Law

In a major relief for parents across Punjab, the state government has initiated steps to introduce a stringent legal framework to regulate private school fees and prevent arbitrary fee hikes. State Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains has directed the School Education Department to immediately draft legislation aimed at bringing greater accountability and transparency to the private education sector.

The proposed law will cap annual fee increases at 5 per cent, a move expected to benefit lakhs of families struggling with rising education costs. The initiative follows an announcement by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, who described the proposed legislation as the country's toughest law against unjustified fee hikes by private schools.

One of the key provisions under consideration is a refund mechanism for parents. Schools that have raised fees beyond the prescribed limits during the past three years may be required to return the excess amount collected from students and guardians. The legislation is expected to cover nearly 7,800 private schools and more than 27 lakh students across the state.

Officials said the move is aimed at curbing the commercialisation of education and ensuring that educational institutions operate in the larger public interest. Emphasising the government's position, Bains stated that education is a public good and should not be treated as a profit-driven enterprise. He also referred to judicial observations that discourage profiteering in the education sector.

The proposed ordinance is expected to reverse provisions introduced in 2019 that allowed schools greater flexibility in increasing fees. The Education Department has been instructed to prepare a detailed proposal for Cabinet approval on priority. The government plans to introduce the legislation during the next Assembly session, strengthening oversight and ensuring affordable access to quality education for students across Punjab.

India's justice system is undergoing a significant transformation. From e-filing of cases and digital records to virtual hearings and live-streamed court proceedings, technology is reshaping how courts function. The Covid-19 pandemic accelerated this shift, pushing the judiciary towards greater digitisation and accessibility. New court infrastructure, including plans for modern High Court buildings, reflects an institution seeking to adapt to the demands of a rapidly changing society.

Yet, while courts evolve, legal education often remains rooted in traditional methods. In many law schools, students continue to learn in classrooms organized around lectures, case law readings, and examinations that emphasize memorization and doctrinal analysis. Although these methods are important for understanding legal principles, they often fail to expose students to the lived realities of justice and the social contexts in which law operates.

The gap between legal education and legal practice is increasingly evident. Law is not merely a collection of statutes, precedents, and procedures; it is a tool that shapes people's lives. Issues such as access to justice, gender equality, labour rights, environmental protection, and digital privacy cannot be fully understood through textbooks alone. Future lawyers must learn how legal decisions affect individuals and communities, particularly those who are marginalized or excluded from formal legal systems.

Reforming legal education therefore becomes essential to any meaningful reform of the justice system. Law schools must move beyond classroom-centric learning and incorporate experiential approaches such as legal aid clinics, community engagement, field research, mediation exercises, and internships with courts, NGOs, and public institutions. Such experiences allow students to witness firsthand how law functions in society and where it often falls short.

Technology, too, should be integrated into legal training. As courts increasingly rely on digital platforms, future lawyers must be equipped with skills related to legal technology, data analysis, online dispute resolution, and digital ethics. Understanding these tools will be critical for effective advocacy in the modern legal landscape.

Ultimately, the goal of legal education should not be limited to producing competent professionals. It should cultivate lawyers who are empathetic, socially aware, and committed to justice. As India's courts modernize, law schools must also reimagine their role. Training lawyers to see justice as it is lived—not merely as it is written—will be essential in building a more accessible, responsive, and equitable legal system for the future.

The Allahabad High Court has granted interim relief to a school teacher accused in a case involving alleged insults to Hindu religious beliefs, staying his arrest while directing the Uttar Pradesh government to file its response within six weeks.

The case pertains to Bhisham Pal Singh, a teacher who was booked under Section 299 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for allegedly being present at a gathering where remarks considered offensive to Hindu deities and religious symbols were reportedly made. The complaint was filed after a video of the meeting circulated on social media, triggering allegations that the statements had hurt religious sentiments and could disturb public harmony.

Challenging the FIR before the high court, Singh argued that he neither made any objectionable comments nor participated in any activity that could be construed as an insult to religion. His counsel maintained that the teacher was merely present at the event and had been wrongly implicated in the matter.

The petition further questioned the basis of the allegations and sought protection from coercive action during the course of the investigation. Singh's legal team also highlighted concerns regarding the credibility of the complaint and urged the court to examine the circumstances under which the case was registered.

Hearing the matter, a division bench comprising Justice Mahesh Chandra Tripathi and Justice Prashant Kumar observed that the issues raised required further consideration. The court subsequently issued notices to the state authorities and directed them to submit their response within six weeks.

As an interim measure, the bench ordered that no coercive action, including arrest, be taken against the petitioner until the next date of hearing or until the submission of the police report, whichever is earlier. The protection, however, is subject to Singh cooperating fully with the ongoing investigation.

The case has attracted attention amid wider debates on freedom of expression, religious sensitivities and the application of legal provisions governing speech-related offences. While the court's order provides temporary relief to the teacher, it does not amount to a determination on the merits of the allegations, which will be examined as the case proceeds.

The Bombay High Court has ruled that a wife’s refusal or inability to perform household chores cannot be treated as mental cruelty, setting aside a family court order that had granted divorce to a husband on such grounds. The judgment has reignited conversations around gender roles, unpaid domestic labour, and equality within marriage.

