Page 15 - Law

US SC allows court order to take effect potentially costing Apple billions

The Supreme Court on Tuesday allowed a court order to take effect that could loosen Apple's grip on its lucrative iPhone app store, and potentially affect billions of dollars in revenue a year. The justices rejected Apple's appeal of lower-court rulings that found some of Apple's app store rules for apps purchased on more than 1 billion iPhones constitute unfair competition under California law. The appeal stemmed from an antitrust lawsuit filed by Epic Games, maker of the popular Fortnite video game. Epic lost its broader claim that Cupertino, California-based Apple was violating federal antitrust law, and the justices also rejected Epic's appeal Tuesday. But in turning away Apple's plea, the court lifted a hold on an order to allow app developers throughout the US to insert links to other payment options besides its own within iPhone apps. That change would make it easier for developers to avoid paying Apple's commissions. Epic, based in Cary, North Carolina, had claimed that ...

PM Modi's degree row: SC stays defamation proceedings against AAP leaders

The Supreme Court on Tuesday stayed the proceedings before a trial court on a defamation complaint filed by the Gujarat University against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and AAP MP Sanjay Singh for their alleged remarks about Prime Minister Narendra Modi's educational qualification. A bench of Justices B R Gavai and Sandeep Mehta passed the order while hearing Singh's plea seeking a transfer of the case pending before a trial court in Gujarat outside the state, preferably in Kolkata. The apex court asked the Gujarat High Court to take a decision within four weeks on a plea filed by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders seeking quashing of the summonses issued to them by the trial court. The bench said in the meantime, the proceedings before the trial court will remain stayed. Singh, in his plea filed in the top court through advocate Karan Sharma, had alleged bias in the proceedings before the trial court, saying while the plea was pending before the high court, the trial judge w

Tighter rules to be notified soon: Govt after Tendulkar's deepfake video

After legendary cricketer Sachin Tendulkar flagged his deepfake video doing the rounds, Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar slammed deepfakes as a threat to the safety and trust of Indian users, saying the government will soon notify tighter rules under the IT Act to ensure compliance by platforms. In a post on X, Tendulkar mentioned the doctored video - where he is seen promoting a gaming application - and expressed concerns about the misuse of technology. Taking to X, the Minister of State for IT and Electronics thanked Tendulkar for flagging the deepfake video and said "#DeepFakes and misinformation powered by #AI are a threat to Safety&Trust of Indian users and represents harm & legal violation that platforms have to prevent and takedown". Chandrasekhar said that a recent advisory by the IT Ministry requires platforms to fully comply with this. "We will be shortly notifying tighter rules under the IT Act to ensure compliance by platforms," the minister said. The fake video

Parl security breach: Court sends accused to judicial custody till Jan 27

A Delhi court on Saturday sent the six accused arrested in connection with the Parliament security breach case to judicial custody till January 27. Additional Sessions Judge Hardeep Kaur remanded Manoranjan D, Sagar Sharma, Lalit Jha, Amol Shinde, Mahesh Kumawat and Neelam Azad in judicial custody after they were produced before the court on expiry of their police remand. The judge passed the order on an application moved by Delhi police seeking judicial custody of all the accused as the investigation was ongoing. During the hearing, accused Neelam Azad alleged before the court that a woman officer forcibly made her sign over 50 blank papers on Friday. Special Public Prosecutor Akhand Pratap Singh objected to the allegations and submissions of the accused. The court recorded the submissions of both sides. In a major security breach on the anniversary of the 2001 Parliament terror attack, Sharma and Manoranjan jumped into the Lok Sabha chamber from the public gallery during Zero H

Mahadev app case: ED makes two fresh arrests in money laundering case

The Enforcement Directorate has arrested two more persons in connection with its money laundering investigation into the Mahadev online betting and gaming app case, officials said on Saturday. Nitin Tibrewal, a resident of Kolkata, and Raipur-based Amit Agrawal were taken into custody under various sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and produced before a special court here on Friday, ED lawyer Saurabh Pandey said. The court sent them to ED custody till January 17, he said. Tibrewal is the majority shareholder of Techpro IT Solutions Ltd, a company that was acting as a "front" for Mahadev Online Book (Mahadev app) and investing the proceeds of crime generated out of illegal operations in India by way of foreign portfolio investment, the ED said in a statement. He "tried to conceal this fact despite multiple opportunities granted to him. He also did not reveal his foreign bank accounts and assets before the ED which have been discovered during the course of ...

