Page 40 - Supreme Court

Pune Porsche crash: SC grants bail to three accused in May 2024 accident

The Supreme Court on Monday granted bail to three accused in the 2024 Pune Porsche accident case that claimed two lives, while observing that parents are to be blamed for such incidents involving juveniles. A bench of Justices BV Nagarathna and Ujjal Bhuyan observed that parents are not able to control their children. "Substance abuse is another thing but giving them (children) car keys and funds to have a gala time is unacceptable," the court observed. On January 23, the top court sought a response from the Maharashtra government on a plea filed by accused Amar Santish Gaikwad seeking bail in the case. Gaikwad represented by advocate Sana Raees Khan was alleged to be a middleman, who gave Rs 3 lakh to the assistant of a doctor in a hospital to replace a blood sample of the juvenile accused. On May 19, 2024, a Porsche allegedly driven by a 17-year-old boy under the influence of alcohol, fatally knocked down two IT professionals in Pune's Kalyani Nagar area. On January 7, the top

Menstrual health integral part of right to life and dignity, says SC

Court orders nationwide rollout of free menstrual hygiene facilities in schools, making the Union government's policy binding on all government and private institutions

Menstrual hygiene is a fundamental right under Article 21, rules SC

The Supreme Court has ruled that access to menstrual hygiene products and facilities is part of the right to life under Article 21, saying lack of access harms the dignity of girl children

Trade union leaders responsible for stalling industrial growth: CJI

Supreme Court says trade union leaders have stalled industrial growth, cautions that fixing minimum wages for domestic workers could worsen unemployment and hardship

Supreme Court flags lack of reciprocity as foreign cos seek data from India

Supreme Court flags asymmetry in global judicial cooperation as Pfizer challenges Madras High Court order refusing to enforce US letters rogatory

Stray dogs case: SC reserves order on pleas against earlier rulings

The Supreme Court also directed the Animal Welfare Board of India to process applications from NGOs seeking permission to set up animal shelters or animal birth control facilities

SC stays implementation of new UGC norms; 2012 regulations to continue

The Supreme Court observed that there is complete vagueness in Regulation 3 (C) (which defines caste-based discrimination), and it can be misused

SC refuses to issue directions for welfare measures of domestic helps

The Supreme Court on Thursday refused to entertain a PIL seeking a comprehensive legal framework and enforcement of minimum wages for domestic workers, saying it cannot issue a writ asking the Centre and states to consider amending existing laws. The top court also observed that trade unionism has been largely responsible for stopping the industrial growth in the country. "How many industrial units in the country have been closed thanks to trade unions? Let us know the realities. All traditional industries in the country, all because of these 'jhanda' unions have been closed, all throughout the country. They don't want to work. These trade union leaders are largely responsible for stopping industrial growth in the country," Chief Justice Surya Kant said. "Of course exploitation is there, but there are means to address exploitation. People should have been made more aware of their individual rights, people should have been made more skilled, there were several other reforms which ...

SC rejects Tata Sponge Iron petition against Odisha entry tax law

Supreme Court rejects Tata Sponge Iron's challenge to Odisha Entry Tax Act, upholds High Court ruling and denies refund claim

Supreme Court raps states over poor stray dog control as bite cases surge

The Supreme Court pulled up states over poor stray dog control, flagging low sterilisation, lack of shelters and rising dog bite cases, while questioning weak data and delayed action

Mamata demands SC monitored probe into Ajit Pawar's death in plane crash

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday demanded a Supreme Court-monitored probe into the death of Ajit Pawar in a place crash, alleging that "all other agencies" have been "completely compromised" Stressing that the truth would not emerge through existing mechanisms, Banerjee said only a probe under the supervision of the Supreme Court would be credible. "We trust only the Supreme Court. All other agencies have been completely compromised," she told reporters here before leaving for Singur. Pawar (66), the deputy chief minister of Maharashtra, and four others were killed after an aircraft carrying them crashed near Baramati in Pune district on Wednesday morning.

SC to hear PIL alleging rights violations in probe of Ahmedabad plane crash

The Supreme Court on Wednesday agreed to hear a PIL of an NGO alleging that the official probe into the June 12 Air India plane crash violated citizens' fundamental rights to life, equality and access to truthful information. Air India's Boeing 787-8 flight AI171 en route to London's Gatwick airport was operated by pilot-in-command Captain Sumeet Sabharwal and co-pilot Captain Clive Kunder. The crash took place after the flight took off from Ahmedabad, killing 260 people, including 241 passengers and crew on board. On Wednesday, a bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi was told by lawyer Prashant Bhushan, appearing for PIL petitioner NGO 'Safety Matters Foundation', that so far, neither the Centre nor the the Aircraft Accident Investigation Board (AAIB) have filed their replies to the petition. "The entire pilots association are saying there is a problem in the Boeing 787 aircraft which needs to be grounded," Bhushan submitted. "SIR (hearing on pleas

