Page 74 - Supreme Court

SC to hear pleas over Rs 50 lakh cap on Centre aid for rare diseases

The Supreme Court on Tuesday decided to examine pleas challenging the Rs 50 lakh cap on Centre's assistance for treating patients suffering from rare diseases like spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). A bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar said the petitions on the cap of Rs 50 lakh central assistance to treat diseases would be heard by a bench headed by Justice P S Narasimha in the week commencing May 13. The bench said pharma firm M/s F Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd, which manufactures the SMA drug Risdiplam priced at Rs 6.2 lakh a bottle, had agreed to supply the medicine for free for a year to 24-year-old Seba PA, who hails from Kerala, and suffers from the disorder. She had previously moved the Kerala High Court, which directed the Centre to provide an additional Rs 18 lakh worth of medicines to Seba beyond its Rs 50 lakh cap. The top court on February 24 stayed the high court order after taking note of the Centre's appeal that it couldn't be compelled to ..

Rahul Gandhi urges President Murmu to protect jobs of sacked WB teachers

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi drew attention of President Droupadi Murmu to the plight of the teachers who were selected through 'fair means'

SC sets aside HC order against Tehseen, says courts not moral police

Observing that courts are not supposed to do moral policing, the Supreme Court on Tuesday set aside an order of the Punjab and Haryana High Court imposing a fine of Rs 10 lakh on political analyst Tehseen Poonawalla for mocking Jain monk Tarun Sagar. A bench of Justices Abhay S Okay and Ujjal Bhuyan quashed the 2019 order of the high court which had directed Poonawala and music composer and singer Vishal Dadlani to pay costs. The top court said the high court was swayed by the fact that the appellant criticised a priest belonging to a particular religion. "What kind of order is this? There was no question of imposing cost. The court acquitted the appellants but imposed cost. Courts are not supposed to do moral policing," the bench said. Poonawala had moved the top court against the high court judgement. The high court had asked Dadlani and Poonawalla to pay Rs 10 lakh each to get the FIR against them quashed. The high court had also said that the fine was imposed to give a messag

Supreme Court stays HC order for CBI probe into Bengal SSC jobs case

The Supreme Court's stay gives interim relief to the West Bengal government, which was under scrutiny over alleged irregularities in the appointment of staff through the SSC recruitment process

Tamil Nadu Governor withholding bills passed by Assembly 'illegal': SC

The Supreme Court said that Tamil Nadu Governor's move to reserve 10 bills for President's assent 'illegal and arbitrary;' says bills are deemed cleared from date they were re-presented to Governor

'Does the state have rule of law or not?' Supreme Court asks UP Police

SC condemns UP Police for converting civil money matters into criminal cases, warning of a complete breakdown of the rule of law if such misuse continues

Mamata Banerjee meets teachers who lost jobs, asks them to 'keep working'

The Supreme Court, in a strongly worded verdict last week, upheld an earlier verdict of the Calcutta High Court invalidating over 25,000 appointments of teaching and non-teaching staff

AIMPLB moves SC challenging constitutional validity of new Waqf law

The All India Muslim Personal Law Board has moved the Supreme Court against the constitutional validity of the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025. Earlier in the day, a bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justices Sanjay Kumar and K V Viswanathan agreed to consider, listing for an urgent hearing, the plea of Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind, AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi and others, including Congress MP Mohammad Jawed and AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan on the issue. President Droupadi Murmu on April 5 gave her assent to the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025, which was passed by Parliament after heated debates in both houses. The All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) filed the plea in the top court late April 6. In a press statement, SQR Ilyas, the AIMPLB spokesperson, said the petition strongly objected to the amendments passed by Parliament for being "arbitrary, discriminatory and based on exclusion". The amendments, it said, not only violated the fundamental rights guaranteed under Articles

Judiciaries thrive through collaboration and mutual respect: CJI Khanna

Judiciaries thrive through collaboration and mutual respect and the signing of a MoU with the Supreme Court of Nepal will build institutional comity for the future, Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna said on Monday. The signing of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) is not a mere formal exchange but the reaffirmation of a centuries-old bond, renewed with a spirit of collaboration, mutual respect and shared purpose, he said at the event. "India and Nepal are more than just neighbouring countries. Our connection is etched in history and civilisational values. From the sacred Himalayas to the spiritual heritage of Gautam Buddha, our ties transcend borders and have withstood the test of time. These ties are not only visible in our traditions but also in the institutions that underpin our democracies," Chief Justice of India (CJI) Khanna said. "Among these institutions, the judiciary holds a sacred place. It guards the Constitution, upholds the rule of law, and ensures justice for al

'Mamata Banerjee should be in jail': BJP, Cong protest over SSC jobs case

The protests come days after the Supreme Court upheld a Calcutta HC verdict that invalidated the appointments of over 25,000 teachers and non-teaching staff across state-run and state-aided schools

SC to consider urgent listing of pleas challenging validity of Waqf Act

The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to consider listing for urgent hearing the petitions challenging the constitutional validity of the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025. A bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and justices Sanjay Kumar and KV Viswanathan took note of the submissions of senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind, that there were several petitions on the issue and they needed to be listed for urgent hearing. Besides Sibal, senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi and lawyer Nizam Pasha mentioned other petitions for urgent listing. The CJI, who has done away with the practice of oral mentioning of cases for urgent listing, asked the lawyers to file letters or send mails for getting the matters listed before a bench. When Sibal said the same has already been done, the CJI said, "I will see the mentioning letter in the afternoon and take a call. We will list it." Pasha mentioned the petition filed by Lok Sabha MP Asaduddin Owaisi. President Droupadi Murmu

