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Supreme Court Justice AK Patnaik, who was presiding over the bail plea of a man accused of the daylight murder of a developer in Navi Mumbai, has transferred the case to a bench of Justice CK Prasad. This follows the late developer's son sending CJI P Sathasivam a USB stick containing a purported recording of a conversation between the son and the accused's lawyer, with the son expressing fear his father's alleged killer would come after him if let out on bail by his 'friend' Patnaik. Patnaik denied even knowing the man in his order. [The Indian Express]
The paper talks to Zulfiquar Memon, Essaji Vahanvati, Tahira Karanjawala, and Rishabh Shroff and asks if they are chips of the same blocks as their illustrious legal parents. Also, did you know, that Memon's firm MZM has been representing Tarun Tejpal in Goa? [Economic Times] via @superselector5
10 students of Guru Gobind Singh Law College in Indore were not allowed to sit exams after the college turned out not to have been affiliated to a university. The college authorities claimed it was recognised by the Bar Council of India (BCI) in June 2013, then applied for affiliation to its varsity institution but no one ever came to inspect it. The university claims it never received an application [TOI]
Around 20 advocates protested in the Madras high court room of the acting chief justice, Satish K Agnihotri, who was hearing a case. The lawyers were protesting with placards and black ribbons tied around their mouths to make Tamil the official court language [PTI]
Allahabad high court advocates, led by the local HC bar association boycotted work to demand "abolition" of the Lucknow bench and restore it as a revenue court, transferring pending cases to Allahabad [PTI]
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]
Edelweiss Research was a smaller company unaffiliated to Financial, which has applied for banking licences [Economic Times]
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]
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]
Alliance Legal co-founder and AZB & Partners alumnus Vishnu Jerome has rebranded his practice to P&C Legal after merging his practice into Bangalore headquartered firm Poovayya & Co.