sociologist, legal researcher & author
Public writing
Concerns, debates and ongoing relevance
Media articles published till date – in the national press and online media range from – prisoners’ rights, campus violence, women’s rights, state impunity, judicial accountability, citizen engagement in law-making, questions of discrimination against dalits, adivasis, persons with disabilities, sexual and religious minorities and questions of culture. Viewed chronologically, the articles give a sense of the times, flagging issues for discussion as they have arisen in the public domain. There is a thematic scheme to them as well, within an overarching frame of an idea of justice. The articles, through different specific justice concerns detailed for a lay readership, attempt to open out the framework of the constitution to a popular appreciation – moving it out of the sacred, hence unreachable precincts of constitutional courts. They also aim to trigger a public debate on the scope of justice and its multiple sites. Finally they attempt to present to readers an account of the making and unmaking of laws through resistance struggles and movements that deliberate on the structure and content of specific legislations – the Justice Verma Committee and the new law on sexual assault is a case in point. The articles taken together also present an account of the development of human rights – in movements, in courts, and vis-à-vis the state over this entire period. There is therefore a continuing relevance of the concerns raised in this collection, even while each article addresses an urgent debate that has arisen at a particular moment in India’s contemporary history.
National Press/Online Blogs
1. “Death as Deterrent,” The Hindu, 28 November 1999.
2. “Of Lawyers and the Law,” The Hindu, Sunday edition, July 2000.
3. “Family Fortunes” The Hindu, 14 May 2001
4. “Caste, the Academy and Dalit Women,” The Hindu, 20 June, 2001.
5. “Empowering Women,” The Hindu, 26 August, 2001.
6. “The Right to Life,” The Hindu, 21 October, 2001.
7. “Adivasis and the Genocide,” The Hindu, 24 April, 2002
8. “Education, Campuses and Violence,” The Hindu, 29 October 2002.
9. “On Human Rights and Radical Evil,” The Hindu, 30 December 2002
10. “Reservation and the Creamy Layer”, The Hindu, 24 October 2006.
https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-opinion/reservation-and-the-creamy-layer/article3064833.ece
11. “Roadmap to Reservation in Higher Education” The Hindu, 18 April 2008.
12. “From ‘Perversion’ to Right to Life with Dignity” The Hindu, 6 July 2009.
13. “Rethinking the Law on Sexual Assault,” The Hindu, 3 June 2010.
https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/lead/Rethinking-the-law-on-sexual-assault/article13489080.ece
14. “Fair Labour Standards for Domestic Work”, The New Indian Express, 3 February 2011.
15. “Creating Enabling Environments”, The Hindu, 24 June 2011.
https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/lead/creating-enabling-environments/article2129490.ece
16. “Development, Justice and the Constitution," The Hindu, 27 July 2011.
https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/development-justice-and-the-constitution/article2296451.ece
17. ‘Development as Justice: A Real Utopia from India’, Global Dialogue, Volume 1, Issue 5, 2011.
https://globaldialogue.isa-sociology.org/articles/development-as-justice-a-real-utopia-from-india
18. “Whither Dignity and the Rule of Law?” The New Indian Express, 01 January 2012.
19. “Regulating Cultures through Food Policing”, The Hindu, 01 May 2012.
https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/lead/regulating-cultures-through-food-policing/article3371385.ece
20. “Girl Punk, Interrupted”, The Hindu, 24 August 2012.
https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/girl-punk-interrupted/article3812677.ece
21. “A Moment of Triumph for Women”, The Hindu, 25 January 2013.
https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/lead/a-moment-of-triumph-for-women/article4341113.ece
22. “UPA Strays from Sonia’s Course”, The Hindu, 10 February 2013.
https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/lead/upa-strays-off-sonias-course/article4397823.ece
23. “Talks not a Maoist Trap”, The Hindu, 4 July 2013.
https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/talks-with-maoists-not-a-trap/article4878056.ece
24. “Atrocities that no longer shock”, The Hindu, October 15, 2013.
https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/atrocities-that-no-longer-shock/article5234481.ece
25. “Lawyer, Judge and Aam Aadmi,” The Hindu, 18 January 2014.
https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/lawyer-judge-and-aam-aadmi/article5587057.ece
26. "A Conversation between Law and Sociology" Global Dialogue, 10 February, 2014
https://globaldialogue.isa-sociology.org/articles/a-conversation-between-law-and-sociology
27. "Tsundur Verdict Points to Impunity of Upper Castes", The New Indian Express, 24 April 2014.
28. “Rights of Prisoners with Disabilities” The Hindu, 20 May 2014.
https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/The-rights-of-prisoners-with-disabilities/article11640717.ece
29. “In Memory of Two Girls from Badaun,” The Deccan Chronicle and The Asian Age, 01 June 2014.
