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2002 research outputs found
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The Trial of Musammat Kelee: Widowhood, Infanticide, and Colonial Justice in Early Twentieth Century India
No full textThis article examines the 1920 trial of Musammat Kelee, a Hindu widow from Ajmer-Merwara, accused of drowning her illegitimate infant son in a lake. Drawing on extensive trial records, police reports, and official correspondence, it reconstructs the procedural history of her case and situates it within broader colonial debates on female sexuality, widowhood, and infanticide. Kelee’s conviction under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code, despite weak evidence, hinged on judicial emphasis on her widowhood and the perceived illegitimacy of her child as proof of motive. Yet her subsequent pardon by the Viceroy’s office reflected a contradictory administrative impulse that simultaneously vilified and victimised widows suspected of infanticide. By tracing Kelee’s trial alongside the longer history of official debates on “infanticidal women” from the late nineteenth century, beginning with T. Madhava Rao’s 1876 tract on punishment for maternal infanticide, the article reveals how colonial law and governance produced ambivalent narratives around culpability. Colonial officials consistently linked reproductive crimes to “deviant” female sexuality, while also recognising the oppressive constraints of widowhood and caste norms in India. This dual framing influenced judicial outcomes, where conviction and mercy frequently coexisted. Engaging with scholarship on gender, law, and colonial governance, the article argues that Kelee’s trial exemplifies how colonial officials perceived the sexual lives of Indian women as matters of public concern. Her case foregrounds the entanglement of administrative and public discourses on female sexuality and criminality and how they shaped colonial gendered anxieties in early twentieth century India
The Future of Multilateralism in International Tax: Regional and Economic Voices under the UN Framework Convention for International Tax Cooperation (UNFCITC)
No full textThe United Nations has sought to reform global tax cooperation since 2022. This article argues that the future of multilateralism can be better understood by moving beyond the traditional “North-South” binary and paying heed to the unique voices of key regional blocs, economic blocs and unilateral players
Notes on the Contributors
No full textThis is a brief introduction to the authors of this special issue of JLPP
In Re Saranda Wildlife Sanctuary: Forests v. Forest Dwellers?
No full textOn 13 November 2025, the Supreme Court of India in In Re Saranda Wildlife Sanctuary ordered the State of Jharkhand to declare 31,468.25 hectares (approximately 314 sq. kms) of the Saranda Forest as a wildlife sanctuary. This post highlights the significance of the judgment, specifically concerning the intersection between the Forest Rights Act, 2006 (FRA), and the Wildlife Protection Act, 1927 (WLPA). It is argued that the judgment articulates a harmonious reading of the two statutes, successfully navigating the fragmented architecture of Indian environmental law
International Law, Domestic Procedure
No full textIn some countries, it’s possible for international treaties to have a direct impact on the country, without the intervention of domestic law, but not in India
Informality at Work—Towards a Law on Livelihoods?
No full textThis chapter examines the manner in which informality and related concepts are defined in the law and labour statistics, and how these concepts can be better aligned to capture the reality of changes in the world of work. The chapter examines the many ways in which formal and informal forms of work are distinct, and yet may overlap. It further examines different explanations for the presence of formal and informal forms of work and how labour statistics define and measure informal forms of work. The chapter focuses on certain key challenges confronting the world of work as we move ahead to create decent work and livelihoods for all and argues for a law on livelihoods to capture the myriad forms of informal employment and work
