Page 5 - Bombay High Court

Thane road, tunnel tender row: HC denies relief to L&T, okays bid opening

The Bombay High Court on Tuesday denied relief to construction giant Larsen & Toubro (L&T) in connection with the dispute over the Thane-Ghodbunder to Bhayandar tunnel and elevated road projects, giving a go-ahead for the opening of tender bids. A vacation bench of Justices Kamal Khata and Arif Doctor said it was not continuing its interim stay passed last week restraining the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) from opening the financial bid, which is the last stage of the tendering process. The financial bid was scheduled to be opened on May 13. L&T had filed two petitions in the high court earlier this month, challenging the non-intimation of the status of its bid by the MMRDA for the projects. The bench on Tuesday rejected the petitions but directed the MMRDA to keep the company's price bids in a sealed cover for one week after the tender is opened. "We are not continuing the earlier interim order of stay," the court said. The construction company,

Bombay HC sets up special bench to hear pleas against Maratha reservation

The Bombay High Court on Friday constituted a three-judge special bench to hear the pleas challenging the constitutional validity of the law providing Maratha reservation following a Supreme Court directive. The 2024 law, which provided 10 per cent reservation in education and government jobs to the Maratha community that constitutes nearly one-third of Maharashtra's population, had been at the forefront of political discourse last year during the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections. In a notice issued on Friday, HC said a full bench comprising Justices Ravindra Ghuge, N J Jamadar and Sandeep Marne is constituted to hear and decide the public interest litigations and petitions related to the Maharashtra State Reservation for Socially and Educationally Backward Classes Act, 2024. The notice, however, does not mention or specify a date on which the bench would hear the pleas. Last year, a full bench headed by former HC Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya had commenced hearing into a bunch of ..

HC orders 2 YouTubers to delete 'defamatory' videos against BJP minister

The Bombay High Court has ordered deletion of six videos uploaded by two YouTubers against Maharashtra Water Resources Minister and senior BJP leader Girish Mahajan, noting that they were "prima facie defamatory". A bench of Justice Arif Doctor in its order passed on May 8 said after having watched the videos, a case for grant of interim relief has been made out. "The statements made by defendants in the videos as discerned from the transcripts are in my prima facie view per se defamatory," the HC said. The court directed the defendants to immediately take down/delete the six videos uploaded by them on YouTube. It also restrained them from uploading any more such videos or posts that would be defamatory against Mahajan. The bench posted the matter for further hearing on June 20. Mahajan had filed a defamation suit against one Anil Thatte and one more person claiming that they had made false, reckless and unsubstantiated allegations against him. In an interim application, Mahajan

Clear judge appointments quickly amid growing case backlog: SC to Centre

The Supreme Court today highlighted the alarming situation of over 7 lakh criminal appeals that are currently pending across various High Courts

Bombay HC grants interim relief in GST dispute over development rights

Bombay High Court restrains GST authorities from acting on 18 per cent tax demand for development rights, saying TDR may qualify as sale of land exempt from GST

HC rules in favour of Karan Johar, bars release of film using his name

The Bombay High Court upheld a stay on the film 'Shaadi Ke Director Karan Aur Johar', ruling that it misuses Karan Johar's name and violates his personality rights

HC frowns on copy-paste witness statements, calls it risky for prosecution

Taking notice of the "dangerous culture" of investigating officers copy-pasting witness statements even while filing charge sheets in serious offences, the Bombay High Court has asked the Maharashtra government to issue necessary guidelines. Hearing a petition in a criminal matter, the bench noted that the statements of witnesses reproduced in the charge sheet were so similar that even "the paragraphs start with the same words and end with the same words". If the police were cutting corners in this way even in serious cases, it was not a good sign for the criminal justice system, said Justices Vibha Kankanwadi and Sanjay Deshmukh of the Aurangabad bench in a recent order. "It is high time to take cognizance of the issue suo motu (on its own) and to consider, as to what are those shortcomings or difficulties for the investigating officer/ officers when they record such copy-paste statements," the court said. The bench asked the state government to come out with specific guidelines .

