SC Declines Early Hearing Of Petitions On Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid Title Dispute Case

The Supreme Court on Monday declined early hearing of petitions in the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid title dispute case.A bench comprising Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice S K Kaul said it had already listed the appeals before the appropriate bench in January."We have already passed the order. The appeals are coming up in January. Permission declined," the bench said while rejecting...

SC Dismisses Plea Seeking Recusal Of Judges Hearing Manipur Fake Encounter Cases

The Supreme Court Monday dismissed a plea filed by some Manipur Police personnel seeking recusal of judges of the bench in Manipur fake encounter cases in which the CBI Special Investigation Team (SIT) is carrying out a probe.A bench comprising Justices Madan B Lokur and U U Lalit said that there was no reason for these policemen to doubt the SIT and the probe conducted by it in these...

Insurance Companies Not Liable To Pay Compensation To Unauthorised Passengers For Motor Vehicle Deaths/ Injuries: Madras HC [Read Judgment]

The Madras High Court recently reiterated that insurance companies cannot be held liable to compensate for deaths or injuries to unauthorised/ gratuitous passengers in goods or transport vehicles.In doing so, the Bench comprising Justice KK Sasidharan and Justice R. Subramanian refused to consider as precedent the recent judgment in Shivraj v. Rajendra, wherein the Supreme Court had...

High Courts Weekly Round-Up

Allahabad High CourtHaving repeatedly summoned doctors to decipher unreadable medico legal reports in many cases, the Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court directed submission of computerised reports along with original handwritten ones for facilitating the courts of law.The High Court ordered a CBI inquiry into the death of a 29-year-old woman, who was allegedly beaten and tortured by...

Husband May Beg, Borrow Or Steal To Maintain Wife And Child: Punjab and Haryana HC [Read Order]

“The first and foremost duty of the husband is to maintain the wife and the child. He may beg, borrow or steal.” This remark has again found its place in a recent Punjab and Haryana High Court order.The above remark is seen quoted in a recent order by Justice HS Madaan while dismissing plea of a man challenging a family court order jailing him for not paying the maintenance to his wife....

Former SC Judge Justice S N Phukan Passes Away

Former Supreme Court judge Justice S N Phukan passed away yesterday morning at 6 AM at a private hospital at Jorhat, Assam. He was aged 81 years.He was a judge at the Supreme Court from January 28, 1999 to April 1, 2002.He started law practise at Guwahati in 1962. A year later, he joined the Assam Judicial Service.He joined the Meghalaya government in July, 1970 and worked in the Law...

Delhi Court Calls For Status Report On FIR Against Raheja Developers As Home Buyers Cry Foul

A Delhi court has directed the Economic Offences Wing of Delhi Police to explain what action has been taken by it on the FIR registered against Raheja Developers, its CMD Navin Raheja and others after several home buyers cried foul over delay in completion of one of its residential projects.Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Pooja Talwar asked the investigating officer to file a status report...

Accused Who Can’t Afford Lawyer Must Be Provided One At The Cost Of The State: Patna HC [Read Judgment]

‘Unless there happens to be refusal at the end of the accused, the accused must be provided legal representative at the cost of the State.’Ordering de novo trial in a murder case, the Patna High Court has set aside conviction of an accused who was not represented by a lawyer during the trial.The bench of Justice Aditya Kumar Trivedi and Justice Rajendra Kumar Mishra observed that unless...

Madhya Pradesh HC Convicts Rape Accused Treating Victim’s Suicide Note As Dying Declaration [Read Judgment]

‘The entire reading of the dying declaration does not absolve the accused though she said that they be not punished.’The Madhya Pradesh High Court has treated a suicide note of a rape victim who had killed herself as a dying declaration and convicted two accused.Two persons, Shahid and Shamim, were accused of raping the 18-year-old girl who had entered their car after they offered her to...

Calling Husband ‘Impotent’ In Pleadings Can Amount To Defamation: Bombay HC [Read Judgment]

The word “impotent” when understood in its plain and grammatical sense, reflects adversely upon the manhood of a person and has a tendency to invite derisive opinions about such person from othersThe Bombay High Court has held that calling a husband ‘impotent’ in pleadings can amount to ‘defamation’.A defamation complaint was filed by a husband alleging that his wife made...

Disgruntled Employee's Outcry In Social Media Part Of Free Speech : Kerala HC [Read Judgment]

Observing that emotional outburst of a disgruntled employee is part of free speech, the High Court of Kerala ordered the reinstatement of a University employee who was suspended for his social media posts against the institution.The Court was acting on a petition filed by a University Assistant of Mahatma Gandhi University, who posted sarcastic comments in social media following his removal...

A Decade After Man’s Death, Delhi HC Allows His Wife’s Appeal Against Divorce [Read Judgment]

Ten years after the death of her husband, a lady’s appeal against divorce decree granted by the family court has been allowed by the Delhi High Court.In 2007, the family court had dissolved their marriage observing that they had reached to a point of no return and their marriage had broken down irretrievably. The wife filed an appeal against this and in 2008, the husband expired. He...