Page 6 - Court Cases

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

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 ..