Bombay HC shields Kunal Kamra from arrest in Shinde 'traitor' remark case

The Bombay High Court has granted stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra protection from arrest while allowing the investigation into his 'traitor' jibe at Eknath Shinde to continue

Navi Mumbai woman says judges part of 'dog mafia', HC sends her to jail

A bench of Justices GS Kulkarni and Advait M Sethna held the woman in criminal contempt of the Court for circulating a letter alleging the justices were on the side of a so-called 'dog feeders' mafia'

Aurangabad bench of Bombay HC receives bomb threat mail, probe underway

Police officials, sniffer dogs, bomb detection and disposal squad, cyber crime and special branch personnel reached the spot for inspection

A stickler for court discipline: Meet next CJI Bhushan Ramkrishna Gavai

Well versed in constitutional and administrative law, Gavai is set to become the first Scheduled Caste CJI after KG Balakrishnan

3 Shemaroo Entertainment staffers get Bombay HC relief in GST case

The dispute originated from an input tax credit (ITC) issue involving Rs 70 crore, which tax authorities alleged Shemaroo had falsely claimed

Let's befriend every language: SC rejects plea to remove Urdu sign board

The plea had challenged the Bombay High Court's decision, which also ruled that the use of Urdu is not prohibited under any law in India

HC upholds life term for 2 Chhota Rajan gang members in 2010 murder case

The Bombay High Court on Tuesday upheld the conviction and life sentence of two members of the Chhota Rajan gang in a 2010 double murder case, stating that the trial court's judgment was "well-reasoned and legally sound ". A court here in August 2022 convicted Mohammed Ali Shaikh and Pranay Rane for murder, criminal conspiracy and offences under the Arms Act while acquitting Rajan and two others for lack of evidence. A division bench of justices Neela Gokhale and Revati Dere on Tuesday dismissed the appeals filed by Shaikh and Rane. "The evidence on record, when assessed in its entirety, establishes the guilt of the appellants beyond reasonable doubt, " the bench said. As per the police, represented by special prosecutor Pradeep Gharat, four men opened fire on Asif Khan, an alleged aide of fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim, at a spot near the J J Marg police station in the city on February 13, 2010. Khan managed to escape, but Shakeel Modak and Asif Qureshi, who were there to meet

No action taken for re-sharing Kamra video, says HC; disposes of PIL

The Bombay High Court on Wednesday said the Maharashtra government has not taken vindictive action against any person for re-sharing or re-uploading stand-up comic Kunal Kamra's video in which he indirectly passed a "traitor" jibe at Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. A bench of Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice M S Karnik made the observation while refusing to entertain a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by a 25-year-old law student questioning the government's action against Kamra and also the Mumbai hotel where the controversial comedy show was shot. The court also noted the aggrieved person (Kamra) has already filed a petition in the HC seeking to quash the FIR lodged against him at a Mumbai police station over his critical comments against Shinde, who heads the ruling Shiv Sena. "The person aggrieved is before this court. He is not poor or illiterate. Why are you (present PIL petitioner) fighting his cause? He has taken action for relief," the HC observed. The PIL,

Bombay HC grants Kunal Kamra protection till April 17, seeks govt reply

Bombay High Court has granted comedian Kunal Kamra protection till April 17. The next hearing will take place on April 16

HoABL denies forgery allegations by Macrotech, files police complaint

HoABL filed the complaint on April 3, 2025, and wrote a letter to the police on April 4, 2025. The complaint is not against any particular person

Kunal Kamra moves Bombay HC to quash FIR over remarks against Shinde

The development comes shortly after Kamra failed to appear before Mumbai Police despite being summoned thrice in the same case

Courts must be slow to interfere in expert views on academic standards: SC

The Supreme Court on Tuesday said courts must be slow to interfere with the opinions of experts over academic standards and exercise powers of judicial review in cases where the prescribed qualification or condition was arbitrary. A bench of Justices Sudhanshu Dhulia and K Vinod Chandran said normally, courts should not interfere with the decisions taken by expert statutory bodies regarding academic matter, be it qualifications for student admissions or those required by the teachers for appointment, salary, promotion, etc. The apex court's verdict came on the appeals challenging the orders of the Bombay High Court which directed a society to extend the benefit of revised pay scales under the Sixth Central Pay Commission to some teachers. They taught in the engineering and technical institutes run and managed by the society, the bench noted. The top court referred to the prescribed qualification requirements of teachers in an engineering institute laid down by the All India Council

Bombay HC extends stay on FIR order against ex-Sebi chief Buch, 5 others

"The interim relief granted earlier shall continue until further orders," HC said posting the matter for further hearing on May 7