Page 278 - Supreme Court

Lifetime domestic help, chauffeur for CJIs, SC judges after retirement

A chief justice of India will now get a domestic help, a chauffeur and a secretarial assistant for lifetime from the day he or she demits office, according to the latest post-retirement benefits notified by the government. In a fresh notification issued on Friday, the Department of Justice in the Union Law Ministry said the Supreme Court Judges Rules have been amended again to extend more post-retirement facilities to retired CJIs and judges of the top court. The rules were earlier amended on August 23. The benefits of the amended rules will be extended to all living former CJIs and retired Supreme Court judges. As per the latest changes in the rules, a retired chief justice of India will also be entitled to a security cover round-the-clock at their residence in addition to a 24X7 personal security guard for a period of five years from the date of retirement. A retired Supreme Court judge will be entitled to 24X7 security cover at his or her residence in addition to a round-the-clo

Justice Uday Umesh Lalit sworn in as the 49th Chief Justice of India

Justice Uday Umesh Lalit was on Saturday sworn in as the 49th Chief Justice of India. President Droupadi Murmu administered him the oath at a brief ceremony held at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union ministers were present at the ceremony. Justice Lalit's predecessor, Justice N V Ramana, was also present.

Top headlines: RIL investor meet, surplus parked with RBI falls, and more

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SC ruling on IBC will have overriding effect over indirect tax recoveries

The move, according to tax experts, will set a precedent for matters related to recoveries

Freebies row: Poll promises should be met via budgetary provisions, says FM

Meanwhile, the apex court has asked a three-judge Bench to review a past order on the issue, which said that such handouts are not a corrupt practice

Non-cooperation of govt on Pegasus is admission that it was misused: CPI-M

After a Supreme Court-appointed committee's observation that the Centre did not cooperate with the Pegasus probe, the CPI(M) on Friday hit out at the government saying "non-cooperation" is often an evidence of guilt. The apex court on Thursday said the technical panel appointed by it to probe the unauthorised use of Pegasus has found some malware in five of the 29 mobile phones examined, but could not conclude whether it was due to the Israeli spyware. "The Polit Bureau of the CPI(M) strongly denounces the refusal of the Union Government to be accountable before the judiciary and to the country on the use of Pegasus, a military grade spyware, against our own citizens. The committee appointed by the Supreme Court to investigate the use of this spyware has informed that the government was not cooperative. This is unacceptable," the party said in a statement. It further stated that non-cooperation is an admission that the spyware was misused. "Such obduracy of non-cooperation by the

WhatsApp privacy policy: SC ruling won't affect CCI probe, says Delhi HC

If SC upholds the Policy, CCI can ascertain whether or not the provisions of the Competition Act have been violated

Plea seeking denial of sanction against UP CM in Gorakhpur riots dismissed

The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed a plea challenging denial of sanction to prosecute Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in a case pertaining to the alleged hate speech in 2007. A bench headed by Chief Justice N V Ramana noted that a closure report has already been filed by the investigating agency, "Having heard the parties and considered the material placed on record, we are in agreement with Senior counsel appearing for the respondent that the subsequent events have rendered the present appeal into a purely academic exercise," the bench also comprising Justices Hima Kohli and C T Ravikumar said. The top court said it appears from the record that the forensic report of the CD which forms the basis of the prosecution was found to be tampered with and edited. The apex court said that in the instant case, a short affidavit was filed wherein it is stated that the investigation was closed. "This position is not disputed by the appellants. Thus, as of now, the position t

CJI Ramana hails media for cooperation in disseminating information

Chief Justice of India (CJI) N V Ramana Friday hailed the media for disseminating information about the judiciary and termed it as an active partner in the collaborative project of strengthening the judicial system. Justice Ramana, who succeeded S A Bobde on April 24, 2021 as the CJI, was delivering his address at a function organised by the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) in the apex court's auditorium to bid him adieu on completion of his over 16-month-long tenure as head of the judiciary. The media has been extremely cooperative in disseminating the information about the judiciary. You share the equal burden of dispelling myths and notions. I thank you for being an active partner in this collaborative project of strengthening the judiciary. I thank each one of the journalists who have been covering the proceedings of the Supreme Court diligently, efficiently, and instantly, the outgoing CJI said. Born on August 27, 1957, Justice Ramana was enrolled as an advocate on Februar

