Ganatantra

In the last decade or so, the Indian higher judiciary and its functioning have come under the scanner like never before. The Supreme Court's proceedings are covered daily, often minute by minute in important cases and its judgements dissected minutely.

Although it is supposed to be a judicial body, the political role of courts cannot be denied. Whether in its judgements or even choosing to hear certain cases and not others, the higher judiciary has an impact on the political landscape in various ways. Part of this has to do with the changing role of the court, and the ways in which judges are appointed to the bench.

In this episode we are joined by Dr Aparna Chandra of the National Law University, Delhi to dissect the recent functioning of the courts, the process of appointment, and the political role of the court.

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Large scale migration has been a feature of life in the Indian subcontinent in the last two centuries, both within and out of the region. In his book, "India Moving" Chinmay Tumbe calls it the 'Great Indian Migration Wave' - an ongoing process that is probably the largest and longest migration stream in history.

This is a process that both contributes to and is a consequence of marginalization. In this episode, we speak to Dr. Tumbe to unpack some of the themes in his book and see how migration and marginalization intersect and impact.

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Popular discourse about Maoists in India veers from the extremes of heroism to demonization with little attempt to address the nuances of the situation. Given that the movement draws its support from some of the most Marginalised communities in India, there's a need to unpack its appeal and its limitations. In this episode, we speak to Alpa Shah of the London School of Economics and Political Science about her recent book, "Nightmarch". On the shortlist for the Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay New India Foundation Book Prize, 2019 it is a deep examination of the contradictions of the Maoist movement in 21st century India, told in an accessible and engaging manner.

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Earlier this year, the Supreme Court of India ordered state governments to begin eviction of Adivasis and Forest dwellers whose claims for forest rights under the Forest Rights Act had been dismissed. Following a backlash against the move from Adivasi communities, the Supreme Court put this order on hold.

In this episode, we're joined by Rajni Soren an advocate-activist who works in issues related to forest rights and practices in the Chhattisgarh HC to talk about how the Adivasi movement have used the law and political institutions to protect their rights.

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Across India, radical Dalit movements have dipped their toes into electoral politics as they have tried to represent their communities in institutions of governance. What challenges do they face? Why has the BSP been more successful at electoral politics in Uttar Pradesh and not say, the VCK in Tamil Nadu? How does the current system of reserved seats affect the electoral prospects of Dalit parties across India? Would the scenario have been different if the Poona Pact was never entered into?

We are joined by Hugo Gorringe, author of "Panthers in Parliament", as we try to answer these questions and understand how India's Westminster style of Parliamentary democracy affects the electoral aspirations of Dalit parties.

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The platform gig economy has brought several changes in the way work is performed and organised. Some kinds of work challenge the very underpinnings of labor and industrial laws - such as the need for a place of work and the space for collective bargaining. Tech mediated platform gig work while offering flexibility to those who seek it and low entry barriers, may also in its own way be expanding the margins of society leaving those who are doing such work with little recourse in the law or little opportunity to negotiate futures. In this context, Alok and Sarayu discuss futures of workers and discuss the ways in which politics and law needs to be imagined.

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The historic NALSA judgment (National Legal Services Authority v. Union of India, 2014) was historic in that it read in major rights to be applicable to the transgender community, including specific directives to the government around social and economic welfare. The implications of this judgment were diluted with the Transgender Persons Bill 2018. The legislation has faced significant resistance and criticism within the community.

To discuss the voices within the movement, claims for social welfare, the particular challenges faced by trans-men, and multiple marginalities - and the ways these play into shaping the transgender movement and the broader societal implications - we are joined by Nadika Nadja, who is a trans-lesbian feminist and a writer and researcher with interests in History and Archaeology, Entertainment, Gender and Internet.

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Few issues in post independence India have caused as much heated debate as the issue of reservation in government jobs and college seats. The purpose of this move as the SC famously put it, was parity and not charity. However, with the 103rd Constitutional amendment allowing reservations on purely economic criteria, that too beyond the 50% limit the SC had enforced in the past, does this goal of reservation policy still hold true?

To talk about this, we're joined by Dr Gopal Guru, editor at the Economic and Political Weekly and former professor at JNU. In this episode we go into history of reservations in India, the evolution of the term "Dalit" and the future path of social justice movements in the country.

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The preparation of the final list of the National Register of Citizens has stirred up more than its share of controversy with two million or so people in Assam suddenly facing the prospect of being rendered stateless. The anti-migrant (read anti-Bengali) rhetoric which informed the legal structure for the NRC has had many unintended victims - women, transgender persons, scheduled tribes and even native Assamese who couldn't "prove" citizenship. In this episode, we're joined by Smitana Saikia of FLAME University, Pune to talk about the history and impact of this exercise and how it has caused and has the potential to cause further marginalization.

You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.

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Ganatantra Season 2: We're back from hiatus and we have an exciting new lineup of episodes for you! In this intro episode, Sarayu and Alok outline what you can look forward to, the three themes around which episodes will be structured and why we've chosen the topics we have.

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