Page 17 - Supreme Court

Govt to table Bill for independent panel to appoint tribunal chief, members

A Bill to set up a commission to select chairpersons and members for various tribunals following a Supreme Court direction is set to be introduced in the Lok Sabha next week. According to the Tribunals Reforms Bill, its key aim is to improve efficiency, ensure independence, transparency and uniformity in the qualification and appointment of chairpersons and members for various tribunals. The Bill, slated for introduction in the Lok Sabha next week, also lays the framework to set up a National Tribunals Commission. To be headquartered in the national capital, the proposed commission will consist of a chairperson and four members, of whom two will be judicial members and two technical members. A retired Supreme Court judge or a retired chief justice of a high court will be qualified to head the proposed panel. The Bill, which has been circulated to the Lok Sabha members, notes that the Supreme Court recently struck down certain provisions of the Tribunals Reforms Act, 2021, on the .

SC seeks govt's reply on pleas against RTI changes through DPDP Act

Petitioners argued that the amendment broadly exempts personal information from disclosure by removing the public-interest safeguard contained in the earlier RTI provision

SC seeks Centre's response on DPDP Act amendment to right to information

Petitioners argued that the amendment broadly exempts personal information from disclosure by removing the public-interest safeguard contained in the earlier RTI provision

SC notice to telcos on Centre's plea against one-time spectrum charge order

The Centre has challenged a Bombay High Court judgment striking down the retrospective levy, which carried liabilities exceeding Rs 20,000 crore for Airtel and Vodafone Idea

SC rejects plea seeking FIR, probe against former HC judge Yashwant Varma

The Supreme Court on Friday refused to entertain a plea seeking registration of an FIR and court-monitored probe into the purported discovery of huge stash of cash following a fire at the residence of former Allahabad High Court judge Yashwant Varma. A bench of Justices PS Narasimha and Alok Aradhe dismissed the petition filed by advocate Ghanshyam Upadhyay, who contended that mere resigning from office does not erase criminal liability for unaccounted money. The bench said earlier also a similar petition was dismissed. Upadhyay submitted that the earlier petition was dismissed on technical ground that no complaint was filed but in this case, he has filed a complaint. Justice Narasimha told him, "You are an advocate. This is just a misuse of the judicial process. All for cheap publicity. We are not inclined to entertain this. Dismissed." Upadhyay said there is no reason for not entertaining the petition as a judge of the high court has been held to be a public servant. "Now he is

SC asks states to extend ex-servicemen quota to disabled out-boarded cadets

The top court directed its Registry to send the order to Chief Secretaries for consideration and implementation, and asked the Centre to frame a scheme for cadets with disabilities below 40 per cent

SC closes Bofors case, rejects final plea against 2005 Hinduja acquittal

The top court dismissed the last pending appeal against the Delhi High Court's 2005 acquittal of the Hinduja brothers and AB Bofors, bringing the case to its final legal close after nearly 40 years

Kapur family trust dispute: SC hopeful of amicable settlement via mediation

The Supreme Court extended mediation in the Kapur family trust dispute until November 2 after noting progress and expressing hope for an amicable settlement

Judicial officers can have higher retirement age than State employees: SC

The Supreme Court said judicial officers are a distinct class and directed States to reconsider proposals to raise the retirement age of District Judges independently

SC allows Asaram to engage care taker of his choice, denies interim bail

The Supreme Court on Thursday denied interim bail as of now to self-styled godman Asaram, who is serving life sentence in a 2013 case of sexually assaulting a minor, but allowed him to engage a trained caretaker of his choice for round-the-clock assistance. A bench of Justices M M Sundresh and P B Varale kept the plea filed by Asaram, seeking interim bail on health grounds, pending while granting him liberty to mention his case if his health deteriorates. During the hearing, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta submitted that Asaram has suppressed from the court that his counsel moved an application for parole. The counsel for Asaram said the parole was filed much earlier and that it was not granted on health grounds. The Rajasthan High Court had earlier granted 20-day parole to Asaram, saying the state government failed to justify its decision to reject his parole application. The HC had granted relief to the 85-year-old Asaram, lodged in Jodhpur Central Jail, taking note of the durat

General insurance shares up after Supreme Court's Motor TP directions

Shares of general insurers advanced after the Supreme Court directed the insurance regulator to consider longer Motor Third Party insurance tenures and measures to improve insurance coverage.

