Page 5 - Court Cases

Judge stops immediate shutdown of small US agency for African development

A judge barred the Trump administration on Thursday from immediately moving to shut down a small federal agency that supports investment in African countries on Thursday. US District Judge Richard J Leon in Washington issued the order hours after the filing of a lawsuit by the president and CEO of the US African Development Foundation. Ward Brehm said in a complaint that he directed his staff on Wednesday to deny building entry to staffers from billionaire Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency and Pete Marocco, the deputy administrator for the US Agency for International Development. DOGE and Trump do not have the authority to shut down the agency, which was created by Congress, Brehm said in the complaint. The order from Leon, who was appointed by Republican President George W. Bush, bars Brehm from being removed or DOGE from adding members to the board over the next few days. Brehm also said that days after President Donald Trump targeted the agency in a Feb. 19 execut

SC disapproves 'long dates' in matters of liberty, urges expedited hearing

The Supreme Court on Thursday said courts were not expected to keep the matters concerning liberty after a long gap. A bench of Justices B R Gavai and Augustine George Masih made the observation after being informed that the Punjab and Haryana High Court posted the hearing of a plea for temporary bail on medical grounds after two months. The petitioner's counsel said he had approached the high court for the grant of temporary bail on the ground that his client's two-year-old daughter needed urgent surgery. The lawyer argued the high court, in its order passed on February 21, posted the matter on April 22. "In the matters of liberty, the courts are not expected to keep the matter at such a long date," the bench said and permitted the petitioner to move the high court for an earlier hearing. The bench asked the high court to advance the date and hear the issue at least with regard to grant of temporary bail on the medical ground of operation of the petitioner's daughter. The ...

Centre spent over Rs 400 crore to contest court cases in last 10 years

The government has spent more than Rs 400 crore to contest court cases during the past 10 years, official data showed. The central government's Rs 66 crore expenditure on litigations in the 2023-24 financial year was over Rs 9 crore higher than the previous fiscal. The amount incurred on litigations has gone up since 2014-15, barring two fiscals when the Covid pandemic was at its peak, according to data shared by the government with the Lok Sabha in response to a question in the ongoing Budget session. In 2014-15, the cost incurred on litigations stood at Rs 26.64 crore while the expenditure for 2015-16 was Rs 37.43 crore. Between the 2014-15 and the 2023-24 financial years, the government spent more than Rs 409 crore on litigations. The government is working on a national litigation policy that seeks to expedite the resolution of pending cases. A draft of the proposed policy will go before the Union Cabinet for a final call. The policy has been drafted and redrafted for several

Sajjan Kumar sentenced to life in 1984 riots case: Timeline of events

Former Congress MP Sajjan Kumar was on Tuesday awarded life-term imprisonment in connection with the murders of two persons during the anti-Sikh riots in 1984. Here's a timeline of events leading to the case's conclusion. *1991: FIR lodged in the case. *Jul 8, 1994: Delhi court finds no sufficient evidence to initiate prosecution. Kumar not chargesheeted in the case. *Feb 12, 2015: Govt forms special investigation team (SIT). *Nov 21, 2016: SIT tells court case requires further probe. *Apr 6, 2021: Kumar is arrested. *May 5, 2021: Police files chargesheet. *Jul 26: Court takes cognisance of chargesheet. *Oct 1: Court begins hearing arguments on charge. *Dec 16: Court frames charges of murder, rioting, other offences. *Jan 31, 2024: Court begins hearing final arguments. *Nov 8: Court reserves verdict. *Feb 12, 2025: Court convicts Kumar. *Feb 25: Kumar gets life-term imprisonment. According to a report of the Nanavati Commission, constituted to probe the violence and its a

Salman Rushdie attacker found guilty, faces up to 32 years in prison

Hadi Matar was also convicted of assault for injuring Ralph Henry Reese, a co-founder of a programme that provides refuge for writers, who was on stage to moderate the event

