You can sign the petition here http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/rti-in-schools/

It reads:

School children in India should be taught on how to draft an RTI (Right to Information) application as a part of their school curricullum.

Just as students learn 'letter writing'  in English, Hindi or other language courses, they should learn 'writing RTI Applications'. Not only the students, but teachers as well as parents will thus become aware of this tool.

Policy makers of our leading education boards viz. CBSE, ICSE and other State Boards should include this as a part of Class 10 syllabus.

General information about the RTI Act is already there in the Civics course which the school students are taught. This petition wants that the language courses viz. English, Hindi and other vernacular languages should have a chapter on 'drafting RTI applications'.

Very little is achieved when a student get to know just that a Right to Information Act exists through a small description in the civics course. When he/she actually writes to an RTI application in class and for his exams, we believe, he/she is doubly empowered and enabled to use the tool to fight corruption.

While the civics course tells the student that a tool called the RTI Act exsits; the RTI application writing helps him/her actually learn to use the tool.

If you want every literate Indian to be able to fight corruption, please do sign this petition. The future participants in our democracy will thus be able to fight corruption with information!

---

See our website at www.infocracyindia.org

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

We will be featuring his future cartoons on Legally India.

If, unlike apparently most of India, you’re in the office pretending to be productive instead of watching the Cricket World Cup, feel free to commiserate here and discuss match progress with other cricket-denied lawyers in the comments. ESPN is streaming the match live online. And if think it’s unfair that cricket is on par with a religion by creating a semi-official public holiday please feel free to share your thoughts too.

Just take a look around in your friend circle or anywhere else you want to and I am sure you will be easily able to find "I don't have Facebook" kind of people. I know its difficult but it's not that hard to spot such odd entities. It's really strange for someone to not have a Facebook and yes FYI, I don't have a Facebook. The only reason I don't have a Facebook is that it's insignificant and boring, except for the chatting part.

Like the whole world is on Facebook: your friends, teachers, neighbors, your maid, everyone. People who love Facebook including my viral struck friend Aadil do not have a reason for such a liking but since it's the in-thing, they all want to be a part of it. In real life Aadil might not want people to pass comments on him but when it comes to Facebook he wants all his updates to be commented by most of the people in his friend list and this is what makes him happy.

By introducing all india bar exam no useful purpose has been served in the field of legal reform  answer to many question are not correct according to legal india  . Many intelligent students did not appear in bar exam due to their family circumstances   . a large number of candidates  who are said to have clear the the bar exam still do not know the basic of law i wonder what is the testing stone of evaluating there knowledge . You cannot judge the legal knowledge of a person by mere  putting right tick mark on the answers. in orrisa only only 18 students appear in bar exam what about the rest who not appear in exam are they still practicing? you must think positively and closely to assess the legal aptitude of a candidate otherwise bar exm will prove unluck game not a step towards legal reform 

 Corruption has never been an “alien” for millions of Indians. It has crept so comfortably in our life that we no longer consider it as a major topic to discuss over. Admission of wards into schools and colleges, getting a railway berth, getting a passport, getting a stamp paper, these are very few out of a long list of our daily life activities where corruption has taken an indelible position. We really don’t care about it these days as we have become so used to it.

But can corruption threaten our nation internally as well as externally?? Does corruption have the potential to choke the very survival of our country??

Corruption is a cancer which loathes breathing within a boundary. First it spreads internally and then its symptoms begin to appear externally. Huge Corruption in implementing government policies lead to wide scale economic disparity in the society. When this gap pushes extreme poverty, the illiterate and starved population fell prey to the mature exploitation of callous politicians and anti-national elements. The stolid poverty and indifferent government wean people from the moral standards of society and pillars of democracy at last.

Supply of food, money and arms give them power to tackle the system embroiled in layers of corruption. After some period of time, they are compelled to follow the path chosen by their suppliers. That path can lead them to part time burglars to full time naxalites or terrorists. Rotten branches are always easier to sever from the tree than a firm one. Voices of separation and overhaul of India’s rule have already started to rise from different corners of India. And there are many corners of the country sitting on the bed of dynamite just waiting for the slight lit of a lighter. This is how corruption dilapidates our country internally.

