Supreme Court

SC to hear plea against deletion of electors from Bengal electoral rolls

The Supreme Court agreed to consider on Tuesday a fresh plea filed by some persons whose names have been deleted from the electoral rolls by the Election Commission during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in West Bengal. A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi took note of the submissions of senior advocate Maneka Guruswamy that the plea pertained to deletion of erstwhile voters from the rolls. "These are electors. They had voted earlier and now their documents have not been taken," the senior lawyer said. "But in the scheme of things, we cannot sit on appeal over the decisions of the judicial officers," the CJI observed. When the senior lawyer said the appeals are maintainable, the bench said it will hear on Tuesday. On February 24, the top court allowed the deployment of West Bengal civil judges, in addition to 250 district judges, and the requisitioning of judicial officers from Jharkhand and Odisha to handle 80 lakh claims and object

Consumer Protection: Bank faces higher penalty for delayed card closure

The Karnataka State Commission questioned why bank had failed to close the card in 2010, and had raised a demand after seven years

Judiciary must protect environment but not hinder development: CJI

Judiciary must continue to serve as a constitutional sentinel in matters concerning the environment, and not impede legitimate development aspirations, Chief Justice of India Surya Kant said on Saturday. He made the remark while addressing the Punjab and Haryana High Court Bar Association here. "We are no longer in an era of choosing between environment and development. We are in an era where the only defensible development is the one which is environmentally responsible," the CJI said. The jurist was here for the inauguration of a refurbished library in memory of Justice Kuldip Singh, often hailed as the 'Green Judge' of the Supreme Court. The CJI stated that the courts cannot afford a tunnel vision that treats every project as suspect, nor can they afford a complacent vision that treats environmental safeguards as negotiable. "Our task is to move from a purely reactive model to a more mature environmental governance model that integrates environmental safeguards into the very de

US customs agency says tariff refund system will be ready in 45 days

The tariffs that were a central part of President Donald Trump's economic policy were struck down as unconstitutional by the Supreme Court last month

Can tenants claim ownership after decades of occupancy? SC clarifies

Supreme Court clarified that decades of occupancy do not grant tenants ownership rights, orders the eviction of a shop's occupants

Mayyu Ali's memoir examines how innocuous processes can be political acts

Mayyu Ali's terrifying yet hopeful memoir makes one think about how seemingly innocuous processes like birth registration are loaded with political significance

Employer must pay penalty for delay in compensation: Supreme Court

The Supreme Court has fastened the liability to pay penalty on an employer for a delay in depositing the compensation amount under the Employees' Compensation Act, 1923, saying the law is a "social welfare statute" for redressing employees' grievances. A bench of Justices Aravind Kumar and P B Varale said in a catena of judgments, the apex court has stressed the "liberal and purposive interpretation" of the Act in favour of the employees being a social-welfare legislation. The bench delivered its verdict on an appeal filed by an insurance firm, challenging a May 2025 order of the Delhi High Court. The high court had fastened the liability of paying the penalty imposed under section 4A(3)(b) of the Act on the insurance firm. "The perusal of the statement of objects of the said legislation makes it crystal clear that the said legislation is a social welfare statute brought in by Parliament to redress the grievances of the employees in case of accidents that may occur in or during the

SC raps trial court for citing AI-generated orders in deciding case

SC has sharply criticised a trial court for relying on AI-generated fictitious judgments, stating such conduct strikes at judicial integrity and amounts to misconduct, warranting deeper scrutiny

SC takes cognisance of trial court relying on AI-generated 'fake' verdicts

Taking cognisance of a trial court relying on alleged non-existing verdicts that were generated with the help of artificial intelligence (AI), the Supreme Court has said a decision based on such fake judgments would not be an error in decision making but would amount to misconduct. A bench of Justices P S Narasimha and Alok Aradhe has said it will examine the matter in detail and issued a notice to Attorney General R Venkataramani, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta and the Bar Council of India. The court has also appointed senior advocate Shyam Divan to assist it in the matter. "We take cognisance of the trial court deploying AI-generated non-existing, fake or synthetic alleged judgments and seek to examine its consequences and accountability as it has a direct bearing on the integrity of the adjudicatory process," the bench said. "At the outset, we must declare that a decision based on such non-existent and fake alleged judgments is not an error in the decision making. It would be a

NCERT recalls Class 8 Social Science textbook after SC's objection

The NCERT on Friday issued an advisory asking anyone with copies of the banned class 8 textbook that had a chapter on "judicial corruption" be returned to the council headquarters. In a strongly worded advisory, the the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) also called for all social media posts that carry the chapter's content be deleted. The Union Ministry of Education on Thursday wrote to the ministries of information and broadcasting, and electronics, asking them to stop the dissemination of a controversial NCERT textbook through digital platforms and electronic media after the Supreme Court imposed a ban on the social science book. "Any individual or organisation in possession of the NCERT textbook 'Exploring society: India and Beyond', may return it to the (NCERT) headquarters. Any content related to the chapter 'role of judiciary in our society' if posted on social media or any digital platforms be deleted at the earliest possible," the advisory ...

