Issue Briefs

Governance

Inter-state Police Cooperation: Challenges, Policy Framework, and the Way Forward

ABSTRACT Interstate police arrest procedures of police are increasingly being discussed in public discourse. Recently, a news anchor made headlines in light of a tussle between the Chhattisgarh police and Uttar Pradesh police for his arrest. In May this year, the Delhi police and Punjab police faced similar public scrutiny over the arrest of a […]

Environment and Energy

Natural-disaster And Displacement In Assam: The Case Of Floods And Impact On Marginalised Communities

  ABSTRACT 2021 saw the largest displacements due to disasters. One of the impacts of climate change has been the increased variability and uncertainty around rainfall patterns which drastically increase the risk of floods. The magnitude of these floods is projected to increase further in the coming years, amplifying the risk of population displacement. Floods […]

Human Rights & Law

Marital Rape Exception: Challenges and Arguments 

ABSTRACT Marital rape refers to the act of sexually assaulting one’s spouse. It is a crime in most countries except thirty nations including India. Section 375 of the Indian Penal Code [IPC] defines and criminalises rape but contains an exception clause for when it happens between a married couple. This exception declares ‘sexual intercourse by […]

Foreign and Defence Policy

India-Central Asia Energy Relations: Prospects and Barriers

ABSTRACT This issue brief critically examines the prospects of the India-Central Asia energy relations and trade. Central Asian countries hold strategic and geoeconomic significance for India, especially for energy cooperation. The existing literature highlights two limitations regarding this trade. First is the limited connectivity to the region, and second is the presence of great powers […]

Human Rights & Law

Transcending the ‘One-Size-Fits-All’ Approach in Law-Making: Twin Conditions Restricting Bail

ABSTRACT When confronted with complex challenges of law and order, governance, or social reform, Indian lawmakers routinely resort to enacting statutory provisions copied verbatim from previous laws. For example, the provision that imposes harsh conditions on bail is the same for the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act of 1985 [NDPS Act], the Drugs and […]

Environment and Energy

Green Hydrogen Energy in India: Can we give the ‘Green’ signal yet?

Abstract The Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways for India recently arrived at the Parliament House in a ‘hydrogen-fuelled’ car. This occurred in the backdrop of the Ministry of Power [MoP] announcing the first phase of the ‘Green Hydrogen Policy’ on 17 February 2022. The policy aims to cut down greenhouse emissions and promote […]

Environment and Energy

The Green Grids Initiative: A Must for India to Reach Net-Zero?

Abstract  This paper aims to provide an overview of the Green Grids Initiative, focusing on the implementation, benefits, and drawbacks of the initiative in India. It introduces COP26 as a concept and the various agreements in the energy sector, followed by the history and the goals of the initiative, the implementation of the initiative, and […]

To indicate indicate The Omnipresent Pandemic: Cyber Crimes against Women and Children A person holding a black credit card against a laptop screen that shows a big red symbol and words like "junk mail" "password" "security" "spam mail"
Human Rights & Law

The Omnipresent Pandemic: Cyber Crimes against Women and Children

ABSTRACT This article seeks to identify the scale at which cyber crimes and cyberattacks are increasing in India by taking women and children as the focus group. India’s cyberspace is expanding faster than ever before, especially in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. People have started using the internet as a source of entertainment, work, […]

Human Rights & Law

Caste and the Cord-Cutters: Traditional Midwives at the Crossroads of Social Stigma and Dwindling State Support

Abstract This paper aims to situate dais or traditional midwives at the crossroads of caste-based discrimination and dwindling state support. A lot of traditional midwives or dais hail from a lower caste background which stigmatises their position and work in the society. With time, institutional healthcare facilities came to be associated with upper caste ideas […]

Environment and Energy

Politics of Vermin: The Need for Evidence-based Human-Wildlife Conflict Mitigation

Abstract The new Wild Life (Protection) Amendment Bill, 2021 seeks to reduce the number of schedules in the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 from six to four. The Schedules in the act provide varying degrees of protection to animals and plants. The new amendment bill also proposes to remove Schedule V, which gives the Centre […]

Governance
Human Rights & Law

The Election Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2021:The Viability of Linking Aadhar to the voter IDs

Abstract The Election Laws Amendment Bill, passed by the Union Cabinet in 2021, ruled in favour of linking Aadhar IDs to the electoral rolls. This step aimed to curb the menace of fraudulent voting, among other reforms. However, the Bill has been a point of contention. Various opposition leaders and activists voice their concerns over […]

Governance
Human Rights & Law

Evictions and Housing Laws in India

Authored by: Tanvi Vipra Edited by:  Riya Singh Rathore, Soumya Singhal and Avishi Gupta INTRODUCTION In June 2021, twelve hundred houses in Khori Gaon, Faridabad were demolished and over 5,000 people were forcefully evicted in two days (Housing and Land Rights Network [HLRN] 2021). Seven months before that, in November 2020, 672 families were forcefully […]

Human Rights & Law

Feminisation of Ageing in India: Concerns and Vulnerabilities

ABSTRACT The population of elderly persons in India has been steadily increasing since 1961. Further, based on the Census projections, the population of elderly women is currently more than that of elderly men. This outnumbering is projected to strengthen with time. While aging is associated with several challenges for both men and women, the problems […]

Human Rights & Law

Organ Donation in India: A Missed Opportunity

ABSTRACT Organ transplantation has saved and improved the lives of thousands of recipients across the world. According to the Global Observatory on Donation and Transplantation, India performed the third-highest number of transplants in the world in 2019. Despite such a high number of transplants, India faces a massive and chronic shortage of organs. This deficit […]