Supreme Court

SC allows CERC to frame mkt-coupling regulations, dismisses IEX challenge

The apex court says the challenge is premature as regulations are yet to be notified, while allowing IEX to raise objections after the framework is finalised.

SC clarifies student protest relief, narrows scope of criminal records

Top court says only those accused of grave and heinous offences fall outside its protection for student protesters, while allowing governments to withdraw FIRs.

SC sets up panel to review case sequencing after Bar raises concerns

A three-judge committee will examine concerns over last-minute changes to case sequencing after lawyers said unpredictable listings disrupted court appearances.

Bill to increase number of SC judges passed by Lok Sabha without debate

The Lok Sabha on Monday passed a bill to replace an ordinance which increased the number of Supreme Court judges from 34 to 38, including Chief Justice of India, without a debate as opposition members raised slogans against the NEET paper leaks and alleged theft of Ram temple donations. A statutory resolution moved by the opposition members denouncing the promulgation of the ordinance was also rejected by a voice vote. After a brief introductory remarks made by Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, the chair urged the members to speak on the statutory resolution but as sloganeering continued, the bill was put to vote and subsequently cleared. Last week a bill to amend the births and deaths registration was also cleared without a debate. After the passage of the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Bill, 2026, the House was adjourned for the day.

Cauvery row: Tamil Nadu moves SC to secure its due share of water

The Tamil Nadu government on Monday moved the Supreme Court over the Cauvery dispute with neighbouring Karnataka, saying the quantum allocated to it by the CWRC as well as that released by its neighbour was less. An official release here said the government filed a petition in the apex court on the directions of Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay who discussed the matter with senior advocates. As of August 3, the combined total storage in the reservoirs in Karnataka--KRS, Kabini, Harangi and Hemavathy, stood at 77.537 TMC and Karnataka would face no difficulty in releasing Tamil Nadu's due share proportionately. Following rains in the catchment areas in the KRS and Kabini dams in Karnataka recently, the proportionate water to be realised at Biligundlu should be 26.954 TMC, it said. "Accordingly, the Cauvery Water Management Authority order allocating 4.536 TMC is very less," the release added. Karnataka has "failed" to share Tamil Nadu its due share of water and the quantum was 26.954

States can withdraw FIRs against students who joined Neet protests: SC

The Supreme Court on Monday clarified that the governments of Delhi and other states can close or withdraw FIRs against students who participated in protests against the NEET paper leak, provided they do not have antecedents involving grave and heinous offences. A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana also made it clear that the expression "criminal antecedents" referred only to grave and heinous offences. At the outset, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the top court that the Union government was serious in its commitment not to pursue FIRs against protesting students except those with criminal antecedents. Mehta said that FIRs against over 2,700 people with antecedents involving grave and heinous offences would not be withdrawn. During the hearing, senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan submitted that even lawyers' children were beaten during the protests. "The videos are very shocking. We have given 300 videos to the court. Since

SC rejects review of verdict clearing Thakur, Verma in hate speech case

The Supreme Court has refused to review its decision which said that no cognisable offence was made out against BJP leaders Anurag Thakur and Parvesh Verma for their alleged hate speeches over the anti-CAA protest in Delhi in 2020. A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta dismissed a plea of CPI(M) leaders Brinda Karat and K M Tiwari, seeking review of the April 29 decision of the court. "We have gone through the review petition as well as the grounds in support thereof. We do not find any error, much less apparent, in the order impugned, warranting its reconsideration," the bench said, while dismissing the review petition. The order was passed on July 29 but uploaded recently. On April 29, the top court said that no cognisable offence was made out against Thakur and Verma. While BJP MP Thakur is a former union minister, Verma is a minister in the Delhi government. The CPI(M) leaders had challenged a June 2022 verdict of the Delhi High Court in the case The high court h

SC directs MEA to trace Indian seafarer missing after Black Sea attack

The Supreme Court on Monday asked the Ministry of External Affairs to use its diplomatic channel and trace a seafarer missing after his cargo ship was struck by drones on July 25 in the Black Sea. A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana asked Solicitor General Tushar Mehta to seek instruction from the Indian Embassy in Ukraine and Embassy of India, Bucharest, Romania and enquire about the whereabouts of Deepak Kumar Gupta, who was onboard cargo ship, MV AGN Ragnar. The matter is listed for hearing on Friday. The top court was hearing a plea by Sandeep Kumar Gupta, elder brother of the missing seafarer, seeking directions to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) to coordinate with Indian embassies in Ukraine and Romania to undertake search and rescue operations. The plea was filed by Gupta after his family's persistent requests to the Union of India and Indian embassies in the two countries went unheard. The plea contended that the fam

SC agrees to hear plea seeking alternative protest venue to Jantar Mantar

The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to examine a PIL contending that the Jantar Mantar in the heart of the national capital was no longer a suitable venue for protests as they cause inconvenience to local residents and disrupt essential services. A bench comprising Chief Justice and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana issued notices to the Centre and others on the plea filed by Satish Chand Kaushik. It asked Solicitor General Tushar Mehta to obtain instructions from the authorities on the issues raised. The petition seeks an alternative arrangement for holding demonstrations, saying protests at Jantar Mantar create difficulties for local residents and disrupt the supply of essential goods and medical services. During the hearing, the CJI said that the petition raised concerns relating to access and movement in the area. "It has been stated in the plea that Jantar Mantar is not a proper site anymore for such protests due to ingress and egress issues. Supply of medical essentials et

