It is difficult to decide which is more symptomatic of the worrying levels of regional chauvinism we are witnessing today- the original furore over James Laine’s boom on Shivaji, or the Maharashtra State Government’s response to the Supreme Court decision passing strictures against the Government. Here, I examine the latter of the two developments, arguing that the only thing suspect with the Court’s decision is that it should have come down harder on the sheer illegality of the State Government’s actions. Continue reading →

The decision of the Supreme Court in BP Singhal v. Union of India, has been widely reported as having placed checks on the arbitrary removal of Governors. Unfortunately, while the Court did lay to rest some misconceptions that had been harboured about the process and grounds of removal, on a closer examination, the checks on arbitrariness which the Court has laid down cannot be taken to more than a symbolic assurance, albeit a significant one. This post examines the reasoning of the Court in greater detail. Continue reading →