Forward Vision

Introduction : The Bombay High Court recently addressed a batch of petitions challenging the quashing of an order by an Additional Sessions Judge under the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (Prohibition of Sex Selection) Act, 1994 (PCPNDT Act). The case involved a Kirtankar, a public speaker, who allegedly propagated techniques for conceiving a male child during a religious discourse. The court examined whether the statements made constituted an offense under the PCPNDT Act and determined that the communication in the religious discourse qualified as an advertisement. This blog explores the court's ruling and its implications for the trial. Background : The respondent, a Kirtankar with influence in rural and semi-urban areas, addressed a gathering where he shared extracts from religious and Ayurvedic books, claiming they provided techniques for conceiving a male child. He asserted that sexual relations on even dates would result in a male child, while odd dates wou...

Introduction   You think the age of reservations based on caste should be over in India. That casteism is a relic of the past and in today's modern society, reservations do more harm than good by promoting divisions and unfair advantages. You couldn't be more wrong. The caste system is alive and well in India, even if it's often politely ignored in public discourse. Inter-caste marriage is still rare. Systemic discrimination and the economic and social legacy of caste are realities that still shape life outcomes. For those in lower castes, an inferiority complex is ingrained from an early age. Until the caste system is truly dismantled, and its effects reversed, reservations are still needed to promote equal opportunity and representation. To argue otherwise is to ignore the stark inequities still at play in Indian society. The age of caste may not be over, but the age of willful blindness should be. The Realities of Caste Inequality in India The caste system is still deepl...