amicus curiae

The Chhattisgarh advocate who was admitted to hospital after having poisoned herself with naphthalene balls before appearing in the chief’s court, would be discharged from hospital within two or three days, according to a report submitted to the Supreme Court by amicus curiae Vandana Sehgal.

The Delhi Legal Services Authority was directed by the Supreme Court to provide the ill advocate, dubbed Ms M, with the necessary assistance while in Delhi, listing the matter for hearing on 10 October [second order PDF].

M had alleged before the Chief Justice of India (CJI) on Monday that police had ignored her complaints of having been gang raped by her husband’s family and others, and was then found to have consumed the poison [Background in first order PDF].

Senior counsel Gopal Subramanium will again be amicus curiae in the Padmanabha Swamy temple case, reported The Hindu, with the Times of India reporting that he would be visiting the temple in Kerala this weekend.

The former solicitor general had withdrawn from the case in August despite the Supreme Court practically begging for him to stay on following his scuppered nomination to the Supreme Court bench.

The Supreme Court has opened up its panel of lawyers eligible to be selected as amicus curiae (Latin for “friend of the court”), to assist the judges from time to time in matters.