Page 10 - Law

Govt extends consultations for digital competition Bill till 15 May

The government has extended the deadline for submitting stakeholder comments on the draft digital competition bill by one month to May 15. It has also extended the deadline for submission of comments by stakeholders on the report of Committee on Digital Competition Law (CDCL). The initial deadline is to end on April 15. Earlier, the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) had invited comments of stakeholders on the report of CDCL as well as draft digital competition bill under e-consultation module by April 15. However, in a notice on Tuesday the ministry said it had considered "the requests received from various stakeholders, and the last date of submitting the comments/ suggestions is extended till 15th May, 2024". It also said stakeholders could send in their comments via email, apart from the e-consultation module. In March this year, fair trade regulator proposed digital competition bill which seeks to put in place several obligations for large digital enterprises, including new

Why can't states impose laws on industrial alcohol to stop its abuse: SC

The Supreme Court on Tuesday sought to know from the Centre why the states, as the custodians of the health of citizens, cannot impose regulations on industrial alcohol and levy fees to ensure that its abuse does not take place. A nine-judge constitution bench is examining the issue of overlapping powers of the Centre and states in the production, manufacturing, supply and regulation of industrial alcohol. "We all know about Hooch tragedies and the states are widely concerned about health of its citizens. Why should the states not have the power to regulate. If they can regulate to ensure that there is no misuse, then it can impose any fees," the bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud asked Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre. A bunch of petitions came before the bench after a seven-judge constitution bench ruled against the states. The matter was referred to the nine-judge bench in 2010 after the seven-judge bench ruled in 1997 that the Centre would hav

RoC puts Rs 10 cr fine on 2 cos, 9 individuals for violating companies law

Clamping down for illegal fundraising activities, the corporate affairs ministry has slapped fines totalling nearly Rs 10 crore on two companies and nine individuals as they violated private placement norms. The fines have been imposed on Planify Capital and four individuals as well as on Mayasheel Retail India Pvt Ltd (Bazar India) and five individuals, according to two orders passed by the Registrar of Companies, NCT of Delhi & Haryana on April 3. The action has been taken against the entities for violating Section 42 of the Companies Act, 2013, which pertains to the issuance of securities through the private placement route. Fines totalling Rs 7 crore have been imposed on Planify Capital and four individuals. A total penalty of nearly Rs 2.89 crore has been imposed on MayaSheel Retail India and five individuals. It was found that the entities used a crowdsourcing platform 'Planify' to reach out to investors for issuing securities through the private placement route. Planify ...

PIL in HC seeks to restrain Kejriwal from issuing order while in custody

There is a likelihood that the order issued by Kejriwal in the capacity of Chief Minister of the NCT of Delhi may influence a fair and proper investigation

HC seeks response of govt to plea against FCRA licence cancellation of CPR

Justice Chandra Dhari Singh issued a notice to the central government and asked them to file a short reply within two weeks

Apple, Google, Meta targeted in EU's first Digital Markets Act probes

The European Commission said Monday that Apple and Google's app store rules will be targeted in the first probes under the bloc's Digital Markets Act

Trump wins pause of $454 mn civil fraud ruling, avoiding asset seizures

The decision by a mid-level state appellate court eases an acute cash crunch brought on by Trump's mounting legal expenses

2nd accused arrested for Budaun double murder, kids stabbed multiple times

The brother of the main accused in the chilling murder of a neighbour's two children in Budaun was arrested after he surrendered at a police post in Bareilly, police said on Thursday. The postmortem report of the slain children has revealed that the assailant stabbed the elder brother 13 times and his sibling 11 times, officials said, adding injury marks have been found on the neck, chest and other parts of bodies of the two children. Javed, who had been absconding since the murders in Baba Colony on Tuesday, surrendered at Satellite police outpost of Baradari police station in neighbouring Bareilly district, Budaun Senior Superintendent of Police Alok Priyadarshi said. "Javed, the brother of main accused Sajid, was arrested by a police team in nearby Bareilly district. He is being brought to Budaun for further questioning," the SSP said. A video clip that surfaced online purportedly showed Javed pleading with a group of people confronting him to take him to the police. In the vid

NCLAT directs 11 PSBs to not take action against IL&FS till next hearing

The National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) has directed 11 public sector lenders not to take coercive action against IL&FS and its group companies till its next hearing on May 14. A two-member NCLAT bench headed by Chairperson Justice Ashok Bhushan also issued notices to the banks, along with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), directing them to file a reply. "In view of the order dated October 15, 2018, the Respondents (banks) shall not proceed to take any coercive action against the Applicant (IL&FS and group companies) till the next date," said the NCLAT. On October 15, 2018, the NCLAT stayed all proceedings against IL&FS and other group companies till its further order. It had also restrained creditors of IL&FS from filing suits, in the case of non-repayment of loans. The NCLAT direction came on Tuesday over an urgent plea moved by the newly appointed board of debt-ridden IL&FS, seeking direction to the banks restraining them from initiating or pursuing ..

