Page 77 - Supreme Court

SC seeks Uttarakhand govt's reply on 'misuse' of environmental funds

The Supreme Court on Wednesday took exception to the alleged misuse of the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) funds by the Uttarakhand government to purchase iPhones among other items and sought the state chief secretary's response. According to a report of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), CAMPA funds, meant for afforestation, were allegedly used towards inadmissible expenditures, including the purchase of iPhones, laptops, fridges, and renovation of buildings. The CAMPA fund is to be utilised for increasing the green cover. Utilisation of the same for non-admissible activities and not depositing the interest as per the Act with the SCAF (State Compensatory Afforestation Funds) is a matter of serious concern. We, therefore, direct the chief secretary of Uttarakhand to file an affidavit on these aspects, a bench comprising justices B R Gavai and Augustine George Masih said. The CAG report, which examined the use of CAMPA funds from ...

Delhi HC slams govt over delay in enforcing SC marriage registrations order

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday ordered the Centre and Delhi government to comply with the Supreme Court's directions over compulsory registration of marriages in three months. A bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela said it was "pathetic and appalling" that the 2006 apex court order, asking all marriages to be compulsorily registered irrespective of faith, was not yet implemented by the authorities. "This is pathetic actually. It is appalling as to how you are not implementing the order of the Supreme Court," it added. The high court also issued notice to both governments on a petition seeking direction to the Ministry of Home Affairs to prepare rules for a centralised database of marriage registration. The Supreme Court, in February 2006, ruled that all marriages, irrespective of their religion, be compulsorily registered and directed the Centre and all states to frame and notify rules for this within three months. Pursuant to the top ..

SC quashes rape case against ex-Army officer, says woman accused 8 before

The Supreme Court has quashed a rape case against a former Army officer, citing the woman's prior accusations against eight men

SC issues contempt notice to Punjab for not implementing pension scheme

The Supreme Court on Wednesday issued a contempt notice to the Punjab chief secretary for failing to implement a three-decade-old pensionary benefits scheme in the state. Observing the court couldn't be taken for a ride, a bench of Justices Abhay Oka and N Kotiswar Singh asked the chief secretary to answer why contempt proceedings should not be initiated against him for the violation of the undertakings. "In spite of repeated undertakings given to the high court, compliance has not been made by the state government. Therefore, we issue showcause notice to K A P Sinha, chief secretary, State of Punjab calling upon him to showcause why action under the Contempt Of Courts Act 1971 (both civil and criminal) should not be initiated against him," the court said. The bench said if the official felt some other officer was at fault, he was "free to file an affidavit" giving the names or other details of the officers responsible for the court to initiate action. The matter would be heard aga

Calling someone 'Miyan-Tiyan' or 'Pakistani' in poor taste, not a crime: SC

The accused, Hari Nandan Singh, had approached the Supreme Court challenging the Jharkhand High Court's refusal to quash the case against him

Supreme Court asks states to check unfair pricing by private hospitals

Supreme Court calls for policy to stop hospitals from forcing patients to buy medicines, medical devices at high rates from hospital-linked pharmacies, asks states to regulate pricing

SC to hear petition against blocking social media content without notice

The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to examine a plea over issue of blocking of social media accounts or content without an opportunity to be heard to the creator or originator. A bench of Justices B R Gavai and Augustine George Masih sought Centre's response on the petition for quashing Rule 16 of the Information Technology (Procedure and Safeguards for Blocking for Access of Information by Public) Rules, 2009. The bench issued notice on the plea. Senior advocate Indira Jaising, appearing for petitioner Software Freedom Law Center, said no notice was given to the "originator" of the information and a notice was only sent to platforms like X. "The challenge is not that the government does not have the power to take down information, but while taking down the information, notice should be given to the person who has put that information in the public domain," she said. The plea, filed through advocate Paras Nath Singh, challenged the validity of certain provisions of the 2009 Rules.

