Rounding Off Railway Fares Prima Facie Abuse Of Dominance; CCI Orders Investigation Against Railways & IRCTC [Read Order]

The Competition Commission of India has made a prima facie finding that the practise of Railways to round off the base price to the next higher multiple of 5 for tickets booked online through IRCTC portal amounts to abuse of dominant position under the Competition Act. The Commission has ordered the Director General to investigate into the matter and submit a report within 60 days.The CCI...

CBI To Probe Allegations Of Hospital’s Negligence In Death Of HC Judge’s Mother

Two days after the TOI article, a report was published by Tribune, contradicting TOI’s story. This report quoted the judge’s family members to assert that no complaint has been lodged with the CBI. It further cross checked the information with CBI to confirm the lack of a complaint.The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) will reportedly be looking into the death of a high court...

Dharamshala Cricket Stadium ‘Scam’: SC Quashes FIR Against BJP MP Anurag Thakur [Read Judgment]

‘The land was given on lease for the purpose of constructing the cricket ground, which may become pride of Himachal Pradesh, at nominal rental.’The Supreme Court has quashed FIR against BJP MP Anurag Thakur and others alleging irregularities in granting land on lease for construction of Dharamshala cricket stadium.The bench comprising Justice AK Sikri and Justice Ashok Bhushan allowed...

Deny Minimum Support Price To Farmers Indulging In Stubble Burning : NGT [Read Order]

Taking note of the alarming levels of air pollution caused by the practise of burning of crop residue, rampant among farmers in Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and NCT of Delhi, the National Green Tribunal ordered to deny the benefit of Minimum Support Price to farmers who continue to follow the practise.The order was passed on Monday by the NGT Principal Bench at New Delhi presided by...

'Govt Bound To Protect Right Of Women To Pray At Sabarimala', Govt Tells High Court [Read Statement]

The Kerala Government has filed a statement denying the allegations that it was interfering with the day to day functions of Devaswom Board in relation to Sabarimala temple."The security of pilgrims is the concern of the Government and it was being scrupulously undertaken by the Government", stated the statement filed through State Attorney K V Sohan."Every year,crores of rupees is sanctioned...

“A Tea Seller And A Judge”: A Young Railway Judge’s Beautiful Retelling Of His Struggle With Morality And Law

“For legal authority was there; but moral authority I had none,my nation’s law had somewhat failed, and poverty had won!”~ Bharat Chugh, “A tea seller and a judge”.Plenty a texts have been written on the need for imbibing morality in law, and extricating judges from the shackles of blindly and strictly adhering to the law of the land without infusing any life into it. Most these...

Bombay HC Finds No Merit In PILs Based On News Report Alleging LED Lights Scam [Read Judgment]

The Bombay High Court recently dismissed a couple of PILs based on an article that appeared in The Times of India on June 21, 2018, with the headline: “LED lamps cost Rs 3,400 in market, NMC pays Rs 9,900”.It was suggested in the story that a scam had taken place in the procurement of light-emitting diode (LED) lights by Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) under the Rs 470-crore Smart...

U’khand HC Asks Govt To Improve Overall Conditions Of Journalists [Read Order]

“The pen is mightier than the sword”.So said the English author, Edward Bulwer-Lytton, in 1839.And the Uttarakhand High Court was reminded of this adage as it directed the Centre and the state government to take various measures to improve the overall conditions of journalists while also suggesting to the state to provide them reservation in government housing schemes.A bench of Justice...

U’khand HC Asks Centre To Decide In 6 Mths On Nicotine, Tar Content Labelling On Tobacco Products [Read Judgment]

Provision making it mandatory lying dormant for 12 yrsObserving that law should not be permitted to remain dormant without any public interest, the Uttarakhand High Court on Monday directed the Centre to consider within six months whether the Section 7(5) of The Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act, 2003, which makes it mandatory for manufacturers to indicate nicotine and tar content...

Evaded Tax Cannot Be Estimated In Penalty Proceedings : Kerala HC [Read Judgment]

A division bench of Kerala High Court comprising of Justices K Vinod Chandran and Ashok Menon held in State of Kerala v. JoemonRajan that intelligence officers cannot attempt to quantify taxable turnover likely to be evaded by making estimation for the purpose of invoking the provision for penalty.In the aforesaid case, the respondents were metal crusher units. Intelligence officers had...

Law Is To Be Administered On the Basis Of Standards Of People Living In Society : Justice Nageswara Rao [Video]

"Law is to be administered on the basis of standards of people living in society", commented Justice L. Nageshara Rao while delivering a lecture on 'due process of law' at Ernakulam on Saturday as part of Continuing Legal Education Program organized by the Kerala High Court Advocates Association. Justice Rao was speaking in the context of the debate whether Courts transgress their limits...

Sabarimala Is A ‘Secular Temple’, Can’t Restrict Entry Of Non-Hindus: Kerala Govt Tells HC [Read Affidavit]

“Several Christians and Muslims are devotees of Sabarimala Ayyappa Temple and conduct pilgrimage at Sabarimala every year.”Opposing the plea seeking prohibition of entry of non-Hindus in Sabarimala temple, the Kerala Government has stated before the Kerala High Court that Sabarimala is a secular temple and entry of devotees cannot be restricted on the ground of religion.TG Mohandas, a...