Page 5 - Court Orders

Gujarat demolition: SC defers hearing on contempt plea against authorities

The Supreme Court on Wednesday deferred hearing on a contempt plea against Gujarat authorities for allegedly illegally demolishing residential and religious structures in the state despite an interim stay and without its prior nod. A bench of Justices B R Gavai, P K Mishra and K V Viswanathan listed the plea after three weeks. The plea seeks initiation of contempt proceedings against state authorities for alleged violation of the apex court's September 17 order that there shall be no demolition of properties, including of those accused of crimes, across the country without its permission. At the outset, a lawyer sought pass-over of the hearing on behalf of the solicitor general representing the state authorities. Senior lawyer Sanjay Hegde, appearing for the petitioner, said the state has filed a response to the petition and he wanted to file the rejoinder submissions. "Their defense is that (the structure demolished) was near the Arabian Sea. What prevented them from seeking ...

Excise Policy: ED to supply soft copies of docs for inspection issue

The court had directed the counsel to visit the palace in the ED office and informed the court about the facility there

US Judge orders Google to list rival apps stores to its Play Store

A federal judge on Monday ordered Google to tear down the digital walls shielding its Android app store from competition as punishment for maintaining an illegal monopoly that helped expand the company's internet empire. The injunction issued by US District Judge James Donato will require Google to make several changes that the Mountain View, California, company had been resisting. Those include a provision that will require its Play Store for Android apps to distribute rival third-party app stores so consumers can download them to their phones, if they so desire. The judge's order will also make the millions of Android apps in the Play Store library accessible to rivals, allowing them to offer up a competitive selection. Donato is giving Google until November to make the revisions dictated in his order. The company had insisted it would take 12 to 16 months to design the safeguards needed to reduce the chances of potentially malicious software making its way into rival Android app

Rau's IAS case: Court grants interim bail to coaching's CEO, coordinator

A Delhi court on Monday granted till December 7 interim bail to Rau's IAS Study Circle CEO Abhishek Gupta and its coordinator Deshpal Singh in a case related to the death of three civil services aspirants in July in the centre's flooded basement. Principal District and Sessions Judge Anju Bajaj Chandna granted relief to the accused persons on a personal bond of Rs 1 lakh each with two sureties of the like amount. The judge also directed Gupta to deposit Rs 2.5 crore till November 30 with Red Cross Society, saying that as per the lease agreement of the premises, the accused being the lessee and CEO of the institute alone, would responsible for any loss claim, and damages to any person or material. The judge noted that Gupta and Singh were CEO and coordinator of Rau's IAS Study Circle, respectively, and were in control of its affairs.

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

Ponzi case: US appeals court voids $564 mn verdict against Bank of Montreal

The 3-0 decision by the St. Paul, Minnesota-based court overturned a November 2022 jury verdict, and directed that trustee Douglas Kelley's case against BMO be dismissed

Fast track courts dispose 94% cases of sexual offences in 2023: Report

Fast Track Special Courts which specialise in expediting the trial process for cases related to sexual offences disposed of 83 per cent cases in 2022 and 94 per cent in 2023 while all Indian courts saw only a 10 per cent disposal rate, according to a new report. A recent report, 'Fast Tracking Justice: Role of Fast Track Special Courts in Reducing Case Backlogs' by the child rights NGO, India Child Protection, highlights the exceptional efficiency of these courts. While all Indian courts saw only a 10 per cent disposal rate for rape and POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) cases in 2022, FTSCs managed an impressive 83 per cent rate, which further improved to 94 per cent in 2023, according to the report. Despite the positive impact of FTSCs, the report paints a stark picture of the judicial system's challenges. As of August 2024, a total of 755 FTSCs, including 410 exclusive POCSO courts, are functional out of the 1023 earmarked courts, it said. In total, 4,16,638 ra

