Law

Delhi High Court tells SpiceJet to pay $2.67 million to lessor in a week

Chairman and Managing Director of SpiceJet Ajay Singh appeared before the Delhi High Court during the hearing

Delhi High Court exempts electricity commissions' fees from GST

The judgment came in response to show cause notices (SCNs) issued by tax authorities demanding GST on regulatory fees under the Central GST (CGST) Act, 2017, and the Integrated GST (IGST) Act, 2017

Frame policy on cashless treatment for motor accident victims: SC to Centre

In a landmark verdict, the Supreme Court on Wednesday directed the Centre to formulate a scheme for cashless medical treatment to motor accident victims in the "golden hour" period mandated under law. A bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Augustine George Masih referred to Section 162(2) of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, and ordered the government to provide by March 14 the scheme which could save numerous lives with prompt medical care to accident victims. The golden hour, defined under Section 2(12-A) of the Act, refers to a one-hour window following a traumatic injury under which a timely medical intervention will most likely prevent death. "We, therefore, direct the Central government to make a scheme in terms of sub-section (2) of Section 162 of the MV Act as expeditiously as possible and, in any event, by March 14, 2025. No further time shall be granted, it ordered. A copy of the scheme was directed to be placed on record on or before March 21, along with an affidavit of the ...

Elgar Parishad-Maoist case: HC grants bail to Rona Wilson, Sudhir Dhawale

The Bombay High Court on Wednesday granted bail to researcher Rona Wilson and activist Sudhir Dhawale, arrested in the Elgar Parishad-Maoist links case, noting that they were in jail since 2018 and the trial was yet to start. A division bench of Justices A S Gadkari and Kamal Khata said the two had spent more than six years in jail as under-trial prisoners. "They are in jail since 2018. Even the charges in the case are yet to be framed. The prosecution has cited over 300 witnesses, and thus there is no possibility of the trial to conclude in the near future," the court said. A trial starts after the charges are framed. The NIA, the prosecution agency, did not seek a stay to the HC order. Defence lawyers Mihir Desai and Sudeep Pasbola had argued that the two accused were incarcerated since their arrest in the case. While granting relief, the high court said it was not dealing with the merits of the case at this stage. Wilson and Dhawale were directed to submit a surety of Rs one

Places of Worship Act: SC to hear plea against 'Bhojshala' survey in MP

The Supreme Court on Thursday said it would hear a plea against an order on the survey of a medieval-era "Bhojshala" in Madhya Pradesh which people from two communities stake claim to, apart from pleas against the 1991 places for worship law. A bench of Justices Hrishikesh Roy and S V N Bhatti said the issue appeared to be covered by the December 12 order of the apex court restraining courts in the country from entertaining fresh lawsuits and passing orders in disputed claims over religious structures. The bench directed the registry to seek instructions from Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna and tagged the matter with the pending petitions. It left all contentions of the parties to be kept open during the hearing of the petitions. During a brief hearing, advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain, appearing for Hindu parties, said the issue of Bhojshala wouldn't be covered by the December 12 order as it was protected and maintained by the Archeological Survey of India. The bench said it was

Delhi HC refuses to intervene in order for revision in CLAT-2025 result

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday refused to intervene in an order directing the Consortium of National Law Universities to revise the result of CLAT-2025 over errors in the answer key. A bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela while dealing with an appeal by the consortium against the decision of a high court single judge opined no case for an interim order was made out. The bench prima facie found no error in the view taken by the single judge with respect to two questions and clarified the consortium was free to declare the results in terms of the single judge's decision. "Single judge examined two questions carefully... Prima facie we concur with the said view," the court said, "you can proceed with the result. There is no interim order." The court posted the matter on January 7, 2025. On December 20, the single judge's verdict came on the plea of a CLAT aspirant and ruled the answers to two questions in the entrance test were wrong. The

Law committee calls for simplification of GST registration structure

As per GSTN data, more than 98 per cent of applicants for new registration under GST either do not pass on ITC or pass on ITC within a limit of Rs 500,000 per month

