Page 6 - Court Cases

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

South Korea's Yoon shuns questioning as security raised after court rampage

Authorities said security was being beefed up at the Seoul Detention Centre where Yoon is being held as a pre-trial inmate and at the Constitutional Court which is holding an impeachment trial

SC to hear on Jan 20 plea by Atul Subhash's mother for custody of his son

The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear on Monday a plea filed by the mother of Atul Subhash, a Bengaluru-based engineer who committed suicide in 2024 alleging harassment by wife, seeking his minor son's custody. A bench of Justices B V Nagarathna and Saish Chandra Sharma is likely to hear the plea by Anju Devi who has filed a habeas corpus petition, seeking the custody of her four-year-old grandson. On January 7, the top court had denied her the minor's custody saying she was "stranger to the child". Subhash, 34, who was found hanging at his house in Bengaluru's Munnekolalu on December 9 last year, purportedly left behind lengthy messages, blaming his wife and in-laws for pushing him to take the extreme step. During the last hearing, the top court was informed by the counsel appearing for Subhash's estranged wife Nikita Singhania that the child was studying at a boarding school in Haryana. Advocate Kumar Dushyant Singh, representing Devi, had sought the child's custody and alleged

Court cites several key fundamental lapses in arrest of ED official by CBI

A special court here has pointed out several critical fundamental lapses in the arrest of an ED official by the Central Bureau of Investigation over alleged bribery after ordering his immediate release. Rejecting the CBI's plea for transit remand of Vishal Deep, assistant director of Enforcement Directorate's Shimla unit, special judge B Y Phad has said that the allegations against him are not well founded. The CBI's Chandigarh unit arrested Deep from Mumbai on Tuesday on corruption charges stemming from the ED's probe against Himalayan group of professional institutions. The CBI claimed Deep demanded Rs 1.1 crore bribe from Himalayan group of professional institutions chairman Rajnish Bansal for not arresting him in a money laundering case being probed by the ED. The court gave the relief to Deep on Wednesday and a detailed copy of the order was made available subsequently. In his order, the special judge noted that the prosecution's failure to produce the case diary shakes its .

Judge temporarily blocks release of special counsel report on Trump cases

A federal judge on Tuesday temporarily blocked the public release of special counsel Jack Smith's report on investigations into Donald Trump as an appeals court weighs a challenge to the disclosure of a much-anticipated document just days before the president-elect reclaims office. The ruling from US District Judge Aileen Cannon may represent a short-lived victory for Trump but it's nonetheless the latest instance of the Trump-appointed jurist taking action in the Republican's favour. The halt came in response to an emergency request Monday night by defense lawyers to block the release of a report that they said would be one-sided and prejudicial. Smith's team is expected to respond later Tuesday. Trump responded to Cannon's order by complaining anew about Smith's investigation and saying, It was a fake case against a political opponent. It was not clear what the Justice Department, which has its own guidelines governing special counsels, intended to do following Cannon's order, whi

Judge denies Trump's bid to halt Friday's hush money case sentencing

US President-elect Donald Trump was thwarted Monday in his bid to indefinitely postpone this week's sentencing in his hush money case while he appeals a ruling that upheld the verdict and put him on course to be the first president to take office convicted of crimes. Manhattan Judge Juan M. Merchan ordered Friday's sentencing to proceed as scheduled, rejecting arguments from Trump's lawyers who said it should be halted while they ask a state appeals court to reverse his decision to let the conviction stand. Trump can still ask the appeals court to intervene and order a stay, or pause. Otherwise, he'll be sentenced a little more than a week before he is inaugurated to a second term. Trump's lawyers have told Merchan that if his sentencing happens, he will appear by video rather than in person. The judge had given him the option in light of the demands of the presidential transition process. Merchan last Friday denied Trump's bid to throw out the verdict because of his impending retu

Delhi Court denies application for disposal of bail plea of Engineer Rashid

Both Rashid's counsel and the NIA had agreed to keep the matter in the current court. In addition to the NIA's case, the special judge had suggested moving a related money laundering case