HC to form special bench to hear matters related to Hema Committee report

The Kerala High Court on Thursday said it will constitute a five-judge special bench to hear cases related to the Justice Hema Committee report. A bench of Acting Chief Justice A Muhamed Mustaque and Justice S Manu made this oral observation while hearing a plea challenging a single judge's decision allowing release of the committee's report. The special bench would also comprise women judges, the High Court said in its oral observation, a lawyer associated with the petition said. The single judge on August 13 had allowed release of the report by dismissing a plea challenging the State Information Commission's order permitting the panel's findings and recommendations to be made public. The single judge order came while rejecting the plea by Sajimon Parayil, a film producer, who had challenged the Information Commission's July 5 order directing the State Public Information Officer (SPIO) to reasonably disseminate the information in the report while ensuring that it does not compromi

Renukaswamy murder: Police files chargesheet against accused Darshan, other

The Bengaluru Police on Wednesday filed a chargesheet against 17 accused in the Renukaswamy murder case, including Kannada actor Darshan Thoogudeepa. The case was investigated from all angles, Bengaluru Police Commissioner B Dayananda told reporters here. The 3991-page chargesheet, which includes 231 witness statements, was submitted to the 24th Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate court. Darshan along with his friend Pavithra Gowda and 15 others, who are accused in the case, are currently under judicial custody in different prisons in the state. According to police sources, 33-year-old Renukaswamy, a fan of the actor, had sent obscene messages to Gowda, which enraged Darshan, allegedly leading to his murder. His body was found near a stormwater drain next to an apartment in Sumanahalli here on June nine. Raghavendra, one of the accused who is part of Darshan's fan club in Chitradurga, had brought Renukaswamy to a shed in R R Nagar here, on the pretext that the actor wanted to

Russian court rejects appeal of jailed US staff sergeant Gordon Black

A panel of judges in the Primorsky Krai Court considered Black's appeal of the verdict from a Vladivostok district court but left it unchanged, the court said in statement in a social media post

Setback to Pak-origin biz man Rana as US Court says extraditable to India

In a major setback to Pakistani-origin Canadian businessman Tahawwur Rana, who is sought by India for his involvement in the 2008 Mumbai terror attack, the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit has ruled that he is extraditable to India under the extradition treaty between the two countries. The (India US Extradition) Treaty permits Rana's extradition, the court said in its ruling on August 15. Ruling on an appeal filed by Rana, a panel of judges of the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit affirmed the District Court in the Central District of California's denial of his habeas corpus petition challenging a magistrate judge's certification of his as extraditable to India for his alleged participation in terrorist attacks in Mumbai. Under the limited scope of habeas review of an extradition order, the panel held that Rana's alleged offense fell within the terms of the extradition treaty between the United States and India, which included a Non Bis in Idem (double jeopardy) ..

Entire India with the champion: Fraternity on CAS rejecting Vinesh's appeal

The Indian sporting fraternity reacted with disappointment at the Court of Arbitration for Sport's (CAS) verdict rejecting wrestler Vinesh Phogat's appeal against her Olympic disqualification but said she will remain a champion for them. The ad-hoc division of the CAS on Wednesday rejected Vinesh's appeal against a gut-wrenching disqualification from the Paris Olympics 50kg final for being 100gm overweight, which dashed any hopes of securing a belated silver medal. "It's disappointing but we can't do anything about that," hockey legend PR Sreejesh, who retired after inspiring the Indian team to a second consecutive Olympic bronze medal in the Paris Games, told PTI Videos. Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist Bajrang Punia said a medal has been snatched away from Vinesh. "I believe your medal was snatched away in this darkness. You are shining like a diamond in the whole world today," Punia, who led a long sit-in protest along with Vinesh and Sakshi Malik accusing former WFI chief Brij .

States can make sub-classifications in Scheduled Castes quota: SC

The verdict came on references to revisit the five-judge constitution bench judgement of 2004 in the case of EV Chinnaiah versus State of Andhra Pradesh

Court denies anticipatory bail to former IAS probationer Puja Khedkar

A Delhi court on Thursday denied anticipatory bail to former IAS probationer Puja Khedkar who has been accused of cheating and wrongly availing of OBC and PwD (person with disabilities) quota benefits. Additional Sessions Judge Devender Kumar Jangala said Delhi Police "must also investigate if anyone from inside the UPSC helped Khedkar". The judge also widened the probe in the case and directed Delhi Police to investigate if other persons have availed of benefits under OBC and PwD quotas without entitlement. The UPSC on Wednesday cancelled Khedkar's candidature and debarred her from future exams. The judge had on Wednesday reserved the order after hearing arguments on the application filed by Khedkar, who claimed through her lawyer that she has "imminent threat of arrest". During the proceeding, the prosecution as well as the counsel appearing for the UPSC had opposed the application, claiming that she has "cheated the system". "This person has abused the law and process of law.

