Page 3 - High Court

Malegaon blast: Victims move HC against acquittal of Pragya, 6 others

Six family members of people who died in the 2008 Malegaon bomb blast have moved the Bombay High Court, challenging a special court judgment acquitting the seven accused in the case, including former BJP MP Pragya Singh Thakur and Lt Col Prasad Purohit. The appeal, filed on Monday by Nisar Ahmed Sayyed Bilal and five others through their advocate Mateen Shaikh, sought the HC to quash the special court judgment. An explosive device strapped to a motorcycle went off near a mosque in Malegaon town, located about 200 km from Mumbai in Maharashtra's Nashik district, on September 29, 2008, killing six persons and injuring 101 others. The petitioners claimed the order passed by the special NIA court on July 31 acquitting the seven accused was wrong and bad in law and hence deserves to be quashed. The special court in its judgment said mere suspicion cannot replace real proof and there was no cogent or reliable evidence to warrant conviction. Special judge A K Lahoti, presiding over the .

DNA test of child in face of mother's admission an insult to her: HC

The Orissa High Court has maintained that directing the DNA test of a child on the face of admission of the mother would be an insult to her motherhood and against the law. This was observed by Justice BP Routray, the single bench judge of the Orissa High Court, which rejected a petition to direct DNA test of an opponent party in a property partition case. The opposition party had challenged the trial court's judgment, which rejected to direct the DNA test of a person. "I do not see this as a fit case to be directed for DNA test of the man in this case. No infirmity is seen in the order of the learned trial court refusing the prayer of the petitioner. Resultantly, the Civil Miscellaneous Petition (CMP) is dismissed," Justice Routray said in a judgment on September 1. The court also said that the man in question is now 58 years old. So the trial court has rightly observed that direction for DNA test at this stage would not bring any fruitful result, the order said. In the case at ha

Centre seeks transfer of pleas against online gaming law from HCs to SC

The Centre has sought the transfer of pleas challenging the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025 from three high courts to the Supreme Court to avoid conflicting verdicts. A bench comprising Chief Justice B R Gavai and Justice K Vinod Chandran has agreed to list for hearing next week the plea of Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) for transfer of three pending cases from the high courts of Karnataka, Delhi and Madhya Pradesh to the apex court. "(The) Union has filed a transfer plea... The Online Gaming Regulation Act has been challenged before three high courts. If it can be listed on Monday since it's listed for interim orders before the Karnataka High Court," the Centre's counsel said. Besides seeking the transfer of pleas, the Centre sought a stay of all proceedings in the writ petitions" in different high courts till the transfer petition was disposed of. Due to multiple litigations pending before various High Courts involving same or ...

SC raps Sukesh Chandrashekar's wife for rushing bail plea in ₹200 cr case

The Supreme Court on Wednesday slammed Leena Paulose, wife of alleged conman Sukesh Chandrashekar, seeking expeditious hearing of her bail plea before the Delhi High Court in a Rs 200 crore extortion case. A bench of Justices Dipankar Datta and Prashant Kumar Mishra said the tendency of approaching the apex court for seeking early hearing of cases is not acceptable. "It is not acceptable. Just because of proximity of the Supreme Court, everyone comes here and then seeks adjournment," the bench observed. The lawyer appearing for Paulose submitted that despite being listed everyday in the high court, the matter was not being heard. He said the matter is listed Wednesday also for hearing and sought an adjournment. The bench agreed to adjourn the matter. The top court was hearing a plea filed by Paulose seeking expeditious hearing of her bail plea. Delhi Police has booked Chandrashekar for allegedly duping the wives of former promoters of Ranbaxy, Shivinder Singh and Malvinder Singh,

No payment to employee seeking another job against natural justice: HC

Holding that looking for another job, even if with a rival company with better perks and facilities, is a basic right and does not constitute moral turpitude, the Calcutta High Court has held that non-payment of an employee's dues on such ground by a company was against the principles of natural justice. Setting aside the order and punishment of the disciplinary authority of the company, which claims to be the sole manufacturer of a particular type of insulator film in India, Justice Shampa Dutt (Paul) directed it to pay his gratuity dues of Rs 1.37 lakh along with simple interest at the rate of 8 per cent per annum. "Looking for another job, even if with a rival company (though, not proved in this case) with better perks and facilities is a basic right and does not constitute moral turpitude as it is not contrary to honesty, modesty or good morals," Justice Dutt observed in the judgment passed on Thursday. The court held that the petitioner company could not prove that any damage o

HC to hear Vijay Mallya, UBHL director's plea on debt recovery records

The Karnataka High Court on Friday listed for September the petitions filed by fugitive businessman Vijay Mallya and Daljit Mahal, director of the now-liquidated United Breweries Holdings Limited (UBHL) seeking bank account statements on debt recoveries. The petitioners have sought directions to concerned banks to furnish a detailed statement of accounts showing the dues owed by them, UBHL, and other certificate debtors. The plea calls for the statements to reflect periodic accrual of interest, credits for recoveries already made, and details of assets utilised, following the amended recovery certificate dated April 10, 2017, issued by the Debts Recovery Tribunal (DRT). Hearing the matter, Justice B M Shyam Prasad noted that the present petition and anotherWP 3357/2025involve common issues. Senior Advocate Sajan Poovayya, appearing for the petitioners, suggested they be taken up together. The court directed advocate Chandrakant K Patil, already representing respondents in the ...

