Page 17 - Supreme Court

Withering heights: Supreme Court verdict impacts the future of Aravallis

This much is clear from an internal assessment of the Forest Survey of India, which is reported to have stated that more than 90 per cent of the Aravallis falls below 100 metres

Supreme Court entrusts CBI with pan-Indian probe into digital arrest cases

Supreme Court has asked the CBI to prioritise its investigation into digital arrest scams, directing all states and government agencies to cooperate and empowering the agency to examine bankers

Anil Ambani moves SC against SBI classification of his account as fraud

Industrialist Anil Ambani has moved the Supreme Court challenging an order of the Bombay High Court which upheld the State Bank of India's (SBI) decision classifying his and Reliance Communications' accounts as fraud. The matter is yet to be listed for hearing. The High Court had on October 3 dismissed Ambani's plea challenging the SBI decision and said there was no merit in the plea. The SBI had last year classified the accounts as fraud, alleging misappropriation of funds by entering into transactions that violated the terms of loans extended by it. Ambani moved the HC, arguing that the bank had not followed the principles of natural justice as it did not grant him a hearing. Certain documents, based on which the classification orders were passed, were not provided to him initially and were furnished only after six months, the petition claimed. The bank this year lodged a complaint with the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which searched premises linked to Reliance ...

Air pollution crisis needs monitoring, not customary hearing in winter: SC

The Supreme Court on Monday said the air pollution issue in the Delhi-NCR cannot be treated as a "customary" case to be listed only during the winter months, noting that it will be taken twice in a month to find out short and long-term solutions to the menace. In a significant shift from the usual narrative, a bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi said, "The issue of stubble burning should not unnecessarily become a political issue or an issue of ego." Questioning the usual blame on stubble burning as the key contributor to air pollution in Delhi-NCR, CJI Kant, who comes from a farmer's family at Hissar in Haryana, asked, "Stubble burning was there during COVID, but why could people still see clear blue skies? This suggests other factors are at play." "We do not want to comment on stubble burning as it is incorrect to pass the burden onto people (farmers) who are hardly represented in this court," the CJI said, adding, "The issue of stubble burning ..

SC to hear on Monday pleas seeking filling of vacancies in CIC, SICs

The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear on Monday pleas seeking filling of vacancies in Central Information Commission (CIC) and State Information Commissions (SICs) amid rising pendency of cases before them. A bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi will hear pleas filed by activist Anjali Bhardwaj and others in which it had earlier directed the Centre to expeditiously fill up the vacancies in the CIC and SICs. On November 27, the top court deferred the matter after it was informed by Additional Solicitor General K M Nataraj that the selection committee constituted under section 12(3) of the Right to Information Act, 2005 was scheduled to meet on October 28, 2025 but the meeting could not take place. The bench had asked Nataraj to speak to the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) and apprise them of the total vacancies, observing that "we have no reason to doubt that the Competent Authority will take the necessary initiative to fill the available ...

Supreme Court turns down Byju's plea to halt insolvency proceedings

BCCI had initiated insolvency proceedings against the edtech platform over pending dues of Rs 158 crore

SC to hear pleas on Dec 1 seeking more time for Waqf registration

The Supreme Court on Friday agreed to hear on December 1 various pleas, including the one filed by All India Muslim Personal Law Board, seeking extension of time for the mandatory registration of all waqf properties, including 'waqf by user', under the UMEED portal. A bench comprising Justices Dipankar Datta and Augustine George Masih took note of the submissions of lawyer Fuzail Ahmad Ayyubi, appearing for one of the petitioners, that the pleas needed to be listed for hearing urgently. List these applications along with I.A. Noon December 01, 2025, the bench said. Besides All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB), AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi and various others have moved the top court, seeking extension of time for mandatory registration of all waqf properties. Earlier, a lawyer had said the six-month period for the mandatory registration of waqf was nearing its end. In an interim order on September 15, the top court put on hold a few key provisions of the waqf (Amendment) A

Supreme Court agrees to hear case involving fake AI-generated case laws

Omkara ARC alleges the appellant relied on non-existent rulings; Court says it will act if citations are fabricated

SC dismisses Byju Raveendran's plea on BCCI insolvency settlement

The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed a plea of Byju Raveendran, the promoter of Think and Learn Private Limited that operates ed-Tech firm Byju, challenging an NCLAT order which has mandated that the settlement of the BCCI's claim be placed before the Committee of Creditors. A bench of Justices J B Pardiwala and K V Viswanathan dismissed the appeal against the April 17 order of the Chennai bench of the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) and asked senior counsel Navin Pahwa, representing Raveendran in the matter, to proceed further. In its April 17 order, the NCLAT said the approval of the Committee of Creditors (CoC) was necessary for the application filed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to withdraw the insolvency proceedings against Byju's. The top court noted that in July, it dismissed the appeals filed by the BCCI and Riju Raveendran, the younger brother Byju Raveendran and co-founder of Byju, against the same NCLAT order. Justice Pardiwala aske

SC seeks govt's reply on plea over harassment of female sanitation workers

The Supreme Court on Friday sought response from the Centre and others on a plea alleging that female sanitation workers at the Maharashi Dayanand University in Haryana were asked to prove through pictures of their private parts that they were menstruating. A bench of Justices BV Nagarathna and R Mahadevan issued notices to the Centre and others. "This reflects the mindset. In Karnataka, they are giving period leave. After reading this, I thought will they ask proof for giving the leave," Justice Nagarathna observed. "This shows the mentality of the persons. If some heavy work could not be done because of their absence somebody else could have been deployed. We hope something good will happen in this petition," the judge remarked. During the hearing, Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) president and senior advocate Vikas Singh submitted this is a gross criminal case and it is a matter that needs attention. The plea has now been posted for hearing on December 15. The plea has sou

