Page 189 - Supreme Court

SC agrees to hear Editor Guild's plea for protection in Manipur FIRs case

The Supreme Court on Wednesday agreed to hear during the day a plea by the Editors Guild of India seeking protection from coercive action in two FIRs lodged in Manipur against some of its members. The matter was mentioned for urgent listing before a bench headed by Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud. "We will take it up after admission (matters) are over," the CJI told senior advocate Shyam Divan, who mentioned the matter for the Guild. Divan said two FIRs have been lodged against the Guild members in Manipur and they are seeking protection from coercive action in these cases. On September 4, Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh had said that a police case has been filed on the basis of a complaint against the president and three members of the Editors Guild of India and accused them of trying to "provoke clashes" in the state. A second FIR was also registered against the four members of the Guild, with additional charge of defamation. The Guild, in a report published on Satu

Gameskraft case: SC stays K'taka HC order quashing Rs 21,000 cr GST notice

'Nothing is going to happen in three weeks,' CJI tells firm counsel

Manipur issue: SC grants protection to fact-finding team of Editors Guild

A bench of Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud and Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra ordered that no coercive steps be taken against them till September 11, the next date of hearing

SC sets aside August 5 notification for Ladakh hill council polls

The Supreme Court on Wednesday set aside the August 5 notification of the election department of the Union Territory of Ladakh for the hill council polls and ordered issuance of a fresh election schedule within a week. Holding that the National Conference is entitled to the 'plough' symbol, a bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath and Ahsanuddin Amanullah also dismissed the plea by the Ladakh administration opposing the allotment of the symbol to the party and imposed a cost of Rs 1 lakh on it. The Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh High Court had dismissed the Ladakh administration's plea against a single bench order allowing NC candidates to contest the upcoming polls for the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC), Kargil, on the party symbol. The Ladakh administration had approached a division bench of the high court against the single bench order of August 9 which directed the National Conference to approach the office of the election department of the administration of ...

Bihar caste survey: SC defers hearing for Oct 3 on plea against HC order

The Supreme Court on Wednesday deferred for October 3 the hearing on a plea challenging the Patna High Court's August 1 order giving the go-ahead for a caste survey in Bihar. A bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and SVN Bhatti noted there was a request for adjournment by one of the parties in the case. The apex court listed the petition filed by NGO 'Ek Soch Ek Prayas' along with other pleas against the same order of the high court. On August 7, the top court had refused to stay the Patna High Court's order giving the go-ahead for a caste survey in Bihar, and deferred the hearing on petitions challenging it to August 14. Besides the plea by 'Ek Soch Ek Paryas', another petition has been filed by Nalanda resident Akhilesh Kumar, who has contended that the notification issued by the state government for the exercise is against the constitutional mandate. Kumar's petition says in terms of the constitutional mandate, only the Union government is empowered to conduct a census. "In the .

Supreme Court stays Karnataka HC order on Gameskraft tax evasion case

The high court had quashed the Directorate General of GST Intelligence's order alleging tax evasion of Rs 21,000 crore in May this year

SC set aside notification for Ladakh hill council polls, orders new process

The Supreme Court on Wednesday set aside the August 5 notification of the election department for the Ladakh hill council polls and directed the issuance of fresh notification within seven days for it. A bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath and Ahsanuddin Amanullah also dismissed the plea by the Ladakh administration opposing the allotment of 'plough' symbol to the National Conference and imposed a cost of Rs 1 lakh on it. The Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh High Court had dismissed the Ladakh administration's plea against a single bench order allowing NC candidates to contest the upcoming polls for the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC), Kargil, on the party symbol. The administration had approached a division bench of the high court against the single bench order of August 9 which directed the NC to approach the office of the Election Department of the administration of Ladakh to notify the reserved symbol 'plough' already allotted to for in the polls. According to

'President of Bharat': Here is what the SC said on renaming India in 2020

In 2020, a Delhi-based man had filed a plea before the Supreme Court, where he said that replacing the word 'India' with 'Bharat' or 'Hindustan' will 'instill a sense of pride in our own nationality'

SC reserves judgement on pleas challenging abrogation of Article 370

The bench granted three days time to parties to file written notes on their submissions in the case

Eminent citizens ask SC to take cognisance of Udhayanidhi's remark

Over 260 eminent citizens, including former judges and bureaucrats, have written to Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud urging him to take cognisance of DMK leader Udhayanidhi Stalin's eradicate "Sanatan Dharma" remark. In a letter to the CJI, the signatories, including former Delhi HC judge S N Dhingra, said not only did Stalin make a hate speech but he refused to apologise for his remarks. The letter by 262 people said the undersigned are deeply concerned over the remarks made by Stalin and that these remarks undeniably amount to "hate speech" against a large population of India and strikes at the very core of the Constitution of India which envisages Bharat as a secular nation. The letter said action is needed in order to preserve the secular character of the country. Any delay on the part of the administration in taking action on very serious issues will invite the court's contempt, it said. The letter said the state government has refused to take action and allegedly acted

