ONE BITE TOO MANY
India Legal|December 12, 2022
Gangster Ejaz Lakdawala’s attempt to get a mosquito net in jail was rejected by the sessions court. But various judgments have reiterated that prisoners cannot be robbed of their right to live with dignity
Viraj Lahane
ONE BITE TOO MANY

THE aim of the Constitution is to accord to all citizens equal rights and freedoms. These freedoms are naturally restricted if one is convicted of an offense, but there cannot be absolute dissolution.

Does forcing a prisoner to live in horrific conditions have any purpose or is it just punishment for the harm caused to the victim? Due to the recent denial of Mumbai gangster Ejaz Lakdawala's application to a Mumbai sessions court seeking permission to use a mosquito net this issue has received a lot of attention.

This poses the question: Was the judiciary right to dismiss his application, and if so, what rationale and purpose did it serve? And is making prisoners live in inhabitable conditions justified? Lakdawala said in his complaint that the jail administration had taken away his mosquito net in May due to security reasons even though he was allowed to use it in 2020 when he was held in judicial custody.

When Lakdawala was brought before a sessions court in Mumbai recently, he displayed a plastic container containing dead mosquitoes and said that the inmates of Taloja jail, where he was lodged, have to deal with this issue daily. However, the jail administration rejected the plea, citing security concerns.

The court's statement that Lakdawala could use Odomos and other insect repellents while denying the application is debatable.

This story is from the December 12, 2022 edition of India Legal.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the December 12, 2022 edition of India Legal.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM INDIA LEGALView All
PIL, Difficult To Swallow?
India Legal

PIL, Difficult To Swallow?

In a recent ruling, the Bombay High Court lamented the increasing number of frivolous public interest litigations being filed in courts and echoed the sentiments of the Supreme Court that such litigations are the bane of the judicial system. Is there any way to restrict their misuse?

time-read
6 mins  |
February 13, 2023
Till Infertility Do Us Part...
India Legal

Till Infertility Do Us Part...

The Calcutta High Court slammed a husband for initiating divorce proceedings due to his wife's infertility and asked him to be a pillar of support for her. Courts have often taken an empathetic view in such matters

time-read
4 mins  |
February 13, 2023
IS THAT LEGAL?
India Legal

IS THAT LEGAL?

Ignorance of law is no excuse. Here are answers to frequently asked queries regarding matters that affect us on a day-to-day basis

time-read
3 mins  |
February 13, 2023
The Big Lie
India Legal

The Big Lie

In America, The Big Lie is an idiom used by Donald Trump's opponents and the media to describe his constant gripe about election fraud. Now, it seems more suited to another Republican, Congressman George Santos (right), who has been facing growing calls to resign after he admitted fabricating parts of his resume and biography since his election in New York last year.

time-read
1 min  |
February 13, 2023
Flying into the Sunset
India Legal

Flying into the Sunset

Over 50 years since the first and original jumbo jet, the Boeing 747, took to the skies and revolutionized air travel, the last of the legendary aircraft (right) was delivered to a freight charter company, bringing down the curtain on one of aviation's most successful products.

time-read
1 min  |
February 13, 2023
Star Crossed
India Legal

Star Crossed

Actor and producer Alec Baldwin is a Hollywood legend, having starred in a range of movies, award winning TV sitcoms, and theatre. He was most recently seen in Mission Impossible Fallout, which is an apt description of his current situation.

time-read
1 min  |
February 13, 2023
Walkouts in the UK
India Legal

Walkouts in the UK

An estimated half a million workers have gone on strike, shutting down thousands of schools, public transport and border disruption. It is the biggest day of industrial action for more than a decade.

time-read
1 min  |
February 13, 2023
Myanmar's Misery
India Legal

Myanmar's Misery

Two years after the military coup ousted the elected government led by Aung San Suu Kyi, the brutal crackdown by the junta on so-called \"insurgents\" and civilian protesters has reached a new level with the use of air strikes, a new and deadly tactic in the ongoing civil war.

time-read
1 min  |
February 13, 2023
AMERICA'S ANGST
India Legal

AMERICA'S ANGST

From messy, divisive politics to a series of mass shootings, and now black officers brutally beating another black man to death as seen in bodycam videos, America's domestic convulsions are cause for serious introspection

time-read
4 mins  |
February 13, 2023
JUSTICE LEAGUE
India Legal

JUSTICE LEAGUE

There are few judicial appointment procedures in the world that are completely bereft of the overarching presence of either the executive or the legislature, or both. In the end, the judge is left with all the powers vested in him/her by the constitution to uphold the rule of law, within an atmosphere of external influences

time-read
9 mins  |
February 13, 2023