Centre must ensure every road has encroachment-free space for walking: SC

The Supreme Court on Monday directed the Centre to ensure that wherever there is a road, there is a properly demarcated, encroachment-free space for pedestrians. A bench of Justices P S Narasimha and Alok Aradhe asked Additional Solicitor General K M Nararaj, appearing for the Centre, to instruct the authorities concerned to make sure that the space meant for walking is not encroached upon and is properly separated from motor vehicle lanes. "Without any big investment and construction, just ensure that proper demarcation is done of walkers' space. Wherever there is a road, there should be a walkers' space. Do it with a rope or anything and ensure it is not encroached," the bench told Nataraj. The bench gave him two weeks to instruct the authorities while emphasising that pedestrians should have confidence that the space is meant for them and they can walk freely without any threat of moving vehicles. The top court posted the matter for further hearing after two weeks. On June 19,

10,000 cases pending in SC for over 10 yrs, 80k in HCs for over 30 yrs

Despite ₹9,800 crore spent on judicial infrastructure and digitisation since 2011, decades-old case backlogs continue to weigh on India's courts

CAPF officers move Supreme Court against new Act over promotion rules

A group of paramilitary officers have approached the Supreme Court challenging certain sections of the newly-enacted CAPFs (General Administration) Act claiming this law will continue to restrict their career progression, official sources said on Saturday. The matter has been listed by the apex court for hearing in the first week of August, according to court documents. Officers and their legal representatives told PTI that a batch of writ petitions have been filed by about 3,000 cadre officials drawn from the five Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) like the CRPF, BSF, ITBP, CISF and SSB. They said the petitions have been filed under Article 32 of the Constitution that allows citizens to approach the Supreme Court to enforce their Fundamental Rights. Petitioners said they were "forced" to move the apex court as they feel justice was not served to them by the new Act and the directives of the Supreme Court's May, 2025 verdict were not implemented. We feel that the latest Act will

Nationality must be verified before deportation: Centre to Supreme Court

A foreign national, whose nationality is unverified, cannot be deported unless his home country confirms the nationality and agrees to accept him, the Centre has told the Supreme Court. The submission was made in an affidavit filed before the top court by the Ministry of Home Affairs in a plea challenging the indefinite detention of persons declared foreigners in Assam without prospects of deportation. "A foreign national whose nationality is unknown/unverified can be deported to their home country only upon confirmation of their nationality/possession of a valid travel document/acceptance by the home country concerned. The deportation procedure cannot be initiated without nationality verification," the Centre said in the submission. According to the Centre, a foreign national can be deported by the concerned state, Union Territory, or the Foreigners Regional Registration Office, after completion of the sentence or court proceedings, provided the individual possesses a valid travel

SC refuses to revive CCI's ₹301 cr penalty on Grasim, orders rehearing

The top court upheld the NCLAT ruling setting aside the Competition Commission's order, directing the regulator to reconsider the matter after granting Grasim a fresh hearing

SC stays CIC order declaring NSE a public authority under RTI Act

The Supreme Court stayed the CIC's 2007 order treating the NSE as a public authority under the RTI Act while agreeing to examine its challenge to the Delhi High Court ruling

Explained: What are the SOPs regarding use of pellet guns in India?

The Supreme Court said pellet guns can be used only in exceptional cases under existing rules. Here is what the SOPs say about their use

SC grants anticipatory bail to DMK leader Senthil Balaji in corruption case

In a relief to DMK leader and former minister V Senthil Balaji, the Supreme Court on Friday granted him anticipatory bail till further orders in a fresh corruption case lodged against him by the Tamil Nadu government led by Joseph Vijay. A bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi granted the relief to Balaji with certain conditions that he will cooperate with the investigation, deposit his passport and not influence any witnesses. "You immediately come to us even if there is slightest breach in bail conditions. We will modify or cancel our orders," Justice Bagchi told senior advocate Guru Krishnakumar appearing for the Tamil Nadu government. Earlier in the day, Justice V Mohana recused herself from hearing the anticipatory bail plea of Balaji. On Thursday, the top court agreed to hear Balaji's plea seeking pre-arrest bail in the fresh corruption case pertaining to alleged irregularities in the Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (TASMAC). The Madras High C

Driving with an expired licence? How SC ruling affects car insurance claims

Explained: Can your insurer reject a claim if the driver had an expired licence? SC answers

Mob burning police station doesn't justify UAPA: SC on Haldwani violence

Supreme Court questioned whether setting a police station on fire during the 2024 Haldwani violence was sufficient to invoke the anti-terror law, and refused to cancel the accused's bail

SC upholds NCLAT order setting aside ₹301 cr penalty on Grasim Industries

The Supreme Court on Friday upheld an NCLAT order that set aside a Rs 301.6 crore penalty imposed on Grasim Industries by the Competition Commission of India and directed the fair trade regulator to hear the Aditya Birla Group firm again over its alleged dominance in the viscose staple fibre market. A bench comprising Justices J B Pardiwala and K Vinod Chandran dismissed the Competition Commission of India's (CCI) appeal challenging the May 5 NCLAT order. The tribunal had observed that the CCI did not provide a chance to Grasim Industries to present its arguments after it differed from the findings of the Director General (DG), the regulator's probe unit. The CCI had imposed the penalty on Grasim Industries in March 2020 for allegedly abusing its dominant position with respect to the supply of viscose staple fibre (VSF) to spinners in India. Grasim challenged the order before the NCLAT, which is also an appellate authority over the CCI, which asked the regulator to hear the matter