Poorest Of Poor Cannot Go To Private Hospitals: Uttarakhand HC Issues Directions For Improving Functioning Of Government Medial College & Associate Hospitals [Read Judgment]

The Uttarakhand High Court recently issued a slew of directions for improving the functioning of Government Medical College, Haldwani and its associate hospitals.The bench comprising Justice Rajiv Sharma and Justice Lok Pal Singh asserted, “Every citizen has a fundamental right to health. The State has the obligation to provide best medical services to its citizens. The poorest of poor...

Delhi HC Grants Interim Protection To Chidambaram In INX Media Money Laundering Case

Former Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram was on Wednesday granted interim protection by the Delhi High Court from arrest in the INX media money laundering case registered by the Enforcement Directorate. Justice A K Pathak granted Chidambaram protection from arrest till August 1. He has asked the Congress leader to cooperate with the probe and not to leave the country without...

Proposed RTI Amendments Weaken The Act: Read Information Commissioner Sridhar Acharyulu's Letter To CICs

After months of protests led by several RTI activists against the Right to Information (Amendment) Bill, 2018, a voice of dissent has now risen from within the Central Information Commission against the proposed changes to the Right to Information Act, 2005.With Chief Information Commissioner R.K. Mathur on leave, Information Commissioner Prof. Mr. Sridhar Acharyulu has written to...

Though Adult Son Cannot Claim Maintenance, Parents Have To Maintain Their Adult Child Till He Gets Employed: Uttarakhand HC [Read Order]

The Uttarakhand High Court recently increased the amount of maintenance awarded to a woman, noting that she had to take care of her major son as well since he was unemployed.Justice Lok Pal Sigh observed, "Though an adult son cannot claim maintenance from his parents as a matter of right, but in the Indian culture we cannot forget the fact that the parents have to maintain their adult child...

All Forms of Plastic, Including Plastic Articles Carried By Devotees in “Irumudikkettu", Banned in Sabarimala : Kerala HC [ Read Order]

"We therefore, deem it essential and imperative to now order complete ban of plastic, in whatever manner and whatever form, be that bottles, sachets, wraps, covers, drinking straw or any other, including for carrying pooja articles in the “Irumudikkettu” and we direct the concerned authorities to ensure that plastic, in whichever form it be, do not find itself in and around Sabarimala...

Bribe For Bail: Madras HC Upholds Dismissal Of Principal District Judge [Read Order]

‘The sterling qualities of a Presiding Deity of a Court of Law i.e., the Judicial Officer/Judge are: (a) Absolute Integrity; (b) Rectitude/Honesty; (c) Hard Work; (d) Humility; (e) Sincerity; (f) Fidelity; (g) Rumination of issues in a dispassionate manner and that too with a balanced mind; (h) Free from corrupt influence or motive; and (i) A character of unadulterated virtue.’The Madras...

Centre And States May Appoint Persons With Judicial Background To Pollution Boards: NGT [Read Order]

Peeved at the state of affairs in the Central and State Pollution Control Boards, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has observed that judicial persons would be the most effective in administering the boards.“Having regard to the statutory schemes of composition of Central Pollution Control Board as well as State Pollution Control Boards under Section 3 and 4 of the Water (Prevention and...

APP Selection: Only State Govt Can Determine Number Of Job Vacancies, Qualified Candidates Can’t Stake Claim To Appointment, Says Guj HC

The Gujarat High Court has said candidates qualified for recruitment to post of Additional Public Prosecutors, Class II, have no enforceable right to be recommended for appointment since the state government is the authority to determine the number of vacancies while also considering the fact that the number of vacancies had come down after the high court had surrendered 275 ad-hoc posts in...

Ministry Refuses To Share Minutes Of Srikrishna Committee On Data Protection, Responses To White Paper, Says It Is Confidential

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has refused to share information on minutes of meetings held by Justice BN Srikrishna Committee on data protection and the various representations made before the committee meetings saying making the information public without taking the committee into confidence would interfere with its functioning.Social activist Anjali...

Parliament Passes Specific Relief Amendment Bill Making Specific Performance of Contract Compulsorily Enforceable

The Parliament has passed the Specific Relief (Amendment) Bill 2018, proposing to bring significant amendments to Specific Relief Act 1963.  On July 23, the Rajya Sabha passed Amendment Bill, which was passed by the Lok Sabha on March 15, 2018.One of the major features of the amendment is that it takes away the discretionary power of courts in ordering specific performance of contract, ...

Lok Sabha Passes Amendment To Negotiable Instruments Act; Provision For Interim Compensation to Payee Introduced

The Lok Sabha has passed  Negotiable Instruments(Amendment) Act on July 23, 2018.The amendment introduces a new provision, Section 143A in the Act, which gives power to the Court to order payment of interim compensation by the drawer of the cheque to the complainant. As per this provision, interim compensation not exceeding twenty percentage of the cheque amount can be ordered to be paid...

Justice Syeda Tahira Safdar To Be The First Woman High Court Chief Justice In Pakistan

Justice Syeda Tahira Safdar is set to be appointed as the Chief Justice of Balochistan High Court, paving way for her to become the first woman Chief Justice of any High Court in the country.The current Chief Justice of Balochistan High Court, Justice Muhammad Noor Meskanzai is scheduled to retire on August 31. Justice Tahira will then take charge as the Chief Justice till October 5 next...