Soli Sorabjee
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.
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.
A three-judge bench of the Supreme Court headed by Justice Anil R Dave, and comprising justices Kurian Joseph and Amitava Roy, heard Massimiliano Latorre, one of the accused in the Italian marines case, who has been permitted by the Supreme Court to be in Italy in view of his health condition, and gave him further extension of time to return to India.
A high stakes case was part-argued today by government and petitioners on the constitutional validity of certain sections of the Information Technology Act 2000.
The names of senior advocates Fali S Nariman, K K Venugopal, Harish Salve and attorney general Goolam Vahanvati have been forwarded in the category of “eminent jurist” to the Lokpal selection panel, alongside former attorney generals Soli Sorabjee and K Parasaran.
They will be discussed in a meeting scheduled for 3 February, reported the Indian Express:
The Lokpal will consist of a chairperson and a maximum of eight members, of which 50 per cent shall be judicial members and the rest shall be from among SCs, STs, OBCs, minorities and women. The selection committee has to have Prime Minister, Lok Sabha Speaker, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and the Chief Justice of India. A fifth member of the selection committee for selection of Lokpal has to be nominated under the category of “eminent jurist”. These four members will co-opt the fifth member under this category. So far, names of six jurists have been doing the rounds for selection as the fifth member.
The revelation that former Supreme Court Justice Asok Kumar Ganguly is the judge alleged to be at the heart of the apex court’s sexual harassment inquiry, has split commentators along political and institutional lines.
Soli vs political RTI ordinance: Former Attorney General of India Soli Sorabjee said that the government’s proposal to bring an ordinance to keep political parties out of the purview of the Right to Information (RTI) Act, is an abuse of constitutional power. “Ordinance should be brought in only in extraordinary situation when a law needs to be brought about urgently. What is the urgency in this case? Why can't they challenge the CIC order in High Court or the Supreme Court?” he said [IBN Live]
Khaitan Sr for foreign firms: Khaitan & Co senior partner Pradip ‘Pinto’ Khaitan says foreign law firms should be allowed in because they’d benefit Indian lawyer by adding to the talent pool and knowledge ecosystem [Hindu Businessline]
Magistrate arrested for rape: S Thangaraj, judicial magistrate of a fast track court in Coonoor in the Nilgiris district, was arrested by the Palladam women police in Tirupur district on Saturday for allegedly raping a female sub-inspector [TOI]
More bong benchers for Delhi: Observing that there weren't many Calcutta High Court judges in the Supreme Court, Chief Justice of India (CJI) Altamas Kabir on Friday said they needed more of them “to shake up Delhi” [Zee News]
Either the Times of India thinks that only advocates are lawyers or that law firm lawyers are just not so very top.
While I certainly would not dare disagree with the calibre and legal genius of each of these individuals, could not at least one law firmite have made it to the list?
Here's TOI's full list of top 10 lawyers, along with our nutshell summary of the paper's often brilliant commentary on each:- Fali Nariman
The "wise man of the Bar" with a stature that "allows him to be blunt in court". - Soli J Sorabjee
Former glorious AG, fierce free speech and HR advocate, "mad 'bawa' (Parsi) jokes", successful daughter. - Harish Salve
The "legal robot" and all-round legal talent. - K. Parasaran
"Articulate" and "ethically driven" "man for all seasons". - Ram Jethmalani
Passionate about crimes with "rapier-sharp wit", proving crime does pay. - Abhishek Manu Singhvi
"Buddha of the Bar", youngest additional solicitor general ever and happy enabler of all tricolor-wavers. - Mukul Rohatgi
Voluble "king" of Delhi HC and Anil's gas dispute trusted counsel. - K.K. Venugopal
"Constitutional crorepati", Emergency counterweight and collector - but where's the grey hair? - Rohinton F Nariman
Cheerful corporate stalwart, fast riser to senior counsel, Fali's son. - Ashok Desai
Reclusive former AG, softly-spoken but packing a serious punch and control.
Possible explanations:
- court-room work is simply more glamorous than the desk-bound transactional variety,
- the ones on the list really are a league apart that law firmites have not yet been able to match, or
- the TOI did not read the Lawyers Collective judgment that "legal practice" includes desk-work.
For Times of India's full list click here - it's a very entertaining read that brings out many a wonderful personality!
Former Solicitor General Goolam Vahanvati was appointed Attorney-General of India on Monday (8 June), giving AZB & Partners the second close family connection in that post.