Page 51 - Supreme Court

'Rule of law demands it': SC backs Thug Life movie release in Karnataka

The Supreme Court criticised calls to ban Kamal Haasan's film over his remarks, stressing that films must be allowed release and urged public debate over censorship driven by individual opinions

Cash discovery row: Govt wants to control judges' appointments, says Sibal

Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal on Tuesday alleged that the real motive of the government in moving towards bringing an impeachment motion against Justice Yashwant Varma for alleged corruption is to take control of appointment of judges by doing away with the Collegium system and bringing in the National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC). Sibal, who is also a senior advocate, also accused the government of having a selective approach in handling the cases of Justice Varma and Justice Shekhar Yadav, against whom Opposition MPs have submitted a notice in the Rajya Sabha for moving an impeachment motion for making allegedly "communal" remarks last year. Law Minister Kiren Rijiju has underlined the government's resolve to take all political parties on board in moving the impeachment motion against Justice Varma. A fire incident at Varma's residence in the national capital in March, when he was a judge at the Delhi High Court, had led to the discovery of several burnt sacks of cash at th

Divorced wife to get ₹50,000/month, house: SC lays down new alimony rules

The apex court significantly increased a divorced wife's monthly alimony from ₹20,000 to ₹50,000, a 2.5-fold jump within nine years of the High Court's initial ruling.

SC rejects plea to revoke Z+ security cover for Ambani, warns petitioner

A Supreme Court bench today expressed concern over the repeated filing of what it called "frivolous" and "vexatious" petitions against industrialist Mukesh Ambani and his family

SC grants bail to Andhra Pradesh journalist in offensive remarks case

The Supreme Court on Friday granted bail to senior journalist Kommineni Srinivasa Rao, whom the Andhra Pradesh Police arrested for allegedly making disparaging remarks against greenfield capital city Amaravati on his live show. The top court passed the order on Rao's plea challenging his arrest. A partial working day bench of Justices Prashant Kumar Mishra and Manmohan directed the release of 70-year-old Rao, who was arrested on June 9, noting that he did not make the statement on his show and it was one of the panellists who made the alleged derogatory remarks. Questioning the Andhra Pradesh government over the arrest, the bench said it was necessary that Rao's journalistic rights and his fundamental right to freedom of speech were protected. "The petitioner himself did not make the statement on the live TV show and his journalistic rights need to be protected so that his freedom of speech is also protected. We direct that the petitioner be released in the FIR subject to condition

Cash row: Congress seeks SC report on allegations against Justice Varma

The Congress has asked the government to share with it the report of a Supreme Court-appointed committee that probed graft allegations against Justice Yashwant Varma so that it can firm up its stand on the issue of his impeachment before the Monsoon session of Parliament, party sources said on Thursday. The government, however, is yet to respond, the sources said. Several burnt sacks containing cash were allegedly discovered at Justice Varma's residence in Delhi after a fire broke out there in March, when he was a Delhi High Court judge. Though the judge, who was later transferred to the Allahabad High Court, has claimed ignorance about the cash, the Supreme Court-appointed committee indicted him after speaking to a number of witnesses and recording his statement. Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju has initiated discussions with all political parties to bring an impeachment motion against Justice Varma in Parliament's Monsoon session, starting from July 21. The Cong

SC refuses to quash Pocso charges against judge, cites shocking allegations

The Supreme Court refused to drop Pocso charges against a suspended judge accused of incest, calling the case shocking and ordering the masking of the victim's identity

SC refuses to quash FIR against ex-judge accused of raping minor daughter

The bench, as a result, dismissed his appeal against a Bombay High Court passed on April 15, 2025, upholding the framing of charges by the trial court

