Ep 13: Abhinav Sekhri on section 66A & 69A IT Act, Shreya Singhal v UOI & Legal zombies

In the 13th episode of the Jack of all knowledge I'm talking to Abhinav Sekhri. Abhinav is a practicing lawyer based in Delhi. He graduated from NLS Bangalore in 2014 and since then has been litigating. He is especially interested in criminal law, evidence and procedure and also edits and writes about the same on his blog Proof of Guilt. He attended HLS for his masters on an Inlaks Shivdasini scholarship.

We extensively talk about section 66A,of the IT act  the history behind how section 66A was struck down in the now famous judgement of Shreya Singhal v UOI, and also how it has now become a legal zombie - a law that despite being struck down is continually being used to prosecute individuals. We then talk about section 69A of the IT act, which although was challenged in Shreya Singhal but was ruled to be constitutionally firm. The section is back in the public discourse after its use became frequent by the present government to take down certain types of online content.

We also talk about his passion for writing, his views on what reforms are needed in the Indian criminal justice system, what would his advice be to aspiring criminal lawyers and lastly - which books should law students read to gain a better knowledge of the law. Abhinav is on twitter as @abhinavsekhri10

I hope you enjoy the conversation.

Relevant links:

1. Proof of guilt: https://theproofofguilt.blogspot.com/

2. Section 66A and other legal zombies: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3275893

3. Shreya Singhal on the case: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2Gj8hUd2DJ03LDxVNCzru2?si=GxdE3iSuQz60oWhkh7DNEA&dl_branch=1

4. Section 69A of the IT act must go: https://www.deccanherald.com/opinion/section-69a-of-it-act-must-also-go-1012522.html?utm_source=pocket_mylist

5. Disintegration of Criminal Justice System: https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/lead/the-disintegration-of-the-criminal-justice-system/article32785928.ece?utm_source=pocket_mylist