Constitution
ALF is committed to taking the constitution to the people. Through advocacy, pedagogical interventions and research, we collaborate with organisations to demystify the values of the Constitution, and make this knowledge accessible.
ALF is also undertaking pedagogical interventions to reach out to educational institutions and share a deeper understanding of Constitutional values. If you are an organisation or a citizens’ group interested to engage with the Constitution, contact us!
Read some of ALF’s publications, articles published in the press or reports pertaining to this area of work.
THE PREAMBLE - A BRIEF INTRODUCTION
This recently published booklet has been written to contextualise and demystify the values of the Preamble, so that students, academicians and civil society organisations can engage with the Constitution in a deeper way.
Poster – Fundamental Duties
To download the English posters, click here.To download the Kannada posters, click here ...
Poster – Directive Principles of State Policy
To download the English posters, click here.To download the Kannada posters, click here ...
Standees on Equality and Fraternity
To download the PDF, click here.To download the PDF, click here ...
Preamble in Karnataka’s languages
India's Constitution is a people's Constitution - shaped by 'We the People' in many ways. However over the past few decades though, the distance between societal values and constitutional values has grown. Rectifying this requires getting the constitution closer to all diverse groups of the country. One way in which ...
ಹಿಂದೂ ದೇಗುಲಗಳನ್ನು ’ಪ್ರಭುತ್ವ ನಿಯಂತ್ರಣಮುಕ್ತ’ಗೊಳಿಸುವ ದುಷ್ಟ ಸಂಚು
ಹಿಂದೂ ದೇಗುಲಗಳನ್ನು ’ಪ್ರಭುತ್ವ ನಿಯಂತ್ರಣಮುಕ್ತ’ಗೊಳಿಸುವ ದುಷ್ಟ ಸಂಚು ...
ಸಾರ್ವಜನಿಕ ಜೀವನದಲ್ಲಿ ಕುಗ್ಗುತ್ತಿದೆ ಅಲ್ಪಸಂಖ್ಯಾತರ ಭಾಗವಹಿಸುವಿಕೆ
ಸಾರ್ವಜನಿಕ ಜೀವನದಲ್ಲಿ ಕುಗ್ಗುತ್ತಿದೆ ಅಲ್ಪಸಂಖ್ಯಾತರ ಭಾಗವಹಿಸುವಿಕೆ ...
Preamble – A Brief Introduction | ‘ಸಂವಿಧಾನ ಪೀಠಿಕೆ – ಒಂದು ಪುಟ್ಟ ಮುನ್ನುಡಿ’ | उद्देशिका – संक्षिप्त परिचय
ALF believes that the Constitution and law have always been in the clutches of lawyers and need to be freed from this. People need to be able to access the knowledge of their law, history and rights in a language and vocabulary that they are familiar with. In this spirit, ...
BSF operational jurisdiction: What is the notification all about?
BSF operational jurisdiction:What is the notification all about? ಬಿಎಸ್ಎಫ್ ಕಾರ್ಯವ್ಯಾಪ್ತಿಯ ವಿಸ್ತರಣೆ ಮತ್ತು ಒಕ್ಕೂಟ ವ್ಯವಸ್ಥೆ The ideas of national sovereignty, security and integrity must be situated in relation to other vital constitutional principles such as federalism and cannot be upheld while subverting other values. In a Gazette notification issued on 11.10.2021, ...
2nd Edition: Right to Love
To mark the third anniversary of the Navtej decision that read down Section 377 and decriminalises same sex relationships, ALF printed the second edition of Right to Love. Copies of the first edition were distributed widely among law students, representatives of political parties, students, teachers, members of the queer community, parents ...
Justice A.S. Oka: the judge known for taking suffering seriously
Mohammed Afeef and Basawa Prasad Kunale write this tribute to Justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka, looking back at his tenure as Chief Justice at the Karnataka High Court. Read now: Justice A.S. Oka: the judge known for taking suffering seriously ...
RIGHT TO LOVE: Navtej Singh Johar v. Union of India- A Transformative Constitution and the Rights of LGBT Persons
The decision in Navtej Singh Johar v Union of India, which read down Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code on 6th of September 2018 marked a historic victory for a vibrant and vociferous LGBT movement, which for over 17 years had been demanding the repeal of Section 377 of ...
Breathing Life Into The Constitution
A book on Human Rights Lawyering in India Published January 2017 Read on Scribd here. Breathing Life Into The Con... by altlawforum ...
Law Commission’s Questionnaire on the Uniform Civil Code: A Critique
The questionnaire released by the Law Commission of India to initiate a debate on the uniform civil code (UCC) is problematic on various fronts. The aim of the questionnaire, as stated by the law commission, is to seek opinion of the public about ways in which family law reforms can ...
Demonetization, the informal economy and civil society
The 50 days of the ‘Demon’ are now done. Even as the nation waits in apprehension, wanting to know what lies next, there have been several humorous responses to the same. Church Street Social, an upscale pub in Bangalore has announced that their customers can get a drink of beer ...