India must confront the fiscal risks of an expanding freebie culture

As subsidies and cash transfers surge, the Supreme Court and Finance Commission warn that unchecked freebies risk straining state finances and long-term growth

Flex moves Supreme Court to overturn tribunal ruling in Xiaomi tax case

US-listed Flex told India's Supreme Court it did not help Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi to undervalue certain imports into India, the court filing showed

SC asks Centre, states to respond on PIL over fake complaints

The Supreme Court on Thursday agreed to hear a PIL seeking direction to the Centre and state authorities to install display boards at all public institutions, such as police stations, court premises and municipal offices, on the legal consequences of lodging false complaints. A bench of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi issued notices to the Centre and states and sought their response by April 20 on the plea filed by advocate Ashwini Upadhyay. Upadhyay, appearing in person, told the bench that there was a rise in lodging of false cases of rape, molestation or under the SC-ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, as there is no lawful measure against such actions. He submitted that there is a rise in false cases as people are not aware of legal consequences, and hence, display boards should be put at the public institutions like police stations, where the complainant should be made aware of the consequences for such actions. Chief Justice

Builder-buyer agreements fairer now, yet buyers must scrutinise fine print

Do not skip crucial provisions of the agreement that have a bearing on your interests

Pune Porsche accident: SC to hear bail plea filed by father of key accused

The Supreme Court on Thursday sought a response from the Maharashtra government on a bail plea filed by the father of minor involved in the 2024 Pune Porsche accident case. On May 19, 2024, a 17-year-old boy, driving a Porsche, allegedly under the influence of alcohol, fatally knocked down two IT professionals in Pune's Kalyani Nagar area. A bench of Justices BV Nagarathna and Ujjal Bhuyan issued notice to the state government on the appeal filed by Vishal Agarwal challenging an order of the Bombay High Court which denied him bail. The matter has been posted for hearing on March 10. The high court had on December 16, 2025, rejected the bail plea of Agarwal and the other accused. On February 2, the top court granted bail to three accused while observing that parents are to be blamed for incidents involving juveniles, as they don't have control over their children. The court allowed the bail, noting that the accused - Amar Santish Gaikwad (alleged middleman), Aditya Avinash Sood,

SC directs Centre to participate in meeting on lack of functional CCTVs

The Supreme Court on Thursday directed the Centre and others to participate in a meeting for the creation of a centralised dashboard and standardisation of CCTV infrastructure in police stations. A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta passed the order after a submission by senior advocate Siddhartha Dave. Assisting the court as amicus curiae, Dave told the court that pursuant to an order dated January 29, a meeting was held on February 21, but the Union, the Delhi government and some other states did not participate it, and as such, he could not file the report as required. Taking note of the submission, the court ordered, "Counsel for the Union of India already apologised that due to some communication gap, it could not participate in the meeting. He, however, assures us that in the next meeting they will extend all cooperation." The bench added, "The amicus has suggested March 14, 2026, as the next date for a meeting. Let the meeting be held as directed earlier on Mar

Supreme Court imposes blanket ban on NCERT Class 8 textbook: Here's why

The Supreme Court banned a Class 8 textbook over "objectionable" content on the judiciary. The chapter cites corruption, case backlogs and shortage of judges as challenges facing the judicial system

SC orders ban, seizure of NCERT book over chapter on judiciary corruption

The Supreme Court on Thursday imposed a blanket ban on class 8 NCERT book carrying a chapter on corruption in the judiciary, and ordered a seizure of all physical copies, along with takedown of its digital forms. The apex court ordered that the Centre and state authorities comply with its directions immediately, and warned of "serious action" if directions are defied in any form. The top court issued show cause notices to NCERT director, school education secretary to explain why action should be not taken against those responsible. A bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant said there seemed to be a calculated move to undermine institution and demean dignity of judiciary. The bench said such misconduct, having everlasting impact on judiciary, would fall within definition of criminal contempt. "We would like to have a deeper probe," the bench said. The court said that if allowed to go unchecked, this will erode people's faith in judiciary. "No one will be allowed to go scot-free."

NCERT 'trying' to retrieve 38 sold copies of now-withdrawn Class 8 textbook

The development comes a day after NCERT halted the distribution of the textbook following controversy over the content of a chapter on the judiciary

Chapter on 'judicial corruption': NCERT apologises, book to be rewritten

The NCERT on Wednesday apologised for "inappropriate content" after facing the Supreme Court's ire over a chapter talking about judicial corruption in a Class 8 textbook and said the book concerned will be rewritten in consultation with appropriate authorities. The council, responsible for school education curriculum, also put on hold the circulation of the textbook, hours after it took the book off its website. "It has been observed that certain inappropriate textual material and error of judgement have inadvertently crept into the concerned chapter," a senior official said. The National Council of Educational Research & Training (NCERT) said it "holds the judiciary in highest esteem and considers it to be the upholder of the Indian Constitution and protector of fundamental rights" and termed the error as purely unintentional. "NCERT reiterates that the objective of the new textbooks is to strengthen constitutional literacy, institutional respect, and informed understanding of ...