L-G message to speaker on rules against SC verdicts: Delhi Assembly panel

The Delhi Assembly rules committee has unanimously concurred that the lieutenant governor's recent message to the speaker seeking changes in some rules was contrary to constitutional provisions and the Supreme Court's verdicts, a move that is likely to intensify the ongoing tussle between the AAP dispensation and LG V K Saxena. Saxena, in his message to Speaker Ram Niwas Goel last month, had asked for changes in the rules for the conduct of business and procedure of the House under the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Act, 2021. Chairing a special session of the Assembly on Friday, Deputy Speaker Rakhi Birla said the rules committee in its meeting on August 16 unanimously approved that the lieutenant governor's message was not in accordance with Article 239 AA(IV) of the Constitution and the Supreme Court decisions in the GNCTD vs Union of India and other matters. The committee stated that both Article 239 AA(IV) and the SC verdict lay down that a messag

Can't allow in toto: SC rejects CEC advice for lifting Karnataka mining cap

Bench added that situation merits a cautious approach, keeping in view concerns raised and to ensure that any changes in situation with respect to Karnataka mining activity is brought about gradually

Flat buyers of Supertech's twin towers will be refunded in full: SC

The Supreme Court Friday assured the home buyers of the to-be-razed 40-storey twin-towers of real estate firm Supertech in Noida that they will be refunded the full amount deposited with the builder. The apex court also asked the Interim Resolution Professional (IRP) of the firm, facing insolvency proceedings, to deposit Rs one crore with the apex court registry. The Supertech's 40-storey twin towers at Emerald Court Project of Sector 93A of Noida are scheduled to be razed on August 28. A bench of Justices DY Chandrachud, AS Bopanna, and JB Pardiwala said that the home buyers of twin powers will get their total refund but for the time being, they will be paid from Rs one crore, which will be deposited by the IRP by September 30. The top court was hearing a batch of contempt petitions filed by home buyers seeking a refund as per the last year's order of court. The bench said that it would ensure that the home buyers of the twin towers get their refund in compliance with the August

UU Lalit promises year-round constitution bench, reforms in case listing

Justice Lalit said he intends to make listing of cases clear and transparent, clear regime for mentioning urgent matters before respective benches, one Constitution bench functioning throughout year

Millions of children waiting to be adopted, make the process simpler: SC

The Supreme Court on Friday emphasised that the child adoption process in India needs to be streamlined as there are three-to-four years waiting period under the Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA) to adopt a single child while there are "lakhs and lakhs of orphan children waiting to be adopted". The top court had earlier also termed the process as "very tedious" and said that there is an urgent need for the procedures to be "streamlined". A bench of Justices DY Chandrachud, AS Bopanna, and JB Pardiwala told Additional Solicitor General KM Nataraj, appearing for the Centre, "There are a lot of young couples waiting to adopt the child but the process is so tedious that it takes three to four years to get a single child to be adopted through the CARA. Can you imagine a three to four years period to adopt a child in India? It should be made simpler. There are lakhs and lakhs of orphan children waiting to be adopted". Nataraj said that the government is seized of the issue and ..

Chief Justice N V Ramana leaves behind a 6.1% increase in pending cases

Analysis of appointment orders shows that during his 16-month term, Justice Ramana made 241 appointments to the high courts, against the 243 appointments made by Justice Bobde in his 18 months as CJI