Ranveer Allahbadia to resume podcast after SC nod to his 'livelihood' plea

SC allows Ranveer Allahbadia to resume The Ranveer Show after an undertaking to maintain moral standards, citing the livelihood of 280 employees dependent on it

Visually impaired persons can't be denied chance to join judiciary: SC

In a significant verdict, the Supreme Court on Monday held that visually impaired persons cannot be denied opportunity of employment in judicial services. A bench comprising justices J B Pardiwala and R Mahadevan had reserved the judgement on six petitions, including a suo motu (on its own) case, on December 3, last year over non-grant of quota to such candidates in judicial services in a few states. Pronouncing the verdict, Justice Mahadevan said that persons with disabilities must not face any discrimination in their pursuit of judicial service recruitments and that the State must provide them affirmative action to ensure an inclusive framework. "Any indirect discrimination that results in the exclusion of persons with disabilities, whether through cutoff or procedural barriers must be interfered with in order to uphold substantive equality," the judge said. The judgement said no candidate can be denied consideration solely on account of their disability. The top court also set

SC questions Centre over social media gag order without user notice

The Supreme Court has asked Centre to justify social media takedowns without user notice, stressing the need for due process before removing posts linked to identifiable individuals

Manan Kumar Mishra re-elected as chairman of BCI for 7th consecutive term

A statement issued stated that the elected representatives of India's nearly 27 lakh vibrant legal fraternity have once again reaffirmed their trust in his distinguished leadership

Article 136 misuse hurting arbitration, need to have domain experts: V-P

Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Saturday said the provision of special leave petition was supposed to be a "narrow slit" but is now hurting the arbitral process due to its wide use. He also stressed on the need to have domain experts in arbitration cases, saying experts in varied areas can be utilised in handling complex matters involving commercial disputes. Addressing a conference on arbitration here, Dhankhar drew the attention towards the use of Article 136 and its impact on the arbitral process. "... Article 136 intervention was supposed to be a narrow-slit. The wall has been demolished with anything and everything under the sun, including what a magistrate has to do, what a session judge has to do, what a district judge has to do, what a high court judge has to do," he said. Article 136 of the Constitution allows the Supreme Court to grant "special leave" to appeal from any judgment or order. It is called as a special leave petition (SLP). Dhankhar said the "wall demolit

Compensate construction workers affected by Grap even if no court order: SC

The Supreme Court directed Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan to pay compensation to construction workers whenever they are affected by the closure of activities due to GRAP measures in Delhi-NCR even if there is no specific court order on it. A bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan said compensation should be paid to affected workers using funds collected as labour cess. Anti-pollution measures under Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) are implemented based on average air quality in Delhi-NCR. The bench said, "As far as 2024 and 2025 are concerned we have issued directions to the state to pay compensation. We make it clear that hereafter whenever the construction activities are required to be closed due to implementation of GRAP measures, compensation shall be paid to the affected workers in terms of directions issued by this court dated 24th November 2021." "Even if there is no specific direction of the court to pay compensation, the NCR States shall pay compensation,"

Farmers' protest: SC to hear petitions related to the case after March 19

The Supreme Court on Friday deferred the hearing over the farmers' protest observing two rounds of talks took place between the Centre and the agitating farmers, who have raised several demands, including the legal guarantee for minimum support price for crops. A bench of Justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh said a third round of talks was scheduled on March 19. The bench therefore posted the matter, including petitions seeking contempt action against Punjab government officials over providing medical aid to farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal, post March 19. Punjab advocate general Gurminder Singh said two ministers of the state had participated in the meeting. The bench appreciated the work of the apex court-appointed high-powered committee for providing a platform to the agitating farmers to raise grievances and took on record its interim report. The bench, which has kept the report with itself for time being, fixed an honorarium for chairman of the committee Justice (retd)

No new construction, renovation works in Mehrauli Archaeological Park: SC

The Supreme Court on Friday stayed any new construction or renovation at the centuries-old religious structures inside the Mehrauli Archaeological Park in the capital including the 13th Century Ashiq Allah Dargah and Chillagah of Baba Farid, the revered Sufi saint. A bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar was hearing a plea filed by one Zameer Ahmed Jumlana seeking protection of the religious structures inside the archaeological park from demolition. Senior advocate Nidhesh Gupta referred to the Archeological Survey of India's (ASI) status report and said a historical monument found there was built around 700 years ago. The CJI said people keep encroaching and putting up shops to earn money while asking the ASI to prepare a site plan to ensure no further encroachment. Additional solicitor general K M Nataraj said, Let us find out which are built newly and which are old." A lawyer said these monuments were not declared protected ones and, therefore, t

