The only bench which could have done this Justice Pankaj Bhatia said that in the era of promoting digital India, continuing with a regressive practice of the litigants traveling from far off places solely for photo identification is on the face of it "retrogressive".

Justice depends from bench to bench, not court to court.

Justice Oka retires today—a judge who spoke through his judgments, championed free speech & liberty, and lived his principles. A profound loss to the Bench. Even after losing his mother a day before - he came to court to serve. That’s his legacy—etched in law & conscience

My tribute to #JusticeOka: People's judges, and a champion of liberty I write for the The Indian Express He championed free speech, liberty and equality. A judge who spoke through his judgments and stood still with a spine. indianexpress.com/article/opinio…

It was lovely meeting Rahul at our residence in Lucknow. A lawyer, blind since birth, deeply committed to the cause of making the legal ecosystem accessible to lawyers with disabilities. A Rhodes Scholar with two MA degrees from Oxford. How to make 2 lawyers smile? "Say Fees."

"The order, even in granting relief, will have the effect of undermining free speech protections. We are now in a constitutional regime in which even the Court’s philanthropic benevolence in granting bail lays the groundwork for further oppression." Writes Pratap Bhanu Mehta

Mere ragon mein garam filter coffee daud raha hai.

Nearly half of his life is gone. What's left? No amount of compensation can get him the years he lost, the days his family suffered. As Justice Oka said in his farewell speech that criminal appeals should be prioritised.

My latest piece for The Quint

My debut print article for The Indian Express (Editorial Page) —on Justice Abhay Oka’s legacy, a judge with spine, a champion of liberty, who spoke through his judgments. (In law school, I dreamt of writing for the editorial page and here we are.)

#ExpressOpinion | “Justice Oka will be remembered not only for his judgments but also for his commitment to promoting litigation, pushing young lawyers to take up pro bono cases and reconstructing bail jurisprudence in the case of special statutes like UAPA and the PMLA. He will

Areeb Uddin The Indian Express first thing i read your article in the morning. Congrats big achievement

101 reasons why we need such judges who show the mirror to such prosecutions. A 19 years old being charged for expressing/posting about an army operation. When submitted that she can appear with police for exams, see what Justice Godse said. "she isn't a criminal...

Areeb Uddin The Indian Express I read your article , it was good specially the language was simple and easy to understand coming from someone who has a poor vocabulary 🙃

Shout-out to Justices Gauri Godse and Somasekhar Sundaresan of Bom HC for coming to rescue of 19 years-old female student who was implicated in case for expressing opinion against an Army operation. The Bench directed her release and said it was "absolutely shocking."

And we’ve officially reached the stage where inciting communal hatred is rewarded with a Padma Bhushan. The Liberhan Commission listed her as culpable in pushing India "to the brink of communal discord." But sure, let’s call it social work. 🤡 thenewsminute.com/news/sadhvi-ri…

All hail Justice Pankaj Bhatia The judgement suspends the mandatory photo affidavit practice in Lucknow. The Court rightly observes that in the era of Digital-India, requiring litigants to travel solely for photo identification is 'retrogressive.' A step toward modernization.