AAP legal cell head removed as VC of Bar Council Delhi over degree row

The Bar Council of India (BCI) has removed Sanjeev Nasiar from the post of Bar Council of Delhi's vice chairman, pending the completion of an inquiry into the authenticity of his law degree. Nasiar, who is also the president of Aam Aadmi Party's legal cell, holds a law degree from Devi Ahilya Bai Vishwavidyalaya, Indore. In a press conference at AAP office, Nasiar alleged that the BJP has weaponised the BCI against him. "I am not afraid of any action or investigation." "I welcome any inquiry by the CBI or any other authority. I will not be intimidated. Every document of mine has already been verified, and the high court has upheld this," he claimed. Earlier, in a release issued on Sunday, the BCI said, "The sub-committee constituted by the BCI, after a thorough enquiry, concluded that the authenticity of the LLB (Hons) degree of Sanjeev Nasiar is highly questionable." It said the BCI's general council had resolved to adopt the committee's report and the BCI secretary had been dire

Case lodged against Chinmoy Krishna Das, his followers in Bangladesh

A case was lodged on Sunday over a clash between police and followers of Hindu monk Chinmoy Krishna Das on the court premises in Chittagong, according to a media report. The Dhaka Tribune newspaper said the case names the Hindu leader, arrested on a charge of sedition, as the prime accused, along with 164 identified individuals and 400 to 500 unidentified people. The complaint was filed by Enamul Haque, a businessman and activist of Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh, in the court of Chittagong Metropolitan Magistrate Md Abu Bakar Siddique. Haque in his complaint alleged that he was attacked by followers of Chinmoy Krishna Das while returning home after completing land registry work at the court on November 26. The businessman claimed that he was targeted for wearing a panjabi', a kurta, and a cap, which resulted in injuries to his right hand and head. He was rescued by bystanders and admitted to Chittagong Medical College Hospital, the newspaper said. Haque also said that his delay in fi

Banking law amendments to make inheritance of deposits unambiguous

To improve governance, customer services says experts

HC sets aside ITAT order declining stay on Rs 1,200 cr demand on Samsung

The HC ruled that the tax demand was outstanding in case of Samsung and hence, the ITAT should have decided the stay petition on merits rather than dismissing it on ground of being premature

UK MPs vote in favour of assisted dying bill for terminally ill adults

Members of Parliament in the House of Commons on Friday voted in favour of a historic bill that could pave the way for terminally ill adults in England and Wales with just six months left to live to request medical assistance to end their lives. The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill tabled as a private member's bill by Labour MP Kim Leadbeater attracted 330 votes in favour as opposed to 275 against clearing its second reading stage by a majority of 55. This means the legislation can now progress through a lengthy process of amendments and scrutiny by the House of Lords before it can become law. The issue had deeply divided MPs, who were given a free vote without being constrained by party lines when deciding on this significant new legislation. People across the country will be paying extremely close attention to today's vote, but this is a matter of conscience, said a spokesperson for Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who voted in favour of the bill. It is for Parliament to de

SC rejects appeal challenging Trai tariff orders, upholds HC decision

The Supreme Court on Friday rejected an appeal challenging the telecommunication tariff orders of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) and affirmed the Kerala High Court verdict that such matters should be dealt by telecom tribunal TDSAT. The Kerala High Court had refused to entertain the plea of Indian Broadcasting and Digital Foundation (IBDF) against certain provisions of the Telecommunication (Broadcasting and Cable) Services Interconnection (Addressable Systems) Regulations, 2017 and the Telecommunication (Broadcasting and Cable) Services (Eighth) (Addressable Systems) Tariff Order, 2017 issued by TRAI. The high court had said that IBDF should have approached the TDSAT (Telecom Disputes Settlement Appellate Tribunal) to review the tariff orders. A bench comprising Justices P S Narasimha and Sandeep Mehta dismissed the plea, saying "Tariff orders can be challenged before TDSAT under the regulations." The challenge to the regulations themselves can later come to this

