Page 43 - Supreme Court

SC reserves verdict on Justice Varma's plea against panel findings

Supreme Court reserves verdict on Justice Varma's challenge to a panel report indicting him in the cash discovery case as court questions his conduct and CJI's duties

SC questions Justice Varma's conduct in cash row, reserves order on plea

The Supreme Court told Justice Yashwant Varma on Wednesday that his conduct did not inspire confidence and asked why he chose to move the apex court after an in-house committee found him guilty of misconduct in the cash discovery row. The top court was hearing Justice Varma's plea seeking invalidation of a report by an in-house inquiry panel which found him guilty of misconduct in the cash discovery matter. The in-house inquiry panel report indicted Justice Varma over the discovery of a huge cache of burnt cash from his official residence during his tenure as a Delhi High Court judge. The plea does not reveal Justice Varma's identity and is titled, "XXX v. The Union of India". Posing sharp questions to the judge, the top court asked Justice Varma why he appeared before the in-house inquiry committee and did not challenge it then and there. It told Justice Varma that he should have come earlier to the apex court against the in-house inquiry panel's report. A bench of Justices Dipan

'Conduct lacks confidence': SC reserves verdict in Justice Varma case

The Supreme Court questioned Justice Yashwant Varma's delayed plea, said conduct lacks confidence; reserves verdict on challenge to removal recommendation over cash recovery

Cricket stadium needed to conduct trial involving Senthil Balaji: SC

The Supreme Court on Wednesday pulled up the Tamil Nadu government for implicating more than 2000 persons in cash-for-jobs scam cases involving ex-minister V Senthil Balaji, and sought the details of all the accused and witnesses. Terming the trial in cases involving ex-minister as "rudderless ship", a bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi said that had there not been judicial intervention, the "reluctant state" wanted to give a decent burial of cases involving ex-minister Senthil Balaji in the cash-for-job scam case. "With over 2000 accused and 500 witnesses it will be the most populated trial of India. A small courtroom of the trial court will not suffice and a cricket stadium will be needed to even mark the presence of the accused. Several Artificial Intelligence-generated accused will pop up to mark their presence," the bench told senior advocate Gopal Sankaranaryanan, appearing for Y Balaji, representing victims of the scam and opposing the decision for clubbing of th

Will step in if there is mass exclusion in Bihar SIR: Supreme Court to EC

SC says it will intervene if voters are widely excluded from Bihar's draft rolls due August 1, after pleas challenge EC's special intensive revision exercise

Supreme Court junks Zostel's plea against Oyo in arbitration dispute

The Supreme Court refused to admit Zostel's plea against a Delhi HC order favouring Oyo in a stake dispute, advising it to file an appeal instead of a special leave petition

SC to hear pleas seeking review of verdict on Bhushan Steel liquidation

The Supreme Court on Tuesday fixed July 31 for hearing pleas seeking a review of a May 2 verdict that set aside a resolution plan submitted by JSW Steel Limited for Bhushan Steel and Power Limited (BSPL), holding it illegal and in violation of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC). A bench of Chief Justice B R Gavai and Justice Satish Chandra Sharma allowed an application for open-court hearing and fixed July 31 for hearing a batch of pleas seeking a review of the verdict. "Application(s) for listing review petition(s) in open court and application for oral hearing are allowed. Issue notice. List these matters on July 31, 2025 at 3 pm," the bench ordered. The court considered the review pleas in chambers by circulation and passed the order. The former promoters of BSPL urged the top court on July 21 to accord an open-court hearing to their plea for a review of the May 2 verdict. The former promoters of BSPL were Sanjay Singhal and his family, specifically including his father B

We will intervene if mass exclusion found in Bihar electoral roll SIR: SC

The Supreme Court on Tuesday said the Election Commission (EC) is a constitutional authority and it is deemed to act in accordance with law, but if there is mass exclusion in the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, the court will step in. A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi fixed a timeline for considering a batch of pleas challenging the Election Commission's SIR exercise in Bihar, and said that hearing on the issue will be held on August 12 and 13. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal and advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for petitioners, once again alleged that people are being left out from the draft list to be published on August 1 by the poll panel, and they will lose their crucial right of voting. Bhushan said the EC has issued a statement that 65 lakh persons have not submitted the enumeration forms during the SIR process as they are either dead or have permanently shifted elsewhere. He submitted that these people will have to apply afresh

