Delhi High Court

Ban on political ads in Delhi Metro during Model Code of Conduct valid: HC

The Delhi High Court has upheld the Election Commission rules not allowing political advertisements in the Delhi Metro when the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) is in force. A bench of Justices V Kameswar Rao and Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora said ban on political ads for a limited time does not amount to "total restriction" on carrying out business, nor does it violate freedom of speech under Article 19 (1). The bench was hearing a plea by a group of companies with advertising rights in the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), including contracts for advertising inside and outside trains, and outside civil structures. The petition challenged the January 2020 order of a single judge which upheld DMRC banning political advertisements from being displayed in metro stations and trains while the MCC was in force. Counsel for the companies pointed out that the Election Commission of India had issued a letter to DMRC in June 2019 stating, "No political advertisement shall be displayed/posted at

Neet UG re-exam: Delhi HC rejects Telegram's plea against temporary ban

The Delhi High Court on Friday upheld the Centre's move to temporarily restrict access to the Telegram messaging app ahead of the June 21 NEET-UG re-exam, holding the order was "not disproportionate". While pronouncing the judgement, a vacation bench of Justice Tejas Karia said the Centre's order was "least restrictive" and the government was empowered to direct blocking of access to Telegram. A detailed order is awaited. Telegram's counsel had questioned the legality of the government order blocking the platform. He had said that over 150 million users had been affected by the Centre's action. The National Testing Agency (NTA) had on May 12 cancelled the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (Undergraduate), or NEET-UG, held on May 3 for medical admissions amid allegations of paper leak. The CBI is investigating the matter and a re-test is scheduled on June 21. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), acting on recommendations of the NTA, had issued a ...

How can rights of 150 mn Telegram users be curtailed, HC asks govt

The Delhi High Court on Thursday questioned the Centre's decision to temporarily restrict access to Telegram ahead of the June 21 NEET-UG 2026 re-examination, saying how the rights of 150 million users of the messaging app can be curtailed just because a few of them are taking up the test. The observations were made by a vacation bench of Justice Tejas Karia before reserving the verdict on the plea of Telegram against the temporary ban on the ground that the app may be misused ahead of the NEET-UG retest. On May 12, the National Testing Agency (NTA) had cancelled the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (Undergraduate), or NEET-UG, held on May 3 for medical admissions amid allegations of paper leak. The matter is currently under investigation by the CBI. In a bid to ensure smooth conduct of the controversy-ridden exam, the government imposed the temporary ban on the messaging app till June 22. On Thursday, the Centre vehemently argued before the high court that Telegram has all t

Telegram moves Delhi HC against curbs imposed ahead of Neet UG re-exam

On Tuesday, the government ordered the temporary suspension of Telegram's services across India until June 22, ahead of the Neet UG 2026 re-examination scheduled for June 21

Delhi HC refuses bail to ex-CFO of Reliance Power in money laundering case

The Delhi High Court has refused to grant regular bail to the former Chief Financial Officer of Reliance Power Limited in a money laundering case linked to the issuance of an alleged fake bank guarantee of Rs 68 crore. Justice Madhu Jain dismissed the bail plea by Ashok Kumar Pal on Wednesday, stating that no ground was made out to give him reprieve in the case probed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. Considering the allegations and the material before it, the court said it was unable to conclude that there were reasonable grounds to believe that Pal was not guilty of money laundering. The case pertains to a bank guarantee of Rs 68.2 crore submitted to the Solar Energy Corporation of India Limited (SECI) on behalf of Reliance NU BESS Limited, a subsidiary of Reliance Power -- an Anil Ambani group company-- which was found to be "fake". Justice Jain said the ex-CFO's claim that he had no knowledge of the alleged forgery and acted only

HC seeks Delhi Police stand on bail plea by Tahir Hussain in riots case

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday sought the city police's stand on a plea by former AAP councillor Tahir Hussain seeking regular bail in a 2020 Delhi riots case pertaining to the alleged larger conspiracy behind the violence. A vacation bench of Justices Neena Bansal Krishna and Madhu Jain asked Delhi Police to respond within four weeks to Hussain's appeal challenging a trial court's January 29 order that refused him relief. Additional Solicitor General S V Raju urged the court to grant time to the agency to file its reply. Listing the matter for hearing on July 14, the bench also gave time to the police to file to Hussain's application seeking to condone a delay of 87 days in filing the appeal. Hussain and others were booked under the anti-terror law -- Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) -- in the case for being the "masterminds" of the February 2020 riots, which had left 53 people dead and over 700 injured. The violence erupted during the protests against the Citizensh

