Page 156 - Supreme Court

Supreme Court issues notice in Chitra Ramkrishna's dark fibre case

The court has directed Ramkrishna to deposit half of the Rs 25 lakh penalty to stay the operation of the SAT order. The case will likely be heard again in March

State machinery should help ED find if an offence was committed: SC to TN

The state machinery should help the Enforcement Directorate in finding out if an offence has been committed as there is no harm in it, the Supreme Court told the Tamil Nadu government on Monday. The apex court had last week questioned the Tamil Nadu government for filing a plea in the Madras High Court against the ED for its probe in a money laundering case. The central probe agency had summoned the district collectors of Vellore, Tiruchirappalli, Karur, Thanjavur and Ariyalur in connection with its probe in a money laundering case related to alleged illegal sand mining. The state government along with the bureaucrats had moved the high court that stayed the summons issued by the ED. The probe agency has moved the top court against the high court order. The ED's plea came up for hearing on Monday before a bench of justices Bela M Trivedi and Pankaj Mithal. "State and its officers should help the ED in finding out if there is any offence," the bench observed, adding, "If the state

Made mistake by retweeting video: Kejriwal tells SC in defamation case

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday told the Supreme Court that he made a mistake by retweeting an allegedly defamatory video circulated by YouTuber Dhruv Rathee related to the BJP IT Cell. A bench of Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Dipankar Datta, without issuing notice on a plea of Kejriwal challenging a Delhi High Court order which upheld summons issued to him as an accused in the criminal defamation case, asked the complainant whether he wanted to close the matter in view of the chief minister's apology. The bench also asked the trial court not to take up the defamation case involving Kejriwal till March 11. Senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, appearing for Kejriwal, said, "I can say this much that I made a mistake by retweeting." He added that it is a case for retweeting on social media platform 'X' and the complaint filed was immediately followed by recording of pre-summoning evidence. "Thereafter, the complaint was withdrawn. When it was refiled, after nine months

Cancel Chandrababu's bail, his family tried to intimidate officers: AP govt

The Andhra Pradesh government on Monday requested the Supreme Court to cancel the bail granted to TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu in the skill development corporation scam, claiming his family members have made statements to "intimidate" public servants to hamper the probe. The state government told a bench of justices Bela M Trivedi and Pankaj Mithal that Naidu's family members have made statements publicly that they would take action against the officers when they come to power. The apex court was hearing the state government's plea against an Andhra Pradesh High Court order dated November 20, 2023 granting regular bail to Naidu in the case. "We have filed an application for filing of additional documents. Statements have been made by the family members of the accused (Naidu)... The family members are saying when we will come to power, we will take action against all these officers," senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for the Andhra Pradesh government, told the bench. "My ...

Made mistake by retweeting video: Kejriwal tells SC in defamation case

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday told the Supreme Court that he made a mistake by retweeting an allegedly defamatory video circulated by YouTuber Dhruv Rathee related to the BJP IT Cell. A bench of justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta, without issuing notice on a plea of Kejriwal challenging a Delhi High Court order which upheld summons issued to him as an accused in the criminal defamation case, asked the complainant whether he wanted to close the matter in view of the chief minister's apology. The bench also asked the trial court not to take up the defamation case involving Kejriwal till March 11. Senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, appearing for Kejriwal, said, "I can say this much that I made a mistake by retweeting." In its judgement dated February 5, the high court had said that reposting alleged libellous content would attract the defamation law. The high court had said a sense of responsibility has to be attached while retweeting content about which one do

SC seeks ED's reply to Sanjay Singh's bail plea in Delhi excise policy scam

The Supreme Court sought the Enforcement Directorate's (ED) response on Monday on a bail plea moved by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Sanjay Singh in a money-laundering case related to the alleged Delhi excise policy scam. A bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta issued a notice to the federal agency on the plea, in which Singh has challenged the Delhi High Court order that refused to grant bail to him in the case. The bench tagged the bail plea along with another plea of Singh, in which he has challenged his arrest and remand in the money-laundering case. Senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, appearing in the court on behalf of Singh, sought the issuance of a notice on the bail plea and requested for tagging the plea along with the pending matter. He said the pending matter is scheduled to come up for hearing on March 5 and therefore, both the matters should be taken up together. The bench agreed to the request and said both the pleas will be taken up together. The high co