Trump in court for closing arguments after judge receives bomb threat

Donald Trump arrived for closing arguments on Thursday in his New York civil fraud trial after authorities responded to a bomb threat at the home of the judge who moved this week to prevent the former president from delivering his own closing statements. Authorities responded to the threat at Judge Arthur Engoron's home on Long Island, a court official said. The proceedings were not delayed. Trump, the leading contender for the Republican presidential nomination, has repeatedly disparaged the judge in the case, accusing him in a social media post Wednesday night of working closely with the New York attorney general to screw me. At this moment the judge is not letting me make the summation because I'll bring up things he doesn't want to hear," Trump said as he walked into the courtroom, characterising the decision as political interference. This is a case that never should have been brought," he said. Trump said he was still hoping he would be allowed to speak, but his lawyer did n

Doesn't matter if AMU minority institution, still important nationally: SC

Here's a lowdown on the important cases heard in the Supreme Court and the Delhi High Court today

Assam will be third state to introduce Uniform Civil Code: CM Himanta

Assam will be the third state after Uttarakhand and Gujarat to introduce a Bill seeking a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) and it will exempt the tribal communities from the ambit of the law, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said here on Thursday. A UCC means having a common law for all citizens of the country that is not based on religion. Personal laws and laws related to inheritance, adoption and succession are to be covered by a common code. 'We are waiting for the Uttarakhand Bill on UCC and after it is introduced, Assam will follow it with certain additional clauses,' the chief minister said at a press conference here. The Assam model will have certain innovative points as the state is fighting against child marriage and polygamy, he said. The Bill will, however, exempt the tribal communities from its ambit, Sarma said. 'We will go through the Uttarakhand Bill and see if public consultations will be possible within the next two to three months,' he said. If, however, certain ...

Google's $2.7 bn EU antitrust fine should be upheld, says court adviser

The European Commission handed down the fine to the company in 2017 for using its own price comparison shopping service to gain an unfair advantage over smaller European rivals

Pak SC judge Sayyed Mazahar Ali Akbar resigns amid corruption allegations

A Pakistan Supreme Court judge who was facing allegations of corruption resigned on Wednesday, a day after the apex court's disciplinary committee refused to stay proceedings against him for his misconduct. In a letter to the Pakistan President Dr Arif Alvi, Justice Sayyed Mazahar Ali Akbar tendered his resignation and said that he couldn't carry forward his duties amidst the allegations and the way he was treated. "It was an honour to be appointed and to serve as a judge first of the Lahore High Court and then as the Supreme Court of Pakistan. In the circumstances which are a matter of public knowledge and to some extent public record, it is no longer possible for me to continue to serve as a judge of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, Justice Naqvi said. Considerations of due process also compel. I, therefore, effective today resign as judge of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, he added. On Tuesday, the Supreme Court rejected Justice Naqvi's request to stay proceedings against him in th

Imran Khan fails to get relief from Pak court to contest Feb 8 elections

Justice Tariq Nadeem and Justice Abul Aziz of the tribunal announced the verdict on Lahore's NA-122 and Mianwali NA-89 seats, respectively. In the 2018 polls, Khan had won both his hometown's seats

SC upholds HC cap order on visits by prisoners' families, legal advisers

Here's a lowdown on the important cases heard in the Supreme Court and the Delhi High Court today

Apple disputes EU tech rules labelling its 5 App Stores as one service

The company also disputed the characterisation of its operating system iOS as an important gateway for business users to reach end users and the interoperability obligation that goes with that label

US Supreme Court rejects X Corp's surveillance disclosure challenge

The revised policy, announced in 2014, allowed companies to disclose in broad ranges rather than in exact figures how often they received of national security-related demands for information

