We're Starting a Writers Club! (And Other Stories of the Week)
This week we tell you about the writers club; share a poem; accounts of Jamia violence and death penalty inmates; tell you what's happening at Academike and the Book Club; and discuss books with you
Lawctopus is starting its Writers Club
We see immense ‘energy of a community’ in our learning offerings (paid courses, free webinars, and the Book Club) which has greatly benefited the team at Lawctopus and the people we serve.
Building on that energy, we offer you, the Lawctopus Writers Club.
What is it?
A 3-month program (extendable) where a team of excellent student writers/young lawyers work with the Lawctopus Editorial Team (Umang Poddar, Sonali Chugh, and Tanuj Kalia) to create a meaningful ruckus, get structured training and mentorship, a community of like-minded individuals, and some cash.
Interested? Read more here.
Please Block Me: A Lockdown Tale – A Poem
Unknown number but seemed known voice,
Started with a query
And turned into a story.
I used to go on and on,
Shared my dreams, every moment of life,
Those tales of Photoshop,
The stories where I rocked,
And about my past whom I blocked.
Click here to read more.
This poem is written by Masoom Reza, a student at Jamia University.
With the lockdown completing one year very soon, we are looking for stories on how lawyers and law students were affected by the pandemic. If you wish to share your story, get in touch at umang.poddar@lawctopus.com.
Stories of Death Row Prisoners in India: Surviving with the Help of Ram and the Bhagvad Gita
According to Titli Bai’s statement, Muskan had snatched the gold chain from her neck and cackled, ‘Give me that, whore!’
Titli said that as she lay drugged and bruised on the ground, Muskan made sure that her loud voice pierced some dark corner of her mind. ‘She wanted the trauma to go deep . . . right into my nightmares,’ she stated.
Tonight, though, it was Muskan herself who could not sleep. She pulled out her notebook from under her pillow and wrote ‘Ram’ on the page. She had started doing that out of necessity. The silence of prison life brought back such vivid memories that they threatened her sanity, so she wrote ‘Ram’ in her notebook every time she remembered something terrible. This one was the hundredth ‘Ram’ on the page.
Read the entire story here.
A First Hand Account of Voilence Inside Jamia Millia Islamia Last Year
The spark of the Delhi riots can be traced back to the time when some students of Jamia Millia Islamia decided to organize a walking march from the university campus to parliament against the Citizenship Amendment Act. The march was scheduled for 15th December 2019, for which a heavy police force deployed outside the campus in order to stop the protesters going out in the crowded streets of Delhi. Every year, University schedules semester exams for various courses in December and it is very common to see students studying late at night in various libraries located around the campus.
Read the entire story here.
Important Criminal Law Judgments of 2020
Rajasthan Prosecution Officers Associations have released a book on Criminal Law Judgements, 2020: A Comprehensive Compilation of over 100 Judgements on Criminal Law pronounced in the year 2020.
Find the book here.
What’s Happening at Academike?
Academike, our Legal Journal is also looking for pieces. To send an entry email sonali.chugh@lawctopus.com
Here’s what we have published recently:
Union of India vs K.A. Najeeb: A Trial Without a Trial - Academike
The recent order of the Supreme Court dismissed the NIA's plea to quash the earlier Kerala High Court order based on Najeeb's right to a speedy trial. While the Court was lauded for its judgement, the bench didn't quite lay out a principle standard for constitutional courts to effectuate bail under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. Read a detailed analysis of the case and the kafkaesque legal system that UAPA fosters.
Black History Month: Origin, History and What Can We Learn From It - Academike
The month of February is regarded as 'Black History Month' to commemorate the achievements of the black community. What started as a week soon became a month and a movement. Despite its foreign attributes, Academike explains what can India learn from it to recognise Dalit history and narratives.
The Lost Right to Housing in times of COVID-19 - Academike
As we approach a year to the Nationwide lockdown, revisit the ordeal of millions as they lost their 'right to housing'. The article details out how the loss of livelihood is innately connected to everyday discrimination and the State’s misplaced priorities.
What’s Happening At The Book Club?
The LLS Book Club is bustling with energy. We are going 370 members strong, and are reading ‘The Moon is a Harsh Mistress’ by Robert Heinlein. The Discord server is also up and running.
To make readings more regular, we are also having regular read-in sessions.
We will soon reveal the guest for this month.
Click here to join.
Books Corner
This book came out in August last year. Here’s a piece from the blurb to summarize what the book is about.
Justice M.B. Lokur writes on the issues that affect the transgender community; Justice B.D. Ahmed elucidates on Muslim law in the modern context; and Justice A.K. Sikri addresses the fundamental concept of dignity, which binds together all the essays in this book. Some of the best-known names in Indian law – Mukul Rohatgi, Madhavi Divan, Menaka Guruswamy, Arundhati Katju and Saurabh Kirpal – offer legal perspectives of judgements on sex, sexuality and gender. From petitioners like Ritu Dalmia, Keshav Suri and Zainab Patel, we hear personal narratives of being a part of the LGBTQ community in India, while journalist Namita Bhandare provides a powerful account of the struggle against sexual harassment.
Quotes Corner
The poor man looks upon the law as an enemy, not as a friend. For him the law is always taking something away.
Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, Law Day Speech (May 1, 1964)
Write To Us
Send us an email at umang.poddar@lawctopus.com with an idea/pitch you want to write about.
We are looking for interesting stories on law, book reviews, poem/fiction works, law school stories, and short academic pieces.
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