Why wait until now to challenge inquiry, Supreme Court asks Justice Varma

SC questions Justice Yashwant Varma's timing in challenging an inquiry that found unaccounted cash at his residence and justified impeachment; next hearing on Wednesday

Supreme Court refuses to stay publication of draft electoral rolls in Bihar

Supreme Court allows ECI to continue using Aadhaar and voter ID as identity proof for roll revision in Bihar, says these documents have some sanctity

Presidential reference hides binding rulings on Governors: Kerala tells SC

State of Kerala has urged the Supreme Court to reject Presidential reference on Governors' assent timelines, saying it suppresses key rulings and misuses Article 143 to reopen already settled issues

How can you question report after taking part, SC asks Justice Varma

The Supreme Court on Monday grilled Allahabad High Court's Justice Yashwant Varma for challenging findings of an in-house inquiry panel report against him over the incident of cash discovery from his official residence and asked how could he question it after participating in the process. The in-house inquiry panel report indicted Justice Varma over the discovery of huge cache of burnt cash from his official residence during his tenure as a Delhi High Court judge. A bench comprising Justices Dipankar Datta and A G Masih asked Justice Varma why did he wait for the inquiry to be completed and the report be released. "Why did you appear before the inquiry committee? Did you come to the court that the video be removed? Why did you wait for the inquiry to be completed and the report be released? Did you take a chance of a favourable order there first (sic)," a bench of Justices Dipankar Datta and A G Masih asked senior advocate Kapil Sibal, who was representing Justice Varma. Sibal said

3-yr law practice rule for judicial services exam applies prospectively: SC

The Supreme Court on Monday said its May 20 verdict fixing a minimum three-year law practice criterion to appear in entry level judicial services examination would apply prospectively and not affect the recruitment notices initiated prior to the judgment. Chief Justice B R Gavai-led bench on May 20 barred fresh law graduates from appearing in entry level judicial services examination and fixed a minimum three-year law practice criteria. On Monday, the bench, also comprising Justices Justices K Vinod Chandran and N V Anjaria, refused to examine a plea of Naveed Bukhtiya and five others, who are practising lawyers, and have challenged the recruitment notification of May 14 of the Jammu and Kashmir Public Service Commission as it did not mandate the three-year practice rule. "You are saying that it was done only to defeat the purpose of the judgement. Was the full court of the High Court aware that the CJI is likely to pronounce the judgment on May 20, the CJI asked. The CJI clarified

SC flags suicide cases at IIT Kharagpur, Sharda; seeks swift investigation

The Supreme Court on Monday raised questions over the instances of suicides particularly at IIT Kharagpur besides Sharda University in Greater Noida directing the investigation in both cases to "proceed expeditiously". A bench of Justices J B Pardiwala and R Mahadevan has been hearing a matter over suicide deaths at educational institutions. On the incident over the suicide of a fourth year mechanical engineering student, the bench asked the IIT Kharagpur counsel, "What is wrong with your IIT Kharagpur? Why students are committing suicide? Have you given a thought to this problem? What steps have you taken?" After dealing with a similar incident at Sharda University involving a female student, the bench ordered, "Let the investigation in both the incidents proceed further expeditiously in accordance with law and in the right direction." Senior advocate Aparna Bhat, who is assisting the top court as an amicus curiae, apprised the bench about the status of investigations in both ...