RBI, pvt banks be made parties in fake warrant-extortion case: U'khand HC

The Uttarakhand High Court has directed that the Reserve Bank of India, private banks, and telecom companies be made parties in a case involving the issuance of fake non-bailable warrants in the name of state judges and police officers to extort money. Money was embezzled through four bank accounts in the case. Hearing a petition filed by Haridwar resident Surendra Kumar, a division bench of Chief Justice G Narendra and Justice Subhash Upadhyay said that the scam was not only about cheating the common people but also challenges the credibility of the system. Having made the observation, the high court converted the petition into a public interest litigation. Kumar, in his petition, said that a month ago, he received calls from two different numbers claiming that an NBW had been issued by the court of the Additional District Judge, Dehradun, and he had to deposit Rs 30,000 immediately. He was given four different QR codes to deposit the money, he said. According to the petitioner,

SC collegium recommends HC Chief Justices Aradhe, Pancholi for top court

The Supreme Court collegium on Monday recommended to the Centre, the names of Bombay High Court Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Patna High Court Chief Justice Vipul Manubhai Pancholi for elevation as top court judges. Justice Pancholi, upon becoming a top court judge, would be in line to become the Chief Justice of India (CJI) in October 2031 after Justice Joymalya Bagchi's retirement. The five member collegium comprising CJI B R Gavai and Justices Surya Kant, Vikram Nath, J K Maheshwari and B V Nagarathna met on Monday afternoon to hold deliberations. "The Supreme Court Collegium in its meeting held on August 25, 2025 has recommended elevation of the following chief justices of the high Ccourts, as judges in the Supreme Court: (i) Justice Alok Aradhe, Chief Justice, High Court of Bombay (PHC: High Court of Madhya Pradesh), (ii) Justice Vipul Manubhai Pancholi, Chief Justice, High Court of Judicature at Patna, (PHC: High Court of Gujarat)," said a statement uploaded on the apex court

Bike taxi row: Uber, Ola halt in Karnataka, Rapido continues service

This comes after the Karnataka High Court bench clarified that it has not passed any order allowing bike taxi services in the state

Bike taxi services resume, but Karnataka HC clarifies no judicial nod given

The Karnataka High Court has clarified that it had not passed any order permitting ride-hailing companies to resume bike taxi services, a day after such operations were seen returning to city roads. A division bench headed by Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru observed that while the state government is free to act against bike taxi aggregators in accordance with law, enforcement authorities must refrain from targeting individual vehicle owners. During a hearing on August 20, the bench had adjourned the matter to September 22, giving the government time to decide whether it intended to frame a policy on bike taxis. On Friday, Advocate General Shashikiran Shetty informed the court that several operators had restarted services despite there being no judicial order permitting them to do so. Counsel representing bike taxi riders countered, saying that enforcement authorities were seizing motorcycles belonging to individual owners. The bench clarified that its earlier concern was limited to ..

Bike taxis return in Karnataka after High Court lifts state government ban

Bike taxis are back on the roads in Karnataka following the High Court's "balanced and thoughtful observations", said Karnataka Bike Taxi Welfare Association (KBTWA) president Adi Narayan on Thursday. Uber, Ola and Rapido have brought back the bike taxi feature on their platforms. According to Narayan, it would benefit over six lakh riders who were without income because of the ban on bike taxis. State Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy was not immediately available for comments. Bike taxi operations had been suspended since June 16, following a single judge order prohibiting bike taxi services. On August 20, the Karnataka High Court came down heavily on the state government's ban on bike taxis, calling its arguments against the service "thin" and legally untenable. It also said the state cannot deny livelihoods by citing the absence of a formal policy. Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru, who headed the bench, noted that bike taxis are permitted in at least 13 states across the country

Karnataka HC slams govt bike taxi ban, upholds operators' right to work

The Karnataka High Court on Wednesday came down on the state government's ban on bike taxis, calling its arguments against the service 'thin' and "legally untenable". Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru, heading the bench, noted that bike taxis are permitted in at least 13 states across the country and have emerged as a lawful and essential mode of urban transport. He observed that such services are not a luxury but a necessity, especially for affordable and efficient last-mile connectivity. Rejecting the government's stance that the Motor Vehicles Act prohibits bike taxis, the court said the State cannot deny livelihoods by citing the absence of a formal policy. A mere lack of regulation cannot be the basis for a blanket ban that deprives thousands of their right to work under Article 19(1)(g) of the Constitution, the Chief Justice remarked. The court also asked the Advocate General (AG) to ensure that no coercive or punitive action is taken against bike taxi operators in the interim. Th

