Goonj – India Law Blog & Insights on Society and Spirituality

The Day Glass Ceiling Shattered: India’s Women Claim the World Cup (Scene opens on a dimly lit stage. A lone spotlight shines on an empty cricket bat lying on the pitch. The sound of distant, heart-breaking applause fades to a whisper.) ACT I: The Echo of Heartbreak Narrator (Voice, deep and resonant): For decades, the air was heavy with the ghost of 'what if.' We stood on the precipice of glory in 2005. We stared into the abyss of defeat in 2017. The Women in Blue, the pioneers, they fought in empty stadiums, carrying a dream not yet claimed. They knew the sacrifice. They felt the cold doubt of a billion eyes often looking elsewhere. (A single, fierce strike of lightning flashes on the screen, accompanied by the crash of a dropped wicket. The lights come up slightly, revealing the silhouettes of players huddled, backs to the audience.) Voice of Smriti Mandhana (whisper): “The whispers hurt more than the losses. ‘Stick to the kitchen.’ ‘It's just the women's game.’...

The Shadow of the Locked Door: Kerala Single Dwelling Place Protection Bill 2025 A Human Story Behind a Landmark Law In a small, rain-soaked lane in rural Kerala, the sound of an Advocate Commissioner’s car pulling up is followed by the metallic click of a heavy lock. NARRATOR: In Kerala, every four cents of land holds a dream — a dream of veedu , of family, of security. For generations, this small piece of earth has been a sanctuary, the ultimate promise: No matter what, we will always have a roof over our heads. (The scene focuses on an elderly woman, Ammachi, standing outside a modest, color-washed home. Her hands clutch a crumpled notice. Her eyes, wide with disbelief, shimmer with heartbreak.) AMMACHI (whispering, broken): A loan for my daughter’s dowry… a debt of five lakhs. We paid, we struggled… then my son lost his Gulf job during the pandemic. They said, “The house is collateral.” We thought it was just paper. (A cold, official voice cuts through, echoing the cent...

The Light That Never Fades: Celebrating Guru Nanak Dev Ji Jayanti The air is cold, the night is deep, but a profound light is about to dawn. Across cities, towns, and quiet villages, the faithful rise before the sun, drawn by a sound that transcends centuries—the melodious, soul-stirring hymns (Kirtan) echoing from Gurdwaras adorned with countless twinkling lights. For forty-eight hours, the AkhandPath —the uninterrupted reading of the eternal wisdom of the Guru Granth Sahib—fills the heavens, culminating precisely with the first light of this sacred day: Guru Purab . It is the birth celebration of GuruNanak Dev Ji , the founder of the Sikh faith, who walked this earth not just as a prophet, but as a revolutionary challenging the darkness of his time. He spoke truth to power, dismantled the chains of caste, championed the equality of all, and gave the world a message as simple as it was profound: "There is one God, and truth is His Name." This is the day we honor th...

POSH ACCOUNTABILITY REDEFINED: ARE YOUR RECORDS READY FOR JUDICIAL AUDIT? The post-enactment phase of India's Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 ( POSH Act ) marks a decisive transition — from simple compliance to structural transparency and stringent enforcement . This evolution is being driven by significant interventions across legal, judicial, and digital domains. LEGAL & CORPORATE ACCOUNTABILITY: MANDATORY DISCLOSURES The most impactful shift in corporate governance is the move towards mandatory, data-driven POSH disclosures at the board level. Earlier Compliance Companies were often only required to make a one-line statement confirming the constitution of an Internal Committee (IC) in their Directors’ Report under the Companies Act, 2013. The Shift to Transparency Amendments by the Ministry ofCorporate Affairs (MCA) now mandate detailed disclosures in the Board’s Report — requiring specific data po...