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The Supreme Court on Thursday sought response from the Centre and others on a PIL seeking directions to establish a revenue judicial service, and prescribe minimum legal qualification and training module for public servants adjudicating land disputes. A bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi issued notice to the Union of India, Law Commission and others on a plea filed by advocate Ashwini Upadhyay who claimed that non-qualified legal professionals were deciding land disputes. The plea submitted that nearly 66 per cent of civil cases were related to land disputes, and the key lacuna was that they were being adjudicated by officers lacking formal legal education and training, resulting in erroneous and inconsistent decisions. The petition drafted by advocate Ashwani Dubey stated that the issue was dealt with by the Allahabad High Court, but its direction has not been implemented in letter and spirit to date. The present system causes widespread and continuing .
The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear on Monday a suo motu matter related to adverse effect of stay orders granted by the appellate courts on the pace of trials. As per the cause list of December 9 uploaded on the apex court website, a bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar is slated to hear a matter titled "In Re: Adverse effect of stay orders granted by appellate courts on the pace of trials, despite parameters for grant of such stays, laid down by this court". The apex court, while dealing with a petition filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in November 2021, had flagged the issue of stay orders granted by the appellate courts and the pace of trial getting adversely affected. "The second aspect with which we find ourselves concerned is the stay orders granted by the appellate courts and thus the pace of trial getting adversely affected, despite this Court having laid down parameters for grant of such stays," the top court had said in
In a significant stride towards fostering an accessible and inclusive justice system, the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) successfully organised the first National Lok Adalat of 2024 in the taluks, districts and high courts of 34 states and Union territories on Saturday. According to information from the state legal services authorities from across the country as of 6 pm on Saturday, a total of 1,13,60,144 cases were settled at the first National Lok Adalat, including 17,14,056 pending cases and 96,46,088 pre-litigation cases. "The approximate value of the total settlement amount in these cases was Rs 8,065.29 crore. The number of settled cases will rise as reports are awaited from some State Legal Services Authorities," a release said. It added that the figures show the effectiveness of alternative mechanisms for dispute resolution, reflecting the success of the National Lok Adalat in achieving its objectives. "This National Lok Adalat marks a pivotal moment in NALSA's .
Noting that criminals have been using the latest technology for funding and operating across regions, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday pitched for expanding cooperation between countries for investigation and justice delivery. He also said cooperation can happen even while respecting each other's jurisdiction and asserted that when nations work together, jurisdiction becomes a tool to deliver justice, not delay it. The rise of cryptocurrency and cyber threats presents new challenges and there is a need for making the justice delivery system more flexible and adaptable, he said. Speaking at the Commonwealth Legal Education Association (CLEA) - Commonwealth Attorneys and Solicitors General Conference (CASGC) here, he said countries already work with each other in the domain of air traffic control and maritime traffic, and advocated extending this to investigation and justice delivery. "When we work together then jurisdiction becomes a tool to deliver justice and not to delay
For holding a sign outside a courthouse reminding jurors of their right to acquit defendants, a retiree faces up to two years in prison. For hanging a banner reading Just Stop Oil off a bridge, an engineer got a three-year sentence. Just for walking slowly down the street, scores of people have been arrested. They are among hundreds of environmental activists arrested for peaceful demonstrations in the UK, where tough new laws restrict the right to protest. The Conservative government says the laws prevent extremist activists from hurting the economy and disrupting daily life. Critics say the arrests mark a worrying departure. The government has made its intent very clear, which is basically to suppress what is legitimate, lawful protest," said Jonathon Porritt, an ecologist and former director of Friends of the Earth. A PATCHWORK DEMOCRACY Britain is one of the world's oldest democracies, home of the Magna Carta, a centuries-old Parliament and an independent judiciary. That syste