Page 37 - High Court

Punjab-Haryana HC quashes FIRs against Kumar Vishwas, Tajinderpal Bagga

The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Wednesday quashed two separate FIRs registered against former AAP leader Kumar Vishwas and BJP leader Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga by the Punjab Police. While Vishwas was booked by the Rupnagar Police in Punjab over his alleged inflammatory statements against AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal, Bagga was booked on charges of making provocative statements, promoting enmity and criminal intimidation at Mohali in April. Senior counsel Chetal Mittal said that Justice Anoop Chitkara ordered the quashing of the FIRs. After the pronouncement of the verdict, Vishwas thanked the judiciary and admirers. In a tweet, BJP leader Bagga said, Satyamev Jayate Big slap on @ArvindKejriwal Face. Punjab High court Quashed FIR against Me & Me & @DrKumarVishwas.

Was Centre informed about blasts in Ekbalpur clashes? HC asks Bengal govt

The Calcutta High Court on Wednesday morning directed the West Bengal government to inform it by 2 pm whether the mandatory provision of communicating to the Centre about bomb explosions during the clashes in Ekbalpur was followed. Taking up two petitions seeking NIA investigation into the communal clashes, the court said that a mandatory report to the Centre under section 6 of the NIA Act is required for it to decide whether a probe by the central agency is required. A division bench presided by Justice Joymalya Bagchi directed the state government to inform it by 2 pm on whether the mandatory provision was complied with. Advocate TM Siddiqui, representing the state government, told the court that five FIRs have been filed in connection with the clashes at Mayurbhanj in Ekbalpur area of southwest Kolkata on Sunday, and submitted a report on the incident.

Fruits of reservation not percolated to bottom of society: NHRC chief

NHRC chairperson Justice (retd) Arun Kumar Mishra on Wednesday said "fruits of reservation have not percolated to the bottom". In his address at the National Human Rights Commission Foundation Day here, Mishra also pressed for urgent jail reforms. "Several measures have been taken for socio-economic and political upliftment of the marginalised sections of the society. More affirmative action is needed. The time has come to clarify that unrepresented classes in services are provided reservation within the reserved category itself to ensure overall development, because fruits of reservation have not percolated to the bottom," he said. Though India has many socio-economic welfare schemes, "reservation is still needed for upliftment," the NHRC chief said. Mishra also flagged many other human rights-related issues and emphasised that gender equality and equality for all was important.

SC appointments: What is the collegium system, and how does it work?

The collegium is a group consisting of the Chief Justice of India and the four seniormost judges of the Supreme Court that decides the appointment of judges to the apex court

Centre recommends elevation of two judges as CJs of Karnataka and J-K HC

The Centre has notified the elevation of two judges as chief justices of the Karnataka High Court, Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh High Court, and also notified the transfer of Chief Justice of J&K High Court to the Rajasthan High Court.

Delhi HC directs L'Oreal to pay profiteered amount of Rs 186 crore

The court, which clubbed the petitions, had posted the matter for next hearing on October 19

153 high court judges appointed this year; more appointments likely: Report

A total of 153 judges have been appointed to the various high courts in this calendar year so far, with sources on Thursday hinting at more appointments to the higher judiciary in the coming days. Six additional judges were appointed to the Bombay High Court on Thursday. It is learnt that the government is also set to take a call on the elevation of Bombay High Court Chief Justice Dipankar Datta to the top court shortly. If he is appointed to the apex court, its working strength will go up to 30. The sanctioned strength of the top court is 34, including the Chief Justice of India (CJI). The government is also set to initiate the process of appointing the next CJI, most likely this week or early next week. As part of the procedure, the Union law minister writes to the CJI to name his or her successor. Justice Uday Umesh Lalit retires as the CJI on November 8. Justice D Y Chandrachud is the senior-most judge after the CJI. As per practice, the CJI names the senior-most judge as hi

Karnataka HC declines relief to Xiaomi over Rs 5,551-cr asset freeze

The Enforcement Directorate froze Rs 5,551 crore of Xiaomi assets in April, alleging the company made illegal remittances to foreign entities by passing them off as royalty payments

