Kapil’s 175*

Gulu Ezekiel, Myth-Busting: Indian Cricket Behind The Headlines, (Rupa, 2021) is as fascinating to read as it must have been to research on and eventually write. “The whole idea is to bust long-held myths spread.” There are charming, structured anecdotes aplenty. Consider these: Farokh Engineer has been claiming, he was the First Indian Cricketer to […]

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The Nature of Judicial Power: Constitutional Ethos II

Courts must be open, both in physical and metaphorical sense. Citizens have a right to know about what transpires in course of proceedings. Public scrutiny is crucial to maintaining transparency and accountability. Cases before Courts are vital sources of public information about activities of Legislature and Executive. Freedom of speech and expression extends to reporting […]

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The Hurt Locker

Unfortunately, there is no substantive domestic legislation or sector­-specific regulations which may throw light upon the issue of whether banks are responsible for loss of articles placed inside the locker. This requires factual findings on knowledge of the contents of the locker; or whether the locker holder had prepared any receipt or inventory of the […]

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The White Tiger

The Autobiography of a Half-Baked Indian. That’s what I ought to call my life’s story. The Great Indian Rooster Coop. Every evening on the train out of Surat, where they run the world’s biggest diamond-cutting and polishing business, the servants of diamond merchants are carrying suitcases full of cut diamonds that they have to give […]

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Sacred Cows of Shadowy Doubts

Sister Abhaya was found dead on 27.03.1992 and her body was recovered from a well. She was born on 26.02.1971. Varghese Chacko was a photographer, during 1992, in Kottayam Venus Studio. He took photographs of Sister Abhaya’s dead body, as per instruction of Kottayam West Police. He noticed nail mark injuries on either side of […]

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One Arranged Murder

Hello, this is Saurabh Maheshwari speaking, taking over from Lordship Keshav for only a short while. I am on way to meet my fiancée Prerna on Karva Chauth. A white cab came in. Anjali stepped out. She had her backpack with her, which seemed heavy and huge compared to her skinny frame. ‘Adi Mamu, what’s […]

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No Reservations, Lebanon

A. “West German Consul said, he had received information that, similar charges had been made against Hans Muller in Lebanon and in Egypt.” – Hans Muller of Nurenburg v. Superintendent, Presidency Jail, Calcutta, AIR 1955 SC 367. B. “On 15-9-1963, he left Delhi for Beirut under the name Donze Jean Claude, a French national. It […]

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The Whiff of Money

In Hindi-movies, there are quite a few library-scenes and scenes of a character reading. One may consider, When Eight Bells Toll (Alistair MacLean) in Aradhana (1969, dir. Shakti Samanta); You’ll Never Eat Lunch In This Town Again (Julia Phillips) in Khel (1992, dir. Rakesh Roshan); The Celestine Prophecy (James Redfield) in Dil To Pagal Hai […]

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Rudra – Shiva

Shiva, who emerged from limitless pillar of fuel-less fire, is visualized sitting under the Pole Star, on a snow-capped mountain, in the shade of a banyan tree. Shiva’s holy city, Kashi, is located at a bend in the river Ganga where it turns and moves northwards instead of southwards. This reverse flow of the river […]

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Sisodia Rani Ka Bagh

‘Sisodia Rani Ka Bagh’ situated at Jhalana, Jaipur was built in 1728 by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh. The queen was very adorable to the king and was gifted with this beautiful garden. The garden stands as a symbol of love and is mostly famous for its architectural heritage and its intricate paintings depicting the life […]

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The Case of Mr. Steve Smith

Steven Peter Devereux Smith in 73 Tests has scored 7227 Runs, including 26 Centuries, at an Average of 62.84. Virat Kohli in 86 Tests has scored 7240 Runs, including 27 Centuries, at an Average of 53.62. A difference of 13 Tests has caused a difference of 13 Runs! The undoubtable talent is further evident from […]

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Archaeological Site ≠ Hotel, Restaurant

“With the object of ensuring preservation in the erstwhile State of Mysore, The Mysore Ancient and Historical Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1961 was enacted. The State Government was accorded the power to declare certain ancient monuments as ‘protected monuments’ and certain archaeological sites and remains as ‘protected areas’. 10 villages, including Virupapura […]

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Tihar to Tihar

Aftab was lodged in Tihar when he met Asif Reza Khan. Asif introduced Aftab to Omar Sheikh who had a profound effect. December, 1999: Government of India was forced to release Omar Sheikh in exchange for a safe return of IC 814. Aftab Ansari, soon after, was issued a Pakistan Passport [J872142, Safir Mohammad Rana]. […]

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The Game Changers

Vir Sanghvi, The Game Changers: Transforming India, (Westland, 2019) describes how Indians are taking over globally in areas that had traditionally been off-limits to us. It is not easy for everyone to express using few words. It is even more difficult to balance between praise and criticism. Arnab Goswami and Karan Johar are Game Changers. […]

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Appointment of Justice

“I am glad, Arghya Sengupta and Ritwika Sharma have decided to publish a book dealing with appointment of Judges to Supreme Court of India. From time immemorial, mankind desired to have wise and humane Judges with the wisdom to discriminate between truth and falsehood. The legends of King Solomon and Dharmaraja and the like are […]

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