A division bench comprising Justices Bharati Dangre and Manjusha Deshpande overturned a 2010 Bandra Family Court ruling that had allowed a chartered accountant husband to dissolve his marriage under Section 13(1)(ia) of the Hindu Marriage Act on grounds of cruelty.

The husband had argued that his wife could not cook properly, refused to clean the house, and did not obey his parents, causing him mental stress. However, the High Court observed that such complaints reflected ordinary marital adjustments rather than legally recognised cruelty.

The bench emphasised that marriage should be viewed as “a partnership of equals and not a service contract,” adding that wives cannot be treated as “deemed maids” expected to shoulder all domestic responsibilities. The court noted that routine disagreements over cooking, cleaning, or household expectations are common in marriages and cannot automatically become grounds for divorce.

The ruling also addressed the issue of maintenance. While the family court had earlier denied financial support to the woman after citing an advertisement for art classes as evidence of her earning capacity, the High Court found no proof of a stable income. Taking into account the husband’s professional standing as a chartered accountant and the rising cost of living, the court directed him to pay ₹20,000 per month, including ₹10,000 towards maintenance and ₹10,000 for housing expenses.

Legal observers believe the judgment reflects a broader shift in Indian courts toward recognising women’s autonomy and challenging deeply rooted patriarchal assumptions within matrimonial disputes. The verdict also reinforces the principle that legal cruelty must involve serious and sustained mistreatment, not minor domestic disagreements or unmet traditional expectations.

The decision is likely to influence future matrimonial cases by discouraging the use of routine household conflicts as legal grounds for divorce, while strengthening judicial emphasis on dignity, equality, and shared responsibility within marriage.

Days after the Supreme Court of India recalled portions of its order directing institutions to disassociate themselves from him, educationist Michel Danino has sharply criticised the handling of the controversy by NCERT, accusing the body of abandoning textbook contributors to protect itself.

The controversy stemmed from references to corruption and judicial delays in a revised Class 8 social science textbook, which led the Supreme Court earlier this year to pass an order directing governments and publicly funded institutions to distance themselves from Danino, educationist Suparna Divakar and legal researcher Alok Prasanna Kumar.

Speaking after the court partially recalled the order, Danino described the original direction as unprecedented and excessively harsh, arguing that it effectively amounted to a lifelong academic ban without due process.

He said the order had immediate professional consequences, including the termination of his guest professor contract at IIT Gandhinagar. According to Danino, neither he nor his co-authors were given an opportunity to present their side before punitive directions were issued.

Danino alleged that NCERT failed to properly explain the pedagogical framework behind the textbook before the court and instead “threw us under the bus” in an attempt to shield itself from criticism. He claimed the institution did not consult the authors before filing affidavits and later removed them from committees without any formal communication.

Despite the dispute, Danino defended the broader educational philosophy behind the revised textbooks, saying social science education cannot avoid controversy if it aims to build critical thinking among students.

Referring to the objectives of the National Education Policy 2020, he argued that textbooks should prepare students to engage with real-world complexities rather than present “sanitized” versions of institutions and public life.

Danino also rejected the idea that middle-school students are too “impressionable” to discuss institutional challenges, saying modern educational theory supports introducing critical discussions from Grade 6 onwards.

Looking back, he admitted that one subsection title — “Corruption in the judiciary” — could perhaps have been phrased differently, though he maintained that the chapter itself was balanced and respectful. He emphasised that much of the discussion relied on observations previously made by judges themselves regarding challenges within the judicial system.

The academic further warned that the controversy could create a “chilling effect” on textbook writers and educators, discouraging them from addressing complex or sensitive subjects in classrooms for fear of backlash.

Danino also revealed that he no longer intends to participate in textbook writing, saying the experience reinforced how vulnerable academics can become during institutional controversies. Despite the episode, he said he remains committed to continuing his intellectual and educational work independently.

The Supreme Court of India is set to hear a petition challenging the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE)’s recent decision to mandate the study of three languages for Class 9 students from July 1, following an abrupt reversal in its earlier policy position.

The case has been filed by a group of 19 parents and teachers from multiple cities who argue that the sudden change has created confusion among students and schools while disrupting years of preparation in foreign language education.

According to the petitioners, CBSE had earlier issued guidelines in April that appeared to provide flexibility regarding language choices. However, the board later reversed its stance and made the three-language requirement compulsory for Class 9 students, triggering widespread concern among parents, educators, and school administrators.

The petition claims that many students have already spent years studying foreign languages such as French, German, or Spanish under existing school frameworks. The sudden implementation of a revised language policy, the plea argues, could force students to alter their academic plans midway without adequate preparation time.

Parents and teachers have also raised concerns over infrastructure and implementation challenges, stating that several schools may not have sufficient qualified teachers, learning materials, or classroom resources to immediately accommodate the revised requirement.

The petitioners have reportedly argued before the court that abrupt policy shifts in education can negatively affect students’ academic continuity and mental well-being, especially when introduced in the middle of an academic cycle.

The Supreme Court is expected to hear the matter next week. The outcome of the case could have wider implications for language education policy and the implementation of multilingual learning frameworks across schools affiliated with CBSE nationwide.