Page 2 - Supreme Court

A trust deficit

Govt must respect arbitral awards

Associated Alcohols moves SC against CCI probe into alleged liquor cartel

The company has challenged a Madhya Pradesh High Court ruling allowing a CCI investigation into alleged bid rigging and market allocation among liquor distilleries in the state

SC questions app developers on opting out of Google's Play billing system

The Supreme Court questioned developers on their ability to use alternative payment providers as it heard a challenge to Google's Play Store billing policies and contracts

No one can claim indefinite right to occupy designated protest site: SC

Supreme Court said protest sites cannot be occupied indefinitely, stressing the need to balance the right to protest with the right to trade and earn a livelihood, particularly for daily-wage workers

SC seeks Centre, others response on plea against protest at Ramlila Maidan

The Supreme Court on Tuesday sought responses from the Centre and others on a plea by traders' organisations seeking a halt to the ongoing protests against the chief election commissioner during the festive season, and said that the protest site cannot be occupied for "all times to come". A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana was hearing several pleas, including one filed by the Kirana Committee Delhi alleging loss of business due to a protest at the Ramlila Maidan. "You can't occupy a site at all times. Where will farmers, journalists, etc., go? Everyone has the right to protest. Designated time must be given for designated period," the CJI said. The bench was hearing a batch of pleas, including the one filed by the traders, and on issues of alleged mass detention, police brutalities, closure of Metro stations and internet shutdown. The bench asked the traders' bodies to make the organisers of the anti-CEC protest parties to their pl

SC points to report on unrestricted sale of crackers, seeks Centre's action

The Supreme Court on Tuesday pointed to a newspaper report on the sale of different kinds of firecrackers in Delhi markets despite restrictions imposed by it and asked the Centre to ensure compliance of its order. "In today's report on Hindustan Times there's a photograph... they say that notwithstanding yesterday's order, now everything is available in the shops. Please look into it," a bench of Justices MM Sundresh and PB Varale asked Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati. "They say that in the market every other cracker, licensed, unlicensed, QR code, or no QR code, everything is available. Please take a note of it," Justice Sundresh added. The top court has allowed the bursting of green firecrackers in Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR) from 6 to 7 am and from 8 to 10 pm on November 7 and 8 (Diwali). "Though imposition of a blanket ban seems to be the ideal solution, we are of the opinion that this court, at this point in time, is short of adequate data to decide whethe

SC defers pleas challenging Waqf Amendment Act validity to January 2027

The Supreme Court on Tuesday posted to January 21 next year the hearing on the pleas challenging the constitutional validity of the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025. A bench comprising Justices MM Sundresh and PB Varale asked the parties in the case to complete the pleadings in the matter by December 31. "We permit the applicants who filed interlocutory applications and were directed to be taken in that capacity to file writ petitions within two weeks from today. Copy to be served on nodal counsel, who is directed to compile and include judgments relied upon by the petitioners. Additional Solicitor General to respond to the written submissions made. The pleadings shall be completed by December 31, 2026," the bench said. As the matter came up for hearing, the nodal counsel told the court that five lead petitions were identified earlier while 135 petitions were converted to interlocutory applications. He proposed that all parties may file written submissions and it will be compiled. Solic

'Nobody will trust you', SC cautions Centre in Vedanta-Ravva dispute

Supreme Court questions Centre's prolonged resistance to enforcing arbitral awards, warning it could undermine trust in India's arbitration framework

The New Indian Express moves SC over curbs on promotion outside South India

The publisher has challenged a Bombay High Court ruling restricting promotional activities outside southern India, citing a decades-old trademark settlement within the group

Supreme Court allows green crackers in Delhi-NCR for fixed hours on Nov 7-8

The court has also prohibited the bursting of fireworks within a 300-metre radius of hospitals, old-age homes and any notified silence zones across Delhi-NCR

SC says 'don't travel by air', refuses urgent hearing on airfare hike plea

Don't travel by air, the Supreme Court told a petitioner on Monday while refusing urgent listing of a plea alleging nearly 700 per cent increase in airfares. An advocate mentioned the matter for urgent listing before a bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta and Aparesh Kumar Singh. "The aviation fare has increased by 700 per cent," the advocate said. "Don't travel by air," the bench observed. The advocate then said air travel is an essential service. "It's a violation of Article 14." Article 14 of the Constitution deals with equality before law. The apex court is already hearing a separate petition filed by social activist S Laxminarayanan, who has sought a robust and independent regulator that ensures transparency and passenger protection across the civil aviation sector and regulatory guidelines to control "unpredictable fluctuations" in airfare and ancillary charges imposed by private airlines in India. During a hearing on that plea on October 16, the Centre inf