Country Garden liquidation hearing adjourned to Jan 2025: Hong Kong court

Ever Credit Limited, a unit of Hong Kong-listed Kingboard Holdings, filed the liquidation petition against Country Garden in February for non-payment of a $205 million loan

Trump's lawyers urge NY appeals court to overturn civil fraud verdict

Fresh off victories in other legal cases, Donald Trump on Monday pressed a New York appeals court to overturn the nearly USD 500 million New York civil fraud judgment that threatens to drain his personal cash reserves as he campaigns to retake the White House. In paperwork filed with the state's mid-level appeals court, the former president's lawyers said Manhattan Judge Arthur Engoron's Feb. 16 finding that Trump lied to banks, insurers and others about his wealth was erroneous and egregious." Trump's appeal arguments echoed many of the gripes he delivered during his trial to TV cameras outside the courtroom. His lawyers argued that New York Attorney General Letitia James' lawsuit should have been promptly dismissed, the statute of limitations barred some allegations, that no one was harmed by Trump's alleged fraud and that James' involvement in private business transactions threatens to drive business out of the state. Trump's lawyers contend that Engoron's decision, if upheld, .

Gangster Dawood declared terrorist in individual capacity, says Bombay HC

The Bombay High Court has said fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim has been declared a terrorist in his individual capacity under Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) and, hence, any association with him or his gang would not attract provisions of the stringent law. A division bench of Justices Bharati Dangre and Manjusha Deshpande, in an order of July 11, details of which were made available on Friday, granted bail to two persons held by the Maharashtra Anti Terrorism Squad in August 2022. The ATS had claimed Faiz Bhiwandiwala, from whom it seized 600 grams of ganja, and Parvez Vaid, were members of Dawood Ibrahim's gang. The duo was booked under UAPA for being members of a terrorist organisation, committing terrorist acts and collecting funds for commission of an offence as well as under Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act provisions. In its judgment, the HC said the Union government had issued a notification on September 4, 2019, notifying "Dawood Ibrahim ...

B'luru court sends rape-accused Prajwal Revanna to 14-day judicial custody

A court here on Monday sent former JD(S) MP Prajwal Revanna, who is facing charges of rape and sexual abuse against several women, to 14 days judicial custody. He was produced before the 42nd Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (ACMM) court as his Special Investigation Team (SIT) custody ended today. The court on May 31 remanded him to SIT custody till June 6, and later extended it till June 10. While in their custody, the SIT conducted a detailed investigation, including gathering evidence and interviewing witnesses, and questioned Revanna extensively about the allegations. The court, taking into consideration the gravity of the allegations and the evidence presented by the SIT, decided to remand him to judicial custody for 14 days, till June 24. The 33-year-old grandson of JD(S) patriarch and former PM H D Deve Gowda had failed in his bid to retain the Hassan parliamentary constituency in the recent polls. SIT officials arrested Revanna soon after he landed at Bengaluru's

Thailand's Move Forward party braces for court case that might dissolve it

The former leader of Thailand's progressive opposition Move Forward party vowed on Sunday to keep fighting as the party faces a court case that could result in its dissolution. The Constitutional Court has agreed to rule on whether the party violated the constitution by proposing to amend a law that forbids defaming the country's royal family. The petition requested the party's dissolution and a 10-year ban on political activity by its executives. The court has not said when it will rule on this case. Pita Limjaroenrat, the former leader of Move Forward, laid out the details of the party's legal defences that have been submitted to the court at a news conference on Sunday. If there is a rule of law in Thailand, I'm extremely confident the party's arguments will prevail, he said. Pita said the Constitutional Court does not have jurisdiction to rule on this case and that the petition filed by the Election Commission did not follow due process because Move Forward was not given an ..