Kerala High Court Impleads Distributor & Certifier After Finding Continued Sale Of Chemical Kumkum In Sabarimala Despite Earlier Ban

In a move to ascertain whether the KumKum being distributed in Erumeli Panchayat is naturally sourced or chemical KumKum, the Kerala High Court on Wednesday (December 3) suo motu impleaded the enterprise distributing the KumKum and the agency certifying it to be naturally sourced.The Division Bench of Justices Raja Vijayaraghavan V. and K.V. Jayakumar was seized with a suo motu petition initiated to oversee whether there are adequate facilities in the edathavalams (resting places) for the...

Ilaiyaraaja Settles Dispute With Production Company After It Agrees To Pay Him ₹50 Lakh Over Usage Of Songs In Movies

Renowned musician Ilaiyaraaja has settles the civil suits he had initiated against Mythri Movie Makers, producers of the movies “Dude” and “Good Bad Ugly”, over the alleged unauthorised usage of his copyrighted works. Appearing before Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy, the parties informed the court that they had entered into negotiations and concluded a settlement. The parties also filed a joint memo of compromise, which was digitally signed by Ilaiyaraaja and representative of Mythri...

Punjab & Haryana High Court Dismisses Former Cabinet Minister Bikram Singh Majithia's Bail Plea

The Punjab & Haryana High Court today dismissed the regular bail petition filed by a former Cabinet Minister of Punjab in a corruption case involving alleged accumulation of over ₹540 crore in disproportionate assets, holding that the accusations reveal a deep-rooted economic conspiracy, extensive money-laundering channels, and ongoing investigation with significant international financial trails.Justice Tribhuvan Dahiya said, "The petitioner is one of the prominent political figures in the...

SVLDRS Benefits Cannot Be Denied If Payment Falls Within SC's COVID-19 Extended Limitation Period: Kerala High Court

The Kerala High Court held that payments made under Sabka Vishwas (Legacy Dispute Resolution) Scheme (SVLDRS) are valid if they fall within the extended limitation period granted by the Supreme Court during the COVID-19 pandemic. Justice Ziyad Rahman A.A. found that SVLDRS proceedings are quasi-judicial in nature, and hence covered under Supreme Court's suo...

Award Liable To Be Set Aside When Arbitrator Fails To Consider Whether No Dues Certificate Was Voluntary Or Not: Delhi High Court

The Delhi High Court Bench of Justice Sachin Dutta has observed that where a party raises an objection that the “No Dues Certificate” was given under duress, it is incumbent upon the Arbitrator to give a finding on the issue of voluntariness of the “No Dues Certificate”. The Arbitrator is required to consider the divergent factual positions contended by the parties in their...

Sabarimala Gold Theft: Kerala High Court Quashes Magistrate Order Denying FIR Copy To ED; Says Fresh Application Must Show Proceeds Of Crime

The Kerala High Court on Wednesday (December 03) set aside the Ranni Magistrate court's order denying the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) access to the First Information Report and First Information Statement before the Crime Branch in the Sabarimala gold theft case.The ED had approached the High Court challenging the order that dismissed its application for issuance of certified copies of the FIR and FIS. The Magistrate had dismissed ED's plea observing that the High Court is monitoring...

'In Poor Taste': Delhi High Court Expresses Displeasure After Lawyer Appears With Red Tape On Lips Claiming He Was 'Silenced' In Court

The Delhi High Court expressed "strong displeasure" with the conduct of a lawyer appearing in a contempt matter with red tape on his lips, which he claimed symbolized that he had been "silenced" during arguments in the hearing of the case. During the hearing on December 1, the senior counsel appearing for the Delhi government had apprised the Court about the re-consideration of proposal by the State Government and the fresh offer made to the petitioner by the State Government, in writing....

Ayurvedic Treatment Centre Classified As 'Hospital', Not 'Hotel', Luxury Tax Cannot Be Imposed: Kerala High Court

The Kerala High Court has held that an Ayurvedic Treatment centre is to be classified as a 'hospital' and not 'hotel', and therefore, luxury tax cannot be imposed. Justices A. Muhamed Mustaque and Harisankar V. Menon stated that the Ayurvedic Treatment Centre admits patients undergoing prescribed Ayurvedic treatment for a minimum duration, without offering hotel amenities,...

Sabarimala Gold Theft: Kerala High Court Denies Pre-Arrest Bail To Former Devaswom Board Officials

The Kerala High Court on Thursday (December 4) denied pre-arrest bail to S. Sreekumar, the former Administrative Officer of the Travancore Devaswom Board, who is arraigned as the 6th accused in the high-profile Sabarimala gold theft case.The Court also rejected the anticipatory bail plea of TDB's former Secretary, S. Jayasree, who stands arrayed as the 4th accused.They are accused of the offences under Section 120B [Conspiracy], 403 [Dishonest misappropriation of property], 406 [Criminal breach...

Bhima Koregaon Case: After 5 Yrs In Jail, Bombay High Court Grants Bail To Former DU Professor Hany Babu

The Bombay High Court on Thursday granted bail to former Delhi University Professor Hany Babu, who has been booked for his alleged role in the Elgar Parishad-Bhima Koregaon conspiracy case. A division bench of Justice AS Gadkari and Justice Ranjitsinha Raja Bhonsale granted him bail. A detailed order in the matter is awaited. For context, Babu was arrested in July 2020 by the NIA under the UAPA over alleged links to Maoists in the Bhima Koregaon case. His initial appeal against...

Gujarat High Court Allows Pfizer's Additional Claims Worth ₹15 Crore Under Central Sales Tax Act, Sets Aside VAT Tribunal Order

The Gujarat High Court has allowed writ petition by Pfizer, a pharmaceutical major against the Value Added Tax (VAT) Tribunal order that expressly barred the consideration of any additional Form-F. In a judgment dated November 20, 2025, the Division Bench comprising Justice Pranav Trivedi and Justice A.S. Supehia noted the 11-year pendency in litigation in relation to production of...

Bombay High Court Condemns SEC's 'Last-Minute' Action To Postpone Local Body Polls; Defers Combined Results To December 21

In a stinging rebuke, the Bombay High Court (Aurangabad Bench) on Tuesday came down heavily on the State Election Commission (SEC) for its 'last-minute' decision to postpone elections in several Nagar Panchayats and Nagar Parishads areas across the state. While the Court stood short of quashing the postponement orders to avoid derailing the democratic process, it issued a crucial directive to safeguard electoral purity and stopped declaration of phased wise results in line with the...