Delhi riots: SC adjourned hearing of Umar Khalid's bail plea for next week

A bench of Justices Bela Trivedi and Dipankar Dutta adjourned the hearing as senior advocate Kapil Sibal, representing Khalid, was unavailable

SC adjourns Brinda Karat's plea for FIR against Thakur, Verma to Oct 3

The Supreme Court on Monday adjourned till October 3 the hearing on the plea of CPI(M) leader Brinda Karat challenging the Delhi High Court's order dismissing a petition against the trial court's refusal to order registration of an FIR against BJP leaders Anurag Thakur and Pravesh Verma for their alleged hate speeches over anti-CAA protests. A bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Pankaj Mithal deferred the matter after Additional Solicitor General SV Raju submitted a request for adjournment. The top court said no further adjournment will be granted to the respondent in the case. The apex court on April 17 had issued notice to the Delhi Police on the plea filed by Karat. On June 13 last year, the Delhi High Court had dismissed the petition filed by CPI(M) leaders Karat and KM Tiwari against the two BJP MPs for their alleged hate speeches. The high court had refused to interfere with the trial court's order, saying under the law sanction is required to be obtained from the competent ..

Centre seeks apology from Akbar Lone for raising 'Pakistan Zindabad' slogan

The Centre on Monday told the Supreme Court that it wants National Conference leader Mohd Akbar Lone to apologise for raising Pakistan Zindabad' slogan in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly in 2018. Lone is the lead petitioner challenging the abrogation of Article 370 that accorded special status to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir. A five-judge bench headed by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud was told by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, that Lone is the lead petitioner challenging the abrogation of the provision, but he has to state that he owes allegiance to the Constitution and apologise for raising the slogan on the floor of the House. The bench also comprising Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul, Sanjiv Khanna, BR Gavai and Surya Kant said it will seek a statement from Lone, when his turn for rejoinder arguments comes. The bench said it has gone through the report published in the newspaper and taken note of the submissions made in the court. Mehta said, "The

J-K admin revokes suspension of lecturer who appeared in SC in Art 370 case

The Jammu and Kashmir administration on Sunday revoked the suspension of a lecturer who was removed from his post days after he appeared in the Supreme Court as a party against the abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution. A political science teacher at Government Higher Secondary School, Jawahar Nagar in Srinagar, Zahoor Ahmed Bhat was suspended on August 25 and attached to the office of Director School Education here "for violation of provisions of J&K CSR, Jammu and Kashmir Government Employees (Conduct) Rules 1971, J&K Leave Rules". This came a day after he argued before the top court as petitioner in-person in a matter related to the abrogation of Article 370, which accorded a special status to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir and was revoked by the Centre on August 5, 2019. "Consequent on withdrawal of order number 251-JK (Edu) of August 25 (Order of suspension and subsequent attachment to Jammu), Zahoor Ahmed Bhat, senior lecturer, political science, is ...

Satellite spectrum: Reliance Jio sends second legal opinion to Trai

Letter by retired SC judge says any method apart from auctions may be constitutionally unsound

Weekend Bites: Beleaguered tycoon, GDP, Ambani children, and Wonderlust

In which we munch over the week's platter of news and views

SC to hear on Sept 6 Cauvery water-sharing dispute between K'taka, TN

Earlier, the Supreme Court had said that it doesn't possess any expertise on this issue and sought a report from the CWMA on the quantum of release made by Karnataka

Children born out of void marriages to get parents' property: Supreme Court

The Supreme Court's verdict came on a 2011 plea pertaining to the legal issue of whether non-marital children were entitled to a share in the property of their parents

Children from void, voidable marriages can claim parents' properties: SC

The Supreme Court on Friday held that children born out of "void or voidable" marriages are legitimate and can claim rights in parents' properties under the Hindu Succession law. According to the Hindu law, the man and woman in a void marriage do not have the status of husband and wife. However, they have the status of husband and wife in the voidable marriage. In a void marriage, no decree of nullity is required to annul the marriage. While, in a voidable marriage decree of nullity is required. The top court's verdict came on a 2011 plea pertaining to the vexatious legal issue of whether non-marital children were entitled to a share in the ancestral property of their parents under Hindu laws. "We have now formulated conclusion, 1. A child of a marriage which is null and void is statutorily conferred with the legitimacy, 2. In terms of 16(2) (of the Hindu Marriage Act) where a voidable marriage is annulled, a child begotten before degree is deemed to be legitimate," a bench headed

SC should take cognisance of fresh allegations against Adani Group: AAP

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) slammed the BJP-led Centre on Thursday following fresh allegations against the Adani Group and requested the Supreme Court to take cognisance of the charges, demanding "strictest action" against the business conglomerate. The Arvind Kejriwal-led party also said a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) should be set up to probe the charges against the Adani Group and alleged that capital market regulator SEBI or any other government agency will not be able to bring out the truth in the matter as industrialist Gautam Adani is the "closest friend" of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The AAP's demand came after the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) trained its guns on the Adani Group on Thursday, alleging that hundreds of millions of dollars were invested in the publicly-traded group stocks through Mauritius-based "opaque" investment funds managed by the partners of the promoter family. In a statement, the Adani Group categorically rejected wha