Page 84 - Supreme Court

SC delivers split verdict on riots accused Tahir Hussain's bail plea

Allegations against former councillor and February 2020 riots accused Tahir Hussain were grave and reprehensible but as of now they were allegations, Supreme Court judge Justice Ahsanuddin Amanullah said on Wednesday. While opining Hussain should be released on interim bail, Justice Amanullah, who was on a division bench with Justice Pankaj Mithal -- said the petitioner was in custody since March, 2020 and secured bail in majority of cases. The bench delivered a split verdict in the matter. "The allegations against the petitioner are no doubt grave and reprehensible but as of this moment they are exactly that - allegations. It is settled law that magnitude and gravity of offence are not grounds in itself to deny bail. No court of law has rendered adjudications thereon. The petitioner is in custody since March 2020. He has secured bail in majority of cases," said Justice Amanullah. He observed the Delhi High Court had permitted Hussain to file his nomination and consequently stand a

RG Kar case: SC defers suo-motu hearing to Jan 29 citing paucity of time

The Supreme Court on Wednesday cited paucity of time and deferred to January 29 the hearing on the suo-motu case over the rape and murder of a trainee doctor at state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata. On January 20, a Kolkata trial court awarded convict Sanjay Roy "life term imprisonment till death" in the case. The suo-motu (on its own) plea was set to be heard by the top court for the first time after the sentencing in the doctor's rape and murder which took place on August 9 last year. The heinous crime triggered nationwide outrage and prolonged protests in West Bengal. A bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justices Sanjay Kumar and K V Viswanathan on Wednesday said there was paucity of time, and moreover, three fresh applications were filed in the case. "We will take it up at 2 pm on next Wednesday," the CJI said. Senior advocate Karuna Nandy, representing the Association of Junior and Senior Doctors, mentioned the plea for hearing. On December

Delhi's air quality stays poor, but rain could offer temporary reprieve

Further improvement in AQI is expected as rain accompanied by thunderstorms is forecasted to affect the national capital on Wednesday

SC dismisses income tax petition against Vi, reinstates Rs 1,600 cr refund

Vi has already received refund in December, telco told exchanges

Supreme Court agrees to hear income tax dept's appeal in Vodafone case

The Bombay High Court had rejected the PCCIT's move to issue a reassessment notice

SC asks HCs to form panel over judges pay commission recommendations

The Supreme Court on Tuesday asked all high courts to expedite setting up a two-judge panel to address grievances of district judicial officers on the implementation of the Second National Judges Pay Commission recommendations. A bench comprising Justices B R Gavai, Augustine George Masih and K Vinod Chandran passed the order after senior advocate K Paremeshwar, who is assisting it as an amicus curiae, said many high courts were yet to form the Committees for Service Conditions of the District Judiciary (CSCDJ) as directed by it earlier. The top court, on January 4 last year, said it recommended setting up the two-judge panel in all high courts to ensure that the orders on pay, pension and other retiral benefits for judicial officers as per the Second National Judicial Pay Commission (SNJPC) were implemented. On Tuesday, the amicus said while some high courts had set up the panels, they did not meet regularly to deal with the grievances, prompting several judicial officers to move t

Money laundering case: SC junks ED plea against bail to NCP leader Bhujbal

In a relief to senior NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal, the Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed the plea of the Enforcement Directorate challenging the bail granted to him in a money laundering case. A bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan however rejected Bhujbal's plea challenging his arrest in the matter saying the petitioner was released on bail in 2018, and it was not necessary to go into the question of illegality of his arrest at the present stage. "Impugned orders granting bail have been passed way back in the year 2018. Therefore no case for interference is made out at this stage under Article 136 of the Constitution. The SLPs are dismissed," it held. The Bombay High Court on May 4, 2018, granted bail to Bhujbal in the money laundering case. The former Maharashtra deputy chief minister was arrested after an ED inquiry revealed he and his associates had allegedly misused their office and caused financial loss to the government. According to the ED, Bhujbal awarded contra

