Page 2 - Supreme Court

SC cuts judicial service exam practice requirement from 3 years to 1

The Supreme Court on Friday modified its May 2025 verdict by reducing to one year the earlier mandatory requirement of three-year legal practice for law graduates for taking entry level judicial service examinations. However, the selected candidates will have to undergo training at the judicial academy and a further one year clerkship, a bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices AG Masih and K Vinod Chandran said in a split decision of 2:1 while dismissing the review petition. The bench said that candidates appearing in judicial exams notified between May 25, 2025 and March 31, 2027 are eligible regardless of prior experience. It said such candidates, upon selection,will be appointed only as trainee judicial officers for one year and they would have to undergo a further period of one year structured clerkship. On May 20 last year, the top court had barred fresh law graduates from appearing in the entry-level judicial services examination, fixing a minimum three-year law practi

SC retains 1978 industry test for old disputes, leaves new labour code open

Pending and concluded matters under the Industrial Disputes Act will remain governed by the Bangalore Water Supply test, while the new Code's definition will be interpreted independently

SC asks RCom to approach HC over DoT move to encash ₹802 cr bank guarantee

Supreme Court declines RCom's request for one-week interim protection but clarifies that it has not examined the merits of the challenge to the DoT's action

SC forms new 3-judge Bench to hear review pleas against 2022 PMLA verdict

Bench headed by CJI Surya Kant will consider challenges to the landmark ruling that upheld key PMLA provisions, including stringent bail conditions and the reverse burden of proof

SC forms new Bench to hear review pleas against landmark 2022 PMLA verdict

Three-judge Bench headed by CJI Surya Kant will consider challenges to the 2022 ruling that upheld key PMLA provisions, including the reverse burden of proof

Congress-ruled states to jointly challenge MMDR Act in Supreme Court

Karnataka, Kerala and Telangana plan to move the Supreme Court within 10 days, while Congress also seeks to bring Jharkhand on board for the legal challenge

Police can't probe PCPNDT Act offences, designated authorities must: SC

The Supreme Court on Thursday held that police cannot investigate offences under the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act. The PCPNDT Act was enacted with the intent to prohibit the use of prenatal diagnostic techniques for determination of the sex of the foetus. A bench of Justices Sanjay Karol and N Kotiswar Singh held that authorities designated under the law must take action in such cases. The top court said the PCPNDT Act concerns matters that are technical and which may require medical knowledge and sensitivity. "Police are not meant to be the investigators for the purposes of this Act," the bench said, adding that police can only play a supplementary role according to the provisions. "The restriction applies only to offences under this Act and does not restrict the police's power to investigate and to prosecute independent offences disclosed in the substantive criminal law," the bench said. The apex court's judgement came in a case concerning the

UGC equity regulations 2026 under reconsideration: Centre tells SC

The Centre on Thursday told the Supreme Court that the 2026 University Grants Commission equity regulations on preventing caste-based discrimination on campuses is under reconsideration. On January 29, the apex court had directed that the University Grants Commission (Promotion of Equity in Higher Education Institutions) Regulations, 2026, be kept in abeyance. The matter came up for hearing on Thursday before a bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana. "This is the UGC regulation matter. It is under reconsideration," Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the bench. The bench asked the UGC to file a comprehensive counter affidavit within four weeks. It said petitioners may file rejoinder, if any, within two weeks thereafter. The apex court was hearing a batch of pleas challenging the validity of the 2026 regulations. On January 29, the top court had stayed the 2026 UGC equity regulations, saying the framework was "prima facie vague", can h

Tarun Tejpal moves SC challenging Bombay HC conviction in 2013 rape case

The appeal comes a day after the Goa government moved the Supreme Court, challenging the Bombay High Court's order on Tarun Tejpal's sentence and seeking life imprisonment for him

SC rejects 1978 expansive definition of 'industry' for 2020 labour code

The Supreme Court, by a majority of 6:3, on Thursday held that the labour-friendly expansive definition of the term "industry" in its 1978 verdict shall not be considered for the interpretation of the Industrial Relations Code of 2020. A nine-judge Constitution bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant also by a majority verdict held that the reference seeking reconsideration of a 1978 judgement by a seven-judge bench on the definition of "industry" was validly made. On February 21, 1978, the seven-judge bench had delivered a verdict on the definition of the term "industry" while deciding the plea of Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board and expanded its definition which brought millions of employees in hospitals, educational institutions, clubs and government welfare departments under the protection of the Industrial Disputes (ID) Act, 1947. The CJI, who authored the majority verdict for himself and Justices Satish Chandra Sharma, Alok Aradhe and Vipul M Pancholi, made clear tha

