Page 100 - Supreme Court

Venugopal seeks Supreme Court-monitored probe into Sambhal violence

Opposition members were keen to raise the issue in the House and have targeted Yogi Adityanath government over the violence

After SC's intervention, CAQM relaxes GRAP curbs for schools in Delhi-NCR

The Bench, comprising Justices Abhay S Oka and Augustine George Masih, also emphasised the urgent need for a decision by Tuesday

SC quashes Telangana's preferential land allotment to 'privileged' class

In a significant judgment, the Supreme Court on Monday quashed the government orders facilitating preferential land allotments to MPs, MLAs, bureaucrats, judges and journalists within the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation limits, saying the distribution of state largesse was "capricious" and "irrational". A bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Dipankar Datta held the policy to be "unreasonable, arbitrary, discriminatory", and violative of Article 14 (right to equality) of the Constitution. "The allocation of land at basic rates to select privileged groups reflects a 'capricious' and 'irrational' approach. This is a classic case of executive action steeped in arbitrariness, but clothed in the guise of legitimacy, by stating that the ostensible purpose of the policy was to allot land to 'deserving sections of society'," the verdict said. Shorn of pretence, this policy of the state government, is an abuse of power meant to cater exclusively to the affluent ...

No divine power can wake up civic body: SC to MCD over library demolition

The first Delhi Public Library (DPL) was started by then prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru near the Old Delhi railway station in 1951

Consider restarting physical classes in NCR schools, colleges: SC to CAQM

The Supreme Court on Monday asked the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) in the national capital region and adjoining areas to consider restarting physical classes in schools and colleges noting many students lacked mid-day meals and infrastructure to attend online classes. A bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Augustine George Masih said a large number of students did not have air purifiers at home and therefore there may not be a difference between children at home and those attending schools. The top court, however, refused to relax the anti-pollution GRAP-4 restrictions in Delhi-NCR and said unless it was satisfied that there was consistent decrease in AQI levels, it cannot order curbs below GRAP-3 or GRAP-2. Noting that several sections of society, especially labourers and daily wagers, were adversely affected due to GRAP-4, the bench directed the state governments, where construction has been banned, to use funds collected as labour cess for subsistence to them. GRAP-

SC slams Delhi govt on Grap IV, directs CAQM to review school closure

Delhi air pollution: Parents request the reopening of schools as children loss access to midday meals and air purifiers

SC junks pleas challenging words socialist, secular, integrity in Preamble

The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed the pleas challenging the 1976 amendment to the Constitution adding terms "socialist", "secular" and "integrity" to the Preamble. A bench of Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar had on November 22 reserved its verdict on a batch of pleas filed by former Rajya Sabha MP Subramanian Swamy, advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain and others, challenging the inclusion of the words "socialist" and "secular" in the Preamble to the Constitution. The petitions do not require a detailed hearing, the CJI said. "The two expressions 'socialist' and 'secular' were made in 1976 through amendments and the fact that the Constitution was adopted in 1949 does not make any difference... the retrospectivity arguments if accepted will apply to all amendments," noted the CJI.

SC advocate urges CJI to initiate probe into Jhansi medical college fire

Supreme Court advocate Amit Dwivedi has written to the chief justice of India, seeking a time-bound inquiry into a blaze in the neonatal intensive care unit of a medical college in Uttar Pradesh that killed 17 infants. In the letter to Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna on Sunday, Dwivedi -- who hails from the Bundelkhand region -- sought the constitution of a panel headed by a retired Supreme Court judge "to conduct a time-bound inquiry into the fire incident in the NICU (neonatal intensive care unit) of the government-run hospital which resulted in the deaths of 15 infants". Thirty-nine newborns were rescued from a devastating fire in the neonatal intensive care unit of Maharani Laxmi Bai Medical College in Jhansi on the night of November 15. While 10 babies died on the night of the fire, seven more succumbed later. The letter highlighted reports of severe negligence, including the alleged absence of functioning fire extinguishers in the ward. Dwivedi emphasised that ...

Beant Singh assassination convict's mercy plea sensitive matter: Govt to SC

The Centre on Monday told the Supreme Court that there was sensitivity involved in the matter related to the mercy petition of death row convict Balwant Singh Rajoana, convicted in the 1995 assassination case of then Punjab chief minister Beant Singh. A bench headed by Justice B R Gavai was hearing Rajoana's plea seeking directions to commute his death sentence to life term due to the "inordinate delay" in deciding his mercy petition. "There is a sensitivity involved. Some agencies will have to be consulted," Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the bench, also comprising Justices P K Mishra and K V Viswanathan. Additional Solicitor General K M Nataraj, who also appeared in the matter, said the issue was being reviewed by the government. He said since the issue was sensitive, some more inputs were required in the matter. The bench said it would hear the plea after four weeks. While hearing the petition on November 18, the apex court had put on hold its order asking President Droup