30. "Involving People in Governance", The Hindu, 12 August 2014.
https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/involving-people-in-governance/article6305307.ece
31. “The Burden of Criminal Neglect” The Hindu, January 2015.
32. “Something is Rotten in the States of…,” The Hindu, 13 April, 2015.
https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/Something-is-rotten-in-the-States-of.../article62119882.ece
33. “Free Speech is the Cornerstone of Constitution,” The New Indian Express, 22 July 2015.
34. “Constitutional Conversations on Adivasi Rights,” The Hindu, 24 July 2015.
35. “No Constitutional Ground for Denial of Right to Privacy,” The New Indian Express, 24 July 2015.
36. “An Apology to Mohammed Akhlaq,” The New Indian Express, 16 October 2015.
37. “Hyderabad and Amaravati: The Tale of Two Cities,” The New Indian Express, 28 October 2015.
38. “Bihar Voters Speak Truth to Power,” The New Indian Express, 25 November 2015.
39. “Disability is not Divinity”, The Hindu, 12 January 2016.
https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/columns/Disability-is-not-divinity/article13994207.ece
40. “The Annihilation by Caste,” The Hindu, 03 February 2016.
41. “What is a University?”, The Hindu, 16 February, 2016.
https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/What-is-a-university/article62115513.ece
42. “When Professional Associations Start Promoting Narrow Sectarian Agendas.” The Wire, 02 March 2016.
https://thewire.in/politics/when-professional-associations-start-promoting-narrow-sectarian-agendas
43. “Judges and Citizens in a Constitutional Democracy,” Hindustan Times, 11 March 2016.
44. “Urgent Notes from a University in Crisis,” The Wire, 25 March 2016.
https://thewire.in/education/urgent-notes-from-a-university-in-crisis
45. “Let the University of Hyderabad not become a Feudal Village,” The Wire, 15 June 2016.
https://thewire.in/politics/let-the-university-of-hyderabad-not-become-a-feudal-village
46. “Kashmir and Una Signal a New Practice of Politics,” The Wire, 2 August 2016.
https://thewire.in/politics/kashmir-una-new-politics
47. “The Cure for ‘Moral Panic’,” Outlook, 12 September 2016.
https://www.outlookindia.com/magazine/story/the-cure-for-moral-panic/297807
48. “One Year after Rohith Vemula’s Suicide, a Deepening Crisis in the University of Hyderabad, The Wire, 16 January 2017.”
https://thewire.in/education/rohith-vemula-suicide-hindutva-post-truth
49. “Post Truths about Rohith Vemula,” The Hindu, 17 January 2017.
https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/Post-truths-about-Rohith-Vemula/article17046212.ece
50. “By Inciting Violence, Paresh Rawal, MP, Must Surely Forfeit His Seat,” The Wire, 26 May 2017.
https://thewire.in/communalism/paresh-rawal-arundhati-roy-human-shield-tweet
51. “Hard Words Break No Bones: Sedition, Free Speech, Academic Freedom and Sovereignty in India,” Discover Society, Issue 46, 05 July 2017.
52. “A Champion of Reason”, Indian Express, 5 August 2017.
https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/pushpa-mittra-bhargava-death-ccmb-4782853/
53. “Mourning the Loss of Gauri Lankesh,” Indian Cultural Forum, 14 September 2017.
https://indianculturalforum.in/2017/09/14/mourning-the-loss-of-gauri-lankesh-kalpana-kannairban/
54. “It’s Time to Scrap the Eunuchs Act,” The Hindu, 28 September 2017.
https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/its-time-to-scrap-the-eunuchs-act/article19763976.ece
55. “Taking Aim at the Messenger,” The Hindu, 5 October 2017.
https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/taking-aim-at-the-messenger/article19797679.ece
56. “Kancha Ilaiah: For Lives Lived in Labour,” The Hindu, 28 October 2017.
https://www.thehindu.com/society/kancha-ilaiah-for-lives-lived-in-labour/article19931159.ece
57. “Right to Privacy as Right to Life,” The Hindu, 9 November 2017.
https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/right-to-privacy-as-right-to-life/article20005285.ece
58. “Privacy, Sequestered Courts and the Place of Dissent.” The Wire, 16 January 2018.
https://thewire.in/politics/privacy-sequestered-courts-place-dissent
59. “SC/ST Act: A Hostile Environment and an ‘Atrocious’ Interpretation”. The Wire, 26 March 2018.
https://thewire.in/law/sc-st-act-a-hostile-environment-and-an-atrocious-interpretation
60. “Denying Women Entry to the Sabarimala Temple Amounts to Untouchability,” The Wire, 19 July 2018.
https://thewire.in/law/sabarimala-temple-women-entry-supreme-court
61. “Activists’ Arrests a Dire Warning for Anyone Who Dares to Question or Resist.” The Wire, 30 August 2018.