CGST rule 96(10): Govt must return recovered money

CBIC's retrospective omission of CGST Rule 96(10) raises questions over amounts recovered from exporters, with the government urged to return refunds and interest collected under the provision

Plea in SC seeks to verify Ram temple stands on land adjudicated in dispute

A plea has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking the constitution of a committee or a commission to determine whether the Ram temple at Ayodhya stands on the exact premises and land which was adjudicated by the apex court in its 2019 verdict. In a landmark judgment delivered on November 9, 2019, a five-judge constitution bench of the apex court had paved the way for the construction of the Ram Temple by a trust at the disputed site at Ayodhya. It had directed the Centre to allot an alternative five-acre plot to the Sunni Waqf Board for building a new mosque at a "prominent" place in the holy town in Uttar Pradesh. In a unanimous verdict, the top court had ruled that the 2.77 acres of disputed land where the demolished Babri Masjid once stood would remain with a central government receiver and be handed over to a trust within three months for construction of the temple. The plea filed in the apex court has sought a direction for an independent survey or demarcation of the premises

Axis Trustee threatens contempt action against Yes Bank over AT1 bonds

The trustee warned of contempt proceedings against the bank and its directors over alleged non-compliance with the Supreme Court ruling setting aside the Rs 8,415 crore AT1 bond write-off

Look into claims of bulk submission of Form 7 in UP SIR: SC to poll body

The Supreme Court on Friday asked the Election Commission to look into allegations of irregularities involving bulk submission of Form 7 applications during its special intensive revision of electoral rolls in Uttar Pradesh and take necessary corrective steps. Form 7 is an application form seeking the deletion of a voter's name from the draft electoral roll. A bench of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana directed the petitioners to submit a note specifying unresolved irregularities to the poll panel. "The irregularities which have been brought to the notice of the court shall be submitted to senior counsel appearing for the Election Commission of India by way of a note. On receipt thereof, let the Election Commission examine the factual aspects, thereafter take necessary corrective steps and file a compliance report," the court directed. The counsel appearing for one of the petitioners said this Form 7 issue concerns Uttar Pradesh. Senior ..

SC asks MeitY to add penalties to policy on unauthorised court video use

The Supreme Court wants MeitY to include penalties for unauthorised circulation of court hearing videos, while considering safeguards against misuse and commercial exploitation.

SC refers Reliance KG Basin gas dispute to mediation, names ex-judge Desai

The Supreme Court has appointed former judge Ranjana Prakash Desai to mediate the Reliance-Centre dispute over alleged gas extraction from ONGC's adjoining KG Basin block.

SC scrutiny of MCA control puts NCLT, NCLAT autonomy in spotlight

A bench led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant raised concerns about staff recruitment, vacancies and inadequate infrastructure

SC asks govt to include penalties for misuse of live-streamed court videos

The Supreme Court on Friday directed the Centre to incorporate measures for taking action against violations of its interim restrictions on the unauthorised extraction, dissemination and commercial exploitation of live-streamed court proceedings in the proposed policy framework. A bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana took note of Solicitor General Tushar Mehta's submission that suggestions from various high courts and other stakeholders had been received and forwarded to the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) for the preparation of comprehensive guidelines. The solicitor general said that the MeitY would consider the suggestions and respond in a few days. He sought listing of the plea for further consideration after Diwali vacation. He also flagged violations of earlier orders and urged the bench to consider directing the removal of material uploaded in breach of its restrictions. Taking note of the ...

Can't brand consensual intimacy as rape after a relationship fails: SC

Concerned over the rising trend of filing criminal cases after the failure of relationships, the Supreme Court on Friday said that physical intimacy during good times cannot be branded as rape later just because the alliance soured or broke. A bench of Justices B V Nagarathna and R Mahdevan, which discharged a Kerala resident man of charges of rape and cheating, said there is a need to distinguish between cases where sexual consent is legally void from the very outset as it was obtained through deliberate deception and fraud, and where a person experiences retrospective regret for past consensual acts simply because of the end of a relationship. "In such cases, physical intimacy that occurred during the currency of a functioning relationship cannot be retrospectively branded as an act of rape merely because the relationship soured and no longer subsists," the bench said. Such reflections in hindsight on their own are unfortunate and cannot constitute a consensual relationship as a .