Page 2 - Law

Court orders restoration of 2021 benami property case against Bhujbal, kin

A special court here on Tuesday ordered the restoration of a 2021 benami property case, in which Maharashtra minister Chhagan Bhujbal was one of the accused, noting the Bombay High Court earlier quashed the proceeding only on "technical grounds and not on merits". The case has now been restored to its original stage and the next hearing is scheduled for October 6 before the special MP/MLA court in Mumbai. The I-T department had in 2021 initiated proceeding against Bhujbal, his family members and their firms -- Armstrong Infrastructure Pvt Ltd, Parvesh Constructions Pvt Ltd and Devisha Constructions Pvt Ltd -- regarding alleged benami assets. The central agency had alleged they were beneficial owners involved in benami transactions during the financial years 2008-09 and 2010-11. Notably, benami properties are those that are held by an owner through proxies. The special court had initially issued summonses to the accused in November 2021. However, the accused, including NCP ...

BMW crash: Delhi court sends woman accused to two-day judicial custody

A Delhi court on Monday sent a woman, who allegedly drove the BMW car involved in the crash that killed a senior Finance Ministry official and left his wife injured in Dhaula Kuan, to two-day judicial custody. Duty Magistrate Akanksha Singh sent Gaganpreet Kaur (38) to judicial custody after she was produced before the judge at her residence, and said her custodial interrogation was not required, her counsel, senior advocate Vikas Pahwa said. The judge also issued notice to Delhi Police and victim's kin on the bail application moved by Kaur, and directed to file their replies by September 15, when the court concerned will hear the matter. Kaur was arrested on culpable homicide not amounting to murder and other charges on Monday after being discharged from a hospital, police said. Several questions were raised on the handling of the aftermath of the crash as the FIR alleged that Kaur, took the victims, Navjot Singh and his wife Sandeep Kaur, to a healthcare facility more than 19 ...

Waqf Amendment: SC to pronounce interim order on three key issues on Monday

The Supreme Court is slated to pronounce on Monday its interim orders on three key issues, including the power to denotify properties declared as "waqf by courts, waqf-by-user or waqf by deed", which cropped up during the hearing of pleas challenging the validity of the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025. A bench headed by Chief Justice B R Gavai on May 22 reserved the interim orders on these issues after hearing both sides in the waqf case. According to the cause list of September 15 uploaded on the apex court website, the court will deliver its order in the matter. One of the issues relate to the power to denotify properties declared as "waqf by courts, waqf-by-user or waqf by deed" prescribed in the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025. Before reserving the interim order, the bench heard arguments by advocates appearing for those challenging the amended waqf law, and Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Centre, on three consecutive days. The bench previously identified the three issu

Court rejects plea alleging forgery over Sonia Gandhi's name in voter list

A Delhi court on Thursday dismissed a plea seeking action against Congress leader Sonia Gandhi, alleging her name was included in the electoral rolls three years before she became an Indian citizen. Additional chief judicial magistrate Vaibhav Chaurasia dismissed the plea. A detailed order is awaited. On September 10, senior advocate Pavan Narang, appearing for the complainant, Vikas Tripathi said in January 1980 Gandhi's name was added as a voter of New Delhi constituency when she was not an Indian citizen. "First, you have to satisfy the threshold of citizenship, then you will become a resident of an area," he said. Narang said in 1980, the proof of residence was probably a ration card or a passport. "If she was a citizen, then why was her name deleted in 1982? Two names were deleted then by the election commission, one was of Sanjay Gandhi after he died in a plane crash, and the other was of Sonia Gandhi," he said. Narang said the election commission must have found something

Prez reference: Guv expected to act on Bills in reasonable time, says SC

The Supreme Court on Tuesday said governors were expected to act within reasonable time even if the term as soon as possible were not there in Article 200 that governs powers to assent to bills passed by the state legislature. A five-judge Constitution bench headed by Chief Justice B R Gavai, hearing arguments on the eighth day on the presidential reference, whether the court could impose timelines for governors and President to deal with bills passed by assemblies, reiterated it would only interpret the Constitution and not examine facts of individual cases. Article 200 governs powers of Governor regarding bills passed by the state legislature, allowing them to either assent to the bill, withhold assent, return the bill for reconsideration or reserve the bill for the consideration of President. The first proviso of Article 200 says Governor may, as soon as possible, after the presentation to him of the bill for assent, return the bill, if it is not a money bill, to the house for ..

