SameSexMarriage case and requested it to refrain from hearing the case. "Leave it to parliament," he said.

But why? A thread.🧵
article-14.com/post/marriage-… Centre says-
1. Court cannot create or recognize marriage by judicial interpretation.
2. 'Urban-Elitist' concept.
3. Majority of other countries have recognised same-sex marriage via legislation.
4. Debate in society, nation must. Only parliament can decide.

#StoryAlert 🚨

On April 15, former Indian parliamentarian and gangster Atiq Ahmed was shot dead by three assailants – a brazen attack caught on live television. But his killing is alleged to be a "political murder".

My report for @AJEnglish. A thread 🧵
aljazeera.com/news/2023/4/25… Atiq and his brother Ashraf were being escorted by the police in the northern city of Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh state for a “routine medical checkup” late that night when a group of journalists stopped them. The 3 suspected attackers, posing as journalists, fired multiple shots.

Acting Chief Justice of Madras High Court T. Raja was recommended for transfer way back in Nov, 2022. Govt ignored.

On 19 Apr, collegium again reiterated its recomm.

Not sure how much I can say, but his transfer was necessitated as serious allegations...
livelaw.in/high-court/raj… ... were coming from multiple ends. Keeping this in mind, the collegium sought to transfer him to Rajasthan.

Transfers are ordered "for better administration of justice". But the govt did not accept. Why?

Also, Raja, as acting CJ of Madras HC rushed the swearing-in ceremony..

The Supreme Court judgement today by Justice MR Shah-led bench strengthens the draconian UAPA Act, strengthens the State’s arm, and dilutes the public’s defence against this law.

A State can now allege (not prove) you are a member of a banned organisation and you can be… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… The High Courts had held that mere association with a banned organisation is not enough and that there should be something over and above to attract UAPA provisions.

The Supreme Court has removed this crucial check. The State is now free to allege and incarcerate.

The sky was magical today, a treat to the eye! Some skyscapes I clicked. None are edited 🧵