State Govt Took No Effective Steps For 30 Years: Bombay High Court Constitutes High Power Committee To Protect Sanjay Gandhi National Park

Considering that since last 30 years, the Maharashtra Government has failed to protect the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) at Mumbai's Borivli area, the Bombay High Court recently appointed a High Power Committee (HPC) under former Allahabad High Court Chief Justice (retd.) Dilip Bhosale, to suggest measures to the State to protect that forest region.A division bench of Chief Justice...

Does Section 498A IPC Apply To Same Sex Relationships? Delhi High Court To Consider

The Delhi High Court is set to consider whether the offence of cruelty punishable under Section 498A of Indian Penal Code, 1860, applies to same sex couples or relationships.Justice Sanjeev Narula issued notice on a plea filed by one Simmi Patwa, claiming that the provision cannot apply to same sex couples. The petitioner submits that the primary requirement to invoke Section 498A is that...

Karnataka High Court Declines To Quash Case Against Man For Circulating WhatsApp Audio Clips Criticising State's Handling Of COVID-19

The Karnataka High Court recently refused to quash a case registered in the year 2020, against a person accused of circulating audio clips in WhatsApp groups wherein he criticized the Government, local MLA, and the manner in which the State Authorities were handling the COVID-19 pandemic.A single judge, Justice Sachin Shankar Magadum dismissed the petition filed by one Althaf Hussain Yane...

J&K Reservation Rules | Reservation For Children Of Defence Personnel Is Horizontal, Not Compartmentalised: High Court

Clarifying the nature of reservation extended to wards of defence personnel, the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh has held that the three percent (3%) reservation provided to Children of Defence Personnel (CDP) under the Jammu and Kashmir Reservation Rules, 2005, is an overall horizontal reservation and not a compartmentalized horizontal reservation.“… three percent (3%)...

Punjab & Haryana Bar Council Seeks Procedure Adopted By HC In Designating Seniors, Says Complaint Received About Nepotism

The Bar Council of Punjab and Haryana has sought details of the procedure adopted by the High Court in designating Senior Advocates, following complaints alleging nepotism and lack of transparency in the selection process.The Punjab and Haryana High Court on October 20, has designated 76 lawyers as Senior Advocates, among those elevated, five are women. 210 advocates had applied for...

"Surprising": Madras High Court On Service Of Summons After 12 Years Of Case Being Filed, Says Institutions Failed In Their Obligations

The Madras High Court was recently surprised to note that the summons in a criminal case was served 12 years after the case was taken on file.Justice B. Pugalendhi noted that the delay was attributable to both the police and the court registry. The court said that while the police failed to cause service of summons in time, the Judicial Magistrate also failed to verify whether the...

Madras High Court Quashes Unlawful Assembly Case Against Men Who Gathered To Watch Live Telecast Of Ram Temple Consecration

The Madras High Court has quashed the criminal proceedings initiated in 2024, against a group of men for alleged unlawful assembly, noting that the men had gathered to watch the live telecast of the Ayodhya Ram temple ceremony. Justice N Satish Kumar noted that whenever some religious functions are conducted, there would be some grievances by other groups. The court added...

Chhattisgarh High Court Upholds ED Arrest Of Chaitanya Baghel In Liquor Scam Case, Says Procedural Lapses Do Not Constitute Illegality

The Chhattisgarh High Court has refused to quash the arrest and consequential criminal proceedings initiated against Chaitanya Baghel (petitioner) for his alleged involvement in the Chhattisgarh Liquor Scam.While the petitioner pointed out a slew of procedural lapses and irregularities in his arrest, such as— non-issuance of summons, baseless claims of non-cooperation, template grounds...

Delhi High Court Bars Lawyer From Appearing Online, Says Switching Off Video Citing Parallel Hearing Against VC Rules

The Delhi High Court has barred a woman lawyer from appearing before it through video conferencing, noting that she switched off her camera and muted herself citing parallel ongoing hearing which is against the VC Rules. Justice Tejas Karia passed the order and barred the lawyer from appearing before his court through VC henceforth. “….learned Counsel for Defendant Nos. 1 and 2,...

Right To Worship At Temple Cannot Be Curtailed; State Must Balance Faith And Public Order: HP High Court

The Himachal Pradesh High Court has held that prohibiting entire communities from worshipping at their deity's temple violates their constitutional right to freedom of religion under Articles 25 and 26.The Court stated that such rights can only be restricted on grounds of public order, morality, or health, and that too through reasonable and proportionate measures.The Court remarked...

'School Teacher Can Enforce Discipline, Correct Pupil': Kerala High Court Quashes Case Against Teacher For Caning Student

In a recent judgment, the Kerala High Court quashed the criminal proceedings initiated against a school teacher for beating his students with a cane.Justice C. Pratheep Kumar referred to various precedents, which discussed the extent of corporal punishment that can be inflicted on a child by a teacher. It was observed: “From the above decisions it is clear that the school teacher, in view...

Madras High Court Notes Centre's SOP To Curtail Dissemination Of Non-Consensual Intimate Images, Closes Woman Lawyer's Plea

The Madras High Court, on Wednesday, closed a plea filed by a young woman lawyer to take down her intimate photos and videos that her former partner had posted without her consent. Justice M Dhandapani took note of the Standard Operating Procedure that was submitted by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology for curtailing the dissemination of Non-Consensual...