The Drain

31/08/2024

This article offers a comprehensive examination of the Calcutta High Court's controversial advisory on teenage sexual behavior, including its rationale and the subsequent Supreme Court judgment rejecting it. It explores the implications for legal definitions of consent, state responsibilities under child protection laws, and the broader impact on personal autonomy, judicial authority, and societal norms.

Read this Legal Perspective by Hritam Saha

A critical look at the Calcutta High Court's advice on teenage sexual discipline, the Supreme Court's response, and the tension between law, choice, and societal expectations.

19/08/2024

The streets are filled with voices demanding justice for the brutal murder at Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College. But beyond the protests and hashtags, we must confront a harsh reality: will this outrage actually lead to change, or is it just another fleeting moment in a cycle of anger and inaction? It’s time we go deeper—tackle the toxic mindsets, challenge the broken systems, and ask the tough questions. Why do these horrors keep happening? And more importantly, how can we stop them for good?

Read this Editorial by Siddhant Sharma

Moving beyond temporary outrage in Kolkata's RG Kar r**e-murder case to address the systemic and deep-rooted causes of sexual violence

30/06/2024

They waited and worked hard, we waited and complained. Yesterday, their wait ended, but we are sure that we will continue complaining. Tears were flowing from their eyes. These tears do not make a sound because they mostly flow down behind the scenes. They are permitted only to make sounds in Public while in joy not in sorrow. Let them play, and if possible we must borrow their sorrow not only joy.

22/06/2024

Life does not treat you fairly. The Calcutta High Court, however, has decided to ensure fair treatment of transgenders by granting them 1% reservation in West Bengal in jobs and education. This has opened two fronts— The first being that the court cannot direct the state to provide for reservation, and the second that when the legislature and executive are inactive, let the court fill the void.

Read this legal piece by Hritam Saha

Life does not treat you fairly. The Calcutta High Court, however, has decided to ensure fair treatment of transgenders by granting them 1% reservation

16/06/2024

The 2024 Lok Sabha elections delivered more than just numbers—they told a story of overconfidence, ground realities, and the power of local issues. Our in-depth piece digs deep into how a projected " " turned into a "Mili-Julie Sarkar''. And what does it mean for Bharat’s political future?

Read this opinion piece by Siddhant Sharma & Hritam Saha

It is the ‘NDA Government', no longer the BJP Government because they missed the majority mark and now depend on allies in the NDA to run the govt.

04/06/2024

People have made their choice. The lagging opposition has played an impressive game, while the BJP suffered with its overconfidence in various strongholds. Still it made significant gains in various new grounds. And also grabbed the majority seats in 3 out of 4 Assembly Elections.

But the setback seems much more severe than the gains for the big fat party. On the other hand, the Congress-led opposition deserves a celebratory moment for the significant comeback.

25/04/2024

The Drain presents Think Talk Tribe Ep 2.

Join us for a candid chat about Indian politics and democracy! Tune in with the Think Talk Tribe!

🎧 STREAM ThinkTalkTribe On Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/4tkJeJJr7t9CYJQ6bBM6WJ▶️ WATCH ThinkTalkTribe On YouTube:https://youtube.com/playlist?list=...

09/04/2024

Rahul Gandhi coined a tagline for his Bharat Jodo Yatra— “Nafrat ke baazaar mein mohabbat ki dukaan khol rahaa hoon”. But when he centres his entire campaign around a divisive issue like caste, is he actually opening a “Mohabbat ki Dukaan” or setting up a new “Nafrat ka Baazaar”?

READ the article by Siddhant Sharma, SHARE if you like and COMMENT your views

Rahul Gandhi might have thought to reignite the Mandal vs Kamandal narrative. But why does his caste issue hardly seem to have any takers?

24/03/2024

The Former Union Finance Minister had in 2017 claimed that he was introducing a system which would bring "greater transparency and accountability" in political funding. Fast forward 7 years later, the Supreme Court holds the same system "unconstitutional" citing it to be lacking transparency and being a potential haven for black money. This tale unfolds a narrative of secrecy and intrigue surrounding our protagonist, "The name's Bond, Electoral Bond".