Lawyers to deliver closing arguments in trial of man who stabbed Rushdie

Lawyers are set to deliver their closing arguments Friday in the trial of a New Jersey man charged with trying to kill Salman Rushdie on a New York lecture stage in a knife attack that left the author blind in one eye and with other serious injuries. Hadi Matar, 27, is charged with attempted murder and assault in the August 2022 attack at the Chautauqua Institution in western New York. He faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted. Rushdie, 77, was the key witness during testimony that began last week. The Booker Prize-winning author told jurors he thought he was dying when a masked stranger ran onto the stage and stabbed and slashed at him until being tackled by bystanders. Rushdie showed jurors his now-blinded right eye, usually hidden behind a darkened eyeglass lens. Jurors also heard from a trauma surgeon who said Rushdie's injuries would have been fatal without quick treatment, and a law enforcement officer who said Matar was calm and cooperative in his custody. They were sho

US DOJ to drop case accusing SpaceX of discrimination against immigrants

Justice Department last month signaled it could back away from the case, brought during Democratic President Joe Biden's term

Judge extends stay of Trump order to pull many USAID staffers off their job

A court order halting Trump administration plans to pull all but a fraction of USAID staffers off the job worldwide will stay in place for at least another week. US District Judge Carl Nichols ordered the extension after a nearly three-hour hearing Thursday, much of it focused on how employees were affected by abrupt orders by the Trump administration and ally Elon Musk to put thousands of USAID workers on leave and freeze foreign aid funding. The judge said he plans to issue a written ruling in the coming days on whether the pause will continue. Nichols, a Trump appointee, closely questioned the government about keeping employees on leave safe in high-risk overseas areas. When a Justice Department attorney could not provide detailed plans, the judge asked him to file court documents after the hearing. USAID staffers who until recently were posted in Congo had filed affidavits for the lawsuit describing the aid agency all but abandoning them when looting and political violence ...

US judge keeps block on Trump employees' buyout plan in place for now

The decision by US District Judge George O'Toole in Boston prevents Trump's administration from implementing the buyout plan for now, giving a temporary victory to labour unions

Rushdie was too stunned to react when a man started to stab him: Prosecutor

Salman Rushdie was so stunned when a masked man started to stab him on a stage in western New York that the author didn't even try to fight back, a prosecutor said Monday during opening statements in the suspect's attempted murder trial. Rushdie, 77, is expected to testify during the trial of Hadi Matar, bringing the two face-to-face for the first time since the attack that left Rushdie seriously wounded and blind in one eye. On the day of the attack in August 2022, the Booker Prize-winning novelist was seated in an armchair on stage at the Chautauqua Institution Amphitheater, about to present a lecture on keeping writers safe. District Attorney Jason Schmidt told jurors Monday that the attack was swift and sudden. He said Matar bounded up a staircase to the stage and ran about 30 feet (9 meters) toward Rushdie. As the stabbing began, Rushdie and fellow speaker Henry Reese were so stunned that they initially remained seated. Without hesitation this man holding his knife forcefully

Trial begins of man accused for attempting to kill Salman Rushdie

Lawyers are scheduled to deliver opening statements Monday at the trial of the man charged with trying to fatally stab author Salman Rushdie in front of a lecture audience in western New York. Rushdie, 77, is expected to testify during the trial of Hadi Matar, bringing the writer face-to-face with his knife-wielding attacker for the first time in more than two years. Rushdie, who wrote Midnight's Children and Victory City, had been about to speak about keeping writers safe from harm in August 2022 when Matar ran toward him on the stage at the Chautauqua Institution Amphitheater. Matar stabbed Rushdie more than a dozen times in the neck, stomach, chest, hand and right eye, leaving him partially blind and with permanent damage to one hand. The India-born British-American author detailed the attack and his long, painful recovery in a memoir, Knife: Meditations After and Attempted Murder, released last year. Matar, 27, of Fairview, New Jersey, is charged with attempted murder and assa

US Court extends deadline for federal workers to accept resignation offer

The new deadline is now Monday, following a lawsuit filed by several federal unions, including AFGE and AFSCME