SC gets two new judges, Justice Pancholi in line to become CJI in 2031

Bombay High Court Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Patna High Court Chief Justice Vipul Manubhai Pancholi were on Wednesday elevated as judges of the Supreme Court, the government said. Their names were recommended by the Supreme Court Collegium on Monday and their appointments were announced by the Union law ministry on Wednesday. Once the two take oath, the top court will function with its full sanctioned strength of 34 judges, including the chief justice of India (CJI). Justice Pancholi will be in line to become the CJI in October 2031 after Justice Joymalya Bagchi's retirement on October 2, 2031. He would assume the CJI's office on October 3, 2031, and retire on May 27, 2033. Born on April 13, 1964, Justice Aradhe was appointed as an additional judge of the Madhya Pradesh High Court on December 29, 2009, and as a permanent judge on February 15, 2011. He was transferred to the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and took oath on September 20, 2016. He was appointed as the acting chi

SC orders probe into allegations of illegal animals acquisition in Vantara

The Supreme Court directed the SIT to complete its inquiry and submit a report by September 12. The matter was listed to be heard next on September 15

Commercial, prohibited speeches not part of fundamental rights, says SC

Commercial and prohibited speeches are not covered under the fundamental right, the Supreme Court on Monday said as it asked five social media influencers, including "India's Got Latent" host Samay Raina, to display their unconditional apology in their podcasts or shows for ridiculing persons with disabilities and rare genetic disorders. A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi said the degree of repentance should be higher than the degree of offending and made it clear that the court would consider imposing a penalty on the influencers for offending disabled persons by social media influencers, at a later stage. "It is like purging contempt," Justice Kant said while asking the influencers to apprise the court on how much penalty they were willing to pay, which in turn can be utilised in the treatment of people suffering from rare genetic disorders like spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). The five influencers are accused of making fun of the disabled and those suffering from SM

SC rejects Pernod Ricard's plea over London Pride whisky trademark dispute

The Supreme Court on Thursday rejected liquor major Pernod Ricard India's plea to block the sale of London Pride whisky, saying the brand name and packaging were not deceptively similar to its own flagship labels, Blenders Pride and Imperial Blue. A bench of Justices J B Pardiwala and R Mahadevan upheld decisions of the Madhya Pradesh High Court and the Indore Commercial Court which refused to grant the French-owned spirits company an interim injunction against Indore-based manufacturer Karanveer Singh Chhabra. The issue was whether Pernod Ricard India was entitled to an order restraining Chhabra from using the impugned trademark, get-up, and trade dress, including the packaging of LONDON PRIDE' on the ground that such use amounts to infringement its registered trademarks, such as BLENDERS PRIDE', IMPERIAL BLUE', and SEAGRAM'S. It is a settled principle of trademark law that deceptive similarity does not necessitate exact imitation. What is material is the likelihood of confusion o

Vasai-Virar ex-civic chief took bribes to protect illegal construction: ED

Former Vasai-Virar civic commissioner Anil Pawar, arrested in a money laundering case, took "substantial" bribe for turning a blind eye and not taking action against rampant illegal constructions in the twin-city, the Enforcement Directorate told a special court on Thursday. The IAS officer formed a "gang" involving senior officers and junior engineers, among others, soon after taking charge as the civic commissioner three years ago and charged "huge" commission for granting permissions for construction of buildings, the probe agency alleged. Pawar and three others, including two builders, arrested in the case were remanded to ED custody till August 20 by the court. Besides Pawar, Vasai-Virar City Municipal Corporation (VVCMC) town planner Y Shiva Reddy and two builders -- Sitaram Gupta and Arun Gupta -- were arrested on Wednesday by the central agency in connection with the case linked to illegal constructions. They were produced before a special judge handling cases under the ...

SC seeks response from Centre, DGCA over series of helicopter crashes

The Supreme Court on Thursday sought responses from the Centre among others on a plea over a series of helicopter crashes, particularly in Uttarakhand's Kedarnath. A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta issued notices to the Centre and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and the Uttarakhand government, among others, on the plea. "The concern is over a series of helicopter crashes that have taken place, particularly towards Kedarnath," the petitioners' counsel said. The bench posted the matter after four weeks. On June 15, a helicopter carrying pilgrims from the Kedarnath shrine crashed in the forests of Gaurikund amid poor visibility, killing all seven people on board, the fifth helicopter accident on the Chardham Yatra route since the pilgrimage started on April 30. The seven casualties included a two-year-old child and the pilot, who were on board the helicopter, operated by a private firm. The civil aviation ministry said it has suspended the operations

New three-judge SC bench to hear NCR stray dog case on August 14

After widespread protests across the country following a top court verdict on relocation of stray dogs in Delhi-NCR, a new three-judge bench of the Supreme Court will hear the suo motu case on Thursday. A bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta and N V Anjaria will hear the matter. The directions to permanently relocate all strays from streets to shelters "at the earliest" were passed by a bench comprising Justice J B Pardiwala and Justice R Mahadevan on August 11. When some petitioners in another stray dogs-related case mentioned their plea while referring to the August 11 verdict before the Chief Justice of India B R Gavai, he said he "will look into it". On August 11, a bench of Justices Pardiwala and Mahadevan observed instances of dog bites had given rise to an "extremely grim" situation and ordered the permanent relocation of all strays in Delhi-NCR "at the earliest". On Wednesday, the lawyer referred to a May 2024 order passed by a bench led by Justice J K ...