India is the second fastest growing economy in the world. India’s rise put some fine lines of wrinkles on the faces of statesmen of the so called ‘friendly’ countries. Ironically their concerns are eased by none other than India herself. A recent article, published in “The Hindu” newspaper, put some light on this diplomatic resolution of ‘wrinkles’. U.S offers scholarships to broods of top bureaucrats, diplomats, military officers and potential politicians based in New Delhi.

The relaxation in Visa norms, extension of Visas and ease in grant of green cards are some of the small favours, U.S is already offering to please our policy makers. All of us know these favours are not token of friendship or selfless act of diplomacy. Getting huge arms deal, power projects and heavy infrastructure projects of the budding economy at huge cost are some of these exchanges in lieu of those ‘Coveted’ green cards for the broods.

This is one of the many ways; corruption exposes India’s vulnerability externally and establishes India as a soft state on the world map. Five years back, the topic of my article was ‘Will India ever get rid of corruption?’ I am still guessing. And you?

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

We will be featuring his future cartoons on Legally India.

Who indiscriminatley kills hundreds with a bomb we call Terrorist 
and who indiscriminatley kills thousands with a TSunami we call God......
Amazing na........

The legal aid societies whom we’ve contacted have asked us a few questions. Very pertinent and straight-forward too. Here are the questions and our answers. For more details please see www.infocracyindia.org


What do the legal aid societies get? 

A chance to make an impact? Yes.

The law school legal aid societies, we believe, have been formed to achieve two objectives:

1. Take legal aid to the downtrodden.
2. To teach law students the skills and help them imbibe the values which make a good pro bono lawyer.

Infocracy India helps legal aid societies achieve these objectives.

The RTI applications we file will have a significant societal impact.

Moreover, not only will the law students involved learn the art of filing good RTI applications but they’ll also know for themselves, how information when available freely, is a powerful catalyst to make democratic changes.

Money? No.

Secondly, we don’t promise much money, but in case we receive funding from members of the legal industry, we will distribute the funds to our LAS partners.

Also, we don’t believe that money is an incentive in initiatives like Infocracy India. None of the founders are making any money, nor do we plan to.

We are passionate about this cause and would like to partner with passionate groups and individuals.

Recognition? Yes.

Thirdly, in case you do genuinely good work, LegallyIndia, Lawctopus and other media, both print and online, will surely cover our work.

You’ll be thus recognised for your efforts.

Why shouldn’t we do it alone/independently?

Work independently, but share.

Infocracy India is a collaborative effort and it in no way discourages or hinders independent activity.

All that we require you to do is tell us about the RTI applications you’ve filed, the results which you’ve got and the impact that has made.

The RTI application, the response of the public information officer will be shared on our website for free upload. This will allow anyone to replicate these RTI applications in their own areas.

Consider this:

Someone from NUALS Kochi files an RTI application relating to an issue ‘X’ and someone from say, ICFAI Dehradun believes that his/her region too needs the issue ‘X’ to be addressed.

The person from ICFAI can then download the NUALS’ RTI application, see what information it yielded and even talk to the NUALS person to see if a better worded RTI application can be filed. Thus the RTI application gets filed more quickly and will yield better results.

Legal Aid Societies are free to file independent RTI applications. As a part of Infocracy India we only require you to ‘share’ the application, the results and the impact with us.

Pan India projects require a pan India collaboration.

Secondly, Infocracy might sometimes take large, pan-India projects; like getting the details of how the MPLADs funds are being used. We’ll get our team of 10-15 student researchers to work for sure.

At the same time, we’ll surely require support from the LASs. Herein lies the power of collaboration.

Finally consider this:

If someone in NUJS Kolkata files an RTI application against a public authority in Bangalore, we might have someone in NLSIU Bangalore go and inspect the documents. It saves the person in Kolkata time and money and makes the whole process efficient.

What will the work of a Legal Aid Society team exactly be?