Adani-Hindenburg case: SC plea to take US charges against Adani on record

The petitioner has also called for the conclusive report by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) on the probe carried out till now

Some groups trying to use social media to affect cases: ex-CJI Chandrachud

Former Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud on Sunday said social media is being used by special interest groups to influence outcome of cases and judges need to be wary of them. He also noted that people nowadays want to form an opinion on the basis of 20 seconds they see on YouTube or any other social media platform, saying it poses a great danger. "Today there are special interest groups, pressure groups who are trying to use social media to affect the minds of the courts and the outcomes of cases. Every citizen is entitled to understand what is the basis of a decision and to express their opinions on the decisions of the court. But when this goes beyond the decisions of the court and targets individual judges, then it sort of raises fundamental questions about - Is this truly freedom of speech and expression?" he said. "Everybody, therefore wants to form an opinion in 20 seconds of what they see on YouTube or any social media platform. This poses a grave danger because the process of

SC panel highlights rising debt, stagnant yields in agricultural crisis

A Supreme Court-appointed panel on farmers' grievances and protests has filed its interim report, listing reasons for agrarian distress which among others include stagnant yield, rising costs and debts and inadequate marketing system. The high-powered committee, constituted on September 2 under former Punjab and Haryana High Court judge Nawab Singh to resolve the grievances of farmers agitating at the Shambhu border, also suggested solutions including examining the possibility of giving legal sanctity to Minimum Support Price and offering direct income support. While forming the committee, the SC had observed farmers' protest should not be politicised. A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan on Friday took the interim report on record and praised the committee for its efforts and framing of the issues to be examined and defuse the agitation. In its 11-page interim report, the panel said, "It is a well-known fact that the farming community in the country in general and that o

US Supreme Court allows multibillion-dollar class action against Meta

The Supreme Court is allowing a multibillion-dollar class action investors' lawsuit to proceed against Facebook parent Meta, stemming from the privacy scandal involving the Cambridge Analytica political consulting firm. The justices heard arguments in November in Meta's bid to shut down the lawsuit. On Friday, they decided that they were wrong to take up the case in the first place. The high court dismissed the company's appeal, leaving in place an appellate ruling allowing the case to go forward. Investors allege that Meta did not fully disclose the risks that Facebook users' personal information would be misused by Cambridge Analytica, a firm that supported Donald Trump's first successful Republican presidential campaign in 2016. Inadequacy of the disclosures led to two significant price drops in the price of the company's shares in 2018, after the public learned about the extent of the privacy scandal, the investors say. Meta already has paid a USD 5.1 billion fine and reached

SC mulls setting up panel to vet permission for felling trees in Delhi

The bench referred to Section 7(b) of the 1994 Act which says the tree authority shall be responsible for carrying out the census of existing trees and obtaining

Parl panel to discuss code of conduct, post-retirement jobs for judges

Tribunals are institutions set up to reduce the case load on the judiciary with experts from various fields looking into the disputes

Set up check-points on all 113 entry points: SC directs Delhi govt, police

It appointed 13 members of the Bar as court commissioners to visit the entry points to Delhi and verify whether entry of trucks is being stopped

SC orders centre, police to monitor truck entry at 113 checkposts in Delhi

The top court clarified that Stage-IV measures under the Graded Response Action Plan (Grap) would remain in effect until further orders, even if AQI levels drop below 450

SC flags lapses in Grap-IV in Delhi-NCR, seeks report on truck entry

The Supreme Court criticised delays in enforcing Grap-IV curbs as Delhi's AQI hit 'severe-plus' earlier this week; seeks reports on non-essential heavy vehicle entries at 13 major checkpoints

SC reviews validity of 'socialist', 'secular' in Preamble, ruling on Nov 25

The 42nd Amendment of the Indian constitution has been subjected to judicial review. The Supreme Court noted that Parliament's actions during the Emergency could not be dismissed entirely as invalid

'Eradicate Sanatan' remark: SC defers hearing plea of Udhayanidhi Stalin

The Supreme Court on Friday deferred the hearing on a plea of Tamil Nadu Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin seeking clubbing of multiple FIRs lodged against him over his purported "eradicate Sanatan Dharma" remark. A bench of Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar posted the hearing in February, 2025. It further said the interim order granting the politician exemption from appearing physically before trial courts would continue till further orders. Arguing for Stalin, senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi and other counsel pointed out that several respondents (complainants) had not filed their replies on the plea. On March 4, the top court rebuked Satlin over his remarks, asking why he had moved the court with a plea to club the FIRs against him after abusing his right to freedom of speech and expression. Stalin, the minister of youth welfare and sports of Tamil Nadu, is a well-known film actor and son of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and ruling DMK chief M K Stalin. Speaking at a