SC raises ceiling limit of iron ore mining for three Karnataka districts

The Supreme Court on Friday raised the ceiling limit of iron ore mining for Ballari, Chitradurga, and Tumakuru districts in Karnataka, saying conservation of the ecology and environment must go hand in hand with the spirit of economic development. The apex court raised the ceiling limit of iron ore mining from 28 MMT to 35 MMT for Ballari district, and from 7 MMT to 15 MMT for Chitradurga and Tumkur districts. "Conservation of the ecology and the environment must go hand in hand with the spirit of economic development and the fine balance between the two goals is what is sought to be achieved even now," a bench headed by Chief Justice N V Ramana said. The bench, also comprising Justices Hima Kohli and C T Ravikumar, passed the order on pleas seeking lifting of the ceiling limits of iron ore mining in these districts. It referred to the May 20 this year order passed by the apex court which had granted certain reliefs relating to the sale and export of iron ore in these three distric

Delhi HC defers hearing till August 30 on doctors' plea against Ramdev

The Delhi High Court Friday deferred hearing till August 30 on a lawsuit by several doctors' associations over the use of Coronil and said that judicial propriety and discipline demanded that proceedings be restrained until there is some clarity concerning the pendency of allegedly similar issues before the Supreme Court. Justice Anup Jairam Bhambhani asked that a copy of the petition by the Indian Medical Association pending before the apex court be placed before the high court to enable it to take a call on whether there is any commonality and if it should proceed any further. Judicial discipline demands that I restrain further proceedings in the matter till they (defendants) get some clarity (from the Supreme Court). I will ask them to file a copy of the Supreme Court petition on the record here. I will defer the proceedings today, the judge said. Several doctors' associations moved the high court last year, alleging that Ramdev was misleading and misrepresenting to the public at

CJI Ramana took historic decisions; appointed of 11 SC, over 220 HC judges

Chief Justice of India N V Ramana took path-breaking judicial and administrative decisions that included putting the sedition law on hold, reviewing the money laundering verdict, ordering probes into Pegasus snooping and Lakhimpur Kheri cases and ensuring appointments of record 11 judges in the top court and over 220 in high courts. On his last day in the office, the 48th CJI got one more feather in his cap by ensuring live streaming of Supreme Court proceedings of the ceremonial bench headed by him by implementing the 2018 verdict which had allowed such webcasts. Hailing from an agriculturist family in Ponnavaram village of Andhra Pradesh's Krishna district, Justice Ramana had succeeded S A Bobde on April 24, 2021 with a dire situation of huge unfilled vacancies in the top court and the high courts staring at the face of the judiciary. The apex court had not got a single judge after the superannuation of the then CJI Ranjan Gogoi on November 17, 2019 and had nine existing vacancies

CJI Ramana calls pendency of cases 'huge challenge' for Indian judiciary

Terming pendency of cases a "huge challenge", Chief Justice of India N V Ramana on Friday expressed regret for not being able to pay much attention to issues of listing and posting of matters for hearing in the Supreme Court. The CJI, who is to demit office on Friday, said there is a need to deploy modern technology tools and artificial intelligence to find a solution. "Even though we tried developing some modules, because of the compatibility and security issues, we could not make much progress," Justice Ramana, who was heading the ceremonial bench, said. He said during the COVID-19 pandemic, the priority was running of the courts and unlike commercial establishments, "we cannot secure the technological tools from the market directly". "We have to admit the fact that the pendency is a huge challenge before us. I must admit that issues of listing and posting of matters is one of the areas on which I could not pay much attention. I am sorry for that," the CJI said, adding, "We are b

SC dismisses plea against HC order in hate speech case involving UP CM Yogi

The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed a plea challenging the Allahabad High Court judgement in a matter pertaining to the alleged hate speech of 2007 involving Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. A bench headed by Chief Justice N V Ramana said it is not necessary to go into issue of denial of sanction in this case. The legal questions of sanction will be kept open to be dealt with an appropriate case, the bench also comprising Justices Hima Kohli and C T Ravikumar said. In its verdict delivered in February 2018, the high court had said it has not found any procedural error either in the conduct of an investigation or in the decision-making process of refusal to grant sanction to prosecute. An FIR was lodged at a police station in Gorakhpur against Adityanath, then a Member of Parliament, and several others on alleged charges of promoting enmity between two groups. It was alleged that several incidents of violence were reported in Gorakhpur on that day after an alleged ha