Page 267 - Supreme Court

SC to hear plea to establish special anti-corruption courts on Oct 31

The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear on October 31 a plea seeking to establish special anti-corruption courts in every district to decide cases related to various economic offences like money laundering and tax evasion within one year. According to the cause list of October 31 uploaded on the apex court website, the petition is slated to come up for hearing before a bench comprising Chief Justice U U Lalit and Justices S R Bhat and Bela M Trivedi. The PIL filed by advocate Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay has also sought directions to high courts to take appropriate steps to decide cases related to economic offences. The PIL, filed through advocate Ashwani Kumar Dubey, contended that the Centre and State governments have also not taken appropriate steps in this regard. None of the government departments are corruption-free, it submitted. Due to long pendency and ineffective anti-corruption laws, even after 73 years of Independence and 70 years after becoming a socialist secular democratic

Kerala guv writes to CM Vijayan, wants finance minister Balagopal sacked

Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan, in a letter to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Wednesday, informed that he has "ceased to enjoy pleasure" in Finance Minister KN Balagopal

SC not to transfer appeal against minister Ajay Mishra's murder acquittal

The Supreme Court has declined a plea filed by Union minister Ajay Mishra seeking transfer of the Uttar Pradesh government's appeal against his acquittal in an over 20-year-old murder case. A bench of Chief Justice U U Lalit and Bela M Trivedi was told that the transfer was sought on grounds that the senior counsel, who has to argue the matter at Lucknow, was ordinarily based at Allahabad and because of his old age it would not be possible for him to go all the way to Lucknow for arguments. "We do not go into all these issues as in our view, a request to the high court to hear the appeal for disposal on November 10, 2022, the date given by the high court and agreed upon by both the senior counsel would serve the ends of justice," the bench said. "In case the senior counsel is unable to come down to Lucknow, a request for allowing the said counsel to make submissions through video conferencing may be considered by the high court," the bench said. The case pertains to the murder of .

Assets worth Rs 18,400 crore attached under Benami Act till July 31: Report

Till July 31, the I-T Department had issued notices in 3,175 cases amounting to Rs 19,222 crore

SC notice to Centre on plea against supply of electoral roll to candidates

The Supreme Court has sought response from the Centre and others on a plea challenging certain provisions of the Registration of Electors Rules 1960 by which the Election Commission is bound to supply two copies of the electoral roll to every contesting candidate. The PIL filed by two advocates has sought an alternative to save the enormous expenditure as well as the usage of large quantities of paper. It alleged that the country had to bear a cost of about Rs 47.84 crore for printing electoral rolls and supplying it free of cost to the candidates of the recognised parties contesting. A bench of Chief Justice U U Lalit and Bela M Trivedi issued notices to the Centre and the Chief Election Commissioner on a plea challenging Rules 11(c) and 22(c) of the Registration of Electors Rules 1960. "It is submitted that in terms of these Rules, the Election Commission is bound to supply two copies of the electoral roll to every contesting candidate who is assigned a symbol in terms of the Rul

Diwali orders for Sivakasi firecracker units not enough to lift spirits

Prohibition on use of chemical adds to pain of ban on firecrackers; industry appeals to Supreme Court for relief

Guv seeks resignation of VCs of 9 varsities in Kerala by Monday morning

Armed with a recent Supreme Court order quashing appointment of the vice chancellor (VC) of APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University here for being contrary to UGC regulations, Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan on Sunday sought resignations of VCs of nine varsities in the state. The nine VCs include that of the APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University, according to a tweet by Kerala Raj Bhavan on behalf of the Governor. "Upholding the verdict of Hon'ble SupremeCourt dt 21.10.22 in Civil Appeal Nos.7634-7635 of 2022(@ SLP(c)Nos.21108-21109 of 2021), Hon'ble Governor Shri Arif Mohammed Khan has directed Vice Chancellors of 9 varsities in Kerala to tender resignation: PRO,KeralaRajBhavan," the tweet, accompanied by a list of the varsities, said. The Raj Bhavan said Khan, as Chancellor of Universities in the state, also directed that the resignations reach him by 11.30 am on Monday. Reacting to the Governor's decision, the ruling CPI(M) termed it as an outcome of the Sangh Parivar's .

