Page 5 - High Court

Cash discovery row: Govt wants to control judges' appointments, says Sibal

Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal on Tuesday alleged that the real motive of the government in moving towards bringing an impeachment motion against Justice Yashwant Varma for alleged corruption is to take control of appointment of judges by doing away with the Collegium system and bringing in the National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC). Sibal, who is also a senior advocate, also accused the government of having a selective approach in handling the cases of Justice Varma and Justice Shekhar Yadav, against whom Opposition MPs have submitted a notice in the Rajya Sabha for moving an impeachment motion for making allegedly "communal" remarks last year. Law Minister Kiren Rijiju has underlined the government's resolve to take all political parties on board in moving the impeachment motion against Justice Varma. A fire incident at Varma's residence in the national capital in March, when he was a judge at the Delhi High Court, had led to the discovery of several burnt sacks of cash at th

Bike taxi drivers in Bengaluru plead for relief as Karnataka ban begins

Workers urge lawmakers to regulate rather than shut down the sector as Karnataka's High Court decision enforces ban, hitting gig workers dependent on the service

Rapido halts bike taxi services in Karnataka after high court order

In place of a bike taxi, users now see a "bike parcel" service

K'taka HC refuses to stay order suspending bike, taxi services from June 16

The appeal filed challenging the order issued by the single-judge bench to cancel bike taxis was heard by a two-judge bench of Acting Chief Justice Kameswar Rao and Justice Sreenivas Harish Kumar

Rajasthan HC refuses IHCL plea on land use dues to Jai Mahal Palace Hotel

The court had also ordered an annual increase in the amount to be paid to Jai Mahal Palace Hotel if arbitration is delayed beyond May 2029

Karnataka HC orders interim release of RCB marketing head, 3 others

Karnataka High Court on Thursday ordered interim release of RCB Marketing head Nikhil Sosale and there others arrested in connection with the June 4 stampede that killed 11 people. Others who got relief from the High Court are Sunil Mathew, Kiran Kumar S and Shamant N P Mavinakere of the event organising company DNA Entertainment Networks Pvt Ltd, who were also arrested on June 6. The Court asked the arrested persons to surrender their passport. The stampede that occurred outside the Chinnaswamy stadium claimed the lives of 11 people during an event organised to celebrate the Royal Challengers Bengaluru's maiden IPL title win. The case came up for hearing before Justice S R Krishna Kumar, who had reserved the verdict on interim plea by Sosale after hearing arguments on June 11. Sosale and other petitioners are presently in judicial custody. On June 9, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) produced Sosale and other three arrested individuals before a local magistrate court,

BCCI, RCB 'invited whole world': Karnataka govt to HC on Bengaluru stampede

Karnataka government told the high court that RCB and BCCI invited massive crowds via social media without seeking permission, leading to the stampede that killed 11

'Daisy the cat drove everyone crazy': HC slams 'frivolous' kidnap case

Karnataka High Court quashes cat abduction case, slams police for chasing a 'whimsical pursuit' and warns against misusing criminal law to settle personal scores

Bombay HC orders BMC to pay ₹50 lakh each to 2015 fire victims' kin

The Bombay High Court on Tuesday ordered the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to pay Rs 50 lakh each as compensation to the kin of eight victims who died in a fire at a hotel in 2015, citing its gross failure in the discharge of its duties. A fire broke out inside Hotel City Kinara in Kurla, killing eight persons on October 16, 2015. Seven of them were students aged 18-20, and the eighth victim was a 31-year-old design engineer from Virar. The high court was hearing petitions filed by parents of the victims seeking to quash the Lokayukta's February 2017 order, which dismissed their complaint seeking a probe. The Lokayukta, while dismissing their pleas, noted that compensation of Rs 1 lakh each was disbursed. The families sought the enhancement of the compensation amount. The high court, in its judgment on Tuesday, ordered the BMC to pay Rs 50 lakh to the families of each of the victims within 12 weeks. "Due to the failure of the BMC in taking action, the illegality in Kin

SC protects MP scribes against coercive action, asks them to move HC

The Supreme Court on Monday protected in the interim two Madhya Pradesh-based journalists who were allegedly assaulted by the state police for reporting on illegal sand mining activities. A bench of Justices Prashant Kumar Mishra and Manmohan, however, refused to examine their plea and asked them to move the Madhya Pradesh High Court instead. A separate top court bench on June 4 sought the responses of Madhya Pradesh and Delhi governments on the plea of Shashikant Jatav and Amarkant Singh Chouhan. The apex court while granting the interim relief posted the hearing on June 9. "We are not entertaining the plea. However, looking at the allegations, we permit the petitioners to move the concerned high court within two weeks from today. Till the time the petitioners move high court the petitioners shall not be arrested," Justice Mishra said. The journalists alleged that they were kidnapped, assaulted in custody and subjected to casteist slurs by a senior police officer and his ...

