Page 22 - Law

High Court grants interim bail to Former Punjab FM Manpreet Badal

The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Monday granted interim bail to former Punjab finance minister Manpreet Singh Badal in connection with alleged irregularities in the purchase of a property in Bathinda. Badal had moved the high court after a court in Bathinda rejected his anticipatory bail plea on October 4. His counsel Arshdeep Singh Cheema said the bench of Justice Vikas Bahl granted interim bail to Badal, who is now with the BJP. The detailed order is yet to be released. In his anticipatory bail plea, Badal contended that "the FIR is a malafide exercise of power and has been done at the behest of the chief minister who intends to settle his personal scores rather than allowing the state agencies to work independently." The petitioner also submitted, "The present FIR is one of the links in the chain, that the present AAP government in the State of Punjab is trying to fasten around all the person, be it political leaders, people closely associated with them or common person who

Tech-friendly systems must be complemented by judges' mindset change: CJI

Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud on Saturday said technology-friendly legal systems must be complemented by a change in mindset of each judge, member of the bar, registry official and administrative staff. Technology is a source of inclusion and any resistance to it often stems from "inner inertia to disturb the status quo and fear of the unknown", he said. CJI Chandrachud was speaking at an event here to celebrate the platinum jubilee of the Rajasthan High Court. He also inaugurated the paperless court and Telegram channel of the High Court. "Our move towards a technology-friendly legal system must be complemented by a change in the mindset of every judge, every member of the bar, registry official and administrative staff," the chief justice said. Citing conditions set by some high courts for litigants to get access to a digital link for video conferencing, he said, "Technology is only for the old and not for the young... these mindsets have to change. In our revolution to

Newsclick row: HC dismisses Purkayastha, Chakravarty plea in UAPA case

The Bench of Justice Tushar Rao Gedela on Friday while dismissing the petition said we didn't find any merits in the case

SC to hear plea seeking rules on electronics seizure by police on Nov 2

A bench of Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Sudhanshu Dhulia said it would hear case on November 2 after senior advocate Nitya Ramakrishnan appearing for petitioners mentioned matter for early hearing

Pending cases in SC with govt as party increased to 11,414 in 2023: RTI

The number of cases in which government is a party and that are pending in the Supreme Court have increased from 4536 in 2019 to 11,414 in 2023, according to an RTI response from the law ministry. Replying to the RTI application filed by Pune-based activist Vihar Durve, the ministry said it did not have the data in the form sought by him. Durve had asked from the ministry "complete information year wise from the year 2019 to 2023" about total cases pending in Supreme Court of India where government of India is one of the party. As ascertained from the branch concerned, results based on the search of the party name from the list of parties involved in a case i.e. 'UOI', 'U.O.I', 'Union of India', 'U O I', 'State', 'bank', 'Ministry', 'Govt. of India', 'Government of India', 'Govt of India', the number of cases filed from 2019 to 2023 in which government is a party and still pending in Supreme Court are as follows, the ministry said. Giving the data, it said in the filing year 2019,

SC gives split verdict on allowing woman to terminate her 26-week pregnancy

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

NIA conducts raids across 6 states against banned Popular Front of India

The NIA on Wednesday carried out searches at 20 locations across six states against the banned Popular Front of India in connection with a case related to creating disturbance during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Bihar last year, officials said. An official spokesperson said the National Investigation Agency (NIA) carried out extensive search operations at 20 different locations, including Fazalpur, Shaheen Bagh, Okhla and Chandni Chowk in the national capital. Raids were conducted in Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh, Thane and Mumbai in Maharashtra, Tonk and Gangapur in Rajasthan, and Lucknow, Siddharthnagar, Sant Ravidas Nagar, Kanpur and Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh, he said. Additionally, searches were also conducted in Madurai, the spokesperson added. These operations are part of ongoing investigations in cases linked with the PFI and its involvement in unlawful and anti-national activities, he said. During the searches, a substantial cache of crucial evidence in the ongoing

NewsClick Row: Court sends Purkayastha, Chakravarty to 10-day custody

They were arrested last week by Delhi Police in a case filed under the anti-terror law UAPA following allegations that News Portal NewsClick received huge money for pro-China propaganda

