15 October 2026
A Mere “Academic” Exercise
Last week, in N. Ravi v Speaker, Legislative Assembly Chennai, the Indian Supreme Court dismissed a 17-year-old challenge to the constitutionality of the exercise of legislative privilege under Article 194 to curtail a citizen’s freedom of speech. The issue arose from a resolution passed by the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly ordering the prosecution of 15 journalists of The Hindu for remarks against the then Chief Minister Jayalalithaa. The Court dismissed the matter on the ground that the resolution ordering their arrest had subsequently been withdrawn, rendering the proceedings a mere “academic exercise”. Continue reading >>
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13 July 2026
Dignity Without Autonomy
In Prajwala v. Union of India, the Supreme Court held that victims of trafficking for commercial sexual exploitation have a right to rehabilitation under Article 23 read with the right to dignity under Article 21. While the judgment has been celebrated for its three-dimensional dignity framework, it is a missed opportunity to articulate a constitutional basis for protecting the rights of sex workers. The Court's dignity framework – calibrated against objectification in trafficking – is insufficient alone to address persons who assert agency over their work. I argue that reading it alongside decisional autonomy fills the gap. Continue reading >>
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