Airport violation: SC rejects plea on HC order quashing FIR against BJP MPs

The Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed a plea of the Jharkhand government against the high court order quashing an FIR against BJP MPs Nishikant Dubey and Manoj Tiwari, who are accused of forcing the air traffic control to allow their aircraft to take off from Deoghar airport after sunset in 2022. A bench comprising Justices A S Oka and Manmohan, however, granted the state government the liberty to forward the material collected during the probe to the authorised officer under the Aircraft Act within four weeks. The competent authority of the DGCA shall take a decision in accordance with law as to whether a complaint needs to be filed under the Act, the bench said. The top court, in December 18, had reserved its verdict on the appeal of the state government against the Jharkhand High Court judgement. The case relates to an FIR lodged at Kunda police station in Deoghar district of Jharkhand against nine people, including Dubey and Tiwari. They had allegedly forced ATC personnel at

Delhi records 'poor' AQI again as Grap rule changes spark confusion

Amid the confusion over Grap curbs, Delhi woke up to 'poor' air quality on Tuesday, a slight improvement from the 'very poor' category recorded the previous morning

SC upholds Rs 1,600 crore tax refund for Vodafone Idea, dismisses SLP

The court dismissed the SLP on grounds of delay, refusing to condone the same

SC asks states, UTs to file compliance reports of motor vehicle law

In a significant order, the Supreme Court on Monday directed 23 states and seven union territories to file compliance reports indicating implementation of the Motor Vehicle law's recent provisions besides rules on electronic monitoring and road safety measures. A bench comprising Justices Abhay S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan noted six states and a UT, namely, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala and Delhi, had filed their compliance reports. The top court on September 2, 2024 passed directions on the implementation of Section 136A of the Motor Vehicles Act read with Rule 167A of the Motor Vehicles Rules which allow authorities to electronically monitor speeding vehicles. The bench has now asked the remaining 23 states and seven UTs to file their compliance reports which will be shared with the Supreme Court committee on road safety. The apex court panel, in turn, would look into all aspects and provide its inputs which could be considered by the Centre in framing the ...

Agusta Westland scam: SC defers bail hearing of British national to Feb 18

The Supreme Court on Monday deferred to February 18 the bail hearing of alleged middleman Christian Michel James, accused in the Rs 3,600-crore AgustaWestland corruption case. A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta adjourned the hearing after the CBI counsel sought time. The top court granted three weeks time and posted the hearing on February 18. On December 6, the apex court issued notice to CBI and directed it to file its reply within four weeks. The alleged scam is over the purchase of 12 VVIP helicopters from chopper design and manufacturing company AgustaWestland. James moved the apex court challenging the Delhi High Court's bail rejection order passed on September 25. James, a British national, was extradited from Dubai in December, 2018, and was arrested subsequently. The high court had dismissed his bail plea, observing there was no significant change in circumstances from the time when his previous pleas were rejected. He is among the three alleged middleme

SC halts defamation case against Rahul Gandhi over Amit Shah-remarks

Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, representing Gandhi, argued that only the aggrieved person could file a criminal defamation case, not a proxy party, halting proceedings

Yasin Malik trial: SC orders to ensure proper VC facilities in Jammu court

The Supreme Court on Monday directed the registrar general of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court to ensure proper video-conferencing facilities at a Jammu special court hearing two cases against jailed JKLF chief Yasin Malik and others. A bench comprising Justices Abhay S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan further directed the Delhi High Court registrar general to ensure proper video-conferencing facilities in Tihar jail where Malik is lodged in a separate terror financing case. Both high court registrars were directed to file the status reports on February 18 by the bench, which posted the hearing on the CBI plea on February 21. "We have perused the observations made by the (special) judge (of the Jammu court). At two places, he has recorded that the video-conference system in his court was not functioning properly," the court said. The bench therefore directed the registrar general of Jammu and Kashmir High Court to look into what was "stated by the learned judge" and "take immediate steps for .