'Wikipedia operator challenges Indian court order to take down content'

Last week's Delhi High Court ruling came after Indian news agency ANI sued the US platform last year

Jamiat moves SC challenging validity of Waqf (Amendment) Act 2025

The Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind has filed a petition in the Supreme Court challenging the constitutional validity of the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025, claiming it was a "dangerous conspiracy" to strip Muslims of their religious freedom. President Droupadi Murmu on Saturday gave her assent to the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025, which was earlier passed by Parliament after heated debates in both Houses. Several petitions, including one by Samastha Kerala Jamiathul Ulema, have been filed in the apex court challenging the validity of the Act. In its petition, the Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind has said that this law was a "direct attack on the country's Constitution, which not only provides equal rights to its citizens but also grants them complete religious freedom". "This bill is a dangerous conspiracy to strip Muslims of their religious freedom. Therefore, we have challenged the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025, in the Supreme Court, and the state units of Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind will also challenge the constitution

Waqf Bill more dangerous than erstwhile black or jungle laws: Ulema board

The All India Ulema Board has called the Waqf Bill more dangerous than the erstwhile black laws or jungle laws, claiming that it endangers Islamic properties like mosques and madrasas. Allama Bani Nayeem Hasani, national president of the organisation, told reporters at the Mumbai Press Club here that the main problem with the new bill is that if a government employee makes a claim on a Waqf property, another government staffer will decide on the matter. Claiming that the decision taken by the government employee cannot even be challenged in the high courts or the Supreme Court, Hasani said the bill endangers the existence of Waqf properties like mosques, madrasas, and shelter homes. This way, he claimed, all Islamic properties would be wiped out, and even the assets of Sikh, Christian, and other communities would meet a similar fate in the future. This is not a Hindu-Muslim issue, but a matter of justice, he said. Hasani also claimed that all black laws are passed under the cover

NGO APCR moves SC challenging constitutional validity of Waqf Bill

An NGO has moved the Supreme Court challenging the constitutional validity of the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025. Association for the Protection of Civil Rights said its plea challenges the constitutionality of the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025, which is to be renamed as the Unified Waqf Management Empowerment, Efficiency, and Development Bill, 2025 (UMEED Bill). "The bill directly violates Articles 14, 25, 26, and 300A of the Constitution, along with the preambular values that constitute the bedrock of our democratic and secular framework," it said in its plea filed through Adeel Ahmed. It said the drastic overhaul proposed by the UMEED Bill is not only unnecessary but also an alarming interference into the religious affairs of the Muslim community, diluting the fundamental purpose of Waqf which is a practice deeply rooted in Quranic references and the Hadith since the time of Prophet Mohammad. "The bill, hastily passed by the Lok Sabha on April 3, 2025 and the Rajya Sabha on April 4,

AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan moves SC challenging validity of Waqf Bill

Aam Aadmi Party MLA Amanatullah Khan has moved the Supreme Court, challenging the constitutional validity of the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025. In his plea, Khan sought that the Waqf (Amendment) Bill be declared as "unconstitutional and being violative of Articles 14, 15, 21, 25, 26, 29, 30 and 300-A of the Constitution" and sought direction for striking it down. "The Bill violates fundamental rights enshrined under Articles 14, 15, 21, 25, 26, 29, 30, and 300-A of the Constitution. It curtails the religious and cultural autonomy of Muslims, enables arbitrary executive interference, and undermines minority rights to manage their religious and charitable institutions," Khan's plea said. On Friday, Congress MP Mohammad Jawed and AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi moved the apex court, challenging the validity of the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025, saying it violated the constitutional provisions. Jawed's plea alleged the Bill imposed "arbitrary restrictions" on Waqf properties and their ...

Maintain status quo: SC on demolition of 'illegal' buildings in Gurugram

The Supreme Court has asked Gurugram authorities to maintain status quo on a demolition drive in DLF phases 1 to 5 against unauthorised constructions, including residential properties that have been converted into commercial complexes. A bench of Justices J K Maheshwari and Aravind Kumar was hearing on Friday a plea by DLF Qutub Enclave RWA, which challenged the Haryana government's Town and Country Planning Department's power to raze the properties. The bench issued notice to the Haryana government authorities and said, "In the meantime, until the next date of listing, status quo, as it exists today, shall be maintained by the parties." The top court sought the response of the authorities within four weeks. Senior advocate Indira Jaising and other lawyers, appearing for the Residents Welfare Association (RWA) contended that the DLF residential phases were under the jurisdiction of the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) since 2008 and only the civic body had the power to initi

SC allows Jharkhand to cut power on Ram Navami procession with conditions

Earlier, in April 2000, 28 people lost their lives due to electrocution during a Ram Navami procession in the state

'Why so touchy?' Supreme Court slams Delhi HC for Wikipedia takedown order

The Supreme Court questioned why the Delhi High Court ordered Wikipedia to take down a page, saying courts shouldn't be so sensitive to non-contemptuous criticism

Stalin calls for all-party meeting after Murmu rejects NEET exemption plea

The call for meeting comes amid multiple controversies surrounding NEET in recent years, which include young people taking their lives if they are unable to clear the exam.