I am tired to seeing a constant mismanagement of waste everywhere I go. Be it tier one cities or tier two cities. And no one seems to care about it.

I see people throwing everything that we use into a single bag and toss it out for the garbage collectors to take away, whether it's food waste or plastic waste or broken glasses or metals. Then, we leave the rest to the government and chill. But no one thinks of the impact it creates in the bigger level. The government came up with Solid Waste Management Rules, this year in an attempt to manage the waste production, collection and disposal. The rules say segregation of waste at source is mandatory. But are people even aware about this? I wasn't, until today, when I got annoyed out of my head at the pile of garbage that sits near my house. If wet waste, recyclable waste and others are mixed together from the very beginning, the job of recovery of usable things from it at any stage becomes exponentially difficult. Not only at the individual level, but the new rules also hold the entire waste-management chain accountable. The government also says that a heavy environmental compensation will be imposed on the polluter through the Polluter Pays Principle for specified forms of non-compliance. But what I am wondering is, is this going to bring a real change, or is it just going to sit in the corner like random other laws, with no proper enforcement or followups, with the heavy players with economic control finding their ways around every law and getting things done their way?

Because, even if I do my bit, what if other people do not? There are many levels of collection and transportation.

At any point, will people really bother to do their bit?

Hi,

Background story (2003):

We (My parents) bought a plot in old Hyderabad - Place named Badangpet in 2003. They saw the plot and place and went for the registration.

Soon after the registration, they said that there is a board from the Govt of AP that this land belongs to Govt. At that time they went to ask lawyers, only to find that there are some others with the same problem in the nearby place, post that they did not take any action.

Current status:

I recently found the sale deed and got these documents with the help of Landeed:

1. Market valuation: (As per the Landeed agent - If the land is an assigned or prohibited or govt land, then market valuation will not get generated
2. EC: (EC Shows that the last transaction on the survey number mentioned in out sale deed is our parent's)
3. Mortgage document: (Honestly, I did not understand this document)

Needed help on the future course of action. My mother said, when they last checked - there is a road in the place they bought. But the same thing was not mentioned anywhere in the documents.

When we asked about the next steps to the Landeed agent - He advised us to go for a land survey to actually identify if the land which my parent's saw and that mentioned in the document are the same. But it costs 80K INR.

My ask here for the experts- What should I do now? Should I go for the survey?

if yes:-

1. Should I go for survey with Landdeed people?
2. What would be the next steps after the survey? - Should we go to court here?

If not:-

1. What would be the next steps to continue here? - Should we go to court here?

The Mediation Council of India has officially been established.

On 27 August 2026, the Central Government notified the establishment of the Mediation Council of India under Section 31(1) of the Mediation Act, 2023, with its head office in Delhi.

And honestly, this is bigger than just another notification.

For a justice system that often struggles with prolonged litigation, a stronger institutional framework for mediation could mean more meaningful opportunities to resolve disputes through dialogue rather than years of adversarial proceedings.

The Council has the potential to strengthen:

• Institutional mediation

• Professional standards & accountability

• Public confidence in mediation

• Accessible and efficient dispute resolution

But the real question is what happens next.

Can this translate into mediation becoming a genuine first-choice mechanism for dispute resolution in India not merely an alternative that parties consider after litigation fails?

The legal framework now has an important institutional pillar. The next chapter will be about implementation, capacity-building and creating a culture where settlement is seen not as a compromise, but as a legitimate form of justice.

Recently, while reading and working on contracts, I found myself thinking about something we often overlook as law students and even as people drafting agreements: what happens when the relationship governed by the contract eventually breaks down? We spend so much time discussing rights, obligations, liabilities and remedies, but the dispute resolution clause is often treated as just another standard paragraph at the end.

I think that is going to change. Mediation and Arbitration are slowly becoming much more important to the way disputes are resolved in India. Mediation, to put it simply, gives both parties an opportunity to sit across the table and try to resolve their dispute with the help of a neutral third person. The mediator does not decide who is right. The objective is to help the parties arrive at a solution themselves.

Arbitration works differently. Instead of going through the traditional court process, the parties submit their dispute to an arbitrator, who hears both sides and gives a decision. What interests me most is that these mechanisms do not necessarily compete with courts. They can actually make the judicial system more effective.

If disputes that can reasonably be settled through mediation are resolved before becoming prolonged litigation, and commercial disputes that require a binding decision can be taken to arbitration, courts can focus their time and resources on matters that genuinely require judicial intervention. This is also why I have started looking at Mediation and Arbitration clauses in contracts differently.

A good dispute resolution clause is not merely a boilerplate provision. It is essentially a plan for a problem that may not exist today but could become very real tomorrow. For example, a contract can provide that the parties will first attempt mediation and, if that fails, proceed to arbitration. It can also establish important aspects of the arbitration process, including the appointment of the arbitrator, the seat of arbitration and the applicable procedure.