Infocracy India is a very young initiative and some of our ideas are presently being executed. It is thus difficult to define the nature of tasks. We plan to be flexible and evolve as we move ahead. However, here are a few things which LASs are expected to do.

Share. Share the RTI applications you file, the responses which you get and track the impact it makes. We’ll put the applications and the responses on our website.

The stories of societal impact will be shared with media, both print and online. Rest assured, we won’t take the credit of your efforts. We are not in this business!

Sharing RTI applications and the results are the only mandatory things we want you to do. Other things may include:

Joining us to implement a pan India project. Most of the types we’ll have our team of student researchers/activists doing the work.

Sometimes, we might require the help of legal aid societies. In cases you want to help, just let us know about it.

Include information on RTI as a part of your legal literacy camps. You can put videos, pictures, presentations and modules on our website.

This will help other LASs better their legal literacy camps. We’d also be covering these camps from time to time on our website.

 ---

The question really is...

OR

---

Images from here, here, here and here.

I, not from my knowledge in law but by the reason of watching Sunny Deol starrer movies, have a fair idea of how an F.I.R. is launched but something, which has pierced my brain since that time is, who registers F.I.R. against people who are assigned the task of guarding the constitution?, who registers complaint against influential people?, who registers complaint against police?.

I am not looking into specific laws, which exist, in our acts guaranteeing equality, freedom and liberty because even you as well as me, are aware of their efficiency. They better not be a topic of discussion even. The incidents in Jammu and Kashmir, to be specific and many other small towns and villages, where such incident go unnoticed show how strong our legal texts stand to grant protection. Our law provisions fail, when it involves a politically fat leader, money rubbing businessman or police commissioner as accused, since they have enough source to not allow registration of F.I.R…and mind you “unless F.I.R. is registered there lies no legal remedy.” So, who register F.I.R. here? I, in my criminal classes have read few cases, where N.G.O. came to rescue but my count in that case was restricted only to 5, what about other such incidents? Our laws are very stringent and guarded by wolves, hence to come up and fight for your rights, only thing, which requires efforts, is coming up…because fighting is easy if you know the "power". That reminds me of another popular saying in our college “ to win a case either know law or know lawmakers.” I personally prefer law but have clear idea that only acquaintance with law maker can help me, law has no influence because they can be modified whenever power desires.

I do not want to include any legal text to prove my case but general day experience of my school life, which I am sure everyone must have seen. Remember that fat bullish, “Thakur” who went around class whistling over girls, beatings studious geeks, pestering teacher and walking in the middle of 10 people who in Indian terms are called “chaile”…comedy yet serious, I never talked to him…I knew his Dad was a police officer and that was enough reason not to complaint against him, not to retaliate when he beats you but only apply Dettol and tell your mom, “I fell”. For a reason parents believe its always-there child at fault, so let the incident die. But I am sure his Dad wont find his son at fault…after all he is a public servant who with his power now rules them. 

This brings me to my conclusion, how to ensure that every person realizes their right to register an F.I.R. when the pen and book is owned by the accused themselves? Why would they use their own ink to complaint against them own selves?, why would they incriminate person who runs their account of tea, coffee and even late night parties at “desi sharab ka thaika”? Now how can we ensure ethical running of our legal system…change police and judge…not practical, change laws….crap there are so many of them which do guarantee we wont be exploited, but of no use…only recourse left is try, try and try…when unsuccessful, buy justice through your own money and finally “ you are under arrest”

Note: The only reason I post this is because plagiarism has become a habit most law schoolites have become unnervingly comfortable with; this is the only nexus the topic has to law in general. Hopefully it will remind all of us that we were not brought up to respect copycats. I do not aim to offend, but if you are offended, you should know that it's probably for very good reason. I really do believe everything I've said here, but differing opinions are fine, at least they're evidence you're thinking. ;-)

 Let me be the first to point out that I'm one of those despicable hypocrites (is there any other kind?), one who regularly allows terrible work to be credited to her name, work that can't really even be called 'hers' unless you subscribe to the notion that research equals copying on a mass scale, which I don't.

