What happens when a Constitution promises rights, but the systems built around it keep concentrating power?In this episode, LAOT host Arnav Mathur speaks with constitutional scholar Dr. Gautam Bhatia about his new book, The Indian Constitution: A Conversation with Power. The book reframes the Constitution as a map of power, showing how its design and interpretation have enabled what Dr. Bhatia calls the “centralising drift.”The discussion unpacks the idea of a “Franken-Constitution,” the limits of courts and popular constitutionalism, and the unspoken “constitutional common sense” that shapes outcomes. It also asks a difficult question: can India’s Constitution still imagine a more decentralised, plural future?

In this part II of the Episode, we continue the discussion with Prof. Tarunabh Khaitan and Prof. Surbhi Karwa about their book “Hum Bharat Ke Log”" a remarkable work that brings India’s most important constitutional debates such as democracy, freedoms, federalism, and the rule of law to a wider public.

The conversation explores what it means to make constitutional ideas truly accessible without losing rigour, and how language itself shapes who gets to engage with the Constitution. Together, we discuss the core principles of rule of law, secularism, socialism, and democracy, and reflect on the challenges of democratic backsliding, all in a way that invites even non-lawyers to think, question, and analyse the issues shaping India today.

In this episode of LAOT Podcast series, Jeetendra Vishwakarma, Editor-in-Chief at Law and Other Things, speaks with Prof. Tarunabh Khaitan and Prof. Surbhi Karwa about their book “Hum Bharat Ke Log”" a remarkable work that brings India’s most important constitutional debates such as democracy, freedoms, federalism, and the rule of law to a wider public.

The conversation explores what it means to make constitutional ideas truly accessible without losing rigour, and how language itself shapes who gets to engage with the Constitution. Together, we discuss the core principles of rule of law, secularism, socialism, and democracy, and reflect on the challenges of democratic backsliding, all in a way that invites even non-lawyers to think, question, and analyse the issues shaping India today.

In this episode of the Law and Other Things podcast, hosts Vishnu and Hamza speak with renowned author and scholar, Professor Karthik Muralidharan from the University of California at San Diego. Professor Muralidharan provides a brief overview of his recently released book, Accelerating India’s Development, a State Led Roadmap for Effective Governance, and then dives into a deeper discussion of the chapter on “Federalism and Decentralization”. He argues that we must revisit the first principles of Federalism, and align our governance initiatives accordingly. He also gives some implementable suggestions for a progressive decentralization of governance in India. He further argues that delimitation presents both a challenge and an opportunity to revisit our federal structure.

LAOT Editors-in-Chief, Anushree Verma and Shravani Shendye interview Abhinav Sekhri and Gautam Bhatia on legal writing. Both Abhinav and Gautam run successful blogs - the Proof of Guilt and Indian Constitutional Law and Philosophy, respectively. Our EICs speak to them regarding their journeys with legal writing and advice for students interested in producing legal scholarship.

The Indian Feminist Judgments project [IFJP] is a collaboration between feminist legal academics, litigators and judges, practitioners, and activists from law and other disciplines who use a feminist lens to re-write alternative opinions to existing judgments. Indian Law Review, Volume 5 (Issue 3) presents a set of six re-written judgments and accompanying commentaries prepared as part of the IFJP.

This interview with Shreya Atrey and Gauri Pillai was conducted over a Zoom call and edited for length and clarity. Shreya is an Associate Professor in International Human Rights Law based at the Bonavero Institute of Human Rights. Gauri is a DPhil candidate, with the Faculty of Law, University of Oxford. This interview discusses their rewriting of the judgment in Air India v. Nergesh Meerza.

Law and Other things is a legal blog that publishes analytical and explainer pieces in the field of public law. The law and other things podcast series intends to bring to its listeners interesting and enlightening conversations on a wide range of topics relating to law, sociology, politics and various other fields.

You can follow our podcast on :

· Anchor · Spotify · Amazon Music · Sticher · Google Podcasts · Our Website

Thank you for listening! If you have any feedback please write to us at laotnalsar@gmail.com

The Indian Feminist Judgments project [IFJP] is a collaboration between feminist legal academics, litigators and judges, practitioners, and activists from law and other disciplines who use a feminist lens to re-write alternative opinions to existing judgments. Indian Law Review, Volume 5 (Issue 3) presents a set of six re-written judgments and accompanying commentaries prepared as part of the IFJP.

This interview with Kanika Sharma and Laura Lammasniemi was conducted over a Zoom call and edited for length and clarity. Kanika Sharma is the Chair of the Centre for Law in Asia at the SOAS University of London. Her research focuses on South Asian colonial legal history, political trials in India, and the development of feminist rights in the country. Laura Lammasniemi is an associate professor at Warwick University, and her research is focused on the legal history of women and crime in 19th-century England. This interview pertains to their rewriting of the judgment of Dadaji Bhikaji v Rukhmabai, which uses the legal rules of the period and puts forward an alternative application of the doctrine of Restitution of Conjugal Rights, which is primarily based on consent and makes a case for taking into account female consent to both marriage and conjugal relations in the same.

Law and Other things is a legal blog that publishes analytical and explainer pieces in the field of public law. The law and other things podcast series intends to bring to its listeners interesting and enlightening conversations on a wide range of topics relating to law, sociology, politics and various other fields.

You can follow our podcast on :

· Anchor · Spotify · Amazon Music · Sticher · Google Podcasts · Our Website

Thank you for listening! If you have any feedback please write to us at laotnalsar@gmail.com

The Indian Feminist Judgments project [IFJP] is a collaboration between feminist legal academics, litigators and judges, practitioners, and activists from law and other disciplines who use a feminist lens to re-write alternative opinions to existing judgments. Indian Law Review, Volume 5 (Issue 3) presents a set of six re-written judgments and accompanying commentaries prepared as part of the IFJP.

This interview with Anindita Pattanayak and Douglas McDonald-Norman was conducted over a Zoom call and edited for length and clarity. Douglas is a litigator who works in Australia and has written several articles in journals such as the Australian Journal of Human rights and Canadian journals on Refugee law. Anindita is an in-house counsel as well works as a researcher in legal policy. This interview pertains to their rewriting of the Kaushalya judgment, which challenges Justice Subbarao’s implicit use of the concepts of contamination and pollution regarding sex work.

Law and Other things is a legal blog that publishes analytical and explainer pieces in the field of public law. The law and other things podcast series intends to bring to its listeners interesting and enlightening conversations on a wide range of topics relating to law, sociology, politics and various other fields.

 You can follow our podcast on :

· Anchor · Spotify · Amazon Music · Sticher · Google Podcasts · Our Website 

Thank you for listening! If you have any feedback please write to us at laotnalsar@gmail.com