Former British soldier convicted of passing on sensitive info to Iran govt

A former British soldier whose audacious escape from a London prison spurred a dayslong search was convicted on Thursday of passing on sensitive information to the Iranian intelligence service. Daniel Khalife, 23, was found guilty by a jury in Woolwich Crown Court on violations of Britain's Official Secrets Act by collecting information useful to an enemy Iran. He was cleared of a charge of planting fake bombs in his military barracks. Prosecutors said Khalife played a cynical game by claiming he wanted to be a spy after he had delivered a large amount of restricted and classified material to Iran, including the names of special forces officers. Khalife testified that he had been in touch with people in the Iranian government but that it was all part of a ploy to ultimately work as a double-agent for Britain, a scheme he said he got from watching the TV show Homeland. The former soldier snuck out of a London prison in September 2023 while awaiting trial on the spying charges. Hesp

CJI backs advance letters for case withdrawals to streamline proceedings

Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna on Wednesday emphasised the importance of preemptive communication in court processes and suggested that lawyers submit advance letters for case withdrawals rather than relying on oral submissions during hearings. The CJI has been taking several procedural steps to streamline the judicial process in the top court. On November 12, he said no oral submissions for urgent listing and hearing of cases would be permitted and urged lawyers to either send emails or written letters for it. On Wednesday, the CJI suggested lawyers file advance letters for case withdrawals rather than making oral submissions while hearing a transfer petition in a family dispute case. The counsel in the case informed the bench that the parties had resolved their differences and wished to withdraw the transfer petition. Granting the withdrawal, the CJI remarked that advance notice would enhance court efficiency. "If you have any such requests, you can always give a letter to

After SC's intervention, CAQM relaxes GRAP curbs for schools in Delhi-NCR

The Bench, comprising Justices Abhay S Oka and Augustine George Masih, also emphasised the urgent need for a decision by Tuesday

Consider restarting physical classes in NCR schools, colleges: SC to CAQM

The Supreme Court on Monday asked the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) in the national capital region and adjoining areas to consider restarting physical classes in schools and colleges noting many students lacked mid-day meals and infrastructure to attend online classes. A bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Augustine George Masih said a large number of students did not have air purifiers at home and therefore there may not be a difference between children at home and those attending schools. The top court, however, refused to relax the anti-pollution GRAP-4 restrictions in Delhi-NCR and said unless it was satisfied that there was consistent decrease in AQI levels, it cannot order curbs below GRAP-3 or GRAP-2. Noting that several sections of society, especially labourers and daily wagers, were adversely affected due to GRAP-4, the bench directed the state governments, where construction has been banned, to use funds collected as labour cess for subsistence to them. GRAP-

Relief for telcos as SC grants right to claim tax credits on infra duties

Overturns 2014 Bombay HC ruling classifying infrastructure items as non-capital goods

Separate law for offences against health care professionals not needed: NTF

A separate central law to deal with offences against health care professionals is not required as the state laws have adequate provisions to address day-to-day minor offences and serious ones can be addressed by the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) 2023, the National Task Force (NTF) has recommended. The NTF was constituted by the Supreme Court on August 20 to formulate a protocol for ensuring safety and security of medical professionals in wake of the rape and murder of a postgraduate trainee doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata. In a slew of recommendations made in its report, the NTF said 24 states have already enacted laws to address violence against health care professionals, whereby the terms "health care institutions" and "medical professionals" have also been defined. It said two more states have already introduced their Bills in this regard. The recommendations said most of the state laws cover minor offences and prescribe punishment for them and the major

Oilfield amendment bill to provide policy stability: Hardeep Singh Puri

A bill to amend the existing law governing exploration and production of oil and gas will provide policy stability to investors as also promote ease of doing business, Oil Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said on Friday. Speaking at the Geo India 2024 conference in Greater Noida, on the outskirts of the national capital, the minister said the government's reforms agenda to make it easier to find and produce crude oil (which is refined into fuels like petrol and diesel) and natural gas (which is used to generate power, make fertilizer or turned into cooking gas and CNG) will continue. He promised interference-free administration. "If you have a private sector company which is family owned, you still have interference. But if you have well run state oil companies as our oil firms are, and you have a minister like me, you will have zero interference. I have said that repeatedly," he said. The Oilfields (Regulation and Development) Amendment Bill, 2024 was introduced in the Rajya Sabha in .