Supreme Court sets aside Delhi HC order of disqualifying NCISMC chairperson

The Supreme Court on Tuesday stayed an order setting aside the appointment of the chairperson of National Commission for Indian System of Medicine holding him ineligible for office. A bench of Justices Prashant Kumar Mishra and Manmohan issued notice to National Commission for Indian System of Medicine (NCISMC) and others on the appeal filed by Vaidya Jayant Yeshwant Deopujari. Deopujari challenged the June 6 order of the Delhi High Court, which allowed two petitions against his appointment as the NCISMC chairperson. The commission's counsel informed the high court that the process of selection and appointment of the chairperson had commenced following which it directed the expeditious completion of the process. The high court also asked for its observations to be taken into account during the selection process. The petitions in the high court were filed by Ved Prakash Tyagi, former president of the erstwhile Central Council for Indian Medicine, and Dr Raghunandan Sharma. The Min

Assam govt to intensify drive to identify illegal foreigners: CM Himanta

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday said the state government would enforce a 1950 law to identify and evict illegal foreigners. He claimed that the law empowers the district commissioners to declare individuals as illegal immigrants and initiate eviction proceedings. Speaking during a special day-long Assembly session, he alleged that Congress does not value 'citizenship', as out of four family members of one of its leaders, three are foreigners. It was an apparent jibe at the opposition party's state president Gaurav Gogoi, who was seated at the visitors gallery of the Assembly in front of the treasury bench, whom the chief minister had been targeting for his alleged Pakistan links through his British wife. Sarma, replying to issues of detection and deportation of foreigners, said the state government will implement the Immigrants (Expulsion from Assam) Act, 1950, for the purpose. It allows the district commissioner to declare illegal foreigners and evict them. S

SC protects MP scribes against coercive action, asks them to move HC

The Supreme Court on Monday protected in the interim two Madhya Pradesh-based journalists who were allegedly assaulted by the state police for reporting on illegal sand mining activities. A bench of Justices Prashant Kumar Mishra and Manmohan, however, refused to examine their plea and asked them to move the Madhya Pradesh High Court instead. A separate top court bench on June 4 sought the responses of Madhya Pradesh and Delhi governments on the plea of Shashikant Jatav and Amarkant Singh Chouhan. The apex court while granting the interim relief posted the hearing on June 9. "We are not entertaining the plea. However, looking at the allegations, we permit the petitioners to move the concerned high court within two weeks from today. Till the time the petitioners move high court the petitioners shall not be arrested," Justice Mishra said. The journalists alleged that they were kidnapped, assaulted in custody and subjected to casteist slurs by a senior police officer and his ...

Sacked teachers head from West Bengal to Delhi to attend SC hearing

Around 25,753 teaching and non-teaching staff in West Bengal lost their jobs because of alleged corruption in various examinations conducted by the state's School Service Commission

SC refuses urgent hearing on plea to protect theatres screening 'Thug Life'

The Supreme Court on Monday refused to grant an urgent hearing on a plea seeking protection against alleged threats over the screening of Kamal Haasan's film "Thug Life" in Karnataka theatres. A bench comprising Justice Prashant Kumar Mishra and Justice Manmohan asked the theatre association from Karnataka to approach the Karnataka High Court instead. A lawyer, appearing for the petitioner, referred to open threats from fringe groups opposing the screening of the film in Karnataka, and said "there are open threats by fringe elements and they are saying theatres will be set on fire." Justice Mishra, while refusing to grant an urgent hearing, said, "Install fire extinguishers" and asked the petitioner to move the high court. "Thug Life" released in cinema halls across the country on June 5. The Tamil movie, which reunites the 70-year-old actor with filmmaker Mani Ratnam after 1987's "Nayakan", could not be released in Karnataka after Haasan's comments about Kannada language sparked

SC refuses urgent hearing to TN's plea against Centre over education funds

The Supreme Court on Monday refused to accord urgent hearing to a plea filed by the Tamil Nadu government against the Centre for allegedly withholding over Rs 2,151 crore in central education funds under the Samagra Shiksha Scheme for 2024-2025. A bench comprising Justices Prashant Kumar Mishra and Manmohan took note of the fact that the state government filed the petition in May alleging withholding of central funds for 2024 and this year also. "There is no urgency and it can be taken up after the 'partial working days' (the new name of summer vacation)," the bench said. In May, the Tamil Nadu government moved the top court against the Centre for allegedly withholding the funds. The DMK government's plea, filed against the Union Ministry of Education, invokes Article 131 of the Constitution which provides exclusive jurisdiction to the top court to hear pleas between the Centre and one or more states, or between one or more states. The state government alleged the Centre attempted

