Page 5 - Chief Justice Of India

AIMPLB moves SC challenging constitutional validity of new Waqf law

The All India Muslim Personal Law Board has moved the Supreme Court against the constitutional validity of the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025. Earlier in the day, a bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justices Sanjay Kumar and K V Viswanathan agreed to consider, listing for an urgent hearing, the plea of Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind, AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi and others, including Congress MP Mohammad Jawed and AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan on the issue. President Droupadi Murmu on April 5 gave her assent to the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025, which was passed by Parliament after heated debates in both houses. The All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) filed the plea in the top court late April 6. In a press statement, SQR Ilyas, the AIMPLB spokesperson, said the petition strongly objected to the amendments passed by Parliament for being "arbitrary, discriminatory and based on exclusion". The amendments, it said, not only violated the fundamental rights guaranteed under Articles

Judiciaries thrive through collaboration and mutual respect: CJI Khanna

Judiciaries thrive through collaboration and mutual respect and the signing of a MoU with the Supreme Court of Nepal will build institutional comity for the future, Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna said on Monday. The signing of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) is not a mere formal exchange but the reaffirmation of a centuries-old bond, renewed with a spirit of collaboration, mutual respect and shared purpose, he said at the event. "India and Nepal are more than just neighbouring countries. Our connection is etched in history and civilisational values. From the sacred Himalayas to the spiritual heritage of Gautam Buddha, our ties transcend borders and have withstood the test of time. These ties are not only visible in our traditions but also in the institutions that underpin our democracies," Chief Justice of India (CJI) Khanna said. "Among these institutions, the judiciary holds a sacred place. It guards the Constitution, upholds the rule of law, and ensures justice for al

CJI assures bar leaders will consider demand over Justice Varma transfer

Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna on Thursday met representatives of several bar bodies to discuss the proposed transfer of Delhi High Court's Justice Yashwant Varma to the Allahabad High Court. The bar bodies are seeking withdrawal of collegium's recommendation to transfer Justice Varma to the Allahabad High Court. Sources said the CJI's office called the representatives of the bar bodies for a meeting with Justice Khanna at around 1.45 pm and the meeting is still underway. Earlier in the day, representatives of the bar associations of high courts of Allahabad, Gujarat, Kerala, Jabalpur, Karnataka and Lucknow submitted a memorandum to the CJI's office and sought an appointment to meet Justice Khanna. They have also raised the issue of alleged tampering of evidence at Justice Varma's official residence where burnt wads of cash were purportedly discovered on March 14 during a fire incident. They have questioned non-registration of an FIR in the incident.

Indira Jaising criticises lack of transparency in SC Collegium's decision

The SC said the Delhi HC Chief Justice began an in-house inquiry into allegations against Justice Yashwant Varma, with a report set to be submitted to the CJI on March 21

Justice Joymalya Bagchi appointed to SC, set to become CJI in 2031

Justice Joymalya Bagchi is set to assume the role of Chief Justice of India upon the retirement of Justice KV Viswanathan on May 25, 2031

SC defers hearing in Places of Worship Act to first week of April

CJI Sanjiv Khanna also took exception to many intervention applications being filed in the case and said there should be a limit to such applications

VP Dhankhar questions CJI's involvement with executive appointment

How can in a country like ours or in any democracy, by statutory prescription, Chief Justice of India participate in the selection of the CBI director, VP Jagdeep Dhankhar questioned

SC bench of Chief Justice Khanna to hear plea seeking verification of EVMs

A Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna will hear a plea filed by former Haryana minister and five-time MLA Karan Singh Dalal seeking a policy for the verification of Electronic Voting Machines. When the matter came up for hearing on Friday before Justices Dipankar Datta and Manmohan, the bench said the case shall be placed before the Chief Justice along with similar petitions. "This can go before the Chief Justice's bench," the bench said. Dalal has approached the Supreme Court seeking a policy for the verification of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). He has sought compliance of an earlier judgement of the top court delivered in the case of 'Association for Democratic Reforms v. Union of India'. Dalal and co-petitioner Lakhan Kumar Singla secured the second-highest votes in their respective constituencies and have sought a direction to the Election Commission (EC) to implement a protocol for examining the original "burnt memory" or microcontroller of the four

