Publications

The pressing need to manage the spiralling number of landless people around the world has compelled several states to experiment with scattered land distribution programmes in combination with welfare transfers, instead of comprehensive land reform….

[with Moiz Tundawala] This article analyses the introduction of three new Bills to replace the Indian Penal Code, 1860, the Indian Evidence Act, 1872 and the updated Criminal Procedure Code of 1973—the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita,…

[with Vandana Dhoop] The recently released film, ‘Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani’ raises important questions about gender roles and stereotypes.

A new generation of Tamil filmmakers are confronting the caste-glorification films of the past – but controversy is often quick to follow, and Tamil cinema’s history with caste is more complex than many recognise.

[with Chiranjib Bhattacharya, Himanshu Payal] Studies on court administration in India have so far focussed their attention largely on caseload management and judge strength of the higher judiciary. An in-depth investigation of the productivity of India’s lower…

Intervening in contemporary debates around secularism, this article characterises the fight between New Atheism and religious extremism as a “false conflict”. The author argues that political atheism—drawn from his engagement with the works of Periyar…

In this commentary, part of a book forum on Srila Roy’s (2022) book ”Changing the Subject: Feminist and Queer Politics in Neoliberal India”, I argue that the feminist and queer movement, in response to the neoliberal turn…

“Loss of life is tragic, period. However, one cannot help but notice the selective mourning, which seems to stem from sociopolitical apathy towards the refugees. The tragic agony in the death of the refugees is…

[with Vandana Dhoop] This article argues that the government’s decision to exclude anaemia as an indicator of women’s and children’s health from the National Family Health Survey, 2023–24 creates a ‘gender data gap’.

Excerpt: “Seeing like a state, it is a piece of paper that carries the evidence of ‘being related’ to a partner and the blindness of law does not see the person behind. Put otherwise, obliviousness…

Excerpt: The followers of Swami Shri Haridasji live in the sand-laden compound of Tatiasthan and assemble in song with devotees from the general public every evening. This musical tradition is called samaaj gaayan. They first…

This article examines the role of litigation as a powerful tool to create awareness about LGBTQI+ rights and effect social change.