READ this Editorial, COMMENT your views on it & SHARE if you like it

The Former Union Finance Minister had in 2017 claimed that he was introducing a system which would bring "greater transparency and accountability" in

21/02/2024

Fali Sam Nariman (1929 - 2024)

23/01/2024

A few lines in memory of

05/01/2024

Recently, the CJI said that in the Ram Janmabhoomi case judgement the author's name was not mentioned to make it the judgement of the entire court? So the question arises, the judgements where such is mentioned are not of the entire court?

Read the full article

The CJI said that in the Ram Janmabhoomi case judgement the author's name was not mentioned to make it the judgement of the entire court? So judgement

03/01/2024

Rewind 2023— A Story of Struggles, Triumphs and Hope.

Time does not distinguish between good and bad, it uniformly tells the time. We interpret time as good and bad. Let us continue interpreting it as without it, we will have no work to do. The video does not attempt to show all the good and bad times of the year 2023, it shows that both bad and good happen in the same year what we can infer from this is that good times and bad times are just fabulous and circumstantial interpretations of humans, remember the theory of general relativity?

In this 2023 Rewind, we take a look back at some of the major highlights of the past year - from scientific and political triumphs to devastating wars and natural disasters.

But through it all, we see the power of hope and the resilience of the human spirit. We celebrate the victories and learn from the struggles, as we prepare for the future. This year was full of surprises and opportunities, and we hope that in the years to come, even more good will come our way. Thank you for watching - and may this new year be even better!

03/01/2024

Rewind 2023— A Story of Struggles, Triumphs and Hope.

Time does not distinguish between good and bad, it uniformly tells the time. We interpret time as good and bad. Let us continue interpreting it as without it, we will have no work to do. The video does not attempt to show all the good and bad times of the year 2023, it shows that both bad and good happen in the same year what we can infer from this is that good times and bad times are just fabulous and circumstantial interpretations of humans, remember the theory of general relativity?

In this 2023 Rewind, we take a look back at some of the major highlights of the past year - from scientific and political triumphs to devastating wars and natural disasters.

But through it all, we see the power of hope and the resilience of the human spirit. We celebrate the victories and learn from the struggles, as we prepare for the future. This year was full of surprises and opportunities, and we hope that in the years to come, even more good will come our way. Thank you for watching - and may this new year be even better!

02/01/2024

Time does not distinguish between good and bad, it uniformly tells the time. We interpret time as good and bad. Let us continue interpreting it as without it, we will have no work to do. The video does not attempt to show all the good and bad times of the year 2023, it shows that both bad and good happen in the same year what we can infer from this is that good times and bad times are just fabulous and circumstantial interpretations of humans, remember the theory of general relativity?

In this 2023 Rewind, we take a look back at some of the major highlights of the past year - from scientific and political triumphs to devastating wars and natural disasters.

But through it all, we see the power of hope and the resilience of the human spirit. We celebrate the victories and learn from the struggles, as we prepare for the future. This year was full of surprises and opportunities, and we hope that in the years to come, even more good will come our way. Thank you for watching - and may this new year be even better!

Time does not distinguish between good and bad, it uniformly tells the time. We interpret time as good and bad. Let us continue interpreting it as without it...

28/12/2023

The curious minds of Siddhant Sharma and Hritam Saha sat to have a discussion and deliberation, trying to explore Section 152 of the new Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita in comparison with Section 124 of the now-replaced IPC, and finding an answer to the question whether Sedition still exists in the new code.

Read this discussional article

The curious minds of Siddhant Sharma and Hritam Saha sat to have a discussion and deliberation exploring sedition in the new IPC.

04/12/2023

Former IPS officer Lalduhoma is set to lead Mizoram as his new political party ZPM got a comfortable victory in the State. Till now the State had only witnessed either a Congress or an MNF govt since it's formation in 1987. Big setback for the incumbent CM Zoramthanga from MNF isn't just that he lost power in the State but also his constituency.