Economist Amartya Sen hails SC's judgment on annulling electoral bonds

Eminent economist and Nobel laureate Amartya Sen on Monday welcomed the Supreme Court's recent judgment annulling the electoral bonds scheme, denouncing it as a scandal. Speaking to PTI from Massachusetts, USA, Sen said that the move will lead to greater transparency among people in the electoral context. "Electoral bonds were a scandal, and I am glad that they have now been dropped. I hope there will be more transparency in the support that people give to each other in the electoral context," Sen said. In a landmark judgment, the Supreme Court annulled the electoral bonds scheme earlier this month, citing violations of the Constitutional rights to freedom of speech and expression, as well as the right to information. The apex court directed the State Bank of India (SBI) to disclose details of each electoral bond encashed by political parties to the Election Commission. This information should include the date of encashment and the denomination of the bonds and be submitted to the

Red signal for green dilution

SC underlines the need for better compliance

SC to hear Kejriwal's plea against Delhi HC order in defamation case on Mon

The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear on Monday a plea by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal challenging a Delhi High Court order which upheld summons issued to him as an accused in a criminal defamation case for retweeting an allegedly defamatory video circulated by YouTuber Dhruv Rathee in May 2018. A bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta is likely to hear the matter. In its judgement dated February 5, 2024, the high court had said that reposting alleged libelous content will attract defamation law. The high court had said a sense of responsibility has to be attached while retweeting content about which one does not have knowledge and added that retweeting of defamatory content must invite penal, civil as well as tort action if the person retweeting it does not attach a disclaimer. "This court is of the view that rigours of Section 499 (defamation) of IPC will be attracted prima facie in case a person retweets/ reposts the alleged defamatory remarks or content, for the

Matter of shame that elections in J-K had to be announced by SC: Omar

Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Saturday said it was "a matter of considerable shame" that the Supreme Court had to issue a directive about elections in Jammu and Kashmir rather than the Election Commission of India. The National Conference leader also contended that the view that Article 370 was at the root of all problems of Jammu and Kashmir was not correct, and terrorist attacks are now being reported in areas which were earlier free of terrorism, in particular the hills of Jammu, Rajouri and Poonch. More Kashmiri Pandits have been killed in targeted attacks in the Valley during the tenure of the present government than in the past, he claimed, speaking at ABP Network's 'Ideas of India' Summit 3.0 here. "What is the BJP and what is the Government of India going to do about the deadline the Supreme Court has set," Abdullah asked, noting that the court has said that assembly elections should be held in Jammu and Kashmir by the end of September 2024. "It .

Media failed to defend democracy, Constitution, truth: Ex-SC judge Joseph

Former Supreme Court judge Kurian Joseph came down hard on media on Saturday, saying it has failed to defend democracy, the Constitution and truth. Justice (retd) Joseph said one does not find any fearless and truthful version of the facts coming out and the greatest blow to democracy is that the fourth pillar has failed the country. "Before the conference, we discussed quite a few things but all those things which we discussed, do we read in any media, do we see in any electronic media, except a couple of private media in the digital side," he said, while speaking at a seminar organised by the Campaign for Judicial Accountability and Reforms (CJAR) here. He also made a spirited call for protecting whistle-blowers, whom he termed as the "fifth pillar". "We don't find any fearless, truthful version of the facts coming out. The greatest blow to democracy is that the fourth pillar has failed the country. Forget about the first three pillars. The fourth pillar is the media and they hav

Delay in listing live issues affects quality of justice: Ex-SC judge Lokur

Prolonged delay in listing of "live issues" like matters pertaining to demonetisation and abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution, and predictable pronouncements affect the quality of justice and create a perception that there is "something wrong" with the judicial system, former Supreme Court judge Madan B Lokur said on Saturday. Speaking at a seminar organised by the Campaign for Judicial Accountability and Reforms (CJAR) here, he said the problem with listing of cases is not something new and has been there for a very long time, particularly in the Supreme Court. "But today we are talking about it because the stakes today are much higher than what they were many years ago," Justice Lokur said while addressing the seminar's first session titled 'Supreme Court Administration and Management-? Issues and Concerns'. He said matters like demonetisation, Article 370, and electoral bonds for political funding were listed in the apex court for hearing after many years. "We have h

India, Bangladesh recognise their constitutions as living documents: CJI

Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud on Saturday said both India and Bangladesh share the tradition of constitutional and judicial systems largely aiming to ensure stability and both nations recognised their constitutions as "living documents." "Our shared tradition aims to ensure stability, but when stability is desired, the stability must never be confused with stagnation," Chandrachud said as he spoke at the valedictory function of a two-day conference here in the presence of Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who was the chief guest. We recognise our constitutions are living documents. The constitutions of Bangladesh and India proclaim that they are 'given to the people by the people themselves' as citizens of sovereign nations, Chandrachud said. Bangladesh's Chief Justice Obaidul Hassan chaired the event. Bangladesh's apex court judges took part in the conference, which drew many jurists, senior lawyers, and government leaders including Law Minister Anisul Huq. Earlier