Cash discovery row: Justice Varma must quit to avoid removal by Parliament

Resignation is the only option before Justice Yashwant Varma to avoid impeachment by Parliament as the government pushes for bringing a motion to remove the Allahabad High Court judge over alleged corruption. Officials aware of the procedure to appoint and remove Supreme Court and high court judges pointed out that while defending his case before lawmakers in any of the House, Justice Varma can announce that he is quitting and his verbal statement will be considered as his resignation. Should he decide to resign, he will get pension and other benefits entitled to a retired HC judge. But if he is removed by Parliament, he will be deprived of pension and other benefits, they noted. According to Article 217 of the Constitution, a high court judge "may, by writing under his hand addressed to the President, resign his office." A judge's resignation does not require any approval. A simple resignation letter is sufficient. A judge may give a prospective date to step down. In such cases,

No arrests for now: HC protects Karnataka cricket body in stampede case

Karnataka HC halts arrests in M Chinnaswamy Stadium stampede case, grants relief to Karnataka cricket body while directing full cooperation in probe into tragic event that killed 11

'Historian or linguist?' HC raps Kamal Haasan over Kannada origin remark

Kamal Haasan had approached Karnataka HC on Monday seeking protection for 'Thug Life' release after KFCC bans film over his 'Kannada born from Tamil' remark

Kamal Haasan moves Karnataka HC over 'Thug Life' release amid language row

At the 'Thug Life' audio launch, Kamal Haasan had said Kannada language was born out of Tamil, sparking strong backlash and controversy in Karnataka

SC closes MP HC proceedings against Vijay Shah over remarks on Col Qureshi

The Supreme Court on Wednesday ordered closure of proceedings before the Madhya Pradesh High Court against state minister Vijay Shah for his remarks against Indian Army officer Col Sofiya Qureshi, saying it is now looking into the matter. A bench of Justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh asked for a status report from the special investigation team (SIT) that was constituted by the Madhya Pradesh government in compliance with the top court's earlier order. The SC noted that the SIT has seized some devices and started its investigation. The bench was informed by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta that parallel proceedings were going on before the high court against the minister. The top court said that since it is now seized of the matter, the proceedings before the high court stand closed. The interim directions passed on May 19, including the stay of arrest of Shah, stand extended, it said. It posted the matter for further hearing in the second week of July. The bench refused to a

No hurdle in raising MP district court judges' retirement age to 61: SC

The Supreme Court on Monday said there was no legal impediment in raising the retirement age to 61 years of judicial officers in Madhya Pradesh. A bench comprising Chief Justice B R Gavai and Justice Augustine George Masih took note of submissions of the Madhya Pradesh Judges Association and asked the high court to take a decision, preferably in two months, on the issue on its administrative side. The judges association moved the top court in 2018 for raising the retirement age of district judges from the current 60 to 62 years. It later informed the bench that the Association is now seeking enhancement only up to 61 years, aligning with a precedent set in another state. The Association had first made a representation to the Madhya Pradesh High Court in 2018. The high court, however, rejected the request, citing the 2002 Supreme Court judgment in the All India Judges Association case, which it interpreted as disallowing such enhancement. On Monday, CJI Gavai, however, referred to

Karnataka HC stays case against Arnab Goswami, BJP IT cell chief

The Karnataka High Court has granted an interim stay on criminal proceedings initiated against BJP leader Amit Malviya and Republic TV's Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami, in connection with allegations of spreading false claims that the Indian National Congress (INC) operates an office in Istanbul, Turkiye. Justice S Rachiah passed the order on Thursday while hearing petitions filed by both Malviya and Goswami, seeking the quashing of the cases lodged against them. The stay will remain in effect until the next hearing. Malviya is also facing a separate case over a controversial social media post in which he shared a morphed image showing half the face of Gandhi merged with that of Pakistan's Army Chief Asim Munir. The caption alleged that Gandhi was aligning with Pakistan's narrative, particularly in the wake of India's military offensive Operation Sindoor, in response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack. Malviya's post further questioned whether Gandhi was aspiring for the ...

Use of term 'bouncer' intended to invoke fear, terror in public mind: HC

Expressing concern over the use of the term "bouncer" by private security agencies for their workers, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has observed that it is intended to invoke "fear, anxiety, and terror in the minds of the public", which is "impermissible" in any civilised setup. It also observed that the primary reason for engaging the services of a security agency or security guards is to ensure a safe and respectful space, but when these employers or employees become "miscreants", assuming themselves to be extra-constitutional authorities, using threats and brute force as weapons, it becomes a cause of grave concern for the society. The high court was hearing a plea seeking anticipatory bail filed by a person running a private security agency. During the hearing, a single-judge bench of Justice Anoop Chitkara observed that the paramount concern for the court was the use of the term "bouncer" in the name of the security agency run by the petitioner. The bench referred to a ...

'Transfer meant to harass me': MP HC Justice DV Ramana in farewell speech

Justice Ramana claimed he had submitted representations twice to the Supreme Court Collegium requesting a transfer, citing his wife's medical condition, but received no response

Supreme Court orders equal pensions for all HC judges, ending disparity

The top court was hearing a suo motu case related to judicial retirement benefits, along with writ petitions submitted by several retired judges