Kapil Sibal

Only Supreme Court can rein in ED: Kapil Sibal after raids on I-PAC

A day after the ED conducted searches at the office of political consultancy firm I-PAC and the residence of its director Pratik Jain in Kolkata, Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal on Friday said federalism is at ED's mercy and asserted that only the Supreme Court can rein in the probe agency. Sibal's remarks came after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) action in West Bengal ignited high drama, with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee unexpectedly storming into the sites during raids, alleging that the central agency was trying to seize the TMC's sensitive data ahead of the high-stakes state polls. The ED, which maintained that the searches were part of a money laundering probe into an alleged multi-crore rupee coal pilferage scam, accused Banerjee of obstructing a lawful investigation and claimed that she and the state police forcibly removed "key evidence" during the raids. In a post on X, Sibal said, "Only Supreme Court can rein in ED. Every opposition state, every significant opposition leade

Speak up against hate crimes: Sibal slams Shah on Tripura student killing

Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal on Monday lashed out at the government over the killing of a Tripura student in Dehradun in an alleged racist attack and urged Union Home Minister Amit Shah to speak up against hate crimes. The Independent Rajya Sabha MP said the incident was a shocking display of a hate crime, bigotry and the "silence of leaders in government who by their inaction are complicit". According to police, 24-year-old Angel Chakma, a resident of Unakoti district of Tripura, and his younger brother Michael had an argument with Suraj Khawas (22), a resident of Manipur currently living in Dehradun, and his five friends in Selakui market on December 9. The accused allegedly attacked Chakma with knives and brass knuckles, and the 24-year-old succumbed to injuries at the hospital on December 26. Angel's father, Tarun Chakma, who is posted in Manipur with the Border Security Force, alleged that "racial slurs" were hurled at his son by the accused, who called him "Chinese". In a post

Kapil Sibal criticises govt over deaths of 33 BLOs during SIR exercise

Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal took a swipe at the government on Monday over the death of booth-level officers in various parts of the country engaged in the SIR exercise, asking whether the presence of one alleged "infiltrator" was not okay, but the death of BLOs was okay. Sibal's remarks came a day after a Booth Level Officer (BLO) was found dead in West Bengal's Bankura district, triggering allegations that work-related pressure linked to the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls may have played a role. "Yet another suicide by a Bengal BLO. Total pan-India: 33. If one alleged 'ghuspetia (infiltrator)', that's not OK, if 33 BLOs die, is that Ok?" Sibal said in a post on X. Union Home Minister Amit Shah said last month that the government would throw out infiltrators from the country and alleged that some political parties are opposing the SIR exercise as they want the names of infiltrators to remain on the electoral rolls. The latest death of a BLO occurred in t

No evidence linking me to 2020 Delhi riots violence: Umar Khalid tells SC

Seeking bail in the UAPA case linked to February 2020 riots in Delhi, activist Umar Khalid on Friday told the Supreme Court that there is no evidence linking him to violence and denied conspiracy charges against him. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for Khalid, told a bench of Justices Aravind Kumar and N V Anjaria that there has been no recovery of funds, weapons or any material evidence linking him to the 2020 Delhi riots. "There are 751 FIRs, I am charged in one, and if it's a conspiracy, it's a bit surprising! "If I (Umar Khalid) conspired riots. On dates in which riots took place, I was not in Delhi," Sibal said and added that no funds, weapons and physical evidence connecting me to violence have been found yet. "No witness statement actually connects petitioner to any act of violence," he pointed out. Sibal submitted that Khalid is entitled to bail on grounds of parity, noting that fellow activists Natasha Narwal, Devangana Kalita and Asif Iqbal Tanha were granted bail

Ladakh violence: Wangchuk's wife to challenge grounds of detention in SC

The Supreme Court on Wednesday adjourned to October 29 the hearing on a plea filed by Sonam Wangchuk's wife Gitanjali J Angmo challenging the climate activist's detention after noting that she wants to amend her petition. A bench of Justices Aravind Kumar and N V Anjaria noted that an affidavit filed by the jailor of Jodhpur jail has filed an affidavit that Wangchuk's elder brother and lawyer met the detenue. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for Angmo, said they will file an application to amend the petition and challenge the grounds of detention. During the hearing, Sibal requested that Wangchuk be permitted to exchange some notes with his wife. The apex court noted the submission of Solicitor General Tushar Mehta that he has no problem with the detainee sharing notes with his wife. The top court on October 6 had issues notices to the Centre and the Union Territory of Ladakh. It, however, refused to pass any order on her plea for providing her the grounds of detention and .

'I respect all religions': CJI Gavai clarifies remarks amid Khajuraho row

CJI BR Gavai said his remarks were misrepresented after the Supreme Court dismissed a plea seeking reinstallation of a Lord Vishnu idol at Khajuraho's Javari Temple

'Will approach SC': Sibal on HC rejecting Umar Khalid's bail plea

Days after the Delhi High Court denied bail to Umar Khalid in the Delhi riots case, senior advocate Kapil Sibal on Friday said Article 21 had been violated and "we will approach the Supreme Court" against the "injustice". The Rajya Sabha MP also questioned as to where India's democracy was heading with political parties not raising such issues thinking that this may harm them politically. "We don't want to do the right thing and raise our voice for it. Our lawyers, middle class and society are silent," Sibal said. In an apparent swipe at former Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud over his reported remarks that there were at least seven adjournments sought by Khalid's counsel, Sibal said only two adjournments were sought by the defence when the matter was before the Supreme Court. "If the court does not give a verdict for years, are lawyers to be blamed for it. This is the state of affairs of the court. If you don't want to give bail, reject the plea. Why do you have to do 20-30 .