SC rejects plea on crowd management after New Delhi railway stampede

The Supreme Court on Friday refused to entertain a plea that sought directions to be given to authorities on crowd management, claiming that over 200 people had died in a recent stampede at the New Delhi railway station. "Is there any proof that 200 have died?" a bench of Justices B R Gavai and P K Mishra asked the counsel appearing for the petitioner. The counsel claimed several videos of the stampede at the railway station were uploaded on X and the Railways has issued notices to the witnesses who were present there. "Those persons can approach the court," the bench said. The bench asked whether the petitioner believed that the concerned authorities were neglecting the issue. The counsel said the petition was filed for proper implementation of the National Disaster Management Act and relevant rules for crowd management. The bench dismissed the plea and said the petitioner may approach the Delhi High Court with the grievance. The counsel said the plea has arrayed all the states

Delhi HC reserves order on Christian Michel's bail in AgustaWestland case

Enforcement Directorate (ED) opposed the bail plea of Christian James Michel arguing that he posed a flight risk due to his British citizenship

Going ahead with implementation of Ayushman Bharat scheme: Delhi Govt to SC

The Delhi government on Friday told the Supreme Court that it was going ahead with the implementation of the PM-Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM-ABHIM) scheme in the national capital. The submission was made before a bench of Justices B R Gavai and P K Mishra. The counsel appearing for the Delhi government sought to withdraw its plea challenging the December 24, 2024 direction of the Delhi High Court. The high court had asked the Delhi government to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Union health ministry by January 5 to implement the PM-ABHIM scheme. "We are going ahead with the implementation of the scheme so, therefore, now we want to withdraw this SLP (special leave petition)," the Delhi government's counsel told the apex court. The bench allowed the Delhi government's counsel to withdraw the petition. The BJP unseated the erstwhile Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-led government in Delhi in the recently concluded assembly elections. While hearing the ma

NAN corruption case: SC grants pre-arrest bail to former Chhattisgarh AG

The Supreme Court on Friday granted pre-arrest bail to former Chhattisgarh advocate general Satish Chandra Verma in relation to the Nagrik Apurti Nigam scam case. A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta asked Verma to cooperate in the investigation. During the hearing, senior advocate Vivek Tankha and advocate Sumeer Sodhi, appearing for Verma, submitted that the Chhattisgarh High Court has wrongly concluded that there was a need for custodial interrogation. They submitted that no offence whatsoever was made out on the basis of allegations. Senior advocate Mahesh Jethmalani, appearing for the state government, opposed the anticipatory bail saying there was enough material against the law officer. The Chhattisgarh government had earlier told the apex court that it would not take any coercive steps against Verma in relation to the Nagrik Apurti Nigam (NAN) scam case and issued notice to the state government. The allegations against Verma in the FIR are that he helped NAN

SC overturns termination of two women judges in MP, orders reinstatement

The Supreme Court on Friday set aside the orders terminating the services of two women judicial officers in Madhya Pradesh in 2023, terming the action as "punitive, arbitrary and illegal". A bench of Justices B V Nagarathna and N Kotiswar Singh directed that the two officers be reinstated in service within 15 days. "The termination of these two judicial officers is punitive, arbitrary and therefore illegal," Justice Nagarathna said while pronouncing the verdict. Justice Nagarathna said the verdict also discusses issue of women in Indian judiciary. On December 17, 2024, the top court had reserved its verdict in the matter pertaining to the termination of two women judicial officers by the Madhya Pradesh High Court. On November 11, 2023, the top court had taken a suo motu cognisance of the termination of six women civil judges by the state government over their alleged unsatisfactory performance. However, a full court of the Madhya Pradesh High Court reconsidered its earlier resolu