Bid to tarnish image by foreign entities: Adani Group ahead of SC hearing

Adani Group on Monday said some foreign entities are continuing orchestrated attacks by rehashing old and baseless allegations to drag down its market value and tarnish the conglomerate's image ahead of the Supreme Court hearing. The Supreme Court slated a hearing for this week on markets regulator SEBI's investigation into allegations of financial fraud and stock manipulation against Adani Group. The group has denied all allegations. Having failed earlier, a foreign publication is "making another effort to financially destabilise the Adani Group by raking up an old, baseless allegation of over-invoicing of coal imports," Adani Group said in a statement. It said the proposed story by the publication is based on the DRI's General Alert Circular dated March 30, 2016. However, the publication has "singled out the Adani Group, while the DRI's circular mentions as many as 40 importers including the Adani Group companies," the statement said. "This list not only includes some of India's

Any law becomes out of date after 50 years: Shah on IPC replacement

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday justified the need to replace the IPC, CrPC and the Evidence Act saying any law becomes out of date' after 50 years. "There has been no change in the IPC, CrPC or the Evidence Act since 1860. Any law becomes out of date' after 50 years. The scale of crime has changed, and so has the method of committing them but there has been no change in the method of dealing with them," Shah said. Addressing the 49th All India Police Science Congress, he said this has had a crippling effect on the country's criminal justice system. Speaking of the three new legislations -- the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (to replace IPC), Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (to replace CrPC) and Bharatiya Sakshya (to replace the Evidence Act) -- under consideration of a parliamentary panel, he said they will replace the three old codes once passed by the Parliament. It will expedite disposal of cases as they won't get inordinately delayed, Shah added. He said numerous reform

Sexual harassment allegations false, motivated: ex-WFI chief Singh to court

Former WFI chief and BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh Saturday refuted allegations of sexual harassment levelled against him by six women wrestlers, terming them as false and motivated. Singh made the claim through his counsel before Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (ACMM) Harjeet Singh Jaspal while starting arguments on whether to frame charges against him in the case. The cousel submitted that one of the complainants in the case was a member of the sexual harrasment committee and she never disclosed the alleged incident of 2012 till April, 2023. She made the allegations as she failed to qualify for the Olympic 2015. Every complaint has a reason behind it. Every allegation is false Almost every complainant changed her statement. Cosmetic and improved statements were given to implicate the accused, the counsel told the court. After hearing part arguments of defence on charges against Singh, the judge adjourned the matter till October 16.

I-T dept attaches assets worth Rs 50 cr in 'benami' case against SP leader

Newly constructed flats and a building complex in Varanasi and bank deposits worth about Rs 50 crore have been attached under the anti-benami properties law by the Income Tax department as part of its probe against Maharashtra Samajwadi Party MLA Abu Azmi and his alleged associates, official sources said on Saturday. The Lucknow-based benami assets investigation unit of the department had launched searches in Varanasi and some parts of Maharashtra early this week as part of this investigation. Sources told PTI that the raids have ended and the department has attached Rs 10 crore worth of bank deposits of a company called Vinayak Group, Tower 'C' of a real estate property called Vinayak Plaza at Maldahiya in Varanasi worth a few crores of rupees, and 45 flats built in Varuna Gardens project in the Hamrautia locality of the city located on the banks of the river Ganga. The properties have been attached under the provisions of the Prohibition of Benami Properties Transaction ...

Will examine immunity to lawmakers if criminality attached to acts: SC

The Supreme Court said on Wednesday it will examine whether the immunity granted to lawmakers from prosecution for taking bribe to make a speech or vote in Parliament and state legislatures extends to them even if criminality is attached to their actions, as it began reconsideration of its 1998 judgement in the JMM bribery scandal that rocked the country 25 years ago. The apex court's 1998 verdict granted MPs and MLAs immunity from prosecution for taking bribes to make a speech or vote in legislature. At the outset of the day-long proceedings, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta urged the seven-judge constitution bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud that the court need not go into the immunity aspect under Article 105 of the Constitution and the controversy, possibly, can be narrowed down in view of the fact that the offence of bribery is complete when a bribe is given and accepted by the lawmaker, something which can be tackled under the Prevention of Corruption Act. Article ..

FTX Founder Sam Bankman's fraud trial gets under way with jury selection

US District Judge told group of 50 prospective jurors gathered in courtroom on top floor of a federal courthouse in lower Manhattan that he would ask them questions to try to seat a 12-member panel

Maha clears amendment to enable eviction from to-be-redeveloped buildings

The Maharashtra cabinet on Tuesday approved a proposal to amend law so that a house owner who opposes the redevelopment of a building against the wishes of a majority of residents can be evicted. The Maharashtra Apartment Ownership Act, 1970, will be amended accordingly, and it is expected to expedite the process of redevelopment of buildings registered under the Act, an official release said. As per an amendment of July 7, 2018, a building can be redeveloped if at least 51 percent of apartment/flat owners give their consent. But the Act did not provide for any clear course of action against the members who stall redevelopment by refusing to move out despite the majority decision. The weekly cabinet meeting here was chaired by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. The cabinet also asked officials to conduct 'pancha-namas' or spot inspection reports of the soybean crop affected by the yellow mosaic disease speedily.

