Justice CK Prasad Gets Second Term As Press Council Of India Chairman [Read Notification]

Former Supreme Court Judge, Justice Chandramauli Kumar Prasad has been appointed as the Chairman of the Press Council of India (PCI) for a second term. The decision was reportedly taken by a three-member committee headed by Vice President Venkaiah Naidu in a meeting held last week. Justice Prasad had taken over from Justice Markanday Katju in November, 2014.Recently, journalists from...

Centre Amends Motor Accident Compensation Scale Under No-Fault Liability [Read Notification]

The Central Government has issued a notification to amend the compensation scales for motor accident claims under Second Schedule of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988. As per the notification issued by Ministry of Road Traffic and Highways on May 22, 2018, the compensation payable in case of death is Rs.5 lakh. In case of permanent disability, the compensation payable is the disability percentage...

Supreme Court Of Lesotho Holds Criminal Defamation Laws Unconstitutional [Read Judgment]

Civil remedies for reputational encroachment are more suited for redressing such reputational harm, the court said.The Supreme Court of Lesotho has declared country’s as criminal defamation laws unconstitutional observing that ‘crime of defamation has no place in its current constitutional dispensation’.Justice MA Mokhesi in his 37 paged Judgment observed that Section 101- 104 of the...

Delhi HC Tells Govt To Regularize Kashmiri Migrant Teachers & Extend To Them Pensionary And Terminal Benefits [Read Judgment]

Hoping that it would act as a “balm” for all Kashmiri migrants who suffered loss of their homeland due to communal violence and came to Delhi during 1990-93 and were employed as contractual teachers, the Delhi High Court on Wednesday directed the AAP government and the four municipal corporations to regularize within eight weeks all Kashmiri migrant teachers from the first date of...

PIL Challenges Appointment of Delhi Medical Council Registrar as Pvt Doctors’ Assn Prez; Delhi HC Issues Notice [Read Petition]

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday issued notice to the Delhi Medical Council (DMC), the Delhi Medical Association (DMA), the Delhi government and DMC’s Registrar Girish Tyagi, on a public interest litigation challenging his continuance on the said post while also acting as the DMA president which represents the interest of medical practitioners.A bench of Justice Ravindra Bhat and Justice...

US Supreme Court Agrees To Hear Plea Against Power Project In Gujarat [Read Order]

The Supreme Court of the United States of America (SCOTUS) has agreed to take up an appeal filed against a power plant in Gujarat funded by US-based International Finance Corporation (IFC).SCOTUS on Monday granted the Petition for a writ of certiorari, limited to the following question posed by the Petitioners: "Whether the International Organizations Immunities Act—which affords...

Don’t Act As A Hindrance, Lend A Helping Hand: Bombay HC Redirects BCI To Conduct Inspection Of All-Women’s Law College [Read Judgment]

The Bombay High Court has redirected the Bar Council of India (BCI) to conduct an inspection of the premises for an all-women’s law college in Thane after the BCI failed to comply with the court’s earlier order dated January 22, 2018.A bench of Justice BR Gavai and Justice Bharati Dangre had noted in November last year that the state government, as well as Mumbai University, had...

Trial Court Has A Duty To Ensure Availability Of Diligent And Effective Defence Counsel For Accused: Allahabad HC [Read Judgment]

The presence of counsel on record means effective, genuine and faithful presence and not a mere farcical, sham or a virtual presence that is illusory, if not fraudulent, the court said.While ordering de novo trial in a murder case, the Allahabad High Court has observed that the trial court has a duty to ensure the availability of a diligent and effective defence counsel for the accused, even...

Unnao Rape Case: HC Stays POCSO Trial; State To Designate Special CBI Court, Lucknow For All Interlinked Cases [Read Order]

The Allahabad High Court, on Monday, sought the CBI's response on an affidavit filed by Unnao rape victim's mother, who has alleged that the agency was not conducting a fair investigation into her husband’s murder.The Bench comprising Chief Justice D.B. Bhosale and Justice Suneet Kumar also stayed the hearing under the POCSO Act in the case pending before an Unnao Court. This was done in...

Kerala HC Dismisses Plea Against Collegium Recommendations To Elevate Five Lawyers As HC Judges [Read Judgment]

The petition had also sought a direction to the collegium to make a fresh recommendation where the ordinary lawyers who have no “Godfathers” too are considered.The Kerala High Court, on Tuesday, dismissed a writ petition filed by two advocates challenging the High Court's recommendation to Supreme Court Collegium to elevate five lawyers as judges of the high court.Justice Shaji P Chaly...

Delhi HC Issues Notice On ABVP's Petition Challenging CLAT, 2018; Asks Centre To Look Into It

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday issued notice on the Petition challenging Common Law Admission Test (CLAT), 2018 filed by Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), along with one candidate who appeared for CLAT UG and another law graduate who appeared for CLAT PG.During the hearing, the petitioners asserted that CLAT shouldn't be looked at as a mere competitive examination, but as a...

Lt. Governor Declares Empanelment Of Senior Advocates By Delhi Government Invalid [Read Letter]

Lieutenant Governor of Delhi Anil Baijal has declared as invalid the empanelment of Senior Advocates by the Delhi Government last year to conduct cases on the State's behalf and give their legal opinion.The notification had named thirteen senior advocates including Indira Jaising, Colin Gonsalves, Rebecca Mammen John, Anand Grover, and Sanjay R. Hegde. It had also prescribed...