Delhi court grants police 10 more days to complete NewsClick investigation

A court here on Wednesday granted the Delhi Police 10 days more to complete its investigation against NewsClick founder and editor-in-chief Prabir Purkayastha in a case lodged under the anti-terror law UAPA over allegations that the news portal received money to spread pro-China propaganda. Additional Sessions judge Hardeep Kaur passed the order on an application filed by police, which sought more time to complete its investigation, claiming it was "at a crucial stage". The judge had on December 22 granted the city police 60 more days to complete the probe. The court on February 23 further granted 20 more days to police to conduct the investigation. The judge also extended the judicial custody of Purkayastha and accused-turned-approver Amit Chakravarty, NewsClick's HR department head, by 10 more days. The Special Cell of Delhi Police had arrested Purkayastha and Chakravarty on October 3. Without the court's permission, the probe agency would have had three months from the day of

Content having profanities cannot be regulated by criminalising it: SC

Availability of content having profanities and swear words on social media and OTT platforms cannot be regulated by "criminalising it as obscene", the Supreme Court said on Tuesday while quashing an FIR lodged against TVF and others for alleged obscenity in a web series. The top court set aside the Delhi High Court verdict of March 6, 2023, by which it had upheld an order of the Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (ACMM) asking the Delhi Police to register an FIR in connection with an episode in web series, College Romance', against TVF, the show's director Simarpreet Singh and actor Apoorva Arora under the Information Technology Act. The apex court noted that the high court had taken the meaning of the language in its literal sense, outside the context in which such expletives have been spoken, and the order was a "disproportionate and excessive measure that violates freedom of speech, expression, and artistic creativity". We are of the opinion that the High Court was not ...

Hong Kong passes anti-dissent law, to come into effect from March 23

Hong Kong lawmakers passed a new national security law on Tuesday that grants the government more power to quash dissent, widely seen as the latest step in a sweeping political crackdown that was triggered by pro-democracy protests in 2019. The legislature passed the Safeguarding National Security Law during a special session Tuesday. It comes on top of a similar law imposed by Beijing four years ago, which has already largely silenced opposition voices in the financial hub. Hong Kong's Legislative Council, which is packed with Beijing loyalists following an electoral overhaul, expedited the process. Since the bill was unveiled on March 8, a committee held daily meetings for a week, following an appeal by Hong Kong leader John Lee to push the law through at full speed. The law threatens stringent penalties for a wide range of actions authorities call threats to national security, with the most severe including treason and insurrection punishable by life imprisonment. Lesser ...

Bilkis Bano case: One more convict moves SC against Jan 8 verdict

One more convict in the Bilkis Bano case has moved the Supreme Court seeking a review of its January 8 verdict cancelling remission of his sentence, contending that it cannot be challenged based on the nature of the crime and "society's cry for justice". The review plea filed by Ramesh Rupabhai Chandana said the top court erred while passing the impugned order and overruling judgment dated May 13, 2022, passed by another bench of the apex court. The Gujarat government and two of the 11 convicts have already filed a petition seeking a review of the January 8 verdict in which remission orders of all of them were cancelled and they asked to surrender. Listing reasons for seeking a review of the verdict, the plea said the top court bench erred in its finding "on the ground that the remission order passed by the competent authority cannot be challenged on factual grounds, inter alia, the nature of the crime, impact on society and society's cry for justice after the conviction and sentenc

SC rejects Adani firm's plea for over Rs 1,300 cr as LPS from Raj discom

The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed a plea of Adani Power Rajasthan Ltd seeking over Rs 1,300 crore as late payment surcharge from the Jaipur Vidyut Vitran Nigam Limited, a Rajasthan government-owned power distribution firm. Imposing Rs 50,000 as cost on Adani Power Rajasthan Ltd (APRL), a bench comprising Justices Aniruddha Bose and PV Sanjay Kumar ruled that filing of a miscellaneous application was not the proper legal recourse to late payment surcharge (LPS) by the Adani firm. Relief of this nature (claiming LPS) cannot be asked in a miscellaneous application which was described in the course of the hearing as an application for clarification, the bench said. The cost of Rs 50,000 imposed on APRL will be deposited with the Supreme Court Legal Aid Committee, Justice Bose said while reading out the operative portion of the judgement. The detailed judgement is awaited. The top court, on January 24, had reserved its judgement. The Jaipur Vidyut Vitran Nigam Limited (JVVNL), ...