SC urges authorities to engage with protesting youth, avoid violence

The Supreme Court said authorities should counsel and listen to agitating students to prevent violence while hearing pleas arising from protests over repeated examination paper leaks.

No fuel without insurance? Why the Supreme Court wants this rule

The Supreme Court has proposed stricter measures to tackle the growing number of uninsured vehicles on Indian roads. From automatic e-challans using technology to a possible pilot

RBI to issue cyber fraud SOP after refining draft over next four weeks

Deputy Governor Swaminathan J says the RBI has submitted a draft standard operating procedure to the Supreme Court and will refine it before issuing it to regulated entities.

News outlets can use audio-video clips of proceedings for reporting: SC

The Supreme Court has clarified that its recent interim order restricting the sharing and uploading of audio and video clips of court hearings does not prevent news organisations from reporting on judicial proceedings. The clarification came after the top court noted that "some confusion persists" over its July 24 interim order, which barred posting and uploading of audio-video recordings of judicial proceedings on social media and other digital platforms without prior permission of the court administration. A bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant said the restriction is confined to the use of audio and video recordings of judicial proceedings in news reports and should not be interpreted as a blanket ban on reportage by media organisations. "It appears, however, that some confusion persists in respect of paragraph 11 of the earlier order, which this court deems necessary to clarify. The said paragraph makes it clear that the order is not to be construed as imposing a blanket ...

SC gives states 6 weeks to file replies on consumers' 'right to know' plea

The Supreme Court on Wednesday granted six weeks time to several states and Union Territories to file their responses on a plea which sought to declare that consumers have a "right to know" about the quality, purity and certification of products, besides the details of distributors and sellers. A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta was hearing a petition which said "right to know" was crucial for consumers to make informed choices and to protect themselves from unfair or restrictive trade practices and unscrupulous exploitation. In July last year, the apex court had agreed to hear the plea and sought responses from the Centre, various states and UTs and others. During the hearing on Wednesday, petitioner Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay told the bench that so far, he has received responses from only few states, including Haryana, Punjab, Bihar, Assam and the Union Territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands. "We grant six weeks time to the respondents who have not filed responses to

SC says youngsters need to be pacified, law enforcement must show restraint

The Supreme Court on Wednesday underscored the need for law enforcement agencies to exercise restraint during protests and said youngsters must be pacified, even if some "misguided elements" indulge in stone-pelting, as it agreed to hear a plea seeking action against organisers of the July 20 'Sansad Chalo' march for allegedly inciting violence. A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana tagged the plea, filed by a retired Air Force officer, with a similar petition. Advocate Rizwan Ahmed, appearing for petitioner Maneesh Kumar Solanki, said, "Fifteen days have passed... What about the accountability of the organisers? They are going from channel to channel giving provocative statements and refusing to douse the fire". Referring to a recent law and order incident in Rajasthan, the lawyer argued that governments should not "bend backwards" to accommodate protesters. "One young man has died. If the government bends backwards in a matter ...

No insurance, no fuel: Inside SC's plan to cover 165 mn uninsured vehicles

The court has proposed linking fuel purchases, number-plate cameras and police enforcement to insurance databases as 56 per cent of vehicles in India remain uninsured

SC grants interim bail to businessman Anwar Dhebar in CSMCL corruption case

The Supreme Court on Wednesday granted interim bail to businessman Anwar Dhebar in a case involving alleged corruption and an illegal commission racket linked to the Chhattisgarh State Marketing Corporation Limited (CSMCL). A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V. Mohana directed Dhebar to remain outside Chhattisgarh as a bail condition and to appear in court during the trial. The top court also directed the businessman to provide details of his address where he would be staying after grant of interim bail. Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi appeared for Dhebar, while senior advocate Mahesh Jethmalani appeared for Chhattisgarh. The Chhattisgarh High Court on May 13 had rejected Dhebar's bail plea, saying the allegations indicated a "deep-rooted and systematic corruption network" within the state-run corporation. The HC held that economic offences involving public funds must be treated with greater seriousness. The high court had observed that eco

SC allows OMCs to procure additional 1.49 billion litres of ethanol

Suppliers without long-term offtake agreements will be treated on a par with other bidders under the interim arrangement accepted by the Supreme Court