I often allow myself to submit shitty work because I am stupendously, flagrantly lazy, but I can still argue for myself that the words, the construction and the conclusion are all mine, which is unhappily more than I can say for a lot of people. Is that enough? Absolutely not. does it bother me? Yes, as it should bother all of us. We need a good amount of discomfort to shake up this self-congratulatory stupor we're all asleep in.

Some of my friends and I were having a discussion the other day on plagiarism and why it's wrong, if it's wrong at all. We've all heard that utterly depressing monkeys-with-typewriter analogy, and some of us have on occasion cracked that particularly infuriating joke about research being copying from ten people rather than one. As much as you'd like to believe it, monkeys will not ever, in any number, write anything of note during our lifetimes, and neither will you, if you seriously believe that 'research' equals 'copying'.

By 'originality' in this context, I mean simply that the one who claims credit for an idea should have come to it by aid of his own thought process, regardless of whether somebody else had thought of the same thing at any other point in history (copyright jurisprudence uses a similar measure of 'originality' I think).

We must be original. Even when faculty can't tell the difference, the college doesn't care and our post-lunch nap is calling to us, we must fight the urge to download+print, and we must be original.

Why must we be original?

Because ideas are our only real wealth. Ideas are the only thing of any value, and I'm not referring to an airily vague abstraction of some distant moral 'good'-ness, i'm referring to cold-hard-cash-notes-in-your-butt-pocket value. Ideas are the little golden flares of magic thought sparked off your skull when the world collides with you everyday. Ideas are our closest shot to the fame, power and Russian-starlet-wife ideal we lust after collectively. There is probably only one really good idea for every thousand bad ones, which makes it even more important to stay within the habit of thinking, to have those terrible ideas so you can find that elusive good one.

Consider this - we lie in beds someone else made, eat food someone else grew, wear clothes someone else made, read books other people wrote, watch news about other people. We talk to, think about, even frame our public opinions carefully around the sensibilities of the people we care about. What do we have left if we outsource even our thoughts to other people? That is really the last frontier, so when we allow it to fall, what claim to individuality, to sentience, to humanity do we have left?

Ideas can, if you look at the far end of the scale, spark revolutions; but what use is a revolution to that creature of comforts, a corporate lawyer? So consider instead that ideas can also start companies, or firms. Ideas can start firms, create policy, invent concepts, sell those concepts, push legislation, repeal legislation, shut firms down and start other ones.

Those of us who've done our litigation internships are only too aware that litigation does not stop with blind reliance on caselaw, even though that's the best that most of us are capable of. Law schools teach us economics, political theory, sociology and jurisprudence so that we are never lost for an argument or an idea, and after years of absorbing all of that, if we find ourselves incapable of creating a simple argument from first-principles on demand, say for an assignment or a project, we should be ashamed of ourselves and of a permissive system that lets us operate consistently at a level that is beneath our intelligence and should be beneath our contempt.

It's easy to dismiss all of this as the ranting of an ideologue, but I am not an ideologue. the assessment system of my college is very tough on us, and given the nature of the course we study, sometimes we could be forgiven for thinking that ideas are a dime a dozen and have no real value at all. But cynicism aside, ideas cannot be undervalued.

Globalisation has shown us that we have choices beyond what our parents ever dreamt of at our ages, and the recession has shown us that blind belief in concepts we've always pictured as 'safe' - houses and banks - can destroy us. With only the slightest exaggeration I can say this is in many ways a post-apocalyptic world, and I believe that entrepreneurs are the only people who will survive it. Ideas have always been important, but they will never be more important for us as a young nation, than right now.

Isaac Newton once claimed that in his work, he was standing on the shoulders of giants. We, on the other hand, are snoring at their feet. It's time to wake up, shake off the laziness and self pity and change that, at the risk of becoming - as a generation of lawyers - first wrong, next incompetent, and finally –

Irrelevant.