62. “An Assault on the Right to Privacy," The Hindu, 6 September 2018.
https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/an-assault-on-the-right-to-privacy/article24874529.ece
63. “They Cannot Stop me from Teaching Marx and Ambedkar: Prof. K. Satyanarayana", The Hindu, 9 September 2018.
64. “Scope of Constitutional Morality,” The Hindu, 04 October 2018.
https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/lead/the-scope-of-constitutional-morality/article25115335.ece
65. “A Devotee’s Gender or Caste Should Not Stop their Entry into Sabarimala” Hindustan Times, 16 October 2018.
66. “#WeToo: In the Footprints of Bhanwari Devi” In Outlook, 31 October 2018 (Print edition 12 November 2018).
67. “Supreme Court’s Refusal to Quash FIR against Anand Teltumbde damages the Right to Dissent.” Scroll.in, 25 January 2019.
68. “Without Land or Recourse”, The Hindu, 23 February 2019.
https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/lead/without-land-or-recourse/article26344370.ece
69. “The Court is not above the Constitution," The Hindu, 23 April 2019.
https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/the-court-is-not-above-the-constitution/article26914183.ece
70. “Redeeming the Constitution”, The Leaflet, 10 May 2019.
https://theleaflet.in/redeeming-the-constitution/
71. “Through the clouds of protest, sightings of hope,” Scroll.in, 22 January 2020.
https://scroll.in/article/949579/through-the-clouds-of-protest-sightings-of-hope
72. “Retrieving the Idea of Citizenship,” The Hindu, 28 January 2020.
https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/lead/retrieving-the-idea-of-citizenship/article30668939.ece
73. “To accuse activist Harsh Mander of hate speech is to fall prey to the barbarity of false equivalence,” Scroll.in, 17 March 2020.
74. "The fight to free pregnant student activist Safoora Zargar is a battle for India's very soul", Scroll.in, June 11, 2020.
75. "Judicial Viralities, Courts and the Question of Justice." The Leaflet, 14 August 2020.
https://theleaflet.in/juridical-viralities-courts-and-the-question-of-justice/
76. “Right to Personal Liberty : Challenge Before Constitutional Courts” Livelaw, 9th January 2021.
77. “State Repression that Breaches Public Peace,” The Hindu, 30 April 2021.
78. “Rights and Duties: Two Essays” The Hindu Centre for Politics and Public Policy, 3 February 2022. https://www.thehinducentre.com/the-arena/current-issues/article38363802.ece
79.“Zakia Jafri and the Constitutional Conscience”, The Hindu, 30 June 2022.
80. Bilkis Bano’s Lonely Battle for Justice is a Heartfelt Cry for India to Resurrect its Secular Values. Scroll. In. 29 September 2022.
81 “Every Idea is an incitement’: Where is the line between democratic protest and sedition?” Scroll.in, 30 October 2022.
82. “A Genealogy of Civil Liberties in Independent India”, LSE Blog, https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/southasia/2022/11/14/a-genealogy-of-civil-liberties-in-independent-india/, 14 November 2022.
83. “Jai Bhim’ & Disha encounter case: The fundamental right to the rule of law.” Knotty Views, South First, 2 January 2023.
84. “Same-sex marriages in India: Trans-formations, intimacies, and public morality.” Knotty Views, South First, 18 January 2023.
85. “Bharat Jodo Yatra and Gandhi’s Champaran movement: Azaadi, satyagraha, and constitutional memory,” Knotty Views, South First, 6 February 2023.
https://thesouthfirst.com/opinion/bharat-jodo-yatra-and-gandhi-champaran-movement-satyagraha/
86. “Women’s right to life and dignity remains a mirage, while hostile environments rule in India @ 75”, Knotty Views, South First, 8 March 2023.
https://thesouthfirst.com/telangana/womens-right-to-life-and-dignity-remains-a-mirage-in-india-75/
87. ‘Ashoka is Boring,’ Thank god. Scroll.in. 16 September 2023.
88. “We need to talk about caste when we talk about menstrual justice.” Frontline. 21 April 2024.
https://frontline.thehindu.com/society/caste-menstruation-india/article68087408.ece
89. “Wounding the Spirit of the Constitution of India”, The Hindu, 14 December 2024.
90. “At 75, Constitutional Justice and Personal Liberty”, The Hindu, 25 January 2025.
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