Yasin Malik trial: SC asks J&K HC registrar to ensure proper VC facilities

The Supreme Court on Monday directed the registrar general of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court to ensure proper video conferencing facilities at a special court in Jammu hearing the 1989 Rubaiya Sayeed kidnapping and the 1990 Srinagar shootout cases involving jailed JKLF chief Yasin Malik and others. The top court also directed the registrar general of the Delhi High Court to ensure proper video conferencing facilities at Tihar jail also where Malik is lodged in connection with another terror financing case. The bench has asked both the high court registrars to file their status reports on February 18 and fixed the plea of CBI for hearing on February 21. A bench comprising Justices Abhay S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan was hearing a plea of the CBI seeking the transfer of the trials in the 1989 Rubaiya Sayeed kidnapping and the 1990 Srinagar shootout cases from Jammu to New Delhi so that Malik is not needed to be taken to the special court there. The top court on December 18, last year had

Lakhimpur Kheri case: SC seeks report from UP police on Ashish Mishra

The Supreme Court on Monday sought a report from Uttar Pradesh Police on allegations that accused Ashish Mishra, the son of Union minister Ajay Mishra, was influencing witnesses in the 2021 Lakhimpur Kheri violence case. A bench of Justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh directed the Lakhimpur Kheri superintendent of police to file the report in the court after a fact-finding inquiry. Mishra, however, has denied the allegations in his affidavit and said that every time the matter is listed before the court, such averments are made for the cancellation of his bail granted by the top court. Advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for complainants, claimed that he has an audio recording of an attempt being made to influence crucial witnesses in the case. He also alleged that Mishra attended a public meeting in violation of bail conditions. Seeking the cancellation of Mishra's bail, Bhushan said the court may ascertain the authenticity of the material brought before it. Senior advocate

Take decision on Balwant Singh's mercy petition by March 18: SC asks Centre

The Supreme Court on Monday asked the Centre to take a decision by March 18 on the mercy petition of death row convict Balwant Singh Rajoana, convicted in the 1995 assassination case of then Punjab chief minister Beant Singh. "We are granting you time by way of a last chance. Either you take a decision or otherwise we will hear it on merits," a bench headed by Justice B R Gavai told Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, who appeared for the Centre. The bench, also comprising Justices Prashant Kumar Mishra and K V Viswanathan, was hearing Rajoana's plea seeking directions to commute his death sentence to life term due to the "inordinate delay" in deciding his mercy petition. At the outset, Mehta referred to the sensitivity involved in the matter and said the mercy petition was under consideration. He requested the bench to grant six weeks time. Rajoana's counsel told the bench that he has spent around 29 years in jail. "We will hear it on merits on March 18," the bench said, adding, "By

SC to hear on Jan 20 plea by Atul Subhash's mother for custody of his son

The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear on Monday a plea filed by the mother of Atul Subhash, a Bengaluru-based engineer who committed suicide in 2024 alleging harassment by wife, seeking his minor son's custody. A bench of Justices B V Nagarathna and Saish Chandra Sharma is likely to hear the plea by Anju Devi who has filed a habeas corpus petition, seeking the custody of her four-year-old grandson. On January 7, the top court had denied her the minor's custody saying she was "stranger to the child". Subhash, 34, who was found hanging at his house in Bengaluru's Munnekolalu on December 9 last year, purportedly left behind lengthy messages, blaming his wife and in-laws for pushing him to take the extreme step. During the last hearing, the top court was informed by the counsel appearing for Subhash's estranged wife Nikita Singhania that the child was studying at a boarding school in Haryana. Advocate Kumar Dushyant Singh, representing Devi, had sought the child's custody and alleged

Tata Steel files curative petition in SC over tax on mineral land

Tata Steel has captive mines in Jharkhand and Odisha

No Ayushman Bharat scheme in Delhi as Supreme Court pauses HC order

The Supreme Court has stayed the High Court's order directing Delhi to sign an agreement with the Centre for the implementation of the Ayushman Bharat health scheme