Law minister Kapil Sibal has written to all chief justices to get recommended names on how to increase each HC's bench strength by 25%, taking the total size of India's higher judiciary to 1,112 from 906. Nevertheless, there are already 250 vacancies, even without the new plan [The Hindu]

The Navalur Kuttapattu-based centre, on the campus of the new NLS in Trichy, which is set to begin taking admissions this year, will operate two hours per week and is apparently the 13th such clinic established in the district by the local legal services authority [The Hindu]

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) filed criminal defamation notice against Congress Party chief campaigner Rahul Gandhi, who had said at a rally on 6 March that "RSS people killed Gandhiji". The RSS objected that it had not killed Mahatma Gandhi at all, and that the remarks by Rahul had "harmed the reputation of our organisation", filing a criminal complaint today with a Bhiwandi magistrate [PTI]

Justice Bhabani Prasad Ray was transferred a week ago from the Kerala high court to become judge of the Odisha HC. [Odisha Sun Times]

Ray was reportedly one of 11 high court judges transferred by former SC CJI Kapadia for "public interest" reasons in 2010 (then from Orissa to Karnataka) [Legally India October 2010]

He was first elevated to the Odisha bench on 7 November 2007, having started practising in January 1979.

Edelweiss Research was a smaller company unaffiliated to Financial, which has applied for banking licences [Economic Times]

Madras HC Justice CT Selvam gets whistleblower website Savukku blocked, which allegedly damaged the "reputation and status of not less than half a dozen judges, very many advocates, IAS and IPS officers" and also allegedly contains articles about the judge himself. After a PIL filed by a journalist, Selvam reportedly said that the contents of the posts were "demeaning, obnoxious and harmful" but according to reports no specific provision of law or procedure was used in the block [Medianama / TheNewsMinute]

The wedding was apparently an "intimate unostentatious affair, observed one of the guests, getting nostalgic about the times when families did not hire event managers to orchestrate marriages", gossiped the paper. Meanwhile, Vijay Mallya reportedly made his bungalow available to his "friend and counsel". [Mumbai Mirror]

The next government might inherit the process after senior advocate Fali Nariman and former SC judge KT Thomas declined to be part of the Lokpal search committee that makes recommendations to the selection committee appointing Lokpal members [NDTV]

The Madras HC held, deciding on maintainability, that a lawyer could not file a writ petition to have his name recommended to the judicial collegium for elevation to the bench, even if his CV has all the necessary points. [PTI]

Former add'l district and sessions judge in Jagdalpur, Anestus Toppo, who is now chairman of a Lok Adalat, was suspended by the Chhattisgarh high court for allegedly having been in drunken argument with a senior police officer. The cop later killed his wife, shot his two children (who are recovering in hospital) and then killed himself [PTI]

Madras high court Justice S Tamilvanan passes interim injunction against Zee's networks for two weeks, after Indian cricket team captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni claimed that Zaa, in collusion with a suspended police officer, had been broadcasting false reports that Dhoni was involved in the match fixing scandal [The Hindu]

An Italian judge rejected India's appeal to return €278m (Rs 2,353 crore) that were made as a guarantee in the €560m helicopter purchase deal that was cancelled after corruption allegations surfaced about its procurement [Reuters / Mint]

India said it would appeal the order, reported the Times of India.

The JSA partner argues that since Sahara's investors apparently can't be traced, "in all likelihood, the investors do not exist" so money laundering laws should be applied to preserve rule of law. @CourtWitness1 responded to the column on Twitter, arguing that Subrata Roy was in jail for "brazen defiance" of a SC judgment and therefore in contempt of court, irrespective of the original SEBI order against Sahara [Somasekhar Sundaresan in Business Standard]

The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has ordered the director general to investigate the Indian Railways' ticketing and catering arm Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) for allegedly abusing its undoubted and statutorily-created dominant position by charging for compulsory Rajdhani express train food and over online ticketing and call charges [CCI Order]

A Coimbatore company alleges that JCB India and another construction equipment maker served it with a ex parte injunction from the Delhi high court in 2011. Now the company is asking the Competition Commission of India (CCI) for a cease and desist against "predation through abuse of judicial process" [Hindu Businessline]

Nokia forced into Rs 2,250 cr tax guarantee by SC: The Supreme Court today ordered Nokia to give a Rs 2,250 crore ($368m) guarantee before it can transfer one of its mobile phone factories to Microsoft, which bought the Finnish mobile maker last year with the acquisition held up by the tax dispute with the Indian government [Bloomberg]

ML Sharma strikes again, hits Ranbaxy: Controversial advocate and serial petitioner Manohar Lal Sharma has succeeded in getting the Supreme Court to issue notice to Ranbaxy Laboratories in a PIL against the pharma company alleging it sold tampered and ineffective drugs in India. Sharma cited a recent order in the US against Ranbaxy [Mint]

Law students fast for action against Sri Lanka: 12 Tiruchi government law college students have begun an indefinite fast demanding that India move a resolution in the United Nations against Sri Lanka, for alleged war crimes [The Hindu]

Dec 16 convicts to hang: Del HC: The Delhi high court upheld the death sentence of the four Delhi December 16 gang rape convicts, dismissing their appeal for commutation of the sentence to life term [The Hindu]