SC tells Jharkhand HC judges to take leave to finish pending verdicts

In a peculiar development, the Supreme Court on Friday suggested the Jharkhand High Court judges to take leaves for penning pending verdicts after observing there were dozens of cases in which judgments weren't pronounced. A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi asked the judges to take their sanctioned leaves and complete the pending work. "There are 61 cases pending. Ask Jharkhand High Court judges to take their sanctioned leaves for 10-12 weeks and write judgements. Nowadays judges have enough leaves left with them. Just get rid of these cases. People need judgements, they are not concerned about jurisprudence or something else. Give a reasoned order on whether relief is denied or allowed," the bench told senior advocate Ajit Sinha, appearing for the Jharkhand high court. Sinha was referring to data till January 31 and said orders in several cases had been passed since then. Justice Kant pointed out 61 cases was big number and asked him to convey the suggestion of the

Cal HC grants interim protection to Mithun Chakraborty in unpaid dues case

The Calcutta High Court on Wednesday granted interim protection to actor-turned-politician Mithun Chakraborty from any coercive action in connection with a case of unpaid dues lodged at Chitpur police station here. Justice Jay Sengupta granted protection to Chakraborty from any coercive action in the case till September 10. The court, however, said that the investigation in the case can continue. The matter will come up for hearing again on September 3. The complainant in the case alleged that he had done interior decoration work of a property for a hotelier on assurance from Chakraborty. The hotelier had not yet paid him the billed amount totaling around Rs 35 lakh, the lawyer for the complainant said. Chakraborty moved the court seeking quashing of the FIR, claiming that false and motivated allegations were made against him. He also prayed for interim protection from any coercive action against him in the case lodged at Chitpur police station in north Kolkata.

SC tells Bhupesh Baghel, son to move HC, flags rich bypassing process

The Supreme Court on Monday censured the practice of affluent persons coming to it directly seeking reliefs in criminal cases as it asked former Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel and his son to go to the high court in cases probed by central investigating agencies. The matters relate to the alleged liquor scam in Chhattisgarh and other cases. A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi asked the father and son duo why should the top court go into their pleas against FIR, arrest and remand and Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) provisions. The top court asked why did the petitioners not move the high court, which too were constitutional courts and could adjudicate the issue. "This is the problem we are facing. Why can't the high court decide the issue otherwise what is the use of having those courts? This is the new trend, when an affluent person approaches the Supreme Court, we start changing our directions. If this keeps on happening, then ordinary persons a

NCPCR plea over shifting of madrasa students can go before HC: SC

The Supreme Court on Monday said the challenge to the communications issued by child rights body NCPCR urging states to shift students in unrecognised madrasas to government schools could be raised before the high court concerned. The petitioner organisation Jamiat Ulema-i-Hind has challenged the action of the Uttar Pradesh and Tripura governments directing students of unrecognised madrasas to be shifted to government schools. A bench of Justices M M Sundresh and N Kotiswar Singh told the counsel appearing for the petitioner that it would extend the protection given by the apex court earlier and grant them liberty to move the high court. In its order passed on October 21 last year, the top court stayed the operation of the communications issued by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) and consequential actions of some states. Senior advocate Indira Jaising, appearing for the petitioner, said there was already an interim order of the apex court staying the .

HC suspends conviction of scientist in wife's suicide case for vaccine work

Uttarakhand HC allows Akash Yadav to resume duties at Indian Immunologicals Ltd, citing his essential role in national vaccine development; suspends his conviction in wife's abetment to suicide case

HC bars Tamil Nadu govt from naming welfare schemes after living persons

Court says using names of living leaders and party symbols on state schemes violates constitutional principles of neutrality

UP bars police from contacting parties in sub-judice cases after HC order

After Allahabad High Court's directives, the Uttar Pradesh government has issued a circular restraining police from directly contacting parties and lawyers in pending matters. A PIL was filed by 90-year-old Gauri Shankar Saroj of Jaunpur alleging that local police personnel threatened him to withdraw his petition against alleged encroachment of Gaon Sabha land. The police had also allegedly raided his house in retaliation. In its circular dated July 25, the state government issued comprehensive statewide guidelines to prevent police interference in sub-judice (pending) matters. These guidelines strictly prohibit police personnel from contacting petitioners or their advocates concerned with pending matters without lawful authority and prior sanction from a competent officer or court. Earlier, the high court had taken a very serious note of the allegations made by the petitioner. Subsequently, on July 15, the Uttar Pradesh government had sought 10 days time to formulate statewide ..

NALSA launches Veer Parivaar Sahayata Yojana to aid defence personnel

The National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) on Saturday launched the Veer Parivaar Sahayata Yojana 2025 here to strengthen legal aid for defence personnel. The yojana was launched in collaboration with the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh and the Jammu & Kashmir Legal Services Authority during the North Zone Regional Conference on "Reaffirming the Constitutional Vision of Justice for Defence Personnel and Tribals" at SKICC here. Presiding over the event, Supreme Court Judge and Executive Chairman of NALSA, Justice Surya Kant, said the gathering in Kashmir was not just about technical discussions, but also about national integration and honouring the selfless service of the armed forces. Justice Kant said Veer Parivaar Sahayata Yojana 2025 marks a historic step in NALSA's 30-year journey of delivering justice to the marginalised. "Members of our armed forces and their families face legal hurdles like any other citizen whether land disputes, service entitlements, or ...