'Prima Facie Good Case On Merit' : Kerala High Court Stays Lakshadweep Notification Increasing Stamp Duty

A Single Bench of the Kerala High Court on Thursday stayed all the proceedings pursuant to the Notification issued by the Lakshadweep Administration revising the existing stamp duty on the islands pending disposal of the Writ Petition. Observing that the the petitioner has made out "prima facie a good case on merits", a single bench of Justice Raja Vijayaraghavan V has stayed...

No Doubt Children Are Addicted To Online Games But Court Cannot Impose Personal Sense Of Morality: Madras High Court

The Madras High Court on Thursday declined to entertain a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking a ban on all online and offline video games that children and young adults are currently addicted to. The petitioner had submitted that since all educational institutions are currently closed, many children and young adults are severely addicted to such online games which could have...

Allahabad High Court Issues Notice On Plea Alleging Construction Of Mosques, Mazars In Chandrasekhar Azad Park

The Allahabad High Court has issued a notice, inter alia, to Uttar Pradesh Government and Waqf Board seeking removal of all the encroachments (allegedly) raised in the shape of religious constructions as Graves, Mazaars or Mosque constructed or created within the area of Alfred Park popularly known as Amar Shaheed Chandrasekhar Aazad Park. The notice was issued by the Bench of...

Advocates With Ten Years Experience Can Be Appointed As Judicial Members Of Various Tribunals: Centre Amends Tribunal Rules

The Central Government has amended the Tribunal, Appellate Tribunal and other Authorities (Qualifications, Experience and other Conditions of Service of Members) Rules, 2020 enabling appointment of Advocates with ten years experience as Judicial Members of various Tribunals.The Amendment was notified yesterday (30th June) and has come into force. In November, last year, the Supreme Court...

Unfettered Powers To Executive' : Journalist Nikhil Wagle Challenges IT Rules in Bombay High Court

Senior Journalist Nikhil Wagle has filed a PIL in the Bombay High Court challenging the recently notified Information Technology (Guidelines for intermediaries and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 issued under the Information Technology (IT) Act. Wagle has alleged that the Rules provide "unfettered powers to the executive to direct the intermediaries to delete or modify...

Counsel Requests Adjournment When Judge Is About To Dismiss Matter, Allahabad HC Imposes 50K Cost, Later Stays It

In an interesting turn of events, the Allahabad High Court yesterday imposed 50K cost in a matter wherein the Counsel requested for adjournment when the Judge was about to dismiss the matter.However, the Bench of Justice Dr. Kaushal Jayendra Thaker, later on, stayed the order as to cost 'for the time being' when the Counsel promised that he would argue on the next date of...

Virtual Hearings To Continue At Bombay High Court Till End Of July

The Bombay High Court will continue virtual hearings till the end of July 2021, it was decided in a meeting chaired by Chief Justice Dipankar Datta on Thursday. All benches will preside for 5 hours, and the first and third Saturday will be court working Saturdays. Regarding local train commute for advocates, the State and Centre said it would try and work out the modalities for...

Based On Judge's Letter, Kerala High Court Takes Suo Moto PIL To Control Animal Cruelty

The Kerala High Court has registered a suo moto PIL to monitor state action in reported instances of cruelty to animals as also, generally, in the matter of prevention of cruelty to animals. The development comes after Justice AK Jayasankaran Nambiar of the Kerala High Court wrote to a letter to the Chief Justice, urging him to take cognizance of news reports of cruel and inhuman...

'We Can't Fix Time Limits': Supreme Court On Plea Seeking Guidelines For Speakers To Decide Disqualifications Of Members

The Supreme Court on Thursday adjourned for two weeks a plea filed seeking guidelines to look into the practice of mala-fide delays on the part of the Speakers/Chairmen of both houses of the Parliament & State Legislative Assembly in deciding matters related to political defections.A three-Judge Bench led by CJI, Justice Bopanna and Justice Hrishikesh Roy expressed its disinclination...

Supreme Court Cautions High Courts Against Unnecessary Summoning Of Officers, Quashes Jharkhand HC Order

The Supreme Court has recently quashed an order of the Jharkhand High Court in an anticipatory bail case, seeking the personal presence of State officials for the "betterment of the criminal justice system." A division bench comprising Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Krishna Murari took objection to the impugned judgment and cautioned High Courts against "unnecessary summoning...

Delhi High Court Issues Guidelines For Declaring Persons As Proclaimed Offenders & Their Early Apprehension,

The Delhi High Court has issued detailed guidelines to be followed while declaring a person as a Proclaimed Offender so as to ensure that the process under sec. 82 and 83 of CrPC is not issued in a routine manner and due process of law is followed.The directions also state detailed mechanism for early apprehension of such proclaimed offenders including a direction that a Digital...

Punjab & Haryana High Court Extends The Life Of Interim Orders, Directions Till August 31

The Punjab & Haryana High Court on Wednesday (Jun 30) decided to extend all interim orders/ directions passed by it and Courts subordinate to it till August 31, 2021 in view of "the severity of the pandemic and likelihood of its spurt in the near future".The order has been passed by the Bench of Chief Justice Ravi Shanker Jha and Justice Arun Palli in suo moto proceedings initiated in view...