Datanomics: Four little-known facets of the CBSE examination system

Delhi High Court's scrutiny of CBSE's on-screen marking system raises questions about exam transparency, digital infrastructure and resource allocation amid record student volumes

'City will suffocate': Delhi HC on Centre's move to reclaim Polo Club land

Court questions government's plans for heritage sporting properties, warning that further loss of open spaces could worsen living conditions in the capital

Accused can't be denied access to documents forming part of chargesheet: SC

The Supreme Court has said that an accused cannot be denied access to documents forming part of the chargesheet as withholding them could seriously prejudice their right to a fair trial. The observations came from a bench of Justices J K Maheshwari and A S Chandurkar, which directed that a typed copy of some "highly confidential" documents be provided to retired Major General V K Singh, who is facing prosecution in a case lodged in 2007 under the provisions of the Official Secrets Act, 1923. The bench noted it was not the CBI's case that documents sought by Singh, who was also a former RAW official, were not relevant for the purpose of trial, and the only objection taken by the prosecution was that they were "highly confidential for the purpose of national security" and if its copies were supplied, there were chances that those may come out in the public domain. "It is trite law that an accused cannot be denied access to documents forming part of the chargesheet, including those fro

Advertising curbs risk weakening broadcasters in a changed market

As of December 2025, the number of homes with cable & satellite TV was down to 100 million, according to estimates

How Hindware-Google verdict could rewrite digital strategy for India Inc

Experts sat the Delhi High Court's Hindware ruling could reshape customer acquisition, platform dependence, brand protection and digital growth strategies across India Inc

The Hindware-Google row: Invisible keywords, visible consequences

The Delhi High Court's ruling against Google in the Hindware trademark dispute could alter how keyword advertising, trademark rights and platform liability are viewed in India

Delhi HC recognises right to be forgotten, lays down masking guidelines

The Delhi High Court said names and identifying details may be masked in online court records while preserving the substance and evidentiary value of judgments

Delhi HC ruling on Google keyword ads may reshape online advertising

The court ordered Google to pay damages of $31,600 in a ruling issued on May 22 by the Delhi High Court, which businesses have since been responding to

Delhi High Court rejects Pernod Ricard plea to sell liquor in Delhi

The Delhi High Court dismissed Pernod Ricard's challenge to the denial of an L-1 wholesale liquor licence, citing pending criminal proceedings under excise rules

Delhi High Court upholds Trai's cap for TV ads at 12 minutes per hour

The High Court ruled that TRAI acted within its statutory powers and that the advertising cap strikes a balance between broadcasters' commercial interests and viewers' rights

HC asks panel to examine unblocking of Cockroach Janta Party's X handle

The Delhi High Court on Friday refused to order unblocking of satirical digital outfit Cockroach Janta Party's X account at this stage but asked a review committee under the IT Rules to examine the issue and take a decision before July 7. Hearing the matter, Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav also permitted Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke to appear virtually before the committee, and observed that if the panel is satisfied that blocking must be set aside, it is legally empowered to order unblocking of the CJP's X account. Issuing notices to the Centre and Meta-owned X on Dipke's petition against the blocking of the CJP's handle, the judge sought their responses and listed the matter for hearing on July 7. "It is directed that before the next date of hearing, let the review committee examine all such aspects. Let the decision be placed on record," the court said. Senior advocate Akhil Sibal, appearing for Dipke, submitted that the CJP account was "pure satire" and

Delhi HC dismisses GEEC plea contesting Raniganj methane block bid

The court said audit logs showed no evidence of a technical glitch in the e-bidding portal and found GEEC lacked diligence in completing the bidding process

'Around 6,500 lives shaken': Delhi Gymkhana Club staff seek job security

General Secretary of the Staff Welfare Association, Amit Acharya, said the staff's primary concern was the continuation of their employment and the uninterrupted functioning of the club

Delhi Gymkhana Club case: HC seeks Centre's response to members' pleas

The court declined interim protection against the Centre's notice asking Delhi Gymkhana Club to vacate its Safdarjung Road premises by June 5