Preventive detention is an extraordinary power, use it sparingly: SC

Preventive detention is an extraordinary power in the hands of the state that must be used sparingly, said the Supreme Court as it set aside an order to detain a man indulging in money lending in Kerala. A bench of justices Sanjay Karol and Manmohan said the circumstances pointed out in the order by the detaining authority may be ground enough for the state to approach the competent courts for cancellation of bail in cases against him, but it cannot be said that the same warranted his preventive detention. "Therefore, the order of detention dated June 20, 2024, and the impugned judgment dated September 4, 2024, passed by the High Court of Kerala at Ernakulam are hereby set aside. In the attending facts and circumstances of this case, the appeal is allowed," the bench said in its order passed on Friday. Noting that the power of preventive detention finds recognition in the Constitution under Article 22(3)(b), the bench said, "The provision for preventive detention is an extraordinary

SC cancels bail of former Karnataka minister in BJP worker murder case

Citing attempts to influence witnesses, the Supreme Court has cancelled bail of ex-Karnataka minister Vinay Kulkarni in BJP worker Yogesh Gowda's 2016 murder case

Justice Varma case: Can't lodge FIR due to judicial order, says Dhankhar

Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Friday said the government of the day is handicapped, as it can't register an FIR because there is a judicial order. Dhankhar's made the remarks in connection with the Justice Yashwant Varma episode. A fire broke out at Varma's residence in the national capital in March when he was a judge in the Delhi High Court, leading to the discovery of several burnt sacks of cash from the outhouse. Dhankhar was interacting with a delegation of the Punjab and Haryana High Court Bar Association here. The four members of the Bar association led by its president Sartej Singh Narula called on the vice-president at the Punjab Raj Bhavan, where Dhankhar arrived on Thursday evening before travelling to Shimla on Friday. Narula later said the matter pertaining to Justice Varma came up during general discussions. According to an official statement issued on Friday evening, the vice-president said, "The government of the day is handicapped. It can't register an FIR .

We will break barrier of 50 pc cap on quotas: Rahul Gandhi in Bihar

Rejecting outright the 50 per cent cap on caste-based reservations, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday vowed that "the barrier will be broken" in whichever part of the country his party came to power. The Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha made the promise in Bihar, the state which was a hotbed of the Mandal agitation in the 1990s, and where polls to the assembly are likely in a few months. "I wonder where did this idea of a 50 per cent cap come from? The population of the deprived sections is close to 90 per cent," said the former Congress president at a 'Samvidhan Suraksha Sammelan' (symposium for protecting the Constitution) in Rajgir. Voicing disapproval of the cap that has been placed by the Supreme Court, Gandhi said a caste census would be the first step in doing away with the barrier. "When we conducted a caste survey in Telangana, which showed among other things that Dalits, tribals and other backward classes hardly got any government contracts, the chief minister o

NEET PG 2025 to be held on August 3 in single shift as SC approves delay

NEET PG Exam delayed: Justice PK Mishra's bench pulled up the Centre and the exam authority over the postponement, questioning why the exam wasn't scheduled for mid or late July instead

Anticipatory bail in serious offences must not be given mechanically: SC

The Supreme Court has said anticipatory bail in cases involving serious offences should not be given in a mechanical manner. A three-judge bench of Justices Vikram Nath, Sanjay Karol and Sandeep Mehta made the observation while setting aside an order of anticipatory bail to four accused in a murder case. "The order of the High Court (Patna) does not disclose any reasoning for granting anticipatory bail in a matter involving serious offences under Sections 302 and 307 IPC," the bench said in its May 1 order. It continued, "The impugned order is cryptic and lacking in judicial analysis. In cases involving serious offences, the grant of anticipatory bail in such a mechanical manner cannot be sustained and is liable to be set aside." On a plain reading of the FIR and accompanying material, the court noted that the appellant's father was assaulted and killed in the presence of the appellant, who was also the informant. "The incident appears to have stemmed from a dispute regarding ...