Legal Research has always been one of the most important activities in the life of a law student. It would not be wrong to say that these are the law students who are most capable in analyzing a topic in the legal context. Everyday several incidents take place in the society and sometimes there come certain questions in our minds i.e. “Was that the Right thing?”, “Was not there any legal provision which could have been applied in that particular scenario?” etc. The next question which comes in our mind is that what we can do in that particular scenario. The basic step which should be taken is to analyze that particular topic, but how would it be possible to analyze it is the next question. And here lies the need of doing a research on that particular topic, not analyzing it in the social context but in the legal context. And for this purpose, the idea of creating a blog i.e. “The Legal Junction” originated which can serve as a platform for legal information not briefly but thoroughly. This blog would enable one to get information of each and every aspect of several topic related to legal issues, sometimes social issues which are to be analyzed in the legal context.

When someone starts searching information about a particular topic, sometimes he gets confused as to which place he should go to. And it might have happened with you also, and this is one of the main reasons for creating this blog. But it is not possible to covert an idea into reality without a team. It has always been argued that it is always better to have a team rather performing a task alone.  And for this reason, we invite applications from you, the law students, so that you and we and work together and make this initiative a success.

Why Law Students?

As law students, it is very important for us to indulge in the activities related to legal research. It not only enhances our research ability, but it also strengthens our analytical skill. We make ourselves busy in several activities like mooting, academics, debate etc. But it is also our task to analyze a legal topic which is of some social and legal relevance. Take for example, the recent decision delivered by the Supreme Court on ‘Euthanasia’ or ‘Mercy Killing’. Now what we can do as law students is to review that particular judgment, indulge in research which relates to the origin of euthanasia, its applicability in the international scenario, euthanasia and Indian Law, case laws related to it and whatever we can do. Moreover, it would enhance the legal knowledge which would surely help a student. Academic study is what everyone indulges in, even if he doesn’t want he has to but this blog will provide you a platform to express your views. Sometimes, we think of doing something but we remain confused as to what should be the platform through which we can do such activity.

It is true that life in a law college is quite tough with number of cases, projects, tutorials, presentations, seminars, mooting etc. But, this work won’t take much time from your daily routine. Even if you are able to spend half an hour each on this, it would suffice. Applications for the membership of this blog are invited only from those students, who think that they would be able to write researched articles on a regular basis. We write articles for law journals, law reviews and for many other publications, but that is done once or twice in a year. Through this blog you can write an article on any legal issue which you are interested in, and whenever you want. It can be constitutional, criminal, commercial or any other topic which you think fits you. There are no hard and fast rules in choosing topics only from a particular area, that would make your task easier.

YOU and “THE LEGAL JUNCTION”

 There are several articles which are available in various law journals, law reviews but again the question is “Are these law reviews and journals available to every person through a simple means?” The answer to this question would be ‘No’, as these law journals are either available at a slightly high cost or most of the persons (exclude law students) are not aware of these publications. Through this blog, a well researched article would be available to everyone through a simple means. If you think it is a waste of time, then surely there is no need to apply. But in case you are confident that you would be able to write articles on legal and socio-legal topics, then it would be great pleasure for us in working with you. There must be quite a few law students who would be interested in writing articles on these topics on a regular basis, and if you are one of them then please feel free to apply

Our aim is to make this blog as a platform for everyone related to legal field. Moreover, we are aiming to make it as a platform which would be visited by a person whenever he would think of searching a legal article or some information on legal topic. Our aim is to provide comprehensive legal researched articles based on contemporary issues or issues of socio-legal importance. It would serve as a place where thorough information on legal issues could be collected and that is why we have termed it as “The Legal Junction”. It has made us to think a lot before terming it, and if we get your support then it would not be difficult to make it as one of the best place for legal information. In case you want to express your views through the means of a Legal Fiction, then also your contribution would be highly appreciated.

 WHEN ARE WE STARTING?

The blog has been created to make sure that that domain name would not be reserved by anyone else. But it would come into existence once we have enough posts from our permanent members and some guest posts. We are planning to start this blog in the mid of May, 2011(Date would be notified later). As it would be started in the month of May, there is an ample time for you think whether you want to join us or not. Moreover, there would be ample time for you to write article/s. To make this effort a reality, we desperately need your support.