This is what justice feels like: Bilkis Bano after SC verdict on remission

This is what justice feels like, Bilkis Bano said after the Supreme Court on Monday quashed the remission granted to 11 men convicted of raping her and murdering seven members of her family during the 2002 riots in Gujarat. While quashing the Gujarat government's decision to grant remission, the apex court also said the state government's order was "stereotyped" and passed without application of mind. In a statement issued through her lawyer Shobha Gupta, Bano thanked the top court for the verdict and said "today is truly the New Year for me". "I have wept tears of relief. I have smiled for the first time in over a year and half. I have hugged my children. It feels like a stone the size of a mountain has been lifted from my chest, and I can breathe again," Bano said. "This is what justice feels like. I thank the honourable Supreme Court of India for giving me, my children and women everywhere this vindication and hope in the promise of equal justice for all," Bano said. Accusing t

Bilkis case: SC verdict showed who gives patronage to criminals, says Rahul

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi Monday slammed the BJP over the Supreme Court quashing the Gujarat government's decision to grant remission to 11 convicts in the Bilkis Bano case, saying the verdict has shown once again who the "protector of criminals" is. Earlier in the day, the apex court said the Gujarat government abused its power in grating the remission to the men convicted of gang-raping Bilkis Bano and murdering seven of her family members during the 2002 riots, and ordered that they be sent back to jail within two weeks. The Gujarat government's remission order was without application of mind, a bench of Justices B V Nagarathna and Ujjal Bhuyan said and asked whether "heinous crimes against women permit remission" whatever faith she may follow or creed she may belong to. In a post in Hindi on 'X', Gandhi said, "The tendency to 'murder justice' for electoral gains is dangerous for a democratic system. Today, the Supreme Court's decision once again showed the country who gives .

Bilkis Bano case: SC to deliver verdict on convicts' remission on Monday

The Supreme Court is scheduled to pronounce on Monday its verdict on the petitions challenging the remission granted to 11 convicts in the case of gangrape of Bilkis Bano and murder of seven of her family members during the 2002 Gujarat riots. A bench of Justices B V Nagarathna and Ujjal Bhuyan had on October 12 last year reserved its verdict after an 11-day hearing on the petitions, including the one filed by Bano. While reserving the judgement, the apex court had directed the Centre and the Gujarat government to submit by October 16 the original records related to the remission of sentence of the 11 convicts. While hearing the matter in September last year, the top court had asked whether convicts have a fundamental right to seek remission. During the earlier arguments, the apex court had observed that state governments should not be selective in granting remission to convicts and the opportunity to reform and reintegrate with society should extend to every prisoner. Besides the

Optimising tech strategic move towards democratising access to justice: CJI

Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud said on Saturday that optimising tech within the judiciary is not just about modernisation but also a strategic move towards democratising access to justice, and underlined the need to train lawyers to use technology. Leveraging these advancements will help bridge gaps, enhance efficiency, and ensure that justice delivery is not impeded by geographical and technological barriers, he said while addressing a gathering at the inauguration of a new district court building here. Highlighting the importance of district courts, Justice Chandrachud said they hold a crucial position for the realisation of the right to justice and are a cornerstone of the ideals of our Constitution in envisioning a society where every citizen is assured that right to justice. Talking about the new court building in Rajkot, he called the inclusion of a conference room and a training room, equipped with the latest audio-video devices and systems, a forward-looking ...

NIA attaches 4 properties of Lawrence Bishnoi syndicate members in 3 states

The properties were attached in a coordinated swoop by the NIA teams in Haryana, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh under the provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967

E-commerce platforms can't become haven for counterfeiters: Delhi HC

An e-commerce platform cannot become a haven for infringers of intellectual property and have such a system which provides an avenue to counterfeiters, the Delhi High Court has said. The court observed that e-commerce websites are commercial ventures and are inherently profit oriented, which is not objectionable, but they have to protect intellectual property rights of others. "An e-commerce platform cannot become a haven for infringers. Men are not angels. Where easy money is visible, the conscience at times takes a nap," said Justice C Hari Shankar in a recent order. "E-commerce websites are commercial ventures, and are inherently profit oriented. There is, of course, nothing objectionable in this; but, while ensuring their highest returns, such websites have also to sedulously protect intellectual property rights of others. They cannot, with a view to further their financial gains, put in place a protocol by which infringers and counterfeiters are provided an avenue to infringe a