High Court Imposes ₹50K Cost On Punjab Govt For Seeking Repeated Adjournments In Obtaining Sanction To Prosecute Ex-Chief Secy In Graft Case

The Punjab and Haryana High Court has imposed a cost of ₹50,000 on the Punjab Government for repeatedly seeking adjournments in a contempt petition.The case pertains to a contempt petition filed by Tulsi Ram Mishra, alleging non-compliance with the order passed in September 2023, directing the state to forward all documents to the Centre for obtaining sanction to prosecute Punjab's former...

'God Can't Be Tool For Rivalry Or Social Dominance': Madras High Court In Pleas Seeking Installation Of Ganesha Idol

Disposing of a batch of pleas seeking permission to install idols of Lord Ganesh in connection with Vinayaka Chaturthi celebration, the Madras High Court remarked that most of the requests were driven by ego clashes and a desire to show dominance. Justice B Pugalendhi deprecated the practice of using divinity to settle personal scores and remarked that God was a symbol of unity, not...

Kerala High Court Rejects Congress Leaders' Plea Against AI Traffic Cameras, Seeking Probe Into Safe Kerala Project

The Kerala High Court today dismissed a writ petition filed by two Congress leaders challenging the installation of AI cameras for 'Automated Traffic Enforcement' in the State and and seeking a Court monitored enquiry into the Safe Kerala project.The division bench comprising Chief Justice Nitin Jamdar and Justice Basant Balaji observed,"Having thoroughly reviewed the claims in writ petition,...

Kerala High Court Grants Anticipatory Bail To Rapper Vedan In Rape Case

The Kerala High Court on Wednesday (August 27) granted anticipatory bail to Rapper Vedan, officially known as Hiran Das Murali, in a case alleging rape on the false promise to marry. The Court had earlier reserved its order in the rapper's bail plea, which was moved after a FIR was lodged against him by a young doctor.Justice Bechu Kurian Thomas observed the fact that a new crime was...

“Not Safe To Allow Local Police To Continue Investigation”: Calcutta High Court Transfers Khejuri Murder Probe To CID

The Calcutta High Court has directed the state CID to investigate the murder of two men who were brutally killed in West Bengal's Khejuri.Justice Tirthankar Ghosh held: “Having regard to the factum of instilling public confidence in an investigation both in respect of the manner of investigation process, the difference in the opinion of the Autopsy Surgeons and the fact that the...

Kerala High Court Slaps 25K On PIL Litigant For 'Suppressing Personal Interest', Says Parties' Credentials Must Be Disclosed At Threshold

The Kerala High Court imposed Rs. 25,000 fine on a public interest litigant who suppressed his "personal interest" in the matter and did not disclose proper credentials which amounts to abuse of law. In doing so the court emphasized that there is a need to disclose the full credentials of petitioners in Public Interest Litigations (PILs) by way of detailed affidavits at the threshold, to...

Delhi High Court Denies Bail To Man Accused Under UAPA For Supplying Weapons To 'Bambiha' Gang, Says Arrest Not Illegal

The Delhi High Court on Monday (August 25) denied bail to a UAPA accused, booked for supplying arms and ammunition to the Bambiha Gang, in furtherance of alleged conspiracy to commit terrorist activities in the country, particularly the national capital.A division bench of Justices Subramonium Prasad and Harish Vaidyanathan Shankar observed that a huge cache of arms and ammunition was...

Kerala High Court Suspends Judicial Officer Accused Of Sexual Impropriety

The Kerala High Court has suspended Sri. Udayakumar V., judicial officer at the Motor Accidents Claims Tribunal, Kollam, while initiating disciplinary action against him on a sexual harassment allegation.He was previously serving as Judge of the Family Court, Chavara when allegations of sexual impropriety were raised against him by a litigant. Following the same, he was transferred from there...

'Mere Prospect Of Filing Review Not Grounds To Hold Seized Goods': Delhi High Court Orders Customs To Release Woman's Gold Jewellery

The Delhi High Court has granted relief to a Muslim woman whose gold bangles were seized by the Customs Department on return from Mecca and were withheld despite an order of the Adjudicating Authority, directing release.A division bench of Justices Prathiba M. Singh and Shail Jain observed that merely because the Department plans to seek a review of the order for return, as upheld by...

PIL In Delhi High Court Against LG Notification Allowing Recording Of Police Officials' Evidence From Police Stations

A public interest litigation has been filed in the Delhi High Court against a notification issued by the Delhi Lieutenant Governor (LG) VK Saxena declaring all police stations in the national capital as “designated places” for recording deposition of police officers through video conferencing.The petition has been filed by Advocate Kapil Madan, through Advocates Gurmukh Singh Arora and...

Department Can't Withhold Refund In Terms Of S.54(11) GST Act Unless Appeal Against Refund Order Is Filed: Delhi High Court

The Delhi High Court has made it clear that the power to withhold refund under Section 54(11) of the Central Goods and Service Tax Act 2017 cannot be exercised by the Department in absence of an appeal against the refund order.The provision stipulates that where an order giving rise to a refund is the subject matter of an appeal and the Commissioner is of the opinion that grant of such refund...

Ex-Kollam Bar Association President Alleges Contempt, Kerala High Court Seeks State's Stand On Theft Case Probe

Former Kollam Bar Association President, Adv. Dheeraj Ravi, has initiated contempt proceedings before the Kerala High Court against the Kollam City Police Commissioner for allegedly not complying with the Court's direction to conduct a Crime Branch investigation into a theft that occurred in his residence.When the matter came up for admission, Justice P.V. Kunhikrishnan directed the...