Supreme Court agrees to list for hearing plea against UGC regulation

The Supreme Court on Wednesday agreed to list for hearing a plea challenging a recently notified University Grants Commission (UGC) regulation on the ground that it has adopted a non-inclusionary definition of caste-based discrimination and excludes certain categories from institutional protection. A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi took note of the submissions of a lawyer seeking urgent hearing of the plea. "There is a possibility of discrimination against the general class. My case is 'Rahul Dewan and Ors vs Union'," a lawyer said. "We know what is happening. Make sure defects are cured. We will list it," the CJI said. The new regulations mandating all higher education institutions to form "equity committees" to look into discrimination complaints and promote equity were notified on January 13. The University Grants Commission (Promotion of Equity in Higher Education Institutions) Regulations, 2026, mandated that these committees must include

SC sets aside Gujarat HC order on taking back grazing land from APSEZ

The apex court held that the order was passed without granting Adani an opportunity of hearing, either before the state authorities or the High Court

SC refuses to halt CCI probe into JioStar over 'abuse of dominance'

On February 28, 2022, the CCI recorded a prima facie view that the conduct warranted scrutiny and directed its Director General to investigate under Section 26(1) of the Act

SC asks states, UTs to submit data on acid attack cases in four weeks

Taking strong note of acid attack cases, the Supreme Court on Tuesday asked all states and Union territories to provide a slew of information, including the year-wise details of the number of such cases and their status in courts, besides the rehabilitation measures to support the victims. A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices R Mahadevan and Joymalya Bagchi asked states and UTs to provide information about the number of cases in which charge sheets are filed in trial courts. They will also have to provide information about the number of cases decided or pending at the trial court levels. Seeking the details in four weeks, the bench asked them to also provide information about the number of appeals filed in appellate courts, including the high courts, in such cases. The bench asked them to also provide brief particulars of each victim, her academic qualification, employment and marital status and the medical treatment and the expenses incurred or to be incurred.

SC invokes Article 142 to cut loan liability of woman widowed by Covid-19

Invoking Article 142, the Supreme Court reduced a widow's loan liability after her husband died during the Covid pandemic, holding that strict enforcement of the bank's demand would cause extreme hard

Plea in SC challenges definition of caste discrimination in 2026 UGC rules

A plea was filed in the Supreme Court challenging a recently notified University Grants Commission (UGC) regulation, alleging that it has adopted a non-inclusionary definition of caste-based discrimination and excludes certain categories from institutional protection. The plea submitted that regulation 3(c) of the recently notified UGC (Promotion of Equity in Higher Education Institutions) Regulations, 2026 is "non-inclusionary" and fails to protect students and faculty who do not belong to reserved categories. The plea, filed by Vineet Jindal, assailed the regulation on the grounds that caste-based discrimination is defined strictly as discrimination against members of the Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), and Other Backward Classes (OBC). It said by limiting the scope of "caste-based discrimination" only to SC, ST, and OBC categories, the UGC has effectively denied institutional protection and grievance redressal to individuals belonging to the "general" or non-reserv

Government has no say in judges' transfers, says SC judge Justice Bhuyan

Transfer of judges is an internal matter of the judiciary and the government has no role to play in the process, Supreme Court judge Justice Ujjal Bhuyan said here on Saturday. Independence of judiciary was "non-negotiable", he said, delivering G V Pandit Memorial Lecture at the ILS Law College here. "Transfer of a judge is always for the better administration of justice. It is an internal matter of the judiciary. The government can have no say in that," Justice Bhuyan stated. "By the very nature of things, the Centre can have no say in the transfer and posting of judges. It cannot say that such and such a judge should not or should be transferred, or if transferred, to such and such High Court," he added. Independence of the judiciary is a basic feature of the Constitution, Justice Bhuyan further said. "It is non-negotiable. It is for the judiciary, or rather the members of the judiciary, to see to it that its independence is maintained at all costs in order to ensure its contin

EC uploads names on logical discrepancies list after Supreme Court's order

The Election Commission on Saturday evening uploaded on its website the names of people on the list of SIR logical discrepancies list following an order of the Supreme Court, a poll panel official said. The district electoral officers will now download the list and display it on panchayat bhavans and block offices as directed by the court. The Supreme Court on January 19 directed the EC to display the names of those on the "logical discrepancies" list at gram panchayat bhavans, block offices of talukas and ward offices in West Bengal by Saturday. The court noted that 1.25 crore voters in the state figure on the "logical discrepancies" list. "The lists of unmapped voters and those with logical discrepancies are on our website," the official told PTI. Logical discrepancies in progeny linking with the 2002 voter list include instances of a mismatch in the parent's name and the age difference between a voter and their parent being less than 15 years or more than 50 years. The poll pan