SC questions TN for filing plea challenging ED summons to officials

The Supreme Court has questioned the Tamil Nadu government for filing a plea in the Madras High Court against the Enforcement Directorate for its probe in a money laundering case. The central probe agency had summoned the district collectors of Vellore, Tiruchirappalli, Karur, Thanjavur and Ariyalur in connection with its probe in the illegal sand mining case. The state government along with the bureaucrats had moved the Madras High Court that stayed the summons issued by the Enforcement Directorate. The agency had moved the top court against the order. "How can the state file this writ petition? Under which law? You satisfy us on how the state is interested and how it can file this writ petition against Enforcement Directorate. How is the state aggrieved," a bench comprising justices Bela M Trivedi and Pankaj Mithal asked the counsel appearing for the Tamil Nadu government. The bench said the officials should cooperate with the ED. Senior advocates Mukul Rohatgi and Amit Anand .

Which law gives legitimacy to child born outside formal marriage? : SC

The Supreme Court on Friday sought to know which law gives legitimacy to children born outside a formal marriage, be it void or voidable. A voidable marriage is one that can be rendered invalid by the husband or wife through a decree, while a void marriage is invalid at the very inception. A bench of Justices BV Nagarathna and Augustine George Masih sought to know the existing law which gives legitimacy to children born outside marriage while hearing a batch of pleas challenging various provisions and rules of Surrogacy (regulations) Rules, 2022 and Assisted Reproductive Technology (Regulations) (ART) Act of 2021. The bench disposed of a number of petitions in view of the Centre's February 21 notification amending the Surrogacy Rules 2022 and allowing married couples to use an egg or sperm of a donor in case one of the partners is suffering from a medical condition. "Which is the law that gives legitimacy to the children born outside a formal marriage, let it be void or voidable. .

Probe agencies misused to extort donations for BJP, SC probe needed: Cong

The Congress on Friday alleged that probe agencies were "misused" to extort donations for the BJP from private companies and demanded a Supreme Court-monitored probe into the matter. Addressing a press conference, Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh alleged that at least 30 companies, which donated a total of nearly Rs 335 crore to the BJP between financial years 2018-19 and 2022-23, faced action by central agencies during that period. Ramesh said Congress general secretary in-charge organisation K C Venugopal on Friday wrote to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman over the issue. Ramesh also asked if the government would come up with a "white paper" on the BJP's finances, not just the sources, but how corporate firms were "coerced" to donate, by misusing investigative agencies against them. "If you have nothing to hide, then are you willing to present a point-by-point rebuttal on the 'chronology' of events which led to the filling of BJP's treasury," h

A thumbs up for transparency

The Supreme Court's verdict on electoral bonds is very welcome, but corruption remains a huge challenge for India

SC refuses to pass any direction on plea to set up community kitchens

The Supreme Court on Thursday refused to pass any direction on a plea seeking formulation of a scheme on setting up of community kitchens to combat hunger and malnutrition, observing that the National Food Security Act (NFSA) and other welfare schemes are being implemented by the Centre and states. A bench of Justices Bela M Trivedi and Pankaj Mithal said it was open to states and union territories to ensure implementation of alternative welfare schemes. "The National Food Security Act and other welfare schemes are being implemented by the Union of India and the states to ensure access to adequate quantity of food at affordable prices to people. We do not propose to issue any further direction in this regard. "We have not examined whether the concept of community kitchens is better or wiser alternative available to states to achieve the objective of NFSA. Rather, we would leave it open to states and union territories to ensure implementation of alternative welfare schemes," the benc

Can't be oblivious to community's concerns: SC to Sterlite Copper

The Supreme Court on Wednesday told Sterlite Copper, a Vedanta group firm, that it cannot be oblivious to the wider concerns of the local community in Tamil Nadu's Thoothukudi and will have to implement the environmental safeguards suggested by the proposed expert panel before its plant can be reopened. The court had said on February 14 that a panel of domain experts may be set up to inspect the closed plant, suggest further compliance of green norms, and the way forward. The plant has been closed since May 2018 after 13 people were killed as police opened fire to quell a protest over alleged pollution caused by it. A bench of Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra said keeping the plant shut would not serve any purpose but at the same time the court has to be mindful of public health and welfare. "They are voiceless people. They all cannot come here. We cannot be oblivious to the wider concerns of the community," CJI Chandrachud said, adding, "We ma

Highlights of the day: Govt approves Rs 1,179.7 cr for women safety scheme

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