Page 75 - Supreme Court

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.

SC refuses to entertain plea for social media ban on children under 13

Supreme Court declared the issue of regulating children's access to social media a policy matter

SC proposes relook at rejected, deferred Delhi HC senior designations

The Supreme Court on Friday suggested a Delhi High Court panel to conduct a fresh exercise for conferring senior designations to lawyers whose applications were either rejected or deferred. A bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan asked senior advocate Rajshekhar Rao, representing the Delhi High Court, to seek instructions and posted the hearing on April 15. "We are suggesting that deferred candidates and rejected candidates, committee will do the fresh exercise in terms of Indira Jaising judgement. This is the understanding. Fresh process has to be conducted by reconstituting the committee," it said. The top court was hearing a plea challenging the Delhi High Court's decision to confer senior designations on 70 advocates in November, 2024 on the ground of alleged irregularities. While Rao said the high court could take up the remaining applications for consideration in a full court, the counsel appearing for the aggrieved petitioners said the entire marking procedure was .

SC rejects plea to review ruling on electoral bonds fund confiscation

The Supreme Court has dismissed a plea seeking the review of its decision against the petitions for confiscating Rs 16,518 crore received by political parties under the 2018 electoral bond scheme. A bench of Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra dismissed the review plea filed by one Khem Singh Bhati against the top court's decision of August 2, 2024. The apex court had then rejected the petition seeking confiscation of money received under the scheme. The bench on March 26 held, "The review petition is dismissed in terms of the signed order. Pending application(s), if any, shall stand disposed of." The top court's order, made available recently, also refused to accept Bhati's prayer for an open-court hearing in the matter. A five-judge Constitution bench headed by former CJI D Y Chandrachud on February 15 last year scrapped the electoral bonds scheme of anonymous political funding introduced by the BJP government. Following the top court's judgem

I am a political leader, not terrorist: Jailed JKLF chief Yasin Malik to SC

Jailed JKLF chief Yasin Malik on Friday said in the Supreme Court that he was a "political leader and not a terrorist" and claimed seven Prime Ministers had engaged in a dialogue with him in the past. Appearing via video-conferencing before a bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan, Malik referred to the submission of solicitor general Tushar Mehta, representing the CBI, that there were photos of him alongside terrorist Hafiz Saeed and it was covered by all national and regional dailies and television channels "This statement has created a public narrative against me. The union government has not listed my organisation as a terrorist organisation under UAPA. It is pertinent to note that post a unilateral ceasefire in 1994, I was not only provided bail in 32 cases but none of the cases were pursued," Malik said. He added, "During the dispensation during Prime Ministers P V Narasimha Rao, H D Deve Gowda, Inder Kumar Gujral, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Dr Manmohan Singh and even the .

Hyderabad University students end indefinite protest, boycott of classes

The University of Hyderabad Students' Union (UoHSU) has called off an indefinite protest and boycott of classes against the Telangana government's plans to develop the 400-acre land parcel bordering the varsity land, after the Supreme Court stayed any future activity till further orders. The indefinite protest and boycott of classes was called off on Thursday following Supreme Court's stay and the protesting students started attending classes from Friday, UoHSU Vice President Akash Kumar said. The UoHSU and other unions and parties aligned with it had launched an indefinite protest and announced a boycott of classes from April 1, against the state government's plan to develop the 400-acre land parcel in Kancha Gachibowli, citing ecological conservation concerns. The Supreme Court on Thursday asked the Telangana government to explain the "compelling urgency" for clearing a large tree cover on a land parcel next to University of Hyderabad, and stayed any future activity till further .

Congress to challenge Waqf Bill in the Supreme Court, says Jairam Ramesh

The Waqf Amendment Bill, 2025, was tabled and passed in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday. Congress will challenge its constitutionality in the Supreme Court

KTR praises Hyderabad University students as SC halts tree felling

The Supreme Court on Thursday, while taking suo moto cognizance of the felling of trees at a forest area in Kancha Gachibowli in Telangana, stayed felling of trees at the site

Razing bulldozer justice: Apex court underlines the need for due process

Apex court underlines the need for due process

Govt remains silent on question of reintroducing law on judges' appointment

The government on Thursday maintained silence on whether it will consider bringing again the National Judicial Appointments Commission bill to overturn the present collegium system to appoint judges. Responding to a question on the government's "view" relating to the National Judicial Appointments Committee (NJAC) and whether it would "again consider" bringing in the NJAC legislation, Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal gave a detailed response on what the now struck down law sought to do. But he was silent on whether the government will consider bringing the NJAC bill. In a written response in Rajya Sabha, he said to replace the Collegium system of appointments of judges of the Supreme Court and the high courts with a "more broad-based, transparent, accountable appointment mechanism" and to bring greater objectivity in the system, the Constitution (Ninety-Ninth Amendment) Act, 2014 and the National Judicial Appointments Commission Act, 2014 were brought. These laws came into force on ..