SC to hear Jairam Ramesh's petition against Election rules change on Jan 15

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh's writ petition in the Supreme Court challenging the recent amendments to the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961, will come up for hearing in the apex court on Wednesday. The matter will come up for hearing before the bench headed by Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna on January 15, according to the cause list uploaded on the Supreme Court website. The Congress had filed the writ petition in the Supreme Court last month challenging the recent amendments to the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961 and expressed hope that the apex court will help restore the "fast eroding" integrity of the electoral process. The government has tweaked an election rule to prevent public inspection of certain electronic documents such as CCTV camera and webcasting footage as well as video recordings of candidates to prevent their misuse. AICC general secretary Jairam Ramesh, who has filed the petition, had said, "The integrity of the electoral process is fast eroding.

CJI Khanna recuses himself from hearing pleas on IOA, AIFF constitutions

Chief Justice of India Sanjv Khanna on Monday recused himself from hearing two separate pleas pertaining to finalisation of the constitutions of the Indian Olympic Association and the All India Football Federation, both framed by former apex court judge Justice L Nageswara Rao. At the outset of the proceedings, the Chief Justice of India (CJI), who was sitting on the bench with Justice Sanjay Kumar, said he would not be part of the bench to hear these cases as he had earlier taken up one of the pleas in Delhi High Court. "Let the pleas come before another bench headed by Justice PS Narasimha on February 10. I remember hearing this in Delhi High Court," CJI Khanna said. The pleas were last taken up on March 19, 2024, by a bench headed by the-then CJI DY Chandrachud. The bench had then permitted the All India Football Federation (AIFF) to file its objections to the draft constitution proposed by Justice Rao. "The amicus curiae will update the existing chart to reflect the objections

CJI praises retiring SC judge Justice Ravikumar as humane, noble soul

Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna on Friday lauded Supreme Court judge Justice CT Ravikumar on his last working day, describing him as a "humane and noble soul" whose journey from a humble rural background to the apex court was nothing short of extraordinary. Justice Ravikumar was elevated to the top court on August 31, 2021, after an illustrious tenure at Kerala High Court. He is the ninth senior-most judge in the apex court. As he prepares to superannuate on Sunday, the ceremonial bench comprising Chief Justice of India (CJI) Khanna, Justice Ravikumar and Justice Sanjay Kumar bid an emotional farewell, celebrating his contributions and legacy. "Coming from a rural background and achieving the distinction of serving as a judge of the Supreme Court is a remarkable accomplishment. Justice Ravikumar has not only achieved this but also outperformed in his duties," remarked CJI Khanna, highlighting the challenges of rising through the ranks without the privileges of urban ...

Budaun court to decide on Jan 18 over plea on temple at mosque site

A court will on January 18 decide whether it will hear a plea claiming the existence of Neelkanth temple at the Jama Masjid Shamsi mosque site in Budaun. Civil judge (senior sivision) Amit Kumar posted the matter of January 18, 2025 when it will decide whether the matter would be heard or not, advocate Ved Prakash Sahu, representing the Hindu side said on December 23. Lawyers from both sides had put forth their respective sides on December 17. The lawyer said he court did not pass any decision and fixed January 18 as the date owing to the ensuing district bar association elections. The dispute started in 2022 when Mukesh Patel, the then convener of Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha, claimed the temple existed at the mosque site and sought permission to worship in the structure. On December 12, the Supreme Court restrained all the courts in the country from entertaining and passing any effective interim or final orders on any lawsuits seeking reliefs including survey of religious places

Places of Worship Act hearing: SC says no surveys until case concludes

Places of Worship Act case: Supreme Court has given the central government four weeks to file its reply to the various pleas

