Paper Citizens: Legal Equality and the Silent Architecture of Exclusion

Summary In “Paper Citizens: Legal Equality and the Silent Architecture of Exclusion,” Adeela Siddiqui argues that despite India’s constitutional guarantees of equality, Indian Muslims are subjected to systemic structural and political marginalization. This exclusion is maintained through an invisible architecture of “autocratic legalism,” where electoral fragmentation and the treatment of Muslim political visibility as a […]

From Rule to Exception: UAPA and the Death of Bail Jurisprudence

Summary The article argues that Section 43D(5) of the UAPA has eroded India’s foundational “bail is the rule” principle. Using the Delhi High Court’s denial of bail to Sharjeel Imam and others in the 2020 riots case, the author criticizes the court for a narrow interpretation of the law. The judgment is seen as a […]