Murali's Writeups...

  Conflict in South Asia and India options 1. When India was born as a free nation, it also inherited a new neighbouring country that became its perpetual enemy. With Pakistan, India has had at least five recognised armed conflicts. The first was the Kashmir invasion by irregulars supported by the newly formed Pakistani state. The second was the 1965 war. The third was the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War. Thereafter, we had the Kargil crisis (the fourth), which was nothing short of a war, although it was not fought on all fronts. More recently, we also had Operation Sindhur 1.0. According to the press release of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Defence of India, Operation Sindhur 1.0 is not over. It has only been kept in abeyance at the request of Pakistan. Pakistan claimed that it was the prodding by Mr. Donald Trump that compelled India to accept a cessation of hostilities between the two countries. India, on the other hand, maintains that it was Pakistan that w...

  Global Energy Crisis: Some Reflections. 1.   The Russia-Ukraine conflict has now been going on for more than four years. Russia currently occupies approximately 20% of Ukrainian territory. The Russian occupation of Ukrainian territories, including Crimea, employed the unlawful use of force. Hence, it is not legal. The rest of Europe has not yet legitimised Russian occupation of Ukraine's territory. But if you ask whether Russia has won the war, the answer is no. Russia has not won the war, even though it is in illegal occupation of approximately 20% of Ukrainian territory. But Ukraine cannot be declared as the winner in the war. “In fact, both are losers!” Russia is losing anywhere between 500 million and 1 billion US dollars every day in conducting this war. The Russia-Ukraine conflict is likely to continue for the foreseeable future. It will continue so long as Europe has the political will and economic power to provide Ukraine with the type of support that the later has b...

Museum Entrance 1. On 15th March 2026, I had the opportunity to adjudicate a moot court at Hidayatullah National Law University. I decided to explore the now-famous Chhattisgarh Tribal Freedom Museum. I reached the museum at 9:55 AM, as it was scheduled to open at 10:00 AM. However, the first ticket of the day was issued to me only at 10:15 AM. I must admit, I was slightly disappointed that the museum did not open at the stipulated time. That said, I understand that the caretakers may have needed additional time to ensure that all 13 pavilions were properly cleaned and staffed before allowing visitors inside. Still, when a museum announces an opening time, one expects operations to begin promptly, especially when visitors are already waiting. That minor delay, however, was my only complaint. The rest of the experience was overwhelmingly positive. 2. About Chhattisgarh Chhattisgarh is a fascinating state, carved out of Madhya Pradesh on 1st November 2000, becoming the 26th st...

A Visit to Kutumsar Caves, Jagdalpur District, Chhattisgarh State Recently, I attended the convocation of Hidayatullah National Law University, Raipur. I was accompanied by my friend of 35 years and law professor, Vijay Kumar. We went there essentially to see the National Tribal Museum located at Jagdalpur. As luck would have it, the museum was closed, so we looked for alternative places of interest. Thanks to Google, we found the Kutumsar Caves. The name signifies the nearby village close to the cave. The original name is Gopansar Cave. “Gopan,” in the local language, means  “hidden.”  This is a limestone cave formed in the Kanger Limestone belt, situated on the banks of the River Kanger, a tributary of the Kolhab River. The entrance to the tunnel itself is a challenging experience.   Figure 1  Cave entrance   Once you crawl for about six feet, you enter the main tunnel. The main tunnel of the cave is nearly 200 meters long, with several lateral and d...