SC asks HC, Maharashtra govt to ensure accused appear before trial courts

The Supreme Court has asked the Bombay High Court and the Maharashtra government to evolve a mechanism to ensure that accused are produced before trial judges either physically or virtually on every date so that the trial is not prolonged. The apex court, while dealing with an appeal challenging the Bombay High Court order denying bail to an accused, said a "sorry state of affairs" was being depicted as the trial proceedings in the case was being prolonged due to non-production of appellant before the trial judge either physically or virtually. A bench of Justices B R Gavai and K V Viswanathan was informed that this was not a solitary case but in many cases, such a difficulty arises. "We, therefore, direct the registrar general of the high court of judicature at Bombay, secretary, Home, state of Maharashtra and secretary, Law and Justice, state of Maharashtra to sit together and evolve a mechanism to ensure that the accused are produced before the trial judge either physically or ..

Outgoing President Biden pardons son Hunter despite previous pledges not to

President Joe Biden has pardoned his son, Hunter, sparing the younger Biden a possible prison sentence for federal felony gun and tax convictions and reversing his past promises not to use the extraordinary powers of the presidency for the benefit of his family members. The Democratic president had previously said he would not pardon his son or commute his sentence after his convictions in the two cases in Delaware and California. The move comes weeks before Hunter Biden was set to receive his punishment after his trial conviction in the gun case and guilty plea on tax charges, and less than two months before President-elect Donald Trump is set to return to the White House. It caps a long-running legal saga for the president's son, who publicly disclosed he was under federal investigation in December 2020 a month after Joe Biden's 2020 victory. In June, as Hunter was facing trial in the gun case in Delaware, Biden ruled out a pardon or clemency for his son in an interview with ABC

Docket explosion preventing quality judgments, timely justice: SC judge

Docket explosion is preventing the delivery of quality judgments as well as timely justice in the country, Supreme Court judge Justice Hrishikesh Roy said on Saturday. Justice Roy made the remarks after inaugurating a two-day zonal conference on 'Court Dockets: Explosion and Exclusion' organised by the Jammu and Kashmir Judicial Academy under the aegis of the National Judicial Academy, Bhopal, at the SKICC here. Several judges from the Supreme Court, Chief Justice of the High Court of J-K and Ladakh, Justice Tashi Rabstan, and ex-Supreme Court judge and Director of National Judicial Academy, Justice Anirudhha Bose, attended the conference, among other legal representatives from the region. Emphasising that docket explosion is preventing the delivery of quality judgments and timely justice, Justice Roy said in his inaugural address, "It is a significant concern in a developing country like India, which is the world's largest democracy, with millions of court cases pending at differen

Special counsel moves to dismiss classified documents case against Trump

Federal prosecutors moved on Monday to abandon the classified documents case against President-elect Donald Trump in light of longstanding Justice Department policy that says sitting presidents cannot face criminal prosecution. The announcement in an appeals court filing in Florida came shortly after a similar filing was made by prosecutors in Washington, DC, where they asked to dismiss the case accusing Trump of plotting to overturn the 2020 election. The move amounts to a predictable but nonetheless stunning conclusion to a criminal case that just one year ago had been seen as the most perilous legal threat that he faced. It reflects the practical consequences of Trump's victory, ensuring he enters office free from scrutiny over his hoarding of top secret documents and conduct that prosecutors said had jeopardised national scrutiny. The dismissal had been foreshadowed in recent weeks by the revelation that special counsel Jack Smith was evaluating how to wind down both that case

Court to record wrestler's statement in Brij Bhushan case on Nov 26

A Delhi court will resume on November 26 recording statement of one of six female wrestlers who have accused former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh of sexual harassment. Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Vaibhav Chaurasiya posted the matter for further proceedings after recording statement of one of the complainants in the case on November 14. The proceedings took place in-chamber. The court had on May 21 framed charges of sexual harassment and using force to outrage women's modesty against Singh in the case. Singh had pleaded not guilty and claimed trial. The judge had also framed the charge of criminal intimidation against Singh. The court further framed charge of criminal intimidation against co-accused and former WFI assistant secretary Vinod Tomar in the case.

