Santa Claus Caps Can't Be Forced On Employees At Workplace, May Hurt Sentiments Of Different Faiths: Allahabad High Court

This type of action is not permitted in the democratic system of the country wherein every citizen is free to follow his/her faith and belief, the Court said.

'Mere Wish Of Wife That Husband Should Live As 'Gharjamai' Is Not Cruelty': Jharkhand High Court Refuses Divorce To Husband

The Jharkhand High Court has held that a wife's mere wish that her husband live as a Gharjamai cannot constitute cruelty for the purpose of seeking divorce under the Hindu Marriage Act.A Division Bench of Justice Sujit Narayan Prasad and Justice Sanjay Prasad was hearing an appeal filed by the husband challenging the dismissal of his divorce petition under Section 13(1)(ia) of the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955, on the ground of cruelty.The parties had married on 21.11.2008 at Patna and had an...

Karnataka High Court Directs State To Decide Representation On Reconstruction Of Parashurama Statue At Udupi Theme Park

The Karnataka High Court has directed the State Government to consider a representation seeking reconstruction and reinstallation of the Lord Parashurama statue at the Parashurama Theme Park in Karkala, Udupi district.Disposing of a PIL filed by Uday Shetty Muniyal, a Division Bench of Justice Anu Sivaraman and Justice T.P. Vivekananda observed that the dispute was “purely factual” and that it was for the State Government to take a decision on the petitioner's representation.“We can easily say...

Brothel Customer Can't Be Booked For Running Premises Or Procuring Women For Prostitution: Gujarat High Court

The Gujarat High Court has held that a customer at a brothel cannot be booked for running a brothel or procuring a person for prostitution under Immoral Traffic Act. In doing so the court quashed a 2010 FIR against a man under the Act, who was caught after a raid was conducted at a hotel allegedly being run as a brothel.The petitioner had approached the high court seeking quashing of an FIR...

Calcutta High Court Directs Police, Customs To Stop Unauthorised Sale Of Pets At North Kolkata's Galiff Street

The Calcutta High Court has directed the Kolkata Police, Customs authorities and the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, West Bengal, to take effective steps to stop unauthorised sale and trading of birds, pets, fish, plants and other animals at Galiff Street in North Kolkata.A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Ravindra Vithalrao Ghuge and Justice Arijit Banerjee passed the directions on September 16 while hearing a suo motu public interest litigation concerning smuggling and illegal...

High Court Rejects Chandigarh Admin's Plea Against Minimum Pay Scale For Part-Time Class IV Employee, Cites Pay Parity

The Punjab and Haryana High Court has dismissed a petition by the Chandigarh Administration challenging a Central Administrative Tribunal order that granted a part-time Class-IV employee the minimum pay scale of the Group-D post he holds. The Court said the Administration had extended the same benefit to almost all similarly placed part-time employees.A Division Bench of Justice Harsimran Singh Sethi and Justice Minderjeet Yadav held that "similarly situated persons cannot be treated differently...

'Stipendiary Nurses' Performing Full-Time Duties Of Staff Nurse For Years Entitled To Regular Wages Under 2019 GO: Karnataka High Court

The Karnataka High Court has upheld an order directing an autonomous medical institute to pay the “stipendiary nurses” at par with regular employees as well as to not discontinue their service until recruitment for staff nurses on a regular basis takes place.For context, stipendiary nurses are employed on a contractual basis who receive a regular fixed stipend instead of a salary. A...

Arrest Safeguards Exist Only On Paper, Actual Compliance Not Shown In Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh: High Court

The Punjab and Haryana High Court has rejected the compliance affidavits filed by police and administrative heads of Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh on the Arnesh Kumar safeguards against unnecessary arrest. It said the States and the Union Territory had again filed standard operating procedures (SOPs) that showed compliance "on paper" but not "actual compliance" on the ground.Justice...

Complainant Can't Force Unwilling Accused To Undergo Narco Test: Delhi High Court

The Delhi High Court has held that a complainant cannot seek to compel an accused who has expressly refused consent to undergo a Narco Analysis Test. Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav observed that consent is a personal and non-derogable safeguard available to the subject of the test.“If, therefore, even an accused person cannot claim an indefeasible right to undergo the test on an...

Possibly Self-Inflicted Injuries: DGP Tells High Court In Plea Over Alleged Custodial Torture Of Youth Who Showed Black Flag To Punjab CM

The Punjab DGP has told the Punjab and Haryana High Court that the injuries allegedly suffered by Mohanjeet Singh, a youth who claimed to have been subjected to custodial torture after showing a black flag to Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann could possibly be self-inflicted.The DGP cited medical opinion as per which possibility of “self infliction or friendly hand” could not be ruled...

Karnataka High Court Refers Employers' Challenge To Minimum Wage Hike To Division Bench, Declines Interim Relief

The Karnataka High Court has directed a batch of petitions challenging the State Government's notification revising minimum wages for 81 scheduled employments to be tagged with appeals pending before a Division Bench on a similar issue.Justice HT Narendra Prasad directed the Registry to club the petitions with Writ Appeals Nos. 1684/2026 and 1685/2026, which concern the interpretation of...

Interfaith Same-Sex Couple Has Fundamental Right To Live Together In Peaceful Live-In Relationship: Allahabad High Court

The Allahabad High Court has observed that an interfaith same-sex couple has a fundamental right under Article 21 of the Constitution of India to live together in a peaceful live-in relationship, observing that family members, relatives, or other persons cannot interfere with the couple's choice to live together. A bench of Justice Dr. Gautam Chowdhary passed the order while dealing with a writ petition filed by a lesbian couple, who sought protection from alleged threats and harassment by...