BJP demands Mamata's resignation after verdict on teacher recruitment scam

Supreme Court invalidated the appointment of 25,753 teachers and staff at West Bengal schools due to large-scale irregularities

CJI, SC judges to disclose assets publicly amid Justice Varma cash row

All 30 Supreme Court judges will publicly disclose their assets on the court's website; this move for transparency will also apply to future judges

Necessary to tackle pollution: SC refuses to relax ban on firecrackers

The Supreme Court on Thursday refused to relax the ban imposed on the manufacture, storage and sale on firecrackers in Delhi-NCR noting air pollution levels had remained alarming for a considerable time. A bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan said a large section of the population worked on streets and was the worst affected by pollution. Not everybody can afford an air purifier at their residence or place of work to fight pollution, the bench said. "Several orders passed by this court during last six months bring on the record the horrible situation with which prevailed in Delhi due to very high levels of air pollution...Right to health is an essential part of Article 21 of the constitution so is the Right to live in a pollution free atmosphere," the court said. Unless the court was satisfied that the pollution due to the "so-called" green crackers was bare minimum, there was no question of reconsidering the previous orders, it added. The top court said the orders passe

BRS MLAs' disqualification: SC reserves order on delay by Telangana Speaker

The Supreme Court on Thursday reserved its verdict on pleas raising the issue of alleged delay by the Telangana Assembly speaker in deciding on petitions seeking disqualification of some BRS MLAs who had defected to the Congress. A bench of Justices B R Gavai and Augustine George Masih reserved the verdict after hearing submissions from the parties. While one of the pleas has challenged the November 2024 order of the Telangana High Court in a matter concerning petitions seeking the disqualification of three BRS MLAs, another petition relates to the remaining seven legislators who defected. A division bench of the high court in November last year said the Assembly speaker must decide the disqualification petitions against the three MLAs within a "reasonable time". The division bench's verdict came on the appeals against the September 9, 2024, order of a single judge. The single judge had directed the secretary of the Telangana Assembly to place the petition seeking the ...

Tamil Nadu CM Stalin to move SC against Waqf Bill, calls it anti-Muslim

DMK chief M K Stalin claimed that the Waqf Bill erodes the independence of the Waqf Board and endangers the rights of the Muslim community

Supreme Court upholds Calcutta HC's cancellation of 25,000 WB school jobs

A bench comprising Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar noted that "the appointments were vitiated by manipulation and fraud"

SC halts tree felling in Hyderabad's Gachibowli, orders site inspection

The Supreme Court on Thursday directed the registrar (judicial) of the Telangana High Court to forthwith visit the Kancha Gachibowli forest site where felling of trees was proposed on a 400-acre land parcel adjacent to the University of Hyderabad. The issue was mentioned before a bench of Justices B R Gavai and Augustine George Masih. "We, therefore, direct the registrar (judicial) of the High Court of Telangana to forthwith visit the site in question and submit his interim report by 3.30 pm today," the bench said. It directed the registrar (judicial) of the apex court to forthwith communicate its order to the registrar (judicial) of the high court who shall act upon forthwith. "We further direct the Chief Secretary of state of Telangana to ensure that until further orders are passed by this court, no felling of trees be permitted in Kancha Gachibowli forest area," the bench said. It posted the matter for hearing at 3.45 pm today. The bench was informed that the Telangana High Co

SC scraps appointment of 25,753 teachers, staff in West Bengal schools

The Supreme Court on Thursday invalidated the appointment of 25,753 teachers and other staff in state-run and state-aided schools in West Bengal, terming their selection process "vitiated and tainted". A bench comprising Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar upheld a Calcutta High Court verdict dated April 22, 2024, annulling the appointments. Pronouncing the verdict, the CJI said the employees, whose appointments have been annulled, are not needed to return their salaries and other emoluments. The top court also ordered the state government to initiate a fresh selection process and complete it within three months. It, however, made relaxation for the disabled employees on humanitarian grounds, saying they would remain in the job. The bench fixed the West Bengal government's plea challenging the high court direction for a CBI probe for hearing on April 4. On February 10, the top court reserved its judgement on a batch of petitions in the matter.

Nitish Katara murder: SC seeks UP govt's reply on Vikas Yadav's bail plea

The Supreme Court on Wednesday sought the Uttar Pradesh government's response on the interim bail plea of Vikas Yadav, who is serving a 25-year jail term in the 2002 Nitish Katara murder case. According to the plea, Yadav sought the reprieve for attending to his ailing mother. A bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan said it would be open for the Uttar Pradesh government to constitute a medical board to examine the condition of his mother admitted at Yashoda Hospital in Ghaziabad. "The medical board will also consult doctors of the said hospital and peruse the reords," the bench said while posting the hearing on April 15. Yadav's counsel said the mother's condition had deteriorated in February as he placed on record her medical documents. He said the mother was in the intensive care unit and had refused surgery. Additional solicitor general Aishwarya Bhati said Yadav's mother was in hospital and she could be examined there by the medical board. Senior advocate Aparajita

SC questions Telangana speaker over delay in disqualification notices

The Supreme Court on Wednesday asked the Telangana assembly speaker why he took about 10 months to issue notices on the petitions for the disqualification of BRS MLAs who defected to the Congress. A bench of Justices B R Gavai and Augustine George Masih also took exception to a purported statement of Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy in the assembly that there would be no bye-elections. "If this is said on the floor of the house, your chief minister is making a mockery of the Tenth Schedule," Justice Gavai observed. The Tenth Schedule of the Constitution relates to provisions for disqualification on the ground of defection. The bench was hearing arguments on the pleas on the alleged delay by the Telangana assembly speaker in deciding the pleas seeking the disqualification. While one of the pleas challenged the November 2024 order of the Telangana High Court on the disqualification of the three MLAs, another petition was filed over the seven remaining legislators who defecte