Page 11 - Supreme Court

Vedanta tells SC its revised bid for bankrupt JAL tops Adani Group's offer

In a petition contesting the lenders' choice to approve Adani's bid, Vedanta argued that its updated proposal offered nearly ₹3,400 crore more in overall value

Bengal govt to clear DA arrears for 2016-19 in single instalment by Mar 31

The West Bengal government will pay the pending Dearness Allowance (DA) arrears to serving employees, pensioners and family pensioners in a single instalment instead of the two tranches announced earlier, an official said on Saturday. The decision follows a Supreme Court order in February directing the state government to clear the DA arrears, after which the administration had announced that payments would begin in March. In a partial modification of its March 13 order, the state government has now decided to release the entire arrears for the period from January 2016 to December 2019 by March 31, the official said.

SC issues contempt notice to ASI chief over heritage sites of Delhi

Taking strong exception to the deliberate violation of its order, the Supreme Court has issued a contempt notice to the Director General of Archaeological Survey of India for failure to submit a response on the conservation status of 173 notified heritage sites in the national capital. A bench of justices Ahsanuddin Amanullah and N Kotiswar Singh directed the Director General of ASI to be personally present before it on the next date of hearing. "The court takes strong exception to the deliberate violation of the order of this court. Accordingly, notice is issued to the Director General of the Archaeological Survey of India to showcause as to why the court may not initiate proceedings for contempt against him. He shall be personally present before the court on the next date of listing along with his show-cause," the bench said. The top court noted that the Department of Archaeology, Delhi government, has identified 19 monuments and inspected them, and with regard to the majority of

Supreme Court upholds state's right to withdraw power duty exemptions

Supreme Court overturns Bombay High Court rulings granting electricity duty relief to industries, affirming State's authority to modify fiscal exemptions

NHAI can't deny recompense citing financial burden: Supreme Court

Supreme Court refuses to limit 2019 Tarsem Singh ruling, saying constitutional guarantee of just compensation cannot be diluted due to financial burden

SC bins plea against MHA circular on Vande Mataram, terms it 'vague'

The Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to entertain a plea against a home ministry circular on singing of national song Vande Mataram at official events, saying that a directive was not mandatory. A bench consisting of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi termed the plea filed by one Muhammed Sayeed Noori as "premature" and based on "vague apprehension of discrimination". Senior advocate Sanjay Hegde, appearing for Noori, said they respect every religion in the country, but if people are compelled to sing the song irrespective of their religion and faith, some may find it a compulsion to participate in the "social demonstration of loyalty". Justice Bagchi asked if the circular specified any penal consequences for not singing the national song or if any person had been removed from the congregation for not singing it. "Penalty is there in case of disruption," Hegde said, "While there may be no legal sanction, there is always a huge burden for ..

SC grants pension to women SSC officers of armed forces: Details here

The court's one-time relief ensures long-term financial security for officers who were denied permanent commission

Compensation, interest can't hinge on financial burden in land cases: SC

Stating that the constitutional guarantee of just compensation cannot be diluted, the Supreme Court on Wednesday said solatium and interest in a land acquisition matter cannot be contingent on the magnitude of the financial burden. A bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Ujjal Bhuyan made the observation while disposing of the National Highway Authority of India's (NHAI) plea seeking review of the apex court's February 4, 2025 verdict -- that the 2019 decision of the top court allowing grant of compensation and interest to farmers whose land was acquired under the NHAI Act would apply retrospectively. The bench said interest payable to the landowners will be according to the land Acquisition Act, which is nine per cent, and not the NHAI Act, which has a five per cent cap. The court said NHAI sought a review the decision on the grounds that financial liability from solatium and interest to those whose land was acquired by NHAI was not Rs 100 crore as was claimed but around Rs

Committee of Creditors not beyond judicial oversight, says Supreme Court

The Supreme Court said CoC's commercial decisions are not immune from scrutiny where illegality or jurisdictional lapses are established

SC flags systemic bias in armed forces, grants relief to women officers

The Supreme Court found systemic bias in denial of Permanent Commission to women officers and granted pensionary relief and safeguards across Army, Navy and Air Force

Harish Rana, first Indian to be allowed passive euthanasia, dies in AIIMS

Harish Rana, the first person in India to be allowed passive euthanasia, passed away on Tuesday at AIIMS-Delhi after more than 13 years in coma, sources said. The 31-year-old, who has been in a coma since 2013, was shifted from his Ghaziabad home to the palliative care unit at Dr BR Ambedkar Institute Rotary Cancer Hospital at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences on March 14. Three days before that, the Supreme Court in a landmark judgment on March 11 allowed passive euthanasia for Harish, who was a BTech student at the Panjab University who fell from a fourth-floor balcony in 2013 and suffered severe head injuries. He had been in a coma since, with artificial nutrition support and occasional oxygen support. His nutritional support was gradually withdrawn after he was admitted to hospital. The apex court had directed AIIMS-Delhi to ensure that life support is withdrawn with a tailored plan so that dignity is maintained. A specialised medical team headed by Dr Seema Mishra,

