“When the blood and organs of a Hindu can save a Muslim or vice versa or even a christian then why this intolerance?”, asks the Madras High Court

The Madurai bench of the Madras High Court has directed the Holy Cross College in Nagercoil to allow one of its students to complete her sixth semester of the 2014-15 academic year after she was denied permission by the management to attend classes following her inter-religious marriage during the course of her studies.H R Thoulath Hanan, the petitioner married a Christian teacher A L Ajas...

SC 3-Judge bench dismisses Yakub Memon’s petition; Maharashtra Governor rejects mercy plea [Read the Judgment]

A three-Judge bench of the Supreme Court comprising Justice Dipak Misra, Justice P.C. Pant and Justice Amitava Roy today dismissed Yakub Memon’s plea against his scheduled execution tomorrow in the 1993 Mumbai bomb blasts case. His mercy petition has also been rejected by Maharashtra Governor Chennamaneni Vidyasagar Rao.The Bench did not find any fault in the issuance of the death warrant...

Rajiv Gandhi Assassination: SC rejects Centre’s curative petition, upholds commutation of death sentence to life imprisonment

Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court comprising Chief Justice H.L. Dattu, Justice F.M.I. Kalifulla, Justice P.C. Ghose, Justice A.M. Sapre and Justice U.U. Lalit has rejected the Centre’s curative petition against its verdict commuting the death sentence of three convicts in former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi's assassination case to life imprisonment.The bench also upheld commutation...

District Councils can grant Anticipatory bails; SC stays the Meghalaya HC Judgment [Read the order]

The Supreme Court of India has stayed a Meghalaya High Court judgment which had restrained the District Councils from exercising the power to grant anticipatory bails. Now these District councils can continue to grant  pre arrest bails as before, as the Supreme Court bench of Justices Dipak Misra and PC Pant observed  that the "District council has been exercising the power of...

Bombay HC grants financial aid to aged and ailing Woman Lawyer

A 72-year-old woman lawyer who claimed to have no source of livelihood and that she is sick and infirm, is ordered to be given Rs 5000 as financial aid by the honourable Bombay HC. A bench of Justices V M Kanade and B P Colabawalla heard the plea of the lady lawyer asking the Bar Council of Maharashtra and Goa to do the needful immediately.The honourable bench also asked...

Petitions filed seeking initiation of contempt proceedings against Minister K C Joseph for his “disparaging” remarks at Justice Alexander Thomas

A petition has been filed seeking sanction of Advocate General of Kerala for initiation of contempt of court proceedings against Kerala Culture Minister KC Joseph for his remarks against Justice Alexander Thomas. The petition has been preferred by Advocate J S Ajith Kumar. K.C. Joseph had taken to his face book page to express his displeasure at the remarks made by Justice Alexander Thomas...

Appeal against Jayalalithaa’s acquittal: SC issues notices; refuses to stay HC order

A Supreme Court Bench headed by Justice P.C. Ghose on Monday issued a notice to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa on a batch of petitions challenging her acquittal in the disproportionate assets case. The Court however refused to stay the High Court order.The Karnataka Government had, in the petition, said that Ms. Jayalalithaa's acquittal by the state High Court was a "farce."...

Trial of Public Servant with Invalid Sanction is Null and void and Non-est; Second Trial is permissible with Valid Sanction: SC

A Supreme Court Bench comprising Justice T.S. Thakur and Justice Amitava Roy, in a recent decision in the case of Nanjappa v. State of Karnataka has held that a Trial of Public Servant with Invalid Sanction is Null and void and Non-est. In such cases, second Trial is permissible with Valid Sanction.The Court was hearing an Appeal filed against a judgment passed by the Karnataka High Court...

Woman living with a married man for 15 years: Bombay HC finds it is not a ‘live-in” and denies relief under Domestic Violence Act

The Bombay High Court has denied the relief under Protection of Women from Domestic Violence (DV) Act to a woman who was living with a married man for 15 years. The Court was hearing a revision application against an order passed by the Additional Sessions Judge, Thane. The Additional Sessions Judge had ruled that the woman was in a "live-in relationship" with the married man and was entitled...

Faith is something different from wearing some kind of cloth : Supreme Court on plea against CBSE dress code

Certain Islamic Organisations approached the Supreme Court of India citing that the Notification of AIPMT entrance exam by CBSE, barred the right of Muslim girls to wear Hijab, their customary religious dress. However the Court refused to entertain the plea saying that ”We will not interfere with these kind of small issue”. The counsel for the petitioner, sensing the inclination of Court...

Supreme Court dismisses PIL to stop usage of religious symbols for business purposes

A Public Interest Litigation came up before the 3 Judges Bench of Supreme Court of India yesterday, praying ‘to stop the use of names and images of gods and goddesses for commercial exploitation’.  The court dismissed the petition remarking that “You have raised the issue which concerns the faith of the people. This country has 33,000 crore gods. Sorry.”The bench asked the Lawyer...

SC seeks to know when the CBI would take over the probe into the Vyapam scam; issue of court-monitored probe to be decided later, says SC

The Supreme Court on Friday sought to know from the CBI when it would take to take over the investigation into the “Vyapam” scam cases so that it could thereafter decide the issue of monitoring the probe."We want to know by what time you (CBI) will take over the investigation which is in the hands of SIT/STF of Madhya Pradesh and we have to take a decision that should we monitor or...