JPMorgan client who lost $50 million fortune amid dementia denied trial

A federal judge in Boston threw out a lawsuit filed by Peter Doelger, 87, and his wife, Yoon, accusing the firm of keeping him in an inappropriate investment

Eric Adams deflects questions about bribery as potential witness speaks

New York City Mayor Eric Adams on Monday delivered his most thorough public defence to date since his indictment on federal bribery charges, insisting the case was a "test" that would not distract him from governing as he deflected specific questions about the investigation for more than an hour on Tuesday. Yet even as the mayor began to address reporters alone beneath a City Hall rotunda, a potential witness in one of the sprawling investigations was wrapping up his own news briefing steps away, complaining he had been the victim of a corrupt "shakedown". The whiplash-inducing morning at City Hall reflected the deepening tumult that has gripped the Democrat's administration in recent weeks, raising questions about whether Adams can continue managing the nation's largest city while shuttling between court appearances and contending with an exodus of top deputies. As he stepped to the podium, a smiling Adams began his comments with a favourite quip, "This is going in my book." But i

Karnataka court orders FIR against FM in case related to electoral bonds

A case was registered on Saturday against Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and others on the directions of a court here, following a complaint relating to the now-scrapped electoral bonds scheme. Accorsing to police, an FIR was registered under sections 384 (punishment for extortion) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) read with 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) against Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, ED officials, office-bearers of the BJP at state and national level, based on the order of a special court. The complaint was lodged by Adarsh R Iyer, Co-President of 'Janaadhikaara Sangharsha Parishath' (JSP) alleging that the accused "committed extortion under the guise and garb of electoral bonds and benefitted to the tune of 8,000 and more crore of rupees." The complainant further alleged that Sitharaman through the clandestine aid and support of ED officials facilitated extortion of thousands of crores of rupees for the benefit of others .

Probe into death of Badlapur sexual assault case accused should be fair: HC

The Bombay High Court on Wednesday said the probe into the killing of Badlapur sexual assault case accused Akshay Shinde in a shoot-out should be carried out in a fair and impartial manner. The shoot-out could have been avoided if the police had tried to overpower Shinde first, the HC said, adding it was very hard to believe that he managed to seize a pistol from a police officer and open fire. Why the accused was shot in the head, and not on hand or legs first? the court asked. A division bench of Justices Revati Mohite Dere and Prithviraj Chavan said if it finds that the probe is not being done properly, then it would be constrained to pass appropriate orders. The bench posted the matter for further hearing on October 3, by when the police would have to take a decision on the complaint submitted by Shinde's father, seeking an FIR against the police officers concerned. "The investigation has to be done fairly and impartially. If we find that this is not done, then we would be ...

Rupert Murdoch's trust trial concludes with judge's ruling yet to come

Upon Murdoch's death, control of the trust was to be split among his four oldest kids. Instead, he has sought to give voting power to his eldest son, Lachlan

State 'single litigant', should come with unified stand: Supreme Court

The State is a "single litigant" for the courts and it should come with a unified stand after taking on board all the departments concerned, the Supreme Court has said. The observation by a bench headed by Justice BR Gavai came while noting that there appeared to be some inter-se disputes between the forest and revenue departments of the Mizoram government in a matter pertaining to a May 1965 notification. The apex court noted a single judge of the Gauhati High Court's Aizawl bench, in January 2021, held the notification issued in the Assam Gazette dated May 19, 1965, "notifying the order passed by the chief executive officer, Mizo District Council, declaring forests located within half a mile on either side of the river Tuirial and 15 other rivers to be the Council Reserved Forest, is not sustainable in law". It said the state had preferred an appeal before a division bench of the high court but on November 9, 2022, it sought liberty to withdraw the appeal with the liberty to file

Not another bite at cherry but only to prevent miscarriage of injustice

The curative petition was crafted by the apex court in 2002 in the landmark judgment of Rupa Ashok Hurra vs Ashok Hurra

Supreme Court to use AI to generate summaries for pleadings: ACJ Manmohan

The Supreme Court is set to introduce an AI tool called 'AI Saransh', developed by the National Informatics Centre, which is designed to generate summaries of pleadings