Governors cannot examine legislative competence of bills: WB tells SC

The West Bengal government on Wednesday told the Supreme Court that the governor cannot examine the legislative competence of a bill passed by the assembly. A five-judge Constitution bench headed by Chief Justice BR Gavai was told by senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for West Bengal, that since Independence there is hardly any example where the President has withheld a bill passed by Parliament because it is the will of the people. Advancing his argument before a bench also comprising Justices Surya Kant, Vikram Nath, PS Narasimha and AS Chandurkar, on the seventh day of hearing on the Presidential reference on whether the court could impose timelines for governors and President to deal with bills passed by state assemblies, Sibal submitted that legislative competence of a bill has to be tested in courts. "A legislation can be challenged in a court of law by citizens or by somebody else. It's in the rarest and rare case that a Governor says I cannot give assent to the bills and

Jagdeep Dhankhar resigns as Vice President; here's all you need to know

The 14th Vice President of India, Jagdeep Dhankhar, resigned on Monday night, citing health reasons. He took office in August 2022 and was due to serve a term till August 2027. His journey at a glance

Opposition raises questions over ex Vice President Dhankhar's resignation

The opposition on Monday raised questions over Jagdeep Dhankhar's sudden resignation as the vice president, with the Congress saying that clearly, there is "far more to his totally unexpected resignation than meets the eye". The Congress also urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to convince Dhankhar to change his mind. In a sudden move, Dhankhar resigned from his post on Monday evening, citing medical reasons. He has sent his resignation to President Droupadi Murmu and said he is stepping down with immediate effect. "The sudden resignation of the Vice President and Chairman of the Rajya Sabha is as shocking as it is inexplicable. I was with him alongside a number of other MPs till around 5 PM today and had spoken to him over the phone at 7:30 PM," Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said in a post on X. "No doubt Mr Dhankhar has to give topmost priority to his health. But clearly there is far more to his totally unexpected resignation than meets the eye

Delhi HC stays 'Udaipur Files' release, asks petitioners to approach Centre

The Delhi High Court on Thursday stayed the release of "Udaipur Files" movie, scheduled to hit the screens on July 11, till the Centre decides the pleas seeking its permanent ban for its potential to "promote disharmony" in society. A division bench of Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya and Justice Anish Dayal directed the petitioners to approach the Centre within two days with their grievance. The bench said the petitioners hadn't taken the recourse to approach the central government. "We provide that till the application for interim relief, if made by petitioner along with revision petition, is decided by government, release of the film shall remain stayed," the bench held. During the hearing, senior advocate Kapil Sibal urged the judges to watch the film based on tailor Kanhaiya Lal murder case, terming it "vicious" and "cinematic vandalism". The petitions, including one filed by Maulana Arshad Madani, Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind president and principal of Darul Uloom Deoband, have claimed th

SC says no order issued as it declines urgent listing in Udaipur Files case

Udaipur Files is a movie based on the Kanhaiya Lal murder case, a tailor who was murdered in June 2022, allegedly by Mohammad Riyaz and Mohammad Ghous

RS Secretariat verifies 44 MPs' signatures to remove HC Judge Yadav

The Rajya Sabha secretariat has verified the signatures of 44 of the 55 MPs who had signed a notice to bring a motion for the removal of Allahabad High Court Judge Shekhar Yadav over his "hate speech" even as Kapil Sibal and nine others were yet to verify their signatures. Sibal, who has been vocal for early action on the notice, has claimed that he has not received any email from the Rajya Sabha secretariat, which confirmed having sent the same to his official email thrice during the past six months. He has questioned the need for verification of signatures and the delay in initiating the process in March when the notice was submitted on December 13, 2024. While 55 MPs have signed the notice for the removal of Justice Yadav, the signature of one of the MPs, Sarfaraz Ahmed, appears twice on the notice. The Rajya Sabha Secretariat is verifying how his signature appeared twice on the notice and whether they are forged. Ahmed, the JMM MP from Jharkhand, has already met Rajya Sabha ...

Cash discovery row: Three-member panel seeks Justice Varma's impeachment

The three-member panel also examined the role of Diya Varma, daughter of Justice Varma and his private secretary Rajinder Karki, who allegedly told firefighters not to mention the cash

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

Supreme Court reserves orders on challenges to Waqf Amendment Act 2025

The Supreme Court has reserved interim orders on petitions challenging the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025, after hearing arguments on denotification, board composition, and waqf by user provisions

Top industrialists unite to fund ₹50 crore health cover for SC lawyers

Leading Indian business figures donate ₹50 crore for a free health insurance scheme benefiting Supreme Court Bar Association lawyers, covering families, pre-existing conditions, and more

SC grants interim bail to Ashoka professor, raps him for 'choice of words'

Ashoka University's Associate Professor Ali Khan Mahmudabad gets interim bail amid Operation Sindoor post row, with Supreme Court ordering SIT probe

Ashoka University professor Mahmudabad sent to 14-day judicial custody

Professor Mahmudabad was arrested on Sunday by Delhi Police from his home in Greater Kailash, following a complaint over his social media remarks about Operation Sindoor

Bar Council of India urges SCBA to organise farewell for Justice Trivedi

Although Justice Trivedi is retiring on June 9, she had her last day on May 16, as she is going to the US to attend a family function