03/12/2023

Power retained in Madhya Pradesh with a strong strength, Rajasthan witnesses a swap with a good victory, Chattisgarh slips out of the hands of the grand old party which got to save face by taking Telangana.

12/11/2023

The Drain wishes you a very Happy Diwali!!

इस दिवाली ज्ञान का दीपक जलाएँ
This Diwali Light the Diya of Knowledge

06/10/2023

Happy Birthday The Drain!!

3 Years since we started this News, Analysis, Opinion, and Information initiative.

It was launched on 6th October 2020, by Editor Siddhant Sharma, as a Blogger hosted online blog focused on newsy stories.

We shed light on the overlooked stories which are shaping the contemporary world. We aim to bring out important stories which are usually ditched and drained by the mainstream media.

14/09/2023

What Is The India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor?

READ. COMMENT. SHARE.

GRAND, CELEBRATORY, FESTIVE — This has been the vibe of the G20 Summit hosted by Bharat. But in this festival Bharat has been hidden behind curtains.

13/09/2023

What Has Happened At The G20 Leaders' Summit in New Delhi?

READ. COMMENT. SHARE.

GRAND, CELEBRATORY, FESTIVE — This has been the vibe of the G20 Summit hosted by Bharat. But in this festival Bharat has been hidden behind curtains.

11/09/2023

The actual theme of this year's G20 Summit has not been Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam it has been कोषधनेन स्वविज्ञापनम् (Koshdhanen Swavigyaapanam) which shall be translated into 'Using Public Treasury Money for Self-Advertisement. Most of the people out there celebrating the fact that Bharat is the host of this year's G20 Summit don't even know What G20 actually is, What does it do, What has it achieved in the past, What has been the outcome of this year's Summit for which so much taam-jhaam has been done? But here I would make an effort to answer these questions.

Read this Perspective piece by Siddhant Sharma

GRAND, CELEBRATORY, FESTIVE — This has been the vibe of the G20 Summit hosted by Bharat. But in this festival Bharat has been hidden behind curtains.

05/09/2023

16/08/2023

The question is— Have we freed ourselves from dependence after bestowing ourselves with documentary independence? This question is termed by many as a bland cliche of rhetoric, however, such a question does not lose its virginity only because it is often asked. The writer is disinclined to ask this question instead, he puts the record straight in no uncertain terms.

Read this Editorial

Have we freed ourselves from dependence after bestowing ourselves with documentary independence? This question is termed by many as a bland cliche of

15/08/2023

This Independence Day we present you a poem by Siddhant Sharma
"हमें क्या ख़ाक फ़र्क पड़ने वाला है?"

We are concerned with individual selves only, we do not care what is happening outside our concerns. Collectivity surrenders to individuality, which prospers at the cost of the suppression of the former. The politicians purposefully omit to see things. In this era of mind your own business, we are making the business of every one of us vulnerable, and here we present the status quo of our mentality.

This Independence Day we present you a poem by "हमें क्या ख़ाक फ़र्क पड़ने वाला है?" [Humein Kya Khaaq Fark Padne Wala Hai?]We are concerned ...

25/07/2023

Hritam Saha's answer to Raghav Chadha's letter to Vice President of India regarding the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Ordinance, 2023

25/06/2023

Do not become a genius.

Do not become a because we cannot; You are in the dark so are we, do not expect any springing spark; are seasonal, but the is not, but you cannot become the sun because you are already someone's son with expectations. You are , not an ; Art defies logic, we do not like magic but are the votary of the lottery. You are uncrowned and down, levitating is a song hence unreal, you cannot be surreal. We are crabs out here for our grab, we follow a pattern, and so charlatan. You cannot be , it is imagination, you have to be under everyone's attraction. We want you to ear n penny and penny until you become a granny when we will all assemble to grab your penny, once you go forever in a rainy, do not be a genius, it is not that you cannot but you shall not.

— Hritam Saha

18/06/2023

Is one free to **e a non-living body in ? "The accused is hereby acquitted…for committing the r**e on the victim-dead body as there is no provision in the to punish him for the said offence." This is what the stated in its judgement dated 30 May 2023, acquitting the accused for 'ra**ng the of the victim'.

