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Supreme Court

12 January 2016

The Supreme Court bench comprising the Chief Justice TS Thakur, and Justices AK Sikri and R Banumathi, is set to hear as many as five writ petitions challenging the validity of the notification issued by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change on 7 January permitting the holding of jallikattu and other related festivals involving the performance of bulls in religious festivals, despite the Supreme Court’s 2014 judgment holding it illegal.

11 January 2016

Two very important cases related to the power to appoint teachers and rules on when special leave petitions (SLPs) should be entertained, are scheduled to be heard by two Supreme Court’s constitution benches today under CJI TS Thakur’s new constitution bench schedules.

09 January 2016

New Chief Justice of India (CJI) TS Thakur told it like it is, in a speech at a function hosted by the Bar Council of India (BCI).

08 January 2016

In a notification issued on 7 January, the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, has suggested that bulls may continue to be exhibited or trained as a performing animal, at events such as Jallikattu in Tamil Nadu and bullock cart races in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Punjab, Haryana, Kerala and Gujarat in the manner by the customs of any community or practiced traditionally under the customs or as a part of culture, in any part of the country.

08 January 2016

The fastest working out of 13 Supreme Court judges were justices AR Dave, Ranjan Gogoi, Madan B Lokur, JS Khehar and Chief Justice of India (CJI) TS Thakur, while justice Dipak Misra was the slowest according to a basic arithmetic study commissioned by CJI Thakur, reported the Times of India.

CJI Thakur asked the Supreme Court registry to determine how each of 13 judges on the roster had performed in terms of disposal of cases, from July 2015 to December 2015, by simply subtracting the total number of cases the judge disposed of from the number of cases in which the judge issued notice.

The registry also documented the total number of cases before each of the 13 judges.

Other slow judges in the roster, after Dipak Misra, according to the study, were justices PC Ghose, V Sen, Kurian Joseph, F M I Kalifulla, M Y Eqbal, V G Gowda and J Chelameswar. All of these judges, and Misra, added to pendency instead of reducing it.

08 January 2016

LalJessica Lal murder case hostile witness Prem Sagar Manocha – the ballistic expert who was charged for perjury by the Delhi high court in May 2013 – was cleared of the charge by the Supreme Court on Wednesday.

08 January 2016

A Division Bench of the Delhi high court comprising the chief justice G Rohini, and Justice Jayant Nath today set aside the order of the Single Judge of the High Court directing the Supreme Court registry to comply with the Central Information Commission’s directive to maintain records regarding the judgments pending, after being reserved by the benches.

08 January 2016

In Sri Aurobindo Ashram Trust and Ors vs R Ramanathan and Ors, the Supreme Court bench comprising justices Madan B Lokur and SA Bobde, refused to intervene in the dispute between the Aurobindo Ashram Trust and the respondents over the former’s failure to take steps to seek confiscation of copies of the book, “The Lives of Sri Aurobindo” written by Peter Heehs.

06 January 2016

The facts unfold the plight of a poor landlord languishing in courts for over fourty years. The case gets sadder when we note that appellant had been successful both in the trial court and the first appellate court and the saddest part is that the high court in second appeal, went against him on a pure question of fact!”

05 January 2016

The Supreme Court on Monday was unimpressed with the functioning of the national carrier Air India, which is running into losses while other private airlines are prospering, demanding to know the reason why, reported The Economic Times.

A bench of Chief Justice of India TS Thakur, Justice AK Sikri and Justice R Banumathi asked: “While private airlines are prospering, Air India is going into red. Who should be held responsible for Air India mess? There are so many stories going around.”

They were hearing a public interest litigation asking the carrier to commence flights connecting Delhi and Shimla. The Himachal Pradesh high court had on 7 December 2015 asked the carrier to commence that flight route on a trial basis, which was put on hold by the Supreme Court.

Solicitor General Ranjit Kumar, representing Air India, told the court that the flight connecting the two cities was not economical as there were 12 to 15 one-way passengers only, and that Shimla airport did not have refuelling facilities to which the court reportedly reprimanded the government with: “You have already constructed an airport, probably spending Rs 100 crores, now you can’t say that there is no refuelling facilities.”

The court issued notice to the civil aviation ministry, the Airports Authority of India, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, and the Himachal Pradesh government as well as the petitioner Paras Daulta.