Suggestions of the members to make this platform better would be of utmost importance.

MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION –

Number of Members/Authors whose names would be listed on the Blog Page – Seven to Ten

A member would be able to post articles on his own; he would not have to ask anyone before publishing an article. Moreover, he would be able to post the articles written by any law student as ‘Guest Post’.

Names of the law students would also be listed in the Blog who want to contribution through guest posts, but they would not have any right to publish their article on their own. They have to contact any of the members in order to get their article published. 

Interested law students from any Law University should send their names to “” as soon as possible in order to finalize the names of the members. We are considering it a hard task to search the persons who can serve as members for this blog. Moreover, it is a huge challenge in front of us to make this blog a happening place in front of the legal fraternity. The 1st deadline for receiving the applications would ne 1st April, 2011. Thereafter, next deadline would be declared in case of insufficient applications. The membership would not remain permanent and it would cease in case author fails to write an article for a long period of time.

We are in an initial stage and your support would always be welcomed from our side. And if you want to contribute a guest post, then you can send your article/review/Legal Fiction to 

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES –

The selected  members/authors would be required to send their articles by 4th may, 2011.

There is no particular topic as such, but is should reflect the thorough analysis and the views presented should be clear. Moreover, it must be your own work.

Citation is discouraged, instead of that authors would be required to mention the references which he/she has used while writing the article.

Word Limit –

Articles – 3500 – 4000 words

Legal Fiction – More than 2000 words

Review – 2500-3000 words.

Font style – Garamond

Font Size – 13

Waiting for you contribution eagerly.

Regards,

Abhinav Shrivastava (Founder, The Legal Junction)

1st Year,

WBNUJS, Kolkata

Mine was an arranged marriage. My marriage to the law firm, i am currently working at in Delhi, was arranged by the ubiquitous marriage broker- the placement cell of my college. When my marriage was decided upon after a telephonic interview and a subsequent 'muh-dikhai' by way of an internship, i was thrilled like any fresh law graduate at the prospects. My marriage was grand with accolades and best-wishes from the near and dear ones. Its now been 7 months since i got married. The honeymoon is definitely over and what assures me of its passage is the stark mundanity of daily life.

Lest my discerning readers dismiss my writings at the very outset as a bitchy commentary on my employer or rather my senior, i wish to assure them that i have no such intentions. Most certainly, my blog would have got more hits that way but i have refrained from the momentary rush of popularity for the more calming pursuit of self-discovery [please bear with me as i embark upon my grand ideations :)].

To empty by burdensome bag of mundanity and then to rummage through its contents is what i intend to do. These writings may appear disjoint and disconnected but i have treasured these moments as priceless memorabilia in my chest treasure-chest called memory. These disjoint, disconnected and random events are my life and i one day hope to open my treasure chest to look with contentment at these days and events and smile with satisfaction at a life spent. These writings may probably end up as a cry in the wilderness called the 'world wide web' but since my intentions are clear, it shall be most reassuring for me to even hear a single voice in the wilderness; so what, if it happens to be my own.

I now write from behind the impregnable walls of anonymity. The walls protect the clear outlines of my ideations and feelings from being blurred or contaminated by the invasion of my personal attributes. Since traits and attributes, by their very nature, are subjective and often perceived with a biased or judgmental eye, it is probably best that the things that i say are not burdened with my past and certain pre-conceived notions about me. Writing with impunity on a clean slate is certainly a thrilling experience which i now hope to indulge to my fill....

if you like it you may follow me on http://advocatingdreams.blogspot.com/

The group stages of the 3^rd SILF-Khushal Inter Law Firms Cricket Cup – 2011 in Delhi (too much of a mouthful, so referred to as “Tournament” going forward) have finally come to an end and after what seems like an unduly long group stage. So, the quarter final line up is finally available for us to look at, analyze, salivate over and talk about!

Instant winning tips that are sure to make anyone’s legal career.

Advocates’ identity obscured to comply with advocate advertising/canvassing restrictions (although it does seem that the election is over now). Hope he won!