The Longest Constitution with Priya Mirza
चैनल विवरण
The Longest Constitution with Priya Mirza
What did those three hundred individuals who drafted the Indian Constitution want India to be? How far or close are we to achieving that radical vision of liberty, equality, and freedom shown by BR Ambedkar? These ideas sound great but what does it really mean to us, what is a constitution and how d...
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Maneka Gandhi’s Passport
In the end, Maneka Gandhi did not in fact get her passport. But we end this year’s introspection into constitutional matters with a landmark case: Men...
The Constitutionality of Sedition
The fifth parliamentary elections of India in 1971, set into motion a series of events that shaped the nation and the constitution. While campaigning,...
Freedom from Surveillance
Article 21 of the Constitution guarantees every person the right to life or personal liberty. But what good is such a right if it means being under su...
Indira Gandhi and Privy Purses
Does merely disapproving of the government amount to sedition? In Debi Soren vs State, 1950, the court thought so. What consequences did that have fo...
The Freedom to Fly!
The fundamental right to movement under Article 19(1)(d) was carefully worded: (d) to move freely throughout the territory of India. But what about be...
A little more Goondagardi
Land conflict is the most enduring form of conflict between the state and individuals. And it is here that the Goondas Act, in place in nine states, a...
Acting like a ‘Goonda’?: The Goondas Act
Who is a goonda? And what’s the problem with the ‘goondas’ act - in place in many states in India? As we dig deeper into Article 19, we consider the f...
Who appoints Supreme Court judges?
What does the Supreme Court do when parliament tries to strike down the collegium system? It strikes it down! This episode of The Longest Constitution...
Kashmir Internet Shutdown
Is accessing the Internet a fundamental right? A recent judgment affirmed that since so many essential services depend on the internet, shutting down...
The Fundamental Right to Property
If you use the internet (!), this is the episode you need to tune into!
But first….what does it actually mean? To have a fundamental right to p...
Twitter and Online Speech
Are private corporations such as Twitter obliged to uphold constitutional freedoms? And why should they? Who constitutes the ‘community’ in the ‘commu...
A Rs. 1 fine for Contempt of Court
A series of tweets by Prashant Bhushan seriously threaten the ‘majesty of the courts’? Well, the courts clearly thought so and charged Bhushan with co...
The making of a ‘world-class’ city
How does one make a world-class city? By image management! And dislocating the poor. Between 1995 and the Commonwealth Games held in New Delhi in 2010...
Scandalising the Court
"Let’s send a woman to jail for a day for speaking her mind?"
That’s what the Supreme Court did when Arundhati Roy protested against the court’s...
What is a Nuisance?
Who is responsible for people shitting and urinating in public? This question shaped the fate of millions of slum dwellers in the capital, New Delhi....
Shilpa Shetty and Privacy Jurisprudence
Other than you, who can talk about your sex life? A right to privacy means determining the boundaries about what can be spoken about, and what cannot...
Khushwant Singh vs. Menaka Gandhi
What is the balance between privacy rights and freedom of expression? As we mark the progress of privacy rights, we examine an important case which va...
Independence Day Special!
This 75th Independence Day is Amrit alright! But there is plenty of vish slushing around in this Amrit. In this special episode, we mark our independe...
Privacy in the Indian Constitution
Is the word ‘privacy’ in our Constitution? It isn't! Then how did we go from a point where it is not in our constitution to the Puttaswamy judgment (2...
Phoolan Devi and Privacy
What is the ‘truth’ about ‘us’? Phoolan Devi discovered a movie allegedly based on the ‘truth’ about her, distorted her life completely. This episode...
The Taj Mahal
What comes first? Monuments or people’s jobs? In this episode of The Longest Constitution, we take a look at yet another MC Mehta petition (there were...
Electoral Bonds
It's our 50th episode! And we are looking at a thoroughly unconstitutional affair: electoral bonds! This episode of The Longest Constitution looks int...
The Ambani’s and Defamation
Have you read The Polyester Prince: The Rise of Dhirubhai Ambani? Chances are, not! While pirated copies may be in circulation, this episode of The Lo...
NOTA and Freedom of Expression
Considering the number of candidates contesting in elections who have pending criminal cases against them, what if one does not actually want to vote...
Freedom from Internet Censorship
Can you be arrested for a Facebook post? What are the laws which govern freedom of expression on the Internet? This episode of The Longest Constitutio...
Sholay and The Censor Board
Why is Indian cinema regulated by the Censor Board? And what are the archaic mores that regulate it? In this episode of The Longest Constitution we lo...
Bhopal Gas Tragedy & Employer's Responsibility
It took the world’s worst industrial disaster, the gas leak on 3rd December 1984 Bhopal, for India to wake up to the fact that we did not have the law...
The First Amendment
Finally, we are here. Sixteen months after completing the draft of the Constitution of India, the same bunch of people amended three fundamental right...
The Limits to Free Speech
What led to the momentous and radical first amendment to the Constitution of India? This episode looks at another case, which compelled our first demo...
The Journey of Free Speech
What's the big deal about an oath? A lot. And especially when it is to do with the people entrusted with the highest political offices under the Const...
No Country for the Adivasis
What happens when a million-dollar mining corporation eyes a pristine ecological space protected by constitutional safeguards? Plenty of corruption fo...
Forced to Vote?
Can you be forced to vote? The Gujarat legislative assembly passed such a bill making it compulsory for voters in the municipality and panchayat elect...
MPs and Office of Profit
On what grounds can a MP be disqualified? Quite a few! In this episode of The Longest Constitution, we look into constitutional provisions on an MP or...
Freedom of Speech vs Legislative Privileges
Can the speaker of a legislative assembly issue an arrest warrant? Apparently yes! And it did happen. A few times at least. In this episode of The Lon...
Equal Pay For Equal Work?
Who are the Baiga people? And why were scheduled tribes like them granted protection in the Indian Constitution? This episode of The Longest Constitut...
India Fighting Casteism: Ambedkar Jayanti Special
B.R. Ambedkar. The man who did more than draft the Constitution of India. This special episode of The Longest Constitution looks at the pervasive and...
Cow Slaughter and Livelihood?
What does the fundamental right to livelihood and profession amount to? This episode of The Longest Constitution looks at the delicate balance between...
Regulating Your 'Spirit': Alcohol and Intoxicants
What brought Gandhians and Muslims together in the Constituent Assembly? Prohibition! Really, why does our otherwise liberal Constitution have a provi...
A Woman on a Harley-Davidson
What makes men hysterical? The women’s reservation bill! This episode of The Longest Constitution examines why women aren't in Parliament, and how tha...
The 'Immunity' of Parliament Members
Can you use pepper spray on your colleague and get away with it? No. But apparently, a Member of Parliament can…and did! This season is about work and...