The Bench and the Bar

Saurav Datta presents the case against Teesta Setalvad and Javed Anand, as well as their defence, and looks into the case law and arguments that’ll lie before the Supreme Court tomorrow.

"Does this case fall in the 93 per cent or in the remaining 7 per cent?” Supreme Court Justice Ranjan Gogoi has begun asking the bar increasingly often, reported Utkarsh Anand in the Indian Express.

While Kapil Sibal reportedly did not get the reference, Gogoi was referring to recent research by advocate KV Dhananjay and others, that revealed that only 7 per cent of cases the Supreme Court heard had a constitutional dimension to them, as reported by Legally India earlier this month.

Delhi court staff crib about government-run dispensaries that stock little else but Paracetamol in this time of mucus and mouth-breathing, coupled with apathetic doctors.

The countrywide national Lok Adalat for the settlement of bank recovery, cheques bounce and dishonoured cheques cases Saturday witnessed the settlement of 56,000 cases involving more than Rs 265 crore.

The day-long Lok Adalat for the amicable settlement of such cases was organized by the National Legal Services Authority, whose executive chairman is Justice TS Thakur, the senior most judge after Chief Justice of India HL Dattu.

“More than 56,000 cases, which include pending and pre-litigation matters have been settled. The banks and financial institutions and others who participated were able to arrive at final settlements worth Rs.265 crores and more,” said a statement issued by NALSA based on the information available with it Saturday evening.

“It is evident that the National Lok Adalat has greatly benefitted the common man and it has been achieved not only because of the legal services authorities/committees but also because of the cooperation extended by the judges, lawyers and various authorities including banks and financial institutions,” it said.

In the Supreme Court, four benches took up more than 200 cases for settlement. Two of these former apex court judges Arijit Pasayat, Gyan Sudha Misra, BS Chauhan and Ranjana Prakash Desai.

Of the other two courts, one had Justice Dipak Misra and Justice Kurian Joseph and the other had Justice Arun Mishra asnd Justice Prafulla C Pant.

There is an old joke amongst lawyers. Annoyed with a lawyer’s argument, the judge asks the lawyer: “Counsel do you take me for an idiot?”