Bihar announces 10% reservation for EWS in judicial services, law colleges

The Nitish Kumar government in Bihar on Tuesday announced 10 per cent reservation for economically weaker sections (EWS) in the judicial services, and the state-run law colleges and universities. The decision was taken at a cabinet meeting chaired by the chief minister. "The cabinet approved amendments in the guidelines of the State Judicial Services, 1951, allowing 10 per cent reservation for EWS category in judicial services and also in state-run law institutes and universities," said Additional Chief Secretary (Cabinet Secretariat) S Siddhartha. A notification with the details will soon be issued by the department concerned, he said. The state cabinet also gave its approval for the construction of 100 veterinary hospitals in the state, Siddhartha said. "A total of 100 first-class veterinary hospitals will be constructed in different districts of the state. Besides, there will be training centers at all these hospitals. For this, Rs 225 crore will be spent in 17 districts," he .

Law panel recommends rolling out registration of e-FIRs in phased manner

The Law Commission has recommended rolling out registration of e-FIRs in a phased manner beginning with offences bearing up to three years jail term. In a report submitted to the government earlier this week and made public on Friday, the law panel proposed setting up a centralised national portal to facilitate registration of e-FIRs. It said e-FIRs will tackle long persisting issue of delay in the registration of FIRs and allow citizens to report crimes in real time. In his letter to Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, Law Commission Chairman Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi said, "Due to the march of technology, means of communication have progressed in leaps and bounds. In such a landscape, clinging on to an archaic system of registering FIRs does not augur well for criminal reforms.

Judge rejects bid to free FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried during his trial

A judge on Thursday closed the door on FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried's hopes to be free during his trial, although he extended the hours that the cryptocurrency peddler can meet with his lawyers in a federal courthouse. At a hearing, Judge Lewis A. Kaplan rejected a request by Bankman-Fried's lawyers to free their client so he could better prepare his defence against charges that he defrauded cryptocurrency investors. Bankman-Fried, 31, faces the start of his trial Tuesday in Manhattan. He has pleaded not guilty. His lawyer, Mark Cohen, told Kaplan that he cannot meaningfully confer with his client as long as Bankman-Fried is jailed at the Metropolitan Detention Centre in Brooklyn. And he insisted that there was no risk that Bankman-Fried would flee, prompting Kaplan to interrupt him. The closer we get to trial, the more I'm wondering about that, Kaplan said. "Your client, if there is conviction, could be looking at a very long sentence. If things begin to look bleak maybe he fee

SC rejects PIL alleging exorbitant air fare for destinations in Gulf

The Supreme Court has refused to entertain a plea alleging exorbitant air fares from destinations like Dubai to Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala. A bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra asked the Kerala Pravasi Association', which filed the PIL, to move the Kerala High Court with its grievances. The PIL also challenged one of the rules of the Indian Aviation Act which permits airlines to set ticket prices, and alleged it violated the citizens' right to travel and resulted in exploitation of Indian travellers. Having regard to the nature of the cause of action in the present case, we are of the considered view that it would be appropriate for the petitioners to take recourse to the remedy under Article 226 of the Constitution of India. Granting liberty to the petitioners to do so, the Writ Petition is disposed of, the bench said in its order on Wednesday. The association alleged the air fare to and from Gulf destinations to .

No timeline for finalising simultaneous polls report: Law Commission chair

Work is still continuing on the issue of simultaneous polls and no timeline has been given for finalising a report on it, Law Commission Chairman Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi said on Wednesday. He also said the reports on the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and online FIRs have been finalised and sent to the law ministry. "Still some work is going on on simultaneous elections. We have not finalised the report. There is no timeline for finalising it," Justice (retired) Awasthi, who was the chief justice of the Karnataka High Court, told reporters here. According to the procedure, all reports of the law panel are submitted to the Union law ministry, which then forwards those to the ministries concerned. The issue of simultaneous polls is pending with the law panel for years. The previous Law Commission had suggested three options to hold simultaneous Lok Sabha and Assembly polls, but said several points remained to be addressed. In a public appeal issued along w