Cash discovery row: SC questions Justice Yashwant Varma over his petition

The Supreme Court on Monday questioned Justice Yashwant Varma over his plea to invalidate an in-house inquiry panel report indicting him over the discovery of huge cache of burnt cash from his official residence during his tenure as a Delhi High Court judge. "Why did you appear before the inquiry committee? Did you come to the court that the video be removed? Why did you wait for the inquiry to be completed and the report be released? Did you take a chance of a favourable order there first," a bench of Justices Dipankar Datta and A G Masih asked senior advocate Kapil Sibal, who was representing Justice Varma. The top court further quizzed Justice Varma over the parties he had made in his plea and said he should have filed the in-house inquiry report with his plea. Sibal submitted there was a process under Article 124 (the Establishment and constitution of the Supreme Court), and a judge couldn't be a subject matter of public debate. "The release of video on SC website, public furor

Remarks against Col Sofiya Qureshi: SC raps MP minister over public apology

The Supreme Court on Monday pulled up Madhya Pradesh minister Kunwar Vijay Shah for not issuing a public apology over his remarks against Indian Army officer Col Sofiya Qureshi, saying he is testing the court's patience. A bench of Justice Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi said the conduct of the minister was making the court doubt his intentions and bonafide. Senior advocate K Parmeshwar, appearing for Shah, said he had issued a public apology, which was online, and would be placed on court's record. The bench asked the special investigation team (SIT) constituted to probe the statements made by the minister to submit its report by August 13. The top court noted 87 people were examined by the probe team, which was currently examining the statements. The bench also refused to examine a plea filed by Congress leader Jaya Thakur seeking Shah's resignation but said some of the allegations made in the writ petition about the past instances would be looked into by the three-member SIT. T

SC rejects Ilaiyaraaja's plea to transfer copyright case to Madras HC

The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed a plea of legendary music composer Ilaiyaraaja seeking to transfer a copyright dispute involving over 500 of his musical compositions from the Bombay High Court to the Madras High Court. A bench comprising Chief Justice B R Gavai and Justices K Vinod Chandran and NV Anjaria did not agree to the submissions of senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, appearing for the musician, that the case be transferred to the Madras High Court. At the outset, the counsel for Sony Music Entertainment told the bench that the case by the firm was filed in the Bombay High Court when no case was pending in the Madras High Court. The plea is dismissed, the bench said. The legal case started from a lawsuit initiated by Sony Music Entertainment India in 2022 before the Bombay High Court. Sony has sought an injunction to restrain Ilaiyaraaja Music N Management Pvt Ltd (IMMPL) from using 536 musical works. The company claims it acquired the rights to these works throu

SC stays PMLA trial as chargesheet in predicate case pending for 7 yrs

The Supreme Court stayed a money laundering trial against four women as no chargesheet has been filed in the predicate offence registered by CBI on Indian Bank's complaint for over seven years

SC takes suo motu cognisance of report over dog bites leading to rabies

The Supreme Court on Monday took suo motu cognisance of a media report about incidents of dog bites leading to rabies. A bench of Justices J B Pardiwala and R Mahadevan termed the news item published today in an English daily's Delhi edition as "very disturbing and alarming". "The news item contains some alarming and disturbing figures and facts," the bench said. It said every day, hundreds of dog bites were being reported in the city and on its outskirts, leading to rabies and ultimately, children and the aged were falling prey to the dreadful disease. "We take suo motu cognisance of this news item," the bench said. "Let this order be placed along with the news report before the Chief Justice of India for appropriate orders," it said.

SC to hear pleas on EC's special electoral roll revision in Bihar on Monday

The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear on Monday a batch of pleas challenging the Election Commission's decision to undertake a special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in poll-bound Bihar. A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi is likely to take up the matter in which the EC has justified its ongoing SIR of electoral rolls in Bihar, saying it adds to the purity of the election by "weeding out ineligible persons" from the electoral rolls. The poll panel, while justifying its June 24 decision directing the SIR, has said all major political parties were "involved" in the exercise and deployed more than 1.5 lakh booth-level agents to reach out to eligible voters, but are opposing it in the apex court. The SIR adds to the purity of elections by weeding out ineligible persons from the electoral rolls, the ECI has said in a detailed affidavit filed to counter the allegations of petitioners, which include several political leaders, civil society members and ...