Bombay High Court Mulls Constituting Compliance Committee As Authorities Drag Feet On Air Pollution 'Crisis'

The Bombay High Court on Tuesday (January 27) orally expressed reluctance to monitor the efforts taken by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) and other authorities in bringing down the rising levels of air pollution in Mumbai and its neighbouring areas, stating that it cannot sit in the court and check if the compliances are made.The...

Delhi High Court Directs MCD To Clear Hawkers From Anand Vihar ISBT, Orders Beautification Plan

The Delhi High Court has directed the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to remove all hawkers and vendors from the congested area around the Anand Vihar ISBT, while permitting only 105 vendors, who were found eligible to vend through mobile carts and without any permanent structures.A Division Bench of Justice Prathiba M. Singh and Justice Madhu Jain said that the hawkers had created...

Customary Restrictions Can't Bar Widow From Alienating Non-Ancestral Property, Gender-Based Customs Must Yield To Equality: P&H High Court

The Punjab and Haryana High Court has said that a widow is competent to alienate non-ancestral property inherited from her husband without the consent of collaterals, as any customary restriction to the contrary is constitutionally impermissible.Justice Virinder Aggarwal said, “Consequently, any such fetter on a woman's right to deal with her independently inherited property must be held to...

Kerala High Court Raps Authorities Over Non-Removal Of Pilgrims' Clothes From Pampa River At Sabarimala

The Kerala High Court on Tuesday (January 27) pulled up the Travancore Devaswom Board for ignoring the directions issued to remove clothes dumped in River Pampa after pilgrimage season in Sabarimala.The Division Bench of Justices Raja Vijayaraghavan V. and K.V. Jayakumar was considering a suo motu petition, which it had closed earlier this month after it was assured that there is no waste...

Delhi High Court Upholds Rule Allowing Childless Widow To Continue Family Pension After Remarriage

The Delhi High Court today upheld the constitutional validity of Rule 54 of the Central Civil Services (Pension) Rules, 1972, entitling a childless widow to continue to receive family pension after remarriage.A Division Bench comprising Justice Anil Kshetarpal and Justice Amit Mahajan dismissed a writ petition filed by the parents of a deceased CRPF personnel seeking grant of family pension...

Karnataka High Court Denies Bail To Man Accused Of Being ISIS Member, Engaging In Transferring Terror Funds Via Cryptocurrency

The Karnataka High Court dismissed the bail plea of a man accused of being an ISIS member who was allegedly radicalized and recruited by his college mate, was involved in reconnaissance and arson activities with an intention to wage war against the government and engaging in transfer of terror funds through cryptocurrency.A division bench of Justice HP Sandesh and Justice Venkatesh Naik T in...

Vembanad Lake Pollution: Kerala High Court Issues Directions To Curb Pollution By Non-Compliant Houseboats

The Kerala High Court recently issued detailed directions to curb pollution caused by the plying of houseboats in the Vembanad lake, the longest lake in India and the largest in Kerala.Justice V.G. Arun passed the interim order while considering a batch of petitions, in which the main issue was whether houseboats registered at Kodungallur Port can be allowed to operate in Alappuzha...

Karnataka High Court Denies Bail To PFI Member Booked For 'Conspiring' To Radicalize Muslim Youth To Commit Terrorist Acts

The Karnataka High Court refused to grant bail to a man accused of being a member of banned organization Popular Front of India (PFI) of allegedly conspiring to radicalise Muslim youth to carry out terrorist acts, as well as raising funds for the commission of terrorist activities. The court was hearing an appeal by Shahid Khan, one of nineteen accused, challenging dismissal of his bail plea...

"No End To Multiplication Of Cases In Family Disputes": Madras High Court Fines Father-In-Law For Filing Writ To Wreak Vengeance

The Madras High Court recently lamented the institution of multiple cases in family disputes and commented that instead of approaching the Family Courts to settle the disputes, parties often expanded the disputes to criminal courts and other jurisdictions and sometimes even the writ jurisdiction under Article 226 of the Constitution. Pointing out that there is no end to...

Allahabad High Court Rejects PIL Questioning Lowering Of NEET-PG 2025-26 Cut-Offs

The Allahabad High Court today rejected a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) plea challenging the decision of the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) to reduce the qualifying cut-off percentiles for NEET-PG 2025-26 to zero percentile and a score of minus 40 for certain categories.A bench of Chief Justice Arun Bhansali and Justice Kshitij Shailendra rejected the PIL...

Non-Citizens Can File Writ Petition Against Arbitrary State Action: Madras High Court Sets Aside SBI's Termination Of Sri Lankan National

The Madras High Court has recently observed that a non-citizen can also file a writ petition under Article 226 of the Constitution challenging a State action if the same is allegedly arbitrary, making unreasonable discrimination and results in violation of rights guaranteed under Article 14 and 21 of the Constitution. “A non-citizen cannot invoke writ jurisdiction of this Court...

Jhansi Medical College Fire | Enquiry Pending For Over 1 Year: High Court Stays Suspension Of Ex-Chief Medical Superintendent

The Allahabad High Court (Lucknow Bench) recently stayed the operation of the suspension order passed against Dr Sunita Rathaur, the former Chief Medical Superintendent (CMS) of Maharani Laxmibai Medical College, Jhansi.The interim relief comes more than a year after her suspension order was issued following the unfortunate fire at the college's Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) that...