Both CGST and excise duty can be imposed on tobacco products: Karnataka HC

The Karnataka High Court has ruled that the Union government is entitled to levy Central GST (CGST) as well as excise duty on tobacco and tobacco-derived products. It dismissed a bunch of petitions by tobacco manufacturers who had challenged the same. "The levy of excise duty on tobacco and tobacco products is a matter of public policy and this court in exercise of writ jurisdiction would not interfere with the same. The CGST itself contemplates levy of excise duty upon tobacco and tobacco products apart from they being taxed under the provisions of CGST," Justice M I Arun said in the recent judgment. The Dharwad bench of the HC heard petitions by Ghodawat Packers LLP, H I Tamboli and Sons, Rajnandini Foods Pvt Ltd, Balajee Pouches, Ghodawat Foods International Limited and Ghodawat Industries India Private Limited, against the Ministry of Finance, Union of India and Joint Commissioner of CGST and Central Excise. The Joint Commissioner on March 25, 2021 issued an order imposing exci

KCET 2022 counselling dates out; document verifications on Oct 7-8

The KCET 2022 counselling schedule was to start on August 5, but KEA had to revise the result per Karnataka High Court orders

HC grants bail to former Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh in ED case

The Bombay High Court on Tuesday granted bail to former Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh in an alleged money laundering case. Justice N J Jamadar pronounced the order. Earlier, the Supreme Court had directed the HC to hear and decide the NCP leader's plea expeditiously as it was pending for six months. His lawyers Vikram Chaudhari and Aniket Nikam argued that considering his age (72), health and the fact that he had no criminal antecedents he should be granted bail. Additional Solicitor General Anil Singh, appearing for the Enforcement Directorate (ED), opposed the application arguing that Deshmukh did not suffer from any ailments that cannot be treated at jail hospital. Arrested by the ED in November 2021, Deshmukh is now in judicial custody. The ED booked him after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) registered a corruption case against him following allegations made by former Mumbai Police commissioner Param Bir Singh. The ED claimed that Deshmukh misused his ...

Can reducing 'state-litigation' solve half of the judiciary's problems?

Yes, the government is the biggest litigant in the country, but this is not the whole truth

Samples given to doctors are not freebies: Pharma companies in HC

Claiming that samples of medicines provided to doctors do not constitute 'freebies,' individual pharmaceutical companies and the Karnataka Drugs and Pharmaceuticals Association have approached the High Court of Karnataka. They have challenged the June 16, 2022 circular issued by the Ministry of Finance by which it was directed that pharma companies have to deduct TDS (tax deduction at source) at ten per cent of the value of the free samples provided by them to medical practitioners. "The free sample of medicines given to the medical practitioners is only to prove the efficacy and to establish the trust of the doctors on the quality of the drugs. This again cannot be reckoned as freebies given to the doctors or for promotion of its products," the petition that was heard by a division bench headed by Acting Chief Justice Alok Aradhe claimed. The High Court ordered issuing of notices to the respondents and adjourned the hearing of the case on Thursday. The petition claimed that the ..

SC Collegium recommends 3 new chief justices for HCs, transfers 2

The Supreme Court Collegium has recommended the transfer of two Chief Justices of high courts and elevation of three judges as Chief Justices of three high courts

There has to be some end to luxury litigation, says Delhi HC to Facebook

While dismissing the plea, Justice Yashwant Varma of Delhi High Court remarked that "there has to be some end to luxury litigation"

Zee Media moves Delhi High Court against I&B Ministry on Ku-Band issue

I&B Ministry had asked Zee Media to remove its ten regional news channels from the Ku-Band (a form of satellite frequency) on the GSAT-15 Satellite, that was making these accessible on DD Freedish

Industry considers options as Tamil Nadu ordinance bans online gaming

Sector takes hope from High Courts previously overturning such prohibitions by state governments

14 of 25 HCs registered a decline in pending PILs in 2021, shows data

Overall, they cleared 83.7 per cent of instituted cases until August 2021- the highest in four years

Karnataka hijab ban: SC reserves verdict on pleas challenging HC judgement

The Supreme Court on Thursday reserved its verdict on a batch of petitions challenging the Karnataka High Court judgement refusing to lift the ban on hijab in educational institutions of the state. On March 15, the high court had dismissed petitions filed by a section of Muslim students from the Government Pre-University Girls College in Udupi seeking permission to wear hijab inside the classroom, saying it is not a part of the essential religious practice in Islamic faith. The state government had, by its order of February 5, 2022, banned wearing clothes that disturb equality, integrity, and public order in schools and colleges. Several pleas have been filed in the apex court challenging the high court verdict. A bench of Justices Hemant Gupta and Sudhanshu Dhulia reserved its verdict in the matter.

SC provides relief to Adani Ports in connection with bidding process

Sector experts feel the court has cleared the air on an issue which saw multiple stands from high courts across the country