SC extends interim bail granted to ex-CMD, ex-director of Amrapali Group

The Supreme Court on Saturday extended the interim bail granted to former CMD of Amrapali Group of Companies Anil Kumar Sharma and the real estate firm's ex-director Shiva Priya on medical grounds. A bench of Chief Justice UU Lalit and Justice Bela M Trivedi, which conducted a special hearing on a non-working day for the apex court, allowed Sharma to continue on interim bail as he is scheduled to undergo surgery for cataract and glaucoma, after it was submitted that he had lost around 90-95 per cent of his vision. The bench allowed him to visit a hospital in Chennai for the surgery and said he will have to file a report about his medical condition five days after the procedure. At the outset, advocate Manoj Singh, appearing for Sharma, said his medical reports indicate he has to undergo surgery for both his eyes. "Doctors have said that he will first have to undergo surgery for left eye and then there will be a rest of four weeks after which surgery in right eye will be conducted.

Kirloskar Industries' Board seeks forensic audit on Kirloskar Brothers

KIL raised questions whether the KBL Board, especially the independent directors of KBL, verified the claims made by Sanjay Kirloskar in relation to the Deed of Family Settlement

A family at war: Kirloskar siblings await SC judgement on arbitration

The Kirloskars are fighting a legal war over group assets with Sanjay Kirloskar chairman of Kirloskar Brothers Ltd on one side, and his brothers, Atul, 66, and Rahul, 59, on the on the other side

Take suo motu action against hate speeches, register cases immediately: SC

Calling hate speeches a "very serious issue", the Supreme Court Friday directed Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand governments to promptly register criminal cases against the culprits without waiting for a complaint to be filed. It warned any delay on the part of the administration will invite the court's contempt. A bench of Justices K M Joseph and Hrishikesh Roy also issued notices to the two state governments on a petition filed by a man named Shaheen Abdullah. It said action should be taken against those making hate speeches irrespective of their religion to preserve the secular fabric of the nation.

Baghel says Chhattisgarh govt to move SC to increase tribals' reservation

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Friday said his government will soon move the Supreme Court for increasing reservation for tribals in the state according to their population. He said the state government has also set up a commission in this regard and it will present its report in November. Baghel was talking to reporters after inaugurating the three-day Chhattisgarh Tribal Festival here. He said when Chhattisgarh was part of Madhya Pradesh, there were 20 per cent tribals and 16 per cent scheduled castes in the state. After the creation of Chhattisgarh, there were 32 per cent tribals and 13 per cent Scheduled Castes (SCs) in the state. In 2005, the Centre gave its nod to granting reservation in Chhattisgarh according to population but this was stalled by the previous state government from 2005 to 2011, he alleged. In 2011-12, when tribals agitated, the state government gave 32 per cent reservation to them, 12 per cent to SCs and 14 per cent to Other Backward Classes

SC seeks Centre response on pleas over rising assault cases against doctors

The Supreme Court on Friday sought response from the Centre and others on a batch of petitions alleging rising assault on doctors and other medical professionals in the country. A bench comprising Chief Justice Uday Umesh Lalit and Justice Bela M Trivedi issued notices on the pleas filed by Delhi Doctors Forum, Indian Medical Association and Suneet Kumar Upadhyay, a doctor. The petitions alleged rising assault on medical professionals in the country and sought a direction to the Centre and other stakeholders to take remedial steps. Upadhyay's wife Archana Sharma, a gynaecologist, had committed suicide in Rajasthan after being harassed by a mob following the death of a woman during the delivery.

SC notice to Centre on plea for feeding, child care rooms in public places

The Supreme Court has issued notice to the Centre and others on a plea seeking the construction of feeding and childcare rooms and any other facilities related to infants and mothers in public places.