SC grants pension benefits to women SSC officers denied permanent commission

The Supreme Court ruled that women SSC officers denied Permanent Commission in the Armed Forces were victims of systemic discrimination and are now entitled to full pension and related benefits

Women SSC officers in armed forces entitled to full pension benefits: SC

In a significant verdict, the Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled that women Short Service Commission (SSC) officers in the Army, Navy, and Air Force, who were denied Permanent Commission due to arbitrary assessment, are entitled to full pensionary benefits. A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Ujjal Bhuyan and N Kotiswar Singh held that the officers would be "deemed" to have completed the minimum qualifying service of 20 years required for a pension, even if they were released from service earlier. The judgment came on a batch of petitions, including those filed by Wing Commander Sucheta Edan and others, challenging the denial of Permanent Commission (PC) based on policy changes in 2019 and previous Armed Forces Tribunal (AFT) rulings. Reading the operative parts of the judgment, the CJI said the Annual Confidential Reports (ACRs) for women officers were often graded "casually" under the assumption that they would not be eligible for career progression or PC. "The A

Only Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists eligible for SC status: Supreme Court

The Supreme Court said that Scheduled Caste status is limited to Hindus, Sikhs and Buddhists, and is lost upon conversion to religions not listed under the Constitution (Scheduled Caste) Order, 1950

Anil Ambani approaches SC seeking Sandesara-like debt settlement framework

Anil Ambani has approached the Supreme Court seeking debt resolution similar to the Sandesara case, even as the court pulled up agencies over probe delays

SC tells Sebi to respond to Sandesara plea in Sterling Biotech case

The SC bench observed that its primary concern was the recovery of funds, stating that it was interested in money coming back to India, as this would benefit banks

SC asks CBI, ED to ensure fair probe into ADAG firms, flags reluctance

The Supreme Court on Monday expressed displeasure over the "reluctance" shown by the CBI and the ED in probing the alleged large-scale banking fraud involving the Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group and its firms, and directed them to conduct a "fair, dispassionate, transparent, and time-bound" investigation into the matter. A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi took note of the submissions of Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED), and directed all concerned financial institutions to "render full cooperation to the ED". Hearing a PIL filed by former bureaucrat E A S Sarma seeking a court-monitored investigation into alleged loan frauds exceeding Rs 40,000 crore by Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group (ADAG) firms led by Anil Ambani, the bench permitted the central probe agencies to approach it in case there is any reluctance on the part of other government ...

SC disposes of wife's plea challenging Sonam Wangchuk's detention

The Supreme Court on Monday disposed of a plea filed by Gitanjali J Angmo, wife of climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, against the latter's detention under the National Security Act (NSA). A bench of Justices Aravind Kumar and PB Varale noted that the Centre revoked its order of Wangchuk's detention on March 14. The apex court said there was nothing left in the matter. Earlier, the top court had asked the Centre if there was any possibility for the government to relook at the detention of Wangchuk, considering his health condition. The Centre on March 14 said it had revoked with immediate effect the detention of Wangchuk under the NSA, nearly six months after he was arrested following violent protests in Leh that left four dead. Wangchuk was detained on September 26, 2025, two days after the protests over demands for statehood for Ladakh and its inclusion under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution rocked Leh. More than 45 people, including 22 policemen, were injured in the protests.

SC judge flags UAPA overuse, poor women representation in higher judiciary

Supreme Court Judge Justice Ujjal Bhuyan has asserted that the goal of a Viksit Bharat by 2047 cannot be achieved through criminalisation of dissent, mindless arrests under the anti-terror law UAPA and "deep social fault lines". Speaking at the first national conference of the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) in Bengaluru on Sunday, Justice Bhuyan also lamented the poor representation of women in the higher judiciary. He contrasted it with the figure of more than 50 per cent women making it to the posts of judicial officers in district judiciary across the country. "But has it been replicated in constitutional courts? That is the question. That is where the scrutiny of the collegium system comes in. Why is it that when the assessment becomes subjective, women do not make the grade? Out of 287 SC judges since 1950, we had a total of only 11 women judges. Why? Starting with Fathima Beevi and now Justice Nagarathna, it is some two per cent," Justice Bhuyan said. He said that as per

SC directs states, UTs to submit details on prisons, including overcrowding

The Supreme Court has directed all the states and Union territories to furnish updated details relating to jails, including the sanctioned capacity of each prison and steps taken to check overcrowding, by May 18. A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta also asked the states and UTs to provide details about the number of women's prisons within their jurisdictions and the facilities available in them, including the measures taken to ensure education and overall welfare of children living with the female inmates. The bench noted that senior advocate Gaurav Agrawal, who is assisting the top court as an amicus curiae in a suo motu matter concerning inhuman conditions in jails, has drawn its attention to the fact that the statistics placed on record by the states and UTs pertain to 2023. The bench said that, having regard to the nature of issues involved and the necessity of an informed adjudicatory exercise, the availability of updated contemporaneous data was indispensable for