SC seeks Rajasthan govt's reply on plea against anti-conversion law

The Supreme Court on Friday sought response from the Rajasthan government on a plea challenging the validity of the provisions of the Rajasthan Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act, 2025. A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta issued notice to the state government seeking its response on the plea filed by the Peoples Union For Civil Liberties and others. The bench tagged the plea with separate pending petitions raising similar issue. Senior advocate Sanjay Parikh appeared for the petitioners. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the bench that similar matters are pending before the apex court and this plea be tagged with them. The petitioners have sought a declaration that provisions of the Act are "arbitrary, unreasonable, illegal and ultra vires" the Constitution and also violative of Articles, including Article 14 (equality before law) and Article 21 (protection of life and personal liberty). On November 17, the top court sought response from the Rajast

Centre files curative plea against SC ruling on states' power to tax mines

Centre has filed a curative plea in SC challenging the nine-judge verdict that upheld states' powers to tax mineral rights, after earlier bids to limit or review the ruling were rejected

No requests for EVM check from defeated candidates in Bihar election: EC

Poll authorities in Bihar have not received any application from candidates who were defeated in the recently-held Assembly polls with a request for EVM burnt-memory or microcontroller verification, the Election Commission (EC) said on Thursday. It said no similar request was received for the eight Assembly bypolls held along with the second phase of polling in the Bihar election on November 11. Following directions from the Supreme Court, the EC had issued revised standard operating procedures on post-counting checking and the verification of burnt memory or microcontroller of electronic voting machines (EVMs) on June 17, under which candidates at serial number 2 or 3, behind the highest-polled candidates, could seek checking and verification of EVMs within seven days of the declaration of the poll results. The results of the Bihar election and Assembly bypolls were announced on November 14.

SC asks govt for tough law on derogatory remarks against differently-abled

Highlighting the need for a stringent law to protect the dignity of the disabled, the Supreme Court on Thursday asked the Centre to consider framing a statute to make derogatory remarks ridiculing persons with disabilities and rare genetic disorders a penal offence on the lines of the SC-ST Act. The Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 criminalises casteist slur, acts of discrimination, humiliation, and violence against the members of SCs and STs and makes offences non-bailable. "Why can't you bring a stringent law on the lines of the SC-ST Act which criminalises casteist remarks - there is punishment if you demean them," a bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi said. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, appreciated the observation and said humour cannot be at the cost of someone's dignity. The bench also said that there was a need for a "neutral, independent and autonomous" body to regulate .

Centre files curative plea in SC over states' right to levy mining cess

The Centre has approached the Supreme Court with a curative plea against the ruling that allowed states to levy a cess on mining lands, warning of international implications and strain on the federal

Should intruders with Aadhaar be allowed to become voters? SC asks amid SIR

The Supreme Court emphasised that an Aadhaar is meant to ensure the delivery of welfare benefits and should not, by itself, grant voting rights

SC orders Samay Raina, others to host two monthly events for disability aid

The court was hearing a petition filed by Cure SMA India Foundation, which sought action against online content that it said violated the right to life and dignity of persons with disabilities

SC to hear plea on Delhi-NCR air pollution on Dec 3 amid health emergency

The Supreme Court on Thursday agreed to hear on December 3 a plea concerning the deteriorating air quality in the DelhiNational Capital Region, saying the issue needed to be monitored on a regular basis. A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi took note of the submissions of senior advocate Aparajita Singh, who is assisting the bench as an amicus curiae in the air pollution case, that there is an alarming situation in Delhi-NCR and it is a health emergency. What magic wand can a judicial forum exercise? I know this is hazardous for Delhi-NCR. We all know the problem. The issue is what is the solution. We need to identify reasons and the solutions can be given by the domain experts only. We hope and expect that long term solutions are found, the CJI said. Tell me what can we direct? We issue some directions and get to breathe clean air immediately ... .Then we have to see what the solutions can be in each region. Let us see what the government has ...

India's new test for Permanent Establishment: Control over Presence

The Hyatt case has reignited a debate over what constitutes a permanent establishment, with courts increasingly focusing on the 'form over substance' principle

Bar vital in upholding sanctity of Constitution, says CJI Surya Kant

The Bar occupies an indispensable place in fortifying the rule of law and upholding the sanctity of the Constitution, Chief Justice of India Surya Kant said on Wednesday while also stressing its importance in providing legal aid to the vulnerable and the marginalised. Addressing a gathering at a Constitution Day function organised by the Supreme Court Bar Association, the CJI said the judiciary has repeatedly acknowledged the invaluable role of the Bar in safeguarding its virtues. "When we celebrate the pivotal moment when the people of India gifted unto themselves their most fundamental covenant, I stand before you and must emphasise that the Bar occupies an indispensable place in fortifying the rule of law and upholding the sanctity of our Constitution... "I do not hesitate in saying that if the courts are regarded as the sentinel of the Constitution, then the members of the Bar are the torchbearers who illuminate our path. They help us discharge our solemn duty with clarity and .