The matter will come up for hearing next on 16 February.

05 January 2016

Former Chief Justice if India (CJI) SH Kapadia passed away last night in Mumbai aged 68.

05 January 2016

Chief Justice of India (CJI) TS Thakur and Supreme Court Justice AK Sikri are carpooling, reported The Indian Express:

The two also finalised their travel itinerary for the next 15 days when the odd-even scheme would be in effect in the capital.

The two decided to lead by example and carpool, despite being exempt from the policy as they hold constitutional posts. Justice Thakur has an odd-numbered car, while Justice Sikri’s vehicle is even. The two live close to each other.On Monday - the first working day in the top court after winter break - Justice Sikri picked up the CJI on his way to court.

04 January 2016

Justice RM Lodha Committee appointed by the Supreme Court of India to look into the functionality of Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) submitted it’s report today recommending legalisation of betting, among other reforms according to The Hindu.

The committee recommended multiple reforms in order to regularize the sport in India. Lodha was quoted as commenting in a press conference, “our year-long effort was to remove the ailing parts, revitalise the body so that it could run a marathon for the betterment of the game. Our job was to restore the pristine glory of the game of which 1.28 billion of the country is passionate for.”

Observing that betting is a multi million dollar industry all over the world, the committee recommended the government to enact laws to regularise it, including disallowing players, team and match officials and cricket administrators to participate in betting. It also asked the government to restrict the betting to licensed betting houses and take steps to ensure that players or officials do not participate in the same.

The committee also rooted for a nine-member apex council to replace the existing 14 member BCCI working committee and asked that five of the nine office-bearers should not be either government servant or minister and no office bearer to hold position for two consecutive years.

To ensure equitable voting pattern, the committee suggested ‘one state one vote scheme’ wherein cricket associations representing states would have one vote each.

The committee also recommended position of CEO to be introduced under which the person would take responsibility of day to day non-cricket working of the BCCI

The committee floated the idea of ‘cricket player’s association’ to be funded and managed by the BCCI under which all agents shall be registered.

Apart from these, the recommendations included introduction of ‘ethics officer’ who would be a retired high court judge, an ‘ombudsman’ who would be a retired Supreme Court judge as well as an ‘electoral officer’ to be nominated two weeks prior to elections.

In another report, the committee gave a clean chit to former IPL COO Sundar Raman on allegations of his involvement in the 2013 IPL betting and said that his omission to inform the officials of betting activities didn’t seem to be motivated with any personal interest, the news reported.

04 January 2016

The government wants advocates debarred from practice, for committing “moral turpitude” offences, according to its prayer to the Supreme Court, reported DNA.

The Government of India asked the Supreme Court to rule that offence of the nature of moral turpitude by a lawyer will result in debarring of the errant lawyer in line with similar provisions in other professional services like charted accountants, engineers and doctors reported The Supreme Court had asked for the assistance of Attorney General’s office in a case of contempt against an advocate practicing at Uttar Pradesh.

The government filed a compilation in the consequences of contempt in professions other than law and observed that though there is a provision of debarring in other professions for the offence of contempt, the Advocates Act, 1961 has no such provision. The powers of bar council are limited to offences that stand proven and the law is silent on commission of serious offences including murder, rape etc by advocates.

The government then requested tp the Supreme Court to make rules in this regard under Section 24 of the act to fill the lacunae. It said, “Every high court in India under section 34 (1) of Advocates Act and the Supreme Court under Article 145 of the Constitution of India has the power to frame rules with respect to the contempt of court committed by the lawyers,” it was reported.

29 December 2015

The Supreme Court bench comprising Justice Vikramajit Sen and Justice Shiva Kirti Singh today upheld the Kerala Government’s liquor policy which was challenged as being discriminatory. 

21 December 2015

Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) chairperson Swati Maliwal said that the Supreme Court on Monday will hear her midnight plea against the release of the juvenile convicted in 16 December gang-rape case.

The DCW chief said: “They (Supreme Court) have listed the matter for today (Monday) and we are going with a lot of hope.”

Delhi Commission for Women was going on behalf of all the sexual assault victims in the country who were waiting for justice whether in courts, in police stations or forensic labs, Maliwal said.

“This fight is on behalf of everyone,” she added.

She had earlier written to the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) asking them to delay the release of the juvenile convict.