Higher payouts to land owners: SC directs SIT probe against Noida officials

The Supreme Court on Wednesday ordered an SIT probe against Noida officials for allegedly colluding with builders to pay compensations to land owners beyond their entitlement. A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi accepted the findings of the special investigation team (SIT) which found prima facie substance in the allegations. The bench asked the recommendations of the SIT headed by senior IPS officer S B Shiradkar to be given to Uttar Pradesh chief secretary who was asked to place it before the council of ministers to consider converting Noida into a "metropolitan council". Taking serious note of the SIT's findings, the top court constituted a fresh SIT comprising three senior IPS officers to assess the bank accounts and assets of erring Noida officials and other beneficiaries of the irregularities with the help of forensic auditors and experts from economic offence wings. "DGP, UP shall constitute an SIT comprising three police officers of IPS cadre to investigate t

SC restrains Assam Police from coercive action against Wire's Varadarajan

The Supreme Court on Tuesday restrained Assam Police from taking any coercive action against senior journalist Siddharth Varadarajan in connection with an FIR lodged against him over an article on Operation Sindoor. A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi issued notice on the PIL filed by the Foundation for Independent Journalism, which runs the web portal 'The Wire', challenging the constitutional validity of Section 152 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Section 152 of the BNS deals with the "act endangering sovereignty, unity and integrity of India". "Whoever, purposely or knowingly, by words, either spoken or written, or by signs, or by visible representation, or by electronic communication or by use of financial means, or otherwise, excites or attempts to excite, secession or armed rebellion or subversive activities, or encourages feelings of separatist activities or endangers sovereignty or unity and integrity of India; or indulges in or commits any such act shal

No purpose in continuing criminal case against kin after divorce: SC

The Supreme Court on Tuesday said continuation of criminal proceedings against family members after divorce between the couple served no legitimate purpose. A bench of Justices B V Nagarathna and K V Viswanathan passed the direction while quashing an FIR against a father-in-law booked under provisions of Dowry Act and IPC provisions, including Sections 498A (cruelty by husband or his relatives). The top court said the power under Article 142 (to do complete justice) must be invoked to advance the cause of complete justice in matters of such nature. "Once the marital relationship has ended in divorce and the parties have moved on with their lives, the continuation of criminal proceedings against family members, especially in the absence of specific and proximate allegations, serves no legitimate purpose," the bench said. The order continued, "It only prolongs bitterness and burdens the criminal justice system with disputes that are no longer live. The law must be applied in a manner

SC order on stray dogs to be implemented with clear plan: Delhi CM

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said the issue of the stray dog menace has reached a critical stage, and the government will address it through a "comprehensive", "well-structured" plan. The Delhi government is also likely to hold a high-level meeting headed by the chief minister on Tuesday and will discuss steps to implement the court order, officials said. The Supreme Court on Monday directed authorities to remove all stray dogs from Delhi-NCR localities and put them in shelters, saying the canines won't return to the streets. The top court was hearing a suo motu case initiated on July 28 over stray dog bites leading to rabies in the national capital. Calling the incidents of stray dog bites "extremely grim", a bench of Justices J B Pardiwala and R Mahadevan passed a slew of directions and warned of strict action against an individual or organisation in case of obstruction, which might also prompt the court to initiate contempt proceedings. The people of Delhi have been grapplin

Bombay High Court clears MIAL to replace Celebi at Mumbai airport

The court had in May restrained MIAL from finalising tenders to appoint new ground handling service provider amid Celebi's legal challenge to revocation of its security clearance by the central govt

Maharashtra moves SC against acquittal of 7/11 train blasts convicts

A division bench of the high court (HC) on Monday overturned the conviction of all 12 accused, saying that cases against them had not been proven beyond a doubt

From lock-ins to rent hikes: Rental clauses that can trip up tenants

From lock-in periods to vague maintenance terms, here's what legal experts say tenants must watch for in rental agreements to protect their money and peace of mind

SC allows Adani Cementation to cut 158 mangrove trees in Raigad

The Supreme Court upheld the Bombay High Court's order permitting Adani Cementation to cut 158 mangrove trees for a jetty project in Raigad, aimed at reducing congestion and carbon emissions