SC dismisses 'publicity interest litigation' seeking inquiry of Taj Mahal

The Supreme Court on Friday junked a plea seeking a "fact-finding inquiry" into the history of the Taj Mahal and the "opening of 22 rooms" on the monument's premises, terming it "publicity interest litigation". A bench of justices M R Shah and M M Sundresh refused to interfere with the Allahabad High Court order that had dismissed the plea. "The high court was not in error in dismissing the petition, which is more of a publicity interest litigation. Dismissed," the bench said. The high court had, on May 12, said petitioner Rajneesh Singh, who is the media in-charge of the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) Ayodhya unit, had failed to point out which of his legal or constitutional rights were being infringed. It had also pulled up the petitioner's lawyer for filing the Public Interest Litigation (PIL) petition in a "casual" manner and said it could not pass an order under Article 226 of the Constitution in the matter. The article empowers a high court to issue orders or writs to any pe

Bilkis Bano case: SC agrees to hear fresh plea challenging bail of convicts

The Supreme Court agreed on Friday to hear a fresh plea moved by a women's organisation, challenging the remission of sentence and the release of convicts in the 2002 Bilkis Bano gang-rape case, which also involves the killing of seven of her family members during the Gujarat riots. A bench of justices Ajay Rastogi and C T Ravikumar tagged the matter with the main petition and said it would be heard along with it. The top court was hearing a plea filed by the National Federation of Indian Women, challenging the remission of sentence and the release of convicts in the case. The court had, on October 18, said the Gujarat government's reply to petitions challenging the remission is very bulky, wherein a series of judgments have been quoted but factual statements are missing. It granted time to the petitioners to file their response to the Gujarat government's affidavit and said it will hear the matter on November 29. Bilkis Bano was 21 years old and five-month pregnant when she was .

SC refuses to hear plea against Maharashtra ordinance reducing BMC seats

The Supreme Court has refused to entertain a plea challenging the constitutional validity of a Maharashtra ordinance reducing the number of seats in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), thus paving the way for holding the civic polls. A bench of Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justice Hima Kohli asked the petitioner to withdraw the plea and approach the Bombay High Court. The plea had challenged the Maharashtra government's decision to reduce the number of seats from 236 to 227. Senior advocate Devadutt Kamat, appearing for the petitioner Raju Shripad Pednekar, submitted that the ordinance is against the orders of the apex court. "Mr Devadutt Kamat, senior counsel appearing on behalf of the petitioner seeks liberty of the Court to withdraw the petition under Article 32 of the Constitution so as to enable the petitioner to pursue the remedies which are available in law under Article 226 of the Constitution since the petitioner seeks inter alia to challenge the constitutional ..

BJP leaders dub Delhi govt 'anti-Hindu' over cracker ban ahead of Diwali

BJP leaders on Thursday targeted the Delhi government over the complete ban on firecrackers, dubbing the Arvind Kejriwal-led dispensation "anti-Hindu". The Kejriwal government said the ban on crackers was imposed on the orders of Supreme Court and the BJP leaders were showing disrespect to the court. Delhi BJP MP Manoj Tiwari said Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal should allow people in Delhi to burst crackers for two-three hours on Diwali. Party leader Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga termed the Kejriwal government as "anti Hindu" and said that it earlier banned Chhath celebration on Yamuna bank and was now trying to prevent cracker bursting on Diwali. The Delhi government, in a statement, said the cracker ban was imposed by the Supreme Court in view of health of the people. "In such a situation, the BJP leaders were disrespecting the Supreme Court order and indulging in dirty politics over health of the people," the statement said. The AAP government also questioned the BJP why it was mum

'Spend money on sweets': SC refuses to lift ban on firecrackers in Delhi

The Supreme Court on Thursday turned down a plea by BJP leader Manoj Tiwari seeking an urgent hearing on a petition challenging the blanket ban on firecrackers in Delhi

PG medical admissions: SC upholds 20% quota for officers in Maharashtra

The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld the decision of the Maharashtra government to provide 20 per cent reservation for in-service officers in postgraduate medical admissions in the state. A bench of justices D Y Chandrachud and Hima Kohli said it was difficult to accept the submission of the petitioners that the government resolution should not apply in the current academic year because of change in rules midway. "We are of the considered view that the judgement of the Bombay High Court does not call for interference," the bench said. The top court was hearing a plea filed by some candidates against a judgment of the high court which refused to grant them relief. "From the academic year 2022-23, government approval is being given to reserve 20 per cent seats for in-service candidates for admissions to PG medical and diploma courses in government and civic-run medical colleges in the state, the Maharashtra government resolution had said.