Legally Drawn is created by Vasanth Sarathy and is published on his blog www.legallydrawn.com

And on that note, happy New Year from Legally India too, may all your professional and personal aspirations be binding and come true in 2011!

The Indian criminal justice system is near to breaking point as 300,000 people or 70 per cent of India’s prison population consists of those awaiting trial facing a morass of judicial delays, according to a research paper discussing the current state of the Indian criminal justice delivery system.

Kochhar & Co, Amarchand Mangaldas, Titus & Co and Luthra & Luthra have defeated AZB & Partners, Dua Associates, Anand & Anand and Saikrishna Associates respectively to enter the semi-finals of the Turf Twenty20 cricket tournament for the Society of Indian Law Firms (SILF) Cup.

AZB & Partners, Saikrishna & Associates, Amarchand Mangaldas, Anand & Anand and Kochhar & Co have joined Titus & Co, Luthra & Luthra and Dua Associates as quarter-finalists of the TURF Twenty20 cricket tournament for the Society of Indian Law Firms (SILF) Cup.

Titus & Co, Luthra & Luthra, Kochhar & Co, K&S Partners and Amarchand Mangaldas were the winning teams of the intra-pool matches of the fifth weekend of the Delhi Twenth20 tournament last weekend under foggy conditions.

Amarchand Mangaldas, KJSV and Saikrishna Associates from pool B and C defeated Karanjawala & Co, Suri & Co and Khaitan & Co respectively in a set of matches played for the Society of Indian Law Firms (SILF) Cup in the TURF Twenty20 tournament during this weekend.

Exclusive: Activist lawyer Prashanth Bhushan has condemned media ownership and its consequences after secret wiretap tapes that were released as part of the 2G scam case, which contained alleged conversations between well-known publicist Nira Radia and India’s rich, powerful and the Fourth Estate.

State bar councils are planning to hold regional bar exams for each state, as the holding of the all India bar exam has turned into a political circus between the Bar Council of India (BCI), its chairman and the state bar councils. Meanwhile, the BCI will meet in Chennai this weekend (20 November), probably without BCI chairman Gopal Subramanium.

Karanjawala & Co, Kochhar & Co and Anand & Anand won convincingly over Khaitan & Co, KJSV and Suri & Co in the second round of matches in the the TURF Twenty20 tournament between law firms for the Society of Indian Law Firms (SILF) Cup.

Exclusive: The Supreme Court may have set the stage for the next round of proceedings in the All India Bar Exam challenges after completing the summoning process but certainty has continued to elude thousands of law graduates, as only two out of six anti-exam petitioners are still in active pursuit of the case while the other four have become absentee litigants for most intents and purposes.

The TURF Twenty20 tournament between law firms for the Society of Indian Law Firms (SILF) Cup has kick-started this year’s cricket frenzy as 16 teams from four pools prepare themselves to battle it out on the fields.

Hindu political organisation Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha has filed a caveat in the Supreme Court to prevent any party to the dispute from seeking an ex-parte order in appealing against the Allahabad High Court’s 30 September decision on the Ayodhya title dispute matter.

Who are the players in the saga around legal market liberalisation? And do those in favour actually care enough to make a difference? Legally India talks to the opposing factions and finds out why no progress has been made - and if any is around the corner.

Amarchand & Mangaldas, India’s biggest law firm, has all the trappings of a family-run enterprise including sibling rivalry. The Shroff brothers must quickly set their house in order, argues Forbes India magazine's Shloka Nath.