Kerala High Court Orders State Bar Council To Refund ₹5K Excess Enrolment Fee Collected From Lawyers

The Kerala High Court on Monday (January 19) directed the Bar Council of Kerala to refund the excess amount collected from seven lawyers to conduct their enrolments.According to the petitioners, the BCK had charged them an excess of Rs. 5000 above the statutorily permitted fee of Rs. 750. They argued that the same was an illegal imposition, in direct violation of the recent Supreme Court...

Karnataka High Court Asks Centre To Submit Notification Governing Online Applications To Seek Indian Citizenship

The Karnataka High Court on Monday (January 19) asked the Union Government to place on record the notification under which online application seeking Indian citizenship is required to be made with the concerned Deputy Commissioner. The court was hearing a woman's plea seeking citizenship for her son who was born in Canada and presently living in India along with her, pursuant to a marital...

Homemaker's Work Would Command High Pay If Outsourced: P&H High Court Enhances Motor Accident Compensation To ₹1.18 Crore

Emphasising that the work of a housewife extends far beyond mere caretaking and includes a wide range of services that would command substantial remuneration if outsourced, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has enhanced compensation awarded in a motor accident claim, raising it from ₹58.22 lakh to ₹1.18 crore.Justice Sudeepti Sharma said, "The work of a housewife transcends...

Sabarimala Gold Theft: Kerala High Court Questions Motive Behind Plea Seeking CBI Probe

The Kerala High Court on Monday (January 19) orally questioned the motives of the members of the Akhila Thanthri Pracharak Sabha, who had filed a plea seeking CBI probe into the high profile case of gold misappropriation from the Sabarimala temple.When the matter came up for consideration, the Division Bench of Justice Raja Vijayaraghavan V. and Justice K.V. Jayakumar orally...

Tripura High Court Grants Interim Bail To Content Creator Booked For 'Derogatory' Facebook Reel Against PM Modi

The Tripura High Court recently granted interim bail to an online content creator accused of making “derogatory remarks” against the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, in a Facebook reel. The Court factored in that she has been in judicial custody for a considerable period and the investigation into the matter is already complete. A bench of Justice S Datta...

Madras High Court Moots Treating Live-In Relationships As Marriage, Calls It A 'Cultural Shock' To India

The Madras High Court recently stressed on the need to protect the rights of women who are caught up in the "modern web" of live-in relationships. Justice S Srimathy remarked that live-in relationships are a cultural shock to the Indian society but are happening widely everywhere. The bench added that the girls enter live-in relationship assuming themselves to be modern but later...

'Penal Liability Doesn't Pass On To Legal Heirs': J&K&L High Court Quashes Suspension Of Employee Over Father's Corruption Case

The Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh High Court has held that the suspension of a government employee solely on the basis of criminal proceedings pending against his father is impermissible in law, as penal liability cannot be inherited by legal heirs.The Court was hearing a writ petition challenging an order suspending a Class-IV employee of the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly...

Indefinite Blacklisting Violates Articles 14 & 19(1)(g): Allahabad High Court Quashes Order Passed Without Considering Defence

Holding that an administrative order cannot be "excessively punitive nor devoid of reasoned legal justification", the Allahabad High Court recently quashed a blacklisting order passed by a District Basic Education Officer (BSA) against a service provider.The bench of Justice Ajit Kumar and Justice Swarupama Chaturvedi held “Debarment has been recognized as a method of disciplining...

Former Kerala High Court Judge Retd. Justice A Lekshmikutty Passes Away

Justice A. Lekshmikutty, former judge of the Kerala High Court, passed away on Monday (January 19).She was appointed as a district judge in the year 1987. She became a judge of the Kerala High Court in 2000 and retired in 2004.She has formerly served as a member of the Kerala State Human Rights Commission. She was also Chairperson of the Kerala State Fishermen Debt Relief Commission....

Authorised Govt Officer's Complaint Necessary To Prosecute Notary: Kerala High Court

The Kerala High Court recently clarified that as per Section 13(i) of the Notaries Act, a complaint by an officer authorized by the government concerned is necessary for taking cognizance of offence committed by a notary public exercising functions under the Act.Justice C. Pratheep Kumar, after referring to the provision and noting non-compliance, set aside all further proceedings against...

Karnataka High Court Issues Notice On Plea Seeking SOP For Access To Archival Court Recordings

The Karnataka High Court on Monday (January 19) issued notice on a petition seeking formulation of Guidelines/Standard Operating Procedure on grant or refusal of access to archival recordings of court proceedings. The plea has been moved by advocate Angad Kamath who had made an application in form III under the Karnataka Rules On Live Streaming and Recording of Court Proceedings 2021...

Punjab & Haryana High Court Dismisses Plea Against Aaj Tak, Anjana Om Kashyap Over Video Claiming Lord Valmiki Was A Dacoit

The Punjab and Haryana High Court has dismissed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking directions to Aaj Tak news channel and its journalist Anjana Om Kashyap to remove an allegedly derogatory video relating to Lord Maharishi Valmiki and to issue a public apology. The plea took exception to a broadcast in which it was allegedly stated that “Bhagwan Maharishi Valmiki Ji was earlier a...