UCC Bill passed by Uttarakhand gets President's assent, becomes law

The Uniform Civil Code Bill, passed by the Uttarakhand Assembly on February 7, has become a law with President Droupadi Murmu giving her assent to it. Uttarakhand is the first state in the country after Independence to adopt the UCC. "It is a moment of great joy and pride for people of the state that the Uniform Civil Code Bill passed by our government in the Uttarakhand Assembly has been approved by the Honorable President Smt Droupadi Murmu," Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said in a post on X. The President gave her assent to the Uniform Civil Code, Uttarakhand, 2024 under Article 201 of the Constitution of India on March 11, a gazette notification by the government of Uttarakhand said. "With the implementation of the Uniform Civil Code law in the state alongside providing equal rights to all citizens, the oppression of women will also be curbed," Dhami said. "#UniformCivilCode will play an important role in promoting harmony by proving the importance of social equality," he

EU lawmakers pass Act to regulate AI despite doubts about right balance

The landmark set of rules, in the absence of any legislation from the US, could set the tone for how AI is governed in the Western world

Delhi excise scam: Court extends Manish Sisodia's judicial custody

A Delhi court on Tuesday extended the judicial custody of jailed AAP leader Manish Sisodia in a corruption case related to the alleged Delhi excise scam. Special Judge M K Nagpal extended the custody of Sisodia till March 22 after he was produced before the court on the expiry of his remand. The judge passed the order after the CBI counsel claimed that the investigation was at a crucial stage and if released on bail, Sisodia may hamper the ongoing probe or flee from justice. The judge also reserved the order on the application of the accused raising objections to the commencement of arguments on the framing of charges. The court is likely to pronounce the order on March 22. The CBI as well as the ED have alleged that irregularities were committed while modifying the Delhi Excise Policy 2020-21, undue favours were extended to licence holders, licence fee was waived or reduced and licences were extended without the competent authority's approval. The beneficiaries allegedly diverte

UK ban on overseas care workers bringing family comes in force this week

Overseas care workers, including Indians, will be restricted from bringing dependant family members with them to the UK under new visa rules that come into force from this week. The UK Home Office had announced the plans earlier and on Monday said the new rules follow a "disproportionate" 120,000 dependants accompanying 100,000 workers on the care visa route last year. It is claimed the move will radically cut net migration to the UK and tackle visa abuse to bring down unsustainable levels of legal migration. Care workers make an incredible contribution to our society, taking care of our loved ones in times of need. But we cannot justify inaction in the face of clear abuse, manipulation of our immigration system and unsustainable migration numbers, said UK Home Secretary James Cleverly. It is neither right nor fair to allow this unacceptable situation to continue. We promised the British people action, and we will not rest until we have delivered on our commitment to bring numbers .

Home ministry notifies rules for implementation of citizenship law CAA

The rules for implementation of the contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 (CAA) are likely to be notified on Monday to facilitate the granting of citizenship to undocumented non-Muslim migrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, according to sources. Once the CAA rules are issued, the Modi government will start granting Indian nationality to persecuted non-Muslim migrants from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan -- Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Parsis and Christians -- who had come to India till December 31, 2014. The CAA was passed in December 2019 and subsequently got the president's assent but there were protests in several parts of the country against it. The law could not come into effect so far as rules have to be notified for its implementation.

Security tightened in parts of Delhi after govt notifies CAA rules

Security has been beefed up in northeast Delhi, Shaheen Bagh, Jamia and other sensitive areas across the national capital following the notification of Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 (CAA) on Monday, officials said. Police personnel and paramilitary forces have also been deployed in some parts, with flag march being conducted in parts of northeast and southeast Delhi, they said. Delhi witnessed communal riots in 2020 over the CAA and NRC (National Register of Citizens). "Safety of every single common man of Delhi's northeast district is our responsibility," DCP northeast Joy Tirkey told PTI. He further said that intensive patrolling and checking is being carried out by northeast district police personnel and paramilitary forces for the safety of citizens in sensitive areas. Everyone is requested to follow the safety instructions, the officer said. "We have intensified night vigil along with paramilitary forces. No one will be allowed to breach the law and order situation. We to