SC dismisses Centre's review plea in GST ITC case vs Airtel, Indus

Court finds no error in its August 2025 ruling allowing ITC on telecom tower infrastructure

SC seeks Centre's roadmap to institutionalise NTA after NEET paper leaks

Court seeks details of permanent infrastructure, specialised personnel and technology-led safeguards to strengthen examination security and institutional memory

SC asks Centre to link fuel sale with valid insurance, start pilot in Delhi

The Supreme Court on Wednesday asked the Centre to implement its direction for a pilot project by which fuel for vehicles would be refused at petrol pumps unless they have valid insurance. In a significant verdict delivered on August 4, the apex court had taken serious note of a large number of vehicles plying without third-party insurance cover and directed the Centre to evolve a pilot project under which fuel for vehicles would be linked with valid insurance status. The matter came up for hearing on Wednesday before a bench of Justices Sanjay Karol and Prashant Kumar Mishra. The counsel appearing for the Centre referred to the direction given by the top court for evolving a pilot project and said the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas has some concerns about it. "You have to implement it," the bench said, adding that the pilot project may be started from Delhi. The counsel told the bench that oil marketing companies will have to sit with the dealers for this. "You start the

Coal scam cases: SC asks Delhi HC to dispose of appeals in four weeks

The Supreme Court on Wednesday asked the Delhi High Court not to grant any stay on trials in coal block allocation scam cases and decide pending appeals of accused within four weeks to ensure their rights are not adversely affected. A bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana passed the orders after it was pointed out that in some coal scam cases the accused have moved the high court for relief while in some cases they have moved the top court. "No interim stay can be granted by the Delhi High Court. However, keeping in view the fact that non-stay of the trial may prejudice the rights of the accused, the high court is directed to decide such petitions preferably in four weeks," the bench ordered. The bench said it has not expressed any opinion on the merit of any case. Last month, the top court, while relaxing its nearly 12-year-old order mandating appeals arising from the orders of special court in coal block allocation scam cases to be filed in t

Neet exam security 'foolproof', paper transport tracked by GPS: Govt to SC

The government told the Supreme Court that Neet question papers are kept secure at every stage, with GPS tracking of vehicles and CCTV monitoring at printing presses to prevent leaks

SC rejects plea seeking abolition of practice of execution by hanging

The Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed a plea seeking abolition of the practice of executing a death row convict by hanging and replacing it with methods such as intravenous lethal injection. A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta said the material placed before it does not establish that lethal injection has any added advantage over hanging as a mode of execution of a death sentence. The bench said it was not persuaded that a case was made out for referring a 1983 decision of a three-judge bench to a larger bench for reconsideration of the constitutional validity of Section 354(5) of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC). Section 354(5) says that when any person is sentenced to death, the sentence shall direct that he be hanged by the neck till he is dead. "Before parting, we clarify that the dismissal of the present writ petition must not be understood as foreclosing future constitutional scrutiny, should compelling scientific, medical or empirical evidence emerge ...

Three-member panel to be set up to probe police excesses during CJP stir

Three-member panel will examine allegations of excessive police force and violence, while the Supreme Court may consider quashing criminal proceedings against students

CBI told to probe ED charges against ex-IHFL promoter Sameer Gehlaut

Apex court asks CBI and Delhi Police's EOW to file fresh status reports; sixth allegation involves a transaction of around Rs 1,574 crore requiring further probe

Delhi Neet protests: SC to form panel to probe police excess allegations

The Supreme Court has said that the video footage of the July 20 Parliament march will be handed over to a high-powered committee comprising former judges, an ex-CBI director, and a former DGP

History-sheeters infiltrated Jul 20 protest, 240 cops injured: Delhi Police

The Delhi Police has strongly defended the use of force during the "Chalo Sansad" protest here on July 20, telling the Supreme Court that the agitation was hijacked by "anti-social elements" and "history-sheeters", resulting in a breakdown of law and order that left more than 240 police personnel injured. The Delhi Police affidavit, filed by Deputy Commissioner of Police Sachin Sharma of the New Delhi district in response to a batch of petitions alleging excessive use of force against protesters, said the force was willing to have its actions examined by a court-appointed panel. "The use of force by police can be gone into by a Committee appointed by this Hon'ble Court and the Delhi police will fully cooperate with such Committee and provide all details necessary. "At the cost of repetition, it is submitted that since a Committee may be appointed by this Hon'ble Court which will examine all the issues related to use of force by the police officials," it said. On August 3, a bench .