Appeal Against Conviction Or Acquittal By Special Court Under TNPID Act Will Lie Only To HC, Irrespective Of Quantum Of Sentence: Madras HC [Read Order]

A Special Court constituted under the TNPID Act is not a Court of Magistrate. The Presiding Officer of the Special Court can only be a person of the cadre of a District and Sessions Judge, the bench said.Clarifying that the Special Court constituted under the Tamil Nadu Protection of Interests of Depositors (in financial establishments) Act, 1997 is not a Magistrate’s court, the Madras...

Kerala HC Gives Name To 5-Yr-old Boy; Dismisses Estranged Father’s Plea To Insert His Surname [Read Judgment]

I am of the view that a simple name, without a family name appended to it, should be assigned to the child for the present, leaving it open to the child to seek a modification of his name in future and after attaining the age of majority, should he so desire, the Judge observed.The Kerala High Court has come to the rescue of yet another ‘nameless’ child.Recently, a division bench headed...

Malayalam Cine Actor Dileep Approaches Kerala HC Seeking CBI Probe Into Actress’ Sexual Assault Case

With the trial set to commence in the crime relating to abduction and assault of an actress, Malayalam cine actor Dileep, who stands arrayed as 8th accused in the crime as a conspirator, has filed a petition in the High Court of Kerala seeking an investigation by the CBI. The crime, which took place on 18.02.2017 when a gang of assailants got into the vehicle of the victim and subjected her...

State Can’t Avoid Liability To Compensate For Death Of Manual Scavengers On Work By Citing Its ‘Inability’ To Stop Manual Scavenging: Madras HC [Read Order]

The Madras High Court has observed that the state is under a bounden duty to prohibit manual scavenging and it cannot avoid its liability to compensate manual scavengers who lose their lives in course of manual scavenging, by reason of the inability of the State to stop manual scavenging.This observation was made by the bench headed by Chief Justice Indira Banerjee while disposing a PIL...

Kerala High Court Showers Praise On Health Workers For Effectively Containing Nipah Virus Outbreak

The Kerala High Court lauded the efforts of the State Health Department in effectively containing the Nipah Virus outbreak. The Court also appreciated the Central Government for rendering necessary assistance in the matter.The Division Bench of Chief Justice Hrishikesh Roy and Justice C.T Ravi Kumar was dealing with a public interest litigation filed by two law students seeking directions...

Domestic Violence Not Same As Group-Based Persecution: US Attorney General Refuses Asylum To Salvadoran Rape Victim [Read Order]

U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Monday refused asylum to a woman from El Salvador who had been "physically, emotionally and sexually" by her ex-husband."Generally, claims by aliens pertaining to domestic violence or gang violence perpetrated by non-governmental actors will not qualify for asylum. While I do not decide that violence inflicted by non-governmental actors may never serve...

Courts Can Step In And Remove Errant Executor In Absence Of A Named Legatee: Bombay HC [Read Judgment]

The Bombay High Court has held that in the absence of a named legatee, courts can step in and remove an errant executor in order to protect the interests of one Bipin Gupta’s will.Justice GS Patel removed the 82-year-old Vasant Narayan Sardal as an executor of Gupta’s will and directed him to deposit all the funds belonging to Bipin Gupta’s estate before the Prothonotary of the...

Kerala: Sub-Judge Stages Unique Sit-In To Resolve Garbage Issue In Public Market

It is said that judges can act only through their judgments. However, the Sub-Judge of Ernakulam recently chose to take direct action to resolve a long-standing waste management issue in Ernakulam Public Market.Judge AM Basheer, who also happens to be the secretary to District Legal Services Authority, performed a unique sit-in protest in Ernakulam Public Market on Tuesday. The protest was...

Blaming RSS For Mahatma Gandhi’s Assassination: Rahul Gandhi To Face Defamation Trial As He Pleads “Not Guilty”

Congress President Rahul Gandhi will now face trial on charges of defamation as a court in Bhiwadi, Maharashtra on Tuesday framed charges against him on a complaint filed by an RSS worker after the former blamed the RSS for Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination.47-year-old Rahul Gandhi appeared before the court of Presiding Officer Al Shiekh amidst heavy security and pleaded “not guilty”...

Malappuram Court Summons Times Now’s Rahul Shivshankar And Anand Narasimhan On A Defamation Case By NWF Leader Sainaba

The Judicial First Class Magistrate Court, Malappuram has issued summons on a complaint filed by Ms. A.S. Sainaba, President, National Women’s Front (NWF) alleging that a show aired by Times Now had wrongly accused her of playing a major role in converting women into Islam and providing them a hideout.The show titled "Hindu girls are hunted, converted, exploited in Kerala" had aired in...

Man Mistreats Step-Mother, Loses Share In Father’s Flat As Bombay HC Upholds Revocation Of Gift Deed In His Name [Read Judgment]

A man has lost his share in his father’s flat for mistreating his step-mother as the Bombay High Court had held that it was implied that the father as well his second wife would be looked after by the petitioner and his wife after transfer of 50 percent share in the flat.A bench of Justice Ranjit More and Justice  Anuja Prabhudessai upheld the order of Sub Divisional Revenue Officer...

Sohrabuddin Trial: Special Court Reserves Order On His Brother’s Application To Add Him As Witness

The Special CBI Court conducting the trial against accused police officers in the alleged fake encounter of Sohrabuddin Sheikh and Tulsiram Prajapati has reserved its order in an application filed by deceased Sohrabuddin’s biological brother named Shahnawazuddin.Shahnawazuddin had filed an application on May 10, 2018, seeking to be added as a primary witness in the case. The prosecution...