Plea Filed In Karnataka High Court Against MHA Circular On Vande Mataram, Claims It Imposes 'Religiously Loaded' Version On Students

The Karnataka High Court on Thursday (March 26) said that it shall hear next month a plea challenging Ministry of Home Affairs' protocol over singing of all six stanzas of national song 'Vande Mataram' in all schools wherein one of the stanzas allegedly invokes Hindu deities. The plea challenges the constitutional validity of the protocol titled 'Orders Relating to the National Song of...

Does Fundamental Right To Reproductive Health Extend To Menstrual Leave? Can Executive Power Mandate It? Karnataka High Court Asks

The Karnataka High Court, on Thursday, heard extensive arguments in a batch of writ petitions challenging the State Government's notification directing one day of paid menstrual leave per month for women employees in industrial establishments.While hearing the counsel for the workforce/women associations at length, the single judge bench of Justice Anant Ramanath Hegde enquired whether...

Pension Can't Be Withheld On Basis Of Single Instance Of Irregularity; Entire Service Must Be Found Thoroughly Unsatisfactory: Jharkhand HC

A Division Bench of the Jharkhand High Court comprising Chief Justice M. S. Sonak and Justice Rajesh Shankar held that the pension of an employee cannot be withheld based on a single instance of irregularity, it requires that employee committed grave misconduct and his entire service was thoroughly unsatisfactory. Background Facts The employee (Respondent) joined the...

Compassionate Appointment Can't Be Denied On Ground Of Delay When Initial Application Was Timely: Rajasthan High Court

The Rajasthan High Court has set aside rejection of compassionate appointment to the petitioner on the grounds of the second application being time barred, opining that since no negative or positive order was passed by the State on the previous application by the petitioner that was filed within the time frame, rejection of second application was contrary to the settled norms. The bench...

'Weakens Public Trust In Healthcare': Bombay High Court Cancels Bail Of Accused For Supplying Fake Medicines To Govt Hospitals

The Bombay High Court has held that the circulation of spurious drugs poses a serious threat to public health and weakens public trust in healthcare systems. The Court observed that offences involving the supply of fake medicines to government hospitals are grave in nature and cannot be treated lightly at the stage of grant of bail.Justice M.M. Nerlikar was hearing an application filed by...

Calcutta High Court Upholds KMC's Power To Revise Property Valuation For Levying Property Tax In ₹11.24 Crore Dispute

The Calcutta High Court has upheld the constitutional validity of Section 3 of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Act, 2022, which expanded and retrospectively validated the Corporation's power to revise annual property valuation. Justice Gaurang Kanth held that the amendment—introduced to cure defects noticed in earlier litigation—falls squarely within the State...

Halting The Pendulum: Imperative Of Finality In Judicial Eligibility

The seat of a Civil Judge (Junior Division) is not merely a bureaucratic rung on the administrative ladder; it is the foundational bedrock of the Indian adjudicatory machinery. It is within the austere, often overburdened walls of the mofussil courts that the common citizen first encounters the formidable apparatus of the State. Consequently, the criteria for occupying such a profound constitutional office must be rooted in unshakeable clarity. Yet, for over three decades, the...

Objection To Territorial Jurisdiction Waived If Not Raised Before Framing Of Issues: Delhi High Court Sets Aside Return Of Plaint

The Delhi High Court has made it clear that an objection to territorial jurisdiction is deemed to be waived if it is not raised at the earliest stage, particularly before the framing of issues, setting aside a trial court order that had returned the plaint on such grounds.Justice Manoj Kumar Ohri thus allowed an appeal filed by the Plaintiff challenging an order passed under Order VII Rule...

NCLT Approval To Settlement Scheme Does Not Dilute Criminal Charges: Bombay High Court Clarifies In NSEL Scam

The Bombay High Court earlier this month made it clear to Jignesh Shah and 63 Moons Technologies Limited, the alleged accused in the multicore National Spot Exchange Limited (NSEL) Scam, that just because the National Companies Law Tribunal (NCLT) approved the One Time Settlement (OTS) for 5,682 traders, it will not exonerate them from the pending criminal cases.A division bench of Justice...

'Consent Immaterial In Legal Marriage': MP High Court Quashes S.377 IPC Charge Against Husband

The Madhya Pradesh High Court has partly allowed a husband's petition seeking quashment of the FIR filed for sexual abuse and dowry harassment, observing that in light of exceptions provided under rape provisions, any sexual intercourse or sexual acts committed by a husband upon his adult wife do not constitute rape and therefore the aspect of consent within a marriage is legally immaterial....

'No Baby Should Die': Bombay High Court Slams Maharashtra Govt Over Continued Malnutrition Deaths In Tribal Areas

The Bombay High Court on Thursday observed that when the Maharashtra Government is able to spend crores on schemes like 'Ladki Bahin', but malnutrition continues to cause deaths among children, pregnant women and others in tribal regions like Melghat, the State must explain its conduct.A division bench of Justice Ravindra Ghuge and Justice Abhay Mantri noted that despite orders being passed...

Sabarimala Gold Theft: Kerala High Court Extends Deadline For SIT Probe; Clears 2017 Flag Mast Allegations

The Kerala High Court on Thursday (26 March) granted additional time to the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the Sabarimala gold theft case to complete the investigation, citing the need for scientific analysis before concluding the investigation.A Division Bench comprising Justice Raja Vijayaraghavan V and Justice K.V. Jayakumar considered a progress report submitted in person by...