The Bench and the Bar

The Supreme Court was urged today to initiate contempt of court proceedings against three lawyers who were caught in an India Today sting operation claiming that they had beaten JNU Students Union president Kanhaiya Kumar for three hours in police custody and would inflict more harm on him.

The case involving the legality of the lightweight, intra-city, four-wheeled travel vehicle, known as quadricycles, took an interesting turn yesterday before the bench of Chief Justice of India (CJI), TS Thakur and Justice UU Lalit, with heavyweight senior lawyers being hired by both the petitioners and the respondents.

The Bar Council of India (BCI) told the Supreme Court today that it unanimously agreed that advocates’ alleged assault of journalists and senior advocates outside of Patiala House district court last week was “really shameful” and a “very unfortunate... incident” that should not be tolerated, according to its affidavit published by Live Law, but that those attacks should be dealt with separately from the alleged attacks on the ‘unlawful assembly’ of JNU students who “need[ed] to be opposed strongly” and “strongly condemned”.

BJP leader Subramanian Swamy on Monday moved the Supreme Court seeking construction of Lord Ram temple at the disputed site in Ayodhya.

The Supreme Court today issued notice to filmstar Salman Khan on the Maharashtra government’s petition challenging a Bombay high court verdict acquitting him in a 2002 accident case.

The Supreme Court today transferred to the Delhi high court JNU Students' Union president Kanhaiya Kumar's petition seeking bail and security.

An apex court bench of Justice J Chelameswar and Justice Abhay Manohar Sapre, while transferring Kanhaiya's petition, asked the high court to hear it expeditiously.

The court also recorded the statement of Solicitor General Ranjit Kumar that the lawyers representing Kanhaiya Kumar before the high court and media personnel be provided with full security.

The court directed its secretary general to forthwith transfer Kanhaiya's writ petition and related papers to the high court.

Kanhaiya Kumar's lawyers are likely to mention it for an early hearing before the high court on Friday afternoon.

Not impossible that Delhi HC cannot hear the matter; SC not an appropriate forum and case is not at a right stage to hear the bail: SC

tweeted @CNN-IBN.

Senior counsel Soli Sorabjee, Raju Ramachandran, and advocate Vrinda Grover are all acting for Kumar. Read the petition here.

India’s 156-year-old, colonial-era sedition law - used against arrested Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union President Kanhaiya Kumar - has been discarded by the UK (where punishment once included chopping ears), Scotland, South Korea and Indonesia.

The Supreme Court today cleared the decks for the revocation of President’s Rule in Arunachal Pradesh as it vacated its own order of status quo that it had passed yesterday.

JNU student leader Kanhaiya Kumar, arrested for sedition, on Thursday moved the Supreme Court for bail as students rallied in support across the country and the opposition took the row to President Pranab Mukherjee.

Just before noon on 17 February, when the bench comprising justices J Chelameswar and AM Sapre was hearing ND Jayaprakash’s petition against the Ministry of Home Affairs and Delhi Police, seeking protection to the accused, his counsel and journalists in the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) sedition case at the Metropolitan court, advocate Rajiv Yadav shouted the beginning of the “national song” vande mataram (I praise thee, mother), disturbing the court proceedings.

JNU student leader Kanhaiya Kumar, arrested on sedition charges, was today sent to judicial custody till 2 March.

Metropolitan Magistrate Lovleen gave the ruling after Delhi Police said it did not need the president of the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union (JNUSU) any more for interrogation.

Kanhaiya Kumar, from the CPI-affiliated All India Students Federation (AISF), was arrested on 12 February on charges of raising anti-India slogans during a meeting on Kashmir in the campus.

The Supreme Court today appointed a team of six senior lawyers to go to Patiala House court to observe the situation there and report back.