Salman Rushdie to testify against man charged for stabbing him in 2022

In 2022, Salman Rushdie was about to deliver a lecture before a live audience in western New York when a man ran towards him and plunged a knife into the author's hand as he raised it in self-defence. After that there are many blows, to my neck, to my chest, to my eye, everywhere, Rushdie recalled in a memoir that followed. I feel my legs give way, and I fall. In the coming weeks, Rushdie is expected to return to the same New York county to recount the experience as one of the first witnesses in the trial of the man charged with wielding the knife that day, Hadi Matar. Jury selection is scheduled to begin Tuesday. Matar, 27, of Fairview, New Jersey, has pleaded not guilty to charges of attempted murder and assault. Under different circumstances, Rushdie's book, which details his account of that day and his recovery, might offer important evidence in the Aug. 12, 2022, attack that left the 77-year-old blind in his right eye and his hand permanently damaged. But this isn't a back al

Samsung chief Jay Y Lee found not guilty in controversial merger case

Case highlights long-running legal risks for Lee, who faces growing questions about his ability to lead Samsung Electronics, the world's top memory chip and smartphone maker

Unnao rape case: HC grants interim bail to Kuldeep Sengar for eye surgery

The Delhi High Court on Monday granted interim bail till February 4 to expelled BJP leader and Unnao rape case convict Kuldeep Singh Sengar for undergoing an eye surgery. A bench of Justices Yashwant Varma and Harish Vaidyanathan Shankar suspended his sentence, noting that Sengar's cataract surgery is fixed for Tuesday at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences here. The court directed him to surrender before the jail authorities on February 5. we are of the opinion that the sentence warrants to be suspended for the purpose of applicant's medical procedure which is fixed for February 4, 2025 subject to conditions identical to those set forth in December 20, 2024 order. The applicant shall surrender on February 5 before the jail superintendent, the bench said. The court was informed by the leader's counsel that Sengar's surgery was not performed earlier on the scheduled date due to circumstances beyond his control. He submitted that two more days are needed as Sengar needs to b

Bikaner House attachment case: Delhi Court orders release of Rs 92 lakh

Nagar Palika had deposited the amount with the court the last month. Earlier, the court had issued a warrant for attachment of Bikaner House in New Delhi

Satyendra Jain DA case: Firm accused in supplementary charge sheet summoned

While issuing summons, the Court said that there are specific allegations against M/s Indo Metalimpex Private Limited also

Kharge expresses concerns about 'eroding institutional integrity' of ECI

Even as we celebrate National Voter's Day, ceaseless erosion of the institutional integrity of the Election Commission of India, in last ten years, is a matter of grave national concern, Kharge said

We must finds ways to tackle live-in relationship to save moral values: HC

Although live-in relationships have no social sanction, the youths' attraction to it demands there must be devised some framework or solution to save "moral values" of the society, the Allahabad High Court has observed. Justice Nalin Kumar Srivastava made the observation while granting bail to Varanasi-based Akash Keshari, who was booked under various sections of IPC and SC/ST Act for allegedly establishing physical relations with a woman on pretext of marriage. Keshari allegedly refused to marry the person, who approached Sarnath Police Station of Varanasi district. "So far as the live-in relationship is concerned, it has got no social sanction but since the youth is attracted to such relations because a young person, male or female, can easily escape from his or her liability to his or her partner, their attraction is rapidly increasing in favour of such relations. "It is high time we all thought and tried to find out some framework and solution to save the moral values of the ..

Ruling on FIR that MF Husain's paintings 'hurt religious sentiments' today

A Delhi court is likely to decide today whether or not to direct an FIR after a plea alleged two paintings of late artist and Padma awardee M F Husain hurt religious sentiments. Judicial magistrate first class Sahil Monga had on January 20 ordered the seizure of the paintings displayed at an art gallery in the national capital and reserved the order on FIR after hearing arguments. The paintings feature Hindu deities Hanuman and Ganesh. During the hearing on Wednesday, complainant and advocate Amita Sachdeva, said the most revered entities of Sanatan Dharma -- Hanuman and Ganesh -- were insulted in Husain's paintings. "This is obscenity. Depicted most revered deities in obscene manner a deliberate and malicious insult. Husain may be the greatest artist in the world, but he has no right to insult my deities," he argued. He claimed there was an advertisement and thousands of people saw the painting of "deities being ridiculed". "Prima facie case is made out for exhibiting such offen