TS Thakur
Association Of the Victims of Uphaar Tragedy president, Neelam Krishnamoorthy expressed dismay over the reasoned judgment delivered by Justices Anil R Dave, Kurian Joseph and Adarsh Kumar Goel yesterday (Wednesday, September 23) in the Uphaar criminal appeal.
The Supreme Court has said that the magnitude of the Uphaar fire tragedy may call for “higher sentence” but it could not go beyond the choices under the law while sentencing brothers and real estate barons Sushil and Gopal Ansal who own the Uphaar cinema hall, represented by senior counsel Ram Jethmalani.
The Supreme Court bench comprising justices TS Thakur and Kurian Joseph, in their order first granted permission to file the SLP in the appeal against Bombay high court order staying the Maharashtra government’s ban on sale of meat on some days of Paryurshan, an annual holy festival of Jain community. The ban was to be effective on September 10 and 17.
Senior advocate Indira Jaising’s challenge to the Supreme Court senior advocate designation process will now have attorney general (AG) Mukul Rohatgi as amicus curiae.
The Supreme Court wants to know what happens to seized contraband across India, following allegations by former justice Ajit Kumar Sinha that only five to 10 per cent of it was destroyed, reported The Telegraph.
A Supreme Court bench of justices TS Thakur and NV Ramana were hearing the government’s appeal against the Punjab and Haryana high court’s acquittal of a drug peddler.
Sinha, who was appointed as the friend of the court, said that although authorities seized drugs such as Ganja, Hashish, Heroine, Ecstacy and other substances, worth hundreds of crores of rupees every day, only five to 10 per cent of it was destroyed. He also gave the instance of Calcutta where there was no record of how seized contraband was dealt with.
The judges asked solicitor general Ranjit Kumar to place before the court the steps being taken in Delhi to dispose of such contraband, within a week. They asked Kumar if any “drug disposal committee” had been set up in Delhi which was under the control of the central government, for law and order.
The Supreme Court yesterday (20 August) declined the CBI’s plea to put forward its arguments on the period of sentence for Ansal brothers - Sushil and Gopal - following their conviction for negligence in 1997 Uphaar fire tragedy which claimed 59 lives.
The countrywide national Lok Adalat for the settlement of bank recovery, cheques bounce and dishonoured cheques cases Saturday witnessed the settlement of 56,000 cases involving more than Rs 265 crore.
The day-long Lok Adalat for the amicable settlement of such cases was organized by the National Legal Services Authority, whose executive chairman is Justice TS Thakur, the senior most judge after Chief Justice of India HL Dattu.
“More than 56,000 cases, which include pending and pre-litigation matters have been settled. The banks and financial institutions and others who participated were able to arrive at final settlements worth Rs.265 crores and more,” said a statement issued by NALSA based on the information available with it Saturday evening.
“It is evident that the National Lok Adalat has greatly benefitted the common man and it has been achieved not only because of the legal services authorities/committees but also because of the cooperation extended by the judges, lawyers and various authorities including banks and financial institutions,” it said.
In the Supreme Court, four benches took up more than 200 cases for settlement. Two of these former apex court judges Arijit Pasayat, Gyan Sudha Misra, BS Chauhan and Ranjana Prakash Desai.
Of the other two courts, one had Justice Dipak Misra and Justice Kurian Joseph and the other had Justice Arun Mishra asnd Justice Prafulla C Pant.