SC refuses to entertain plea challenging results of CLAT-PG 2025 exams

The Supreme Court refused to entertain on Monday a plea challenging the results of the CLAT-PG 2025 examination. A bench of Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar, which was hearing the plea that contested the provisional answer key released for the Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) for postgraduate admissions, advised the petitioners to move the Delhi High Court with their grievances. The bench, while refusing to entertain the plea, underscored the top court cannot act as the court of first instance in such matters and flagged concerns about delays in the release of examination results due to interventions by the apex court. "We cannot be the court of first instance... We have on enough occasions said this. We have judgments where delays in results due to OMR sheet issues stretched up to eight years. Please go to the high court," the chief justice of India said. The bench, however, granted the petitioners liberty to approach the high court, stating, "We are not inclin

SC to hear matter related to effect of stay orders on trials' pace on Dec 9

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

CJI Sanjiv Khanna recuses from hearing pleas on poll body chief appointment

'List the matter before a bench of which I am not a part of,' said Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sanjiv Khanna on Tuesday

CJI backs advance letters for case withdrawals to streamline proceedings

Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna on Wednesday emphasised the importance of preemptive communication in court processes and suggested that lawyers submit advance letters for case withdrawals rather than relying on oral submissions during hearings. The CJI has been taking several procedural steps to streamline the judicial process in the top court. On November 12, he said no oral submissions for urgent listing and hearing of cases would be permitted and urged lawyers to either send emails or written letters for it. On Wednesday, the CJI suggested lawyers file advance letters for case withdrawals rather than making oral submissions while hearing a transfer petition in a family dispute case. The counsel in the case informed the bench that the parties had resolved their differences and wished to withdraw the transfer petition. Granting the withdrawal, the CJI remarked that advance notice would enhance court efficiency. "If you have any such requests, you can always give a letter to

Constitution played a key role in country's transformation: CJI Khanna

Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna on Tuesday said India has emerged as a vibrant democracy and a geopolitical leader, and the Constitution of the country has helped in this transformation. India has had a transformative journey from a nation, which under the aftermath and horrors of partition saw widespread illiteracy, poverty, lack of robust democratic system of checks and balances, to one which has now become a self-assured leader, the CJI said. "But at the back of it is the Constitution of India, which has helped this transformation. It is today a way of life that has to be lived up to," Justice Khanna said, while speaking at the Constitution Day function organised by the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) at the apex court. Since 2015, November 26 is observed as Constitution Day to commemorate the adoption of the Constitution of India by the Constituent Assembly in 1949. Earlier, the day was observed as Law Day. Attorney General R Venkataramani, SCBA president and senior

SC advocate urges CJI to initiate probe into Jhansi medical college fire

Supreme Court advocate Amit Dwivedi has written to the chief justice of India, seeking a time-bound inquiry into a blaze in the neonatal intensive care unit of a medical college in Uttar Pradesh that killed 17 infants. In the letter to Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna on Sunday, Dwivedi -- who hails from the Bundelkhand region -- sought the constitution of a panel headed by a retired Supreme Court judge "to conduct a time-bound inquiry into the fire incident in the NICU (neonatal intensive care unit) of the government-run hospital which resulted in the deaths of 15 infants". Thirty-nine newborns were rescued from a devastating fire in the neonatal intensive care unit of Maharani Laxmi Bai Medical College in Jhansi on the night of November 15. While 10 babies died on the night of the fire, seven more succumbed later. The letter highlighted reports of severe negligence, including the alleged absence of functioning fire extinguishers in the ward. Dwivedi emphasised that ...

CJI urges judges to allow virtual hearings due to rising pollution in Delhi

Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna on Tuesday said all judges have been asked to allow virtual hearings wherever possible in view of the severe pollution levels in the national capital region. As soon as the bench comprising the CJI and Justice Sanjay Kumar assembled, lawyers, including Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) president Kapil Sibal, referred to the worsening pollution in Delhi and NCR and sought immediate measures to deal with it. We have told all the judges to allow virtual hearings wherever possible, the CJI said. Pollution is getting out of control, Sibal said. He was supported by various lawyers that also included Solicitor General Tushar Mehta and Gopal Sankaranarayanan It needs to go down. The message should go to other courts, Sibal added. The solicitor general said the top court, as a matter of principle, should go virtual. We have given the message to accommodate everybody. Moreover, online is anyway available," the CJI said. On Monday, the top court took note of