Read this dual Perspective piece by Siddhant Sharma & Hritam Saha on the vacuum in law regarding the r**e of a non-living body.

**evictim

Is one free to r**e the dead body of a woman? "The accused is hereby acquitted…for committing the r**e on the victim-dead body as there is no provisio

04/06/2023

can only inspire the ones who can read and those who really read, , however, can liberate anyone because everyone hears however very few listen, therefore, the power of the spoken word is accessible to many. A spoken word is a moving invisible but felt object whereas a written word is still, and would say that a moving object can make a non-moving object move, which may come into contact with the same, and this is self-speaking.

would tell us that the rulers were and are scared of the motion of the spoken word as well as the written word, and therefore, the punishment would be brought in by the same for rendering the movement of the word motionless lifeless, the word, which may be only calling on to uproot the rule of the ruler but not the existence of the country, the ruler, however, to legitimize such punishment, would say the word is dangerous for the continuing existence of the country.

I may be accused, by many and convicted by few, of disservice if I go on to document the evolution of the in detail as numerous compelling documents have discharged such duty. I, however, think that tracing the rationale of the proposed change, brought in by the Law Commission of India in its report no. 279 on Section 124A of assumes significance.

The sensitive rulers, conscious of their majesty, were and are insensitively sensitive to the critics, and therefore sedition law was made to witness the powers of the police and the suffering of the dissenters. The rulers, however with time, understood that making the people believe that they are their rulers would allow the former to rule for time to come. Consequently, the liberty to criticize the policy of the government was allowed as we can find from the distinction between disapprobation and disaffection.

Section 124A as it stands today, would say if you bring hatred or disaffection against the in the minds of the people, sorry, jail is your home, now the proposed amendment would say, you may bring hatred or disaffection, you are permitted to do so, if, however, such is brought in by you with the mind, guilty of unleashing violence and disordering the streets, the jail is your home.

The popular legal maxim would say that what is missing in Section 124A, in criminal law, we say 'mens rea', i.e., guilty mind, now, by this proposed amendment, such guilty mind stands incorporated.

Is it possible to read the present form of Section 124A sans reading guilty mind therein? 'Mens rea' is a condition for any crime with few exceptions. Does not writing or speaking to instill contempt in the mind of people not amount to a guilty mind? Could the mind, which wills to bring contempt, be reasonably unaware that such contempt can bring violence? Is creating contempt in the mind of the people for the State not itself a guilty mind? It appears that what Section 124A implies, has been made explicit by the proposed amendment. No offense can be unaccompanied by the guilty mind. It is like saying that I am cutting your body without knowing that bleeding may be the consequence.

Therefore, the recommended amendment merely suggests filling up the banks, existing in Section 124A. We shall, however, be on a larger issue that is, we find in various Sections of the IPC that the words 'fraudulently, dishonestly, a reason to believe', etc are been used for conveying what, for conveying what states of mind, the law punishes when translated into action, however, in case of Section 124A, we do not find the use of such words, we are merely been told if you are tending to create hatred against the government and with the proposed amendment, if the outcome of such hatred, you want to be violence, you would be punished. Now if while making a speech, a person does not have any reason to believe that someone, hearing the same, would go on to commit violence, then should, therefore, the speaker be punished? If a person is honest while saying that we have to be violent against the police for protecting our life and property, as the same is destroying it, should, therefore, that person's life and tongue be grilled through Section 124A?

The State, from its inception, has exclusively entrusted to itself the right to be violent against its citizens. On the other side of the coin, however, the State allows a citizen to be violent only for his and his fellow citizen's self-defense, I therefore, ask this question what is the self-defense that one can take when the State attacks us? It appears that the sedition is packaged and branded as a tool for the violent State to come into violent contact with the citizens, on the same vein, the citizens, however, are disallowed to be violent despite such contact.

Spoken words and written words both are contagious where the former is of value, the latter however is of value.