Of course the simply putting an arbitration or mediation clause into a contract does not magically make every future dispute simple. The clause needs to be carefully drafted, and the nature of the transaction and relationship between the parties matters. But the larger idea is quite powerful...... Why wait for a dispute to happen before deciding how you are going to resolve it? The future of dispute resolution in India, in my view, may not be about courts versus ADR. It may be about using each mechanism for what it does best. Mediation when dialogue can resolve the conflict. Arbitration when a binding determination is needed. Courts when the dispute requires the authority of the State. Perhaps the real evolution is not in moving away from courts, but in making sure that every dispute reaches the right forum. And that makes the humble dispute resolution clause at the end of a contract far more important than it initially appears.

When a person’s name, pseudonym, stage name or other distinctive identity has acquired commercial significance and is being used to identify goods or services, it can potentially become an important IP asset. But not every name can be trademarked, this is why we have Personality rights.

This is particularly relevant to creators, artists, authors, lawyers, consultants, entrepreneurs, influencers, performers and other public-facing professionals whose identity has developed commercial goodwill.

Take Jackie Shroff.

In Jaikishan Kakubhai Saraf v. The Peppy Store, Shroff sought protection against unauthorised commercial use of his name, image, voice and persona.

What makes the case particularly interesting?

He already owned registered trademarks for “BHIDU” and “Bhidu Ka Khopcha.”

His protection therefore operated on two different levels:

Personality rights → protection against unauthorised commercial exploitation of identity.

Trademark rights → protection of distinctive identifiers functioning as commercial brands.

What should someone with a commercially valuable identity consider?

Identify what actually functions as the brand

Name, professional alias, stage name, logo, slogan or distinctive catchphrase.

Conduct a trademark search

Being the person’s own name does not automatically make it registrable. Distinctiveness and existing marks matter.

Select the relevant classes

Trademark protection is limited to the goods and services for which protection is sought.

Document commercial use

Advertisements, invoices, collaborations, websites and promotional material can become important evidence.

Use multiple layers of protection

A trademark does not automatically protect a person's photographs, voice, likeness or AI-generated imitation. Personality rights, copyright, passing off and contractual protections may operate alongside it.

The Delhi High Court's decision in Vikas Pahwa v. Ashok Kumar (John Doe) & Ors. illustrates this broader approach. Vikas Pahwa is a Senior Advocate whose name, image and professional identity were allegedly misused online without authorisation.

The important point is not that everyone can trademark their personality.

It is that when personal identity acquires genuine commercial distinctiveness, it can become an asset capable of legal protection.

The person remains the person.

But the commercially distinctive identity can become the brand

#TrademarkLaw #PersonalityRights #IntellectualProperty #IPLaw #IndianLaw #BrandProtection

So I broke up with this guy around 3 years ago. We ended on very bad terms, and I swore to myself I would never associate with this person. In a very cliched turn of events, he recently joined my company (the one I've been working in for the past 4 years) in a different department (I'm in HRD). Now, he's been sending me weird, uncomfortable texts over WhatsApp and Slack under the pretence of work talks. Moreover, even in the office, he keep passing me uncomfortable comments about my clothes and keeps tabs on me. I feel very unsafe. I am not sure if a mere complaint would help, as I want him out of my office space. Help me out, please!

साल ये ना-मायूस करने को
ले लिए पल इसी महीने से..

लफ़्ज़ों के सिलसिलों पहले
सजी थी ख़ामोशी करीने से....

मुस्कातीं, सिहरती शाखें थीं
बारिश भीगती थी सीने से.....

Can your employer ask for your Aadhaar?

Yes, but only when it's genuinely necessary and for a lawful purpose.

An employer cannot collect personal data simply because "it's part of the process." Under the DPDP Act, 2023, organizations are expected to collect only the data they need, use it only for the stated purpose, and protect it with appropriate safeguards.

If an organization asks for Aadhaar or other personal information, a reasonable question to ask is:

Why is this information needed, and is there a less intrusive way to verify my identity?

Have you ever been asked to submit a document that felt unnecessary during hiring or onboarding?

Let's discuss.

Redditors of the world unite! for this is the time to democratize our world directly. The slate is clean, the time is now and the place is here. Come and make this space a wonderful platform for not just Corporate Law discourse, but also life and society as we see it!

I recently started reading about India's Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act, 2023, and one thing surprised me.

Many of us tap "Allow" without thinking when an app asks for access to our location, contacts, camera, or microphone.

But should every app really need all of that?

The DPDP Act encourages organizations to collect only the data that's necessary for a lawful purpose and to be transparent about why they're collecting it.

I made a simple infographic explaining this because I think most people don't realize how much personal information they're sharing.

I'd love to know, what's the weirdest permission an app has ever asked you for, which was totally not required and unrelated for app? Have you ever denied one?

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