Page 6 - Supreme Court

CJI calls for balance between environmental protection and development

The question before Indian courts is no longer conservation versus development but how the two can be harmonised and sustained together, Chief Justice of India Surya Kant said on Saturday and described the apex court as the "banyan tree" of environmental justice. Tracing four decades of the Supreme Court's environmental jurisprudence, the CJI said there was no single constitutional route to environmental protection and cautioned against copy-paste decisions. Recently, he said, the apex court has articulated the idea of "eco-centric proportionality", postulating that environmental protection must be rigorous yet intelligent enough to engage with the world as it exists. "This notion has advanced a paradigm shift by permitting development solely in conjunction with enforceable conditions, expert oversight, restoration, compensatory afforestation and accountability," the CJI said. The CJI was addressing the inaugural session of a two-day international conference on the topic 'The Futur

SC allows NSE-Sebi settlement in colo case, disposes of regulator's pleas

The settlement follows Sebi's acceptance of NSE's proposals to resolve proceedings arising from the co-location and dark fibre matters for around ₹1,492 crore

SC stays Punjab & Haryana HC ruling striking down Income-tax Section 147A

The dispute concerns whether tax reassessment notices can be issued by jurisdictional assessing officers or must be routed through the faceless assessment mechanism

SC seeks progress report from Nilekani panel on competitive exam reforms

The Supreme Court also indicated it could visit the NTA headquarters to assess its functioning, infrastructure, manpower and systems put in place for examinations

Nilekani panel to submit first report on Neet reforms by month-end: Centre

The Centre on Friday told the Supreme Court that the Nandan Nilekani-led high-powered panel constituted to suggest structural reforms in NEET has held exhaustive consultations and is likely to submit its first interim report by the end of this month. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told a bench of Justices P S Narasimha and Alok Aradhe that all the suggestions had been placed before the panel, which held consultations with the members of an earlier committee led by former ISRO chairman K Radhakrishnan. The bench asked the joint secretary to the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), who is assisting the Nilekani panel, to file an affidavit before the court on the steps taken so far. It told Mehta that the most important thing in the matter is that the government should look into institutionalisation of the entire process to conduct the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET). "You must know that permanency of the entire system is key. There should be a permanent setup, .

SC stays P&H High Court ruling striking down Section 147A of Income Tax Act

The Supreme Court said assessment proceedings covered by the dispute will not proceed until final disposal of the Centre's plea, with the matter listed for hearing on December 3, 2026

Supreme Court asks Manipur chief secretary to explain deaths in relief camp

Expressing shock over scores of deaths in relief camps meant for the internally displaced persons (IDPs), the Supreme Court on Thursday directed the Manipur chief secretary to apprise it of the steps taken to probe, initiate criminal proceedings and ensure the safety of those living there. Cautioning the top bureaucrat of the state, a bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana asked why no significant steps were taken on the information provided by the Justice Gita Mittal committee relating to deaths, including unnatural ones, of IDPs in relief camps. "We direct the chief secretary of Manipur to file an affidavit on deaths, especially unnatural deaths, at relief camps in Manipur," the bench said in the order and asked why postmortems were conducted in 20 out of 34 death cases. "The state is also obliged to explain as to why only Rs 20,000-30,000 as compensation was paid to internally displaced persons who met with unnatural deaths ..

Delhi SIR: SC to hear plea seeking disclosure of notices, flagging reasons

Petitioners seek a searchable database of electors served notices and disclosure of the criteria used to flag records for 'No Mapping' and 'Logical Discrepancies'

Litigant cannot lose right to appeal over tribunal's e-filing glitch: SC

The Supreme Court said the period during which the tribunal's filing system was non-functional could be excluded while calculating the statutory limitation period

Delhi SIR: SC to hear plea against voter name deletions on Sep 21

The Supreme Court on Thursday agreed to hear on September 21 a plea against deletion of names from the electoral roll under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in Delhi. A bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana said it will hear the matter on Monday as other matters related to SIR exercises are also listed next week. Advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for the petitioner, submitted that out of the 47 lakh people whose names have been deleted from the electoral roll in Delhi, the poll panel has issued notice to 33 lakh people. "What they have done is that they have not disclosed the names of people who have been issued notices or on what grounds they have been deleted. They have not disclosed which people notice has been issued to. What are the logical discrepancies and how are they unmapped," Bhushan submitted. On August 31, the Election Commission published a draft electoral roll under which 47 lakh voters were deleted from the list

PIL in SC challenges 0.4% MDR on UPI transactions above ₹2,000 in India

Petitioner questions the amended payment law, lack of gazette publication and differing treatment of UPI and RuPay debit-card transactions under the new framework

Centre moves Supreme Court over striking down of Income Tax Section 147A

Government challenges Punjab and Haryana High Court ruling that invalidated the retrospective provision governing tax reassessment powers of jurisdictional officers in India