After Bengaluru, it’s time to re-examine racism: It’s not just slurs and attacks
What is racism? Talking heads have spent a lot of time debating this over the last couple of days, with some claiming that race opens a Pandora’s Box, and others claiming that such a box needs to be opened. But what is this racism experienced by students from African countries ...
Hate’s tryst with destiny – Prof. Kalburgi’s Murder
There has been a prominent resurgence of the hindu right wing, all over India but especially in Karnataka, in launching a relentless campaign of hate and murder with a view to curtailing the fundamental freedoms of all people, but specially writers, activists and minorities. This campaign is being carried out ...
A REPORT ON THE HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS AGAINST TRANSGENDERS IN KARNATAKA, 2014
Violence faced by the transgender community is often invisible or under reported in mainstream media. Further, an insensitive criminal justice system makes reporting even more difficult. In this report, my effort has been to document instances of violence faced by the members of transgender community in the recent past by ...
Single Credit Seminar Course on Human Rights Lawyering: Principles and Practices National Law School of India, 16-20 March 2015
Traditional teaching on human rights focuses on textual traditions such as Universal Declaration of Human Rights, International Bill of Rights or the Constitution and jurisprudence related to the same. In another understanding, Prof. Upendra Baxi notes that human rights are authored by people in resistance and communities in struggle. This ...
Human Rights Lawyering Course on Principles And Practices
Traditional teaching on human rights focuses on textual traditions such as Universal Declaration of Human Rights, International Bill of Rights or the Constitution and jurisprudence related to the same. In another understanding, Prof. Upendra Baxi notes that human rights are authored by people in resistance and communities in struggle. This ...
The Death Wish of the Constitution?
The present political dispensation hinting that they would go by the unamended version of the preamble (which did not have the words socialist and secular in it) has stirred the pot of controversy. The intellectual support for this move has been articulated by Ravi Shankar Prasad who as reported by the ...
Struggling for Reason: Fundamental Rights and the Wrongs of the Supreme Court
Article by Siddharth Narrain and Danish Sheikh in the Economic and Political Weekly. Read on Scribd here. Struggling for Reason: Fund... by altlawforum ...
Analysis of Justice Somashekhara Commission Report
An analysis of the findings of the Justice Somashekhara Commission Report on the attacks on churches in Karnataka. Read on Scribd here. Analysis of Justice Somashe... by altlawforum ...
Constitutionalism and the Possibilities of Peace
An analysis of the Nandini Sundar judgment where the Supreme Court ordered that the state of Chhattisgarh disband Special Police Officers and looked at the issue of state support to vigilante groups. This piece was published in the Infochange Agenda issue on “Peace”. Read on Scribd here. Constitutionalism and the ...
Captive Democracy: A Fact Finding Report On Abuse of the Criminal System to Curb dissent against the POSCO Steel Plant in Odisha
As is now well known, the Government of Orissa and Pohang Steel Company (POSCO), Republic of Korea signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on June 22, 2005 for setting up an Integrated Steel Plant in Orissa, in Jagatsinghpur district, affecting 8 villages of three Gram Panchayats of Kujang Tahsil, i.e ...
Mapping Media Policy and Law – Course Designs and Modules
Project Overview Mapping Media Policy and Law occupies the terrain of research, pedagogy & advocacy on Media Policy & Law (MPL) in India. The central objective of the project is to promote MPL as both, an academic field and a focal point of media advocacy in India. It aims to ...
Sedition Laws & the Death of Free Speech in India
Sedition Laws and the Death of Free Speech in India: A Publication by the Center for the Social Exclusion and Inclusive Policy, NLSIU & the Alternative Law Forum, Bangalore (2011). This publication looks at the history of sedition laws, legal interpretation of sedition laws by Indian courts, and comparative law ...
Where Angels Fear To Tread: The Ayodhya Verdict
An article by Lata Mani in Economic and Political Weeklyhttps://www.scribd.com/document/192467166/Where-Angels-Fear-to-Tread-The-Ayodhya-Verdict ...
Ishrat Jahan Judicial Enquiry Report
0https://www.scribd.com/document/192467022/Ishrat-Jahan-Judicial-Enquiry-Report ...
Democracy, Political Dissent, and Repressive Laws
Democracy, Political Dissent, and Repressive Laws: Proceedings of A PUCL-Karnataka Seminar Held on 1 July 2007 in Bangalore. Read on Scribd here. Democracy, Political Dissen... by altlawforum ...
Laws That Lack Foresight
An Article by B N Jagadeesha on rehabilitation in Vijay Times. Read on Scribd here. Laws That Lack Foresight. by altlawforum ...
Terror Has No Boundaries
An Article by B N Jagadeesha on violence against Dalit women in Vijay Times. Read on Scribd here. Terror Has No Boundaries. by altlawforum ...