SC asks RBI to ensure banks, NBFCs seize financed vehicle lawfully

Highlighting RBI's directive that a financed vehicle can be seized only through "lawful means", the Supreme Court on Wednesday directed the federal bank to enforce its guidelines on non-banking financial companies and scheduled commercial banks to ensure that borrowers are not dispossessed of their hypothecated vehicles without due process of law. The top court's direction came in a judgement in which it ordered Cholamandalam Investment and Finance Company Ltd to close the loan accounts of a truck owner, and refund Rs 4.5 lakh realised from the sale of his vehicle with six per cent annual interest. It also asked the finance firm to pay Rs 10 lakh compensation for mental agony and loss of livelihood caused by the unauthorised repossession of his vehicle. A bench of justices PS Narasimha and Alok Aradhe held that financial institutions cannot use force, stealth or arbitrary methods to recover loans, even when borrowers have defaulted on repayment. Justice Narasimha, writing the ...

SC asks ED, Delhi Police to give details of cases against Unitech directors

The Supreme Court on Wednesday directed the Enforcement Directorate and Delhi Police to submit details of cases against directors of ailing Unitech Ltd to ensure speedy trial and said no inconvenience should be caused to the homebuyers. A bench comprising justices JB Pardiwala and KV Viswanathan said law should take its own course but no further leeway should be given to the accused persons. "Trial must commence and must not go for an indefinite period. We will create a special court to hear these cases exclusively but no further delay should be caused," the bench remarked. The top court posted the matter for hearing on September 30. During the hearing, the court asked where the monies deposited by the homebuyers had gone. "Where has the money gone? Has it travelled beyond the country? What is the role of the investigating agency? Law should be lucid. Confusion created by law is benefitting the accused. We have skillful agencies which can find where the money has gone," the bench

SC refuses panel reconstitution to probe police excesses during CJP protest

The Supreme Court has refused to reconstitute a five-member high-powered committee set up to examine alleged police excesses against student protesters in Delhi, underlining that allegations against the panel were conjectures and preconceived notions. A bench comprising Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana said the committee has been constituted to assist it with the highest standards of fairness and transparency and with a dispassionate approach. The High-Powered Enquiry Committee (HPEC) is not created to espouse the causes of one or the other party before the court, the bench said in the order dated September 10 that was uploaded online on Tuesday. "We are not inclined to effect any alteration in the constitution of the Committee, particularly where the prayer for such reconstitution proceeds on nothing more than conjecture and preconceived notions, articulated even before the HPEC has embarked upon its enquiry," the bench said. The to

SC leaves public servant question in Chitra Ramkrishna case to trial court

The Supreme Court declined to interfere with the Delhi HC order, allowing Chitra Ramkrishna to contest her classification as a 'public servant' before the trial court

Odisha board rejects Dara Singh release plea over communal harmony concern

The Sentence Review Board cited the potential societal ramifications of Dara Singh's release and an August 15 gathering outside Kendujhar district jail

SC launches Hindi information service 'Jan Soochna Seva' on Hindi Diwas

On the occasion of Hindi Diwas, the Supreme Court on Monday announced the launch of "Jan Soochna Seva", a new public information service in Hindi, with a view to making justice more inclusive. Under this service, simplified Hindi summaries of selected significant judgments and orders, along with Hindi audio and video bulletins lasting approximately 15 to 30 minutes, will be made available. "This initiative is being launched for the convenience of ordinary citizens, litigants, and especially persons with disabilities, enabling them to easily understand significant judgments, their implications, and subsequent proceedings in a language familiar to them. "Its objective is to make access to justice more inclusive and to link the respect accorded to Indian languages with the dissemination of judicial information to the public. The use of simple language, along with audio and video formats, will also benefit those who find it difficult to read or comprehend lengthy legal documents," a pre

SC stays Gujarat HC proceedings on PIL seeking regulation of deepfakes

The Supreme Court stayed proceedings on a Gujarat HC PIL seeking regulation of AI-generated deepfakes while considering the Centre's plea to transfer the case

Noida DM moves SC against Allahabad HC order over student's NSA detention

Gautam Buddh Nagar district magistrate Medha Roopam has moved the Supreme Court against an Allahabad High Court order which directed that a compensation amount of Rs 5 lakh be deducted from her salary over the detention of a student under the National Security Act during the Noida workers' protest in April. On September 2, the high court quashed the detention of Akriti Chaudhary, a 25-year-old Delhi University history graduate, who was taken into custody under the National Security Act in connection with the Noida workers' protest in April. Allowing Chaudhary's habeas corpus petition challenging her arrest, the high court found that the detention was based on a story "concocted" by the state and directed her immediate release if her arrest was not warranted in any other case. It had strongly criticised the manner in which the detention order was passed by Roopam and warned that continued "despotic" conduct by "errant" bureaucracy could reduce Uttar Pradesh to an Orwellian dystopia.