Payment Of Building Tax Without Protest Can’t Estop One From Later Claiming Exemption: Kerala HC [Read Judgment]

Self-imposed limitation under Article 226 on the alternative remedy cannot be invoked in the face of the authority’s lacking the power, the Court said.The Kerala High Court in Rev. Msgr Philip Njaralakkatt vs. State of Kerala, has held that payment of building tax even without protest could not come in one’s way to raise a plea, at a later instance, against it being compelled to pay the...

Steep Hike In Driving Licence, Vehicle Registration Fee; Central Govt Issues Notification [Read Notification]

The Central government has hiked the fee for application of driving licence and vehicle registration.In a notification issued in official Gazette, the fee for issuing licence, its renewal etc. has been doubled or tripled.Fee for issuance or renewal of licence to a have been quadrupled. The Central Motor Vehicles (Twenty-second Amendment) Rules, 2016, also hiked the Vehicle registration fee by...

Bombay HC Turns Down Anna Hazare’s Plea Seeking CBI Probe Into Sugar Coop Scam

A division bench of the Bombay High Court on Friday refused to order a CBI probe into the alleged sugar cooperative scam.The bench of Justice AS Oka and Justice Anuja Prabhudessai was hearing a PIL filed by Anna Hazare.It asked Hazare to file a police complaint in this regard and observed that this plea seeking a CBI probe could not be considered at this stage. Hazare named Sharad Pawar and...

Constable Files PIL In Bombay HC Alleging “Rampant Corruption” In Traffic Police Dept [Read Petition]

In an embarrassment to the Police Department, head constable Sunil Toke has filed a PIL alleging rampant corruption in Mumbai’s traffic police, seeking registration of an FIR against corrupt police officials and constitution of a Special Investigation Team to look into this entire case.Toke, who is currently posted at Worli, was earlier posted at Goregaon Traffic Police Division and at...

Kerala HC Holds Levy Of ‘Luxury Tax’ From Hospitals As Constitutionally Valid [Read Judgment]

“The Act defines the word 'luxury' to mean a commodity or service that ministers comfort or pleasure. The facilities that are provided in a hospital which are beyond the essential requirements like food, medicine, and professional services and a basic room have been accepted as luxury by the legislature in classifying them as such under the Act through the impugned amendments,” the...

Mother Having Remarried Or Being Divorced No Relevant Factor For Deciding Child’s Custody: Bombay HC [Read Judgment]

The Bombay High Court, in Shrirang Purushottam Deshmukh vs. Smt. Radhika Shrirang Deshmukh, has held that while deciding the question of custody, the welfare of the minor child is of paramount consideration and it is not a relevant factor if the mother has married twice or is a divorcee, in deciding the entrustment of the child.In the petition filed in the high court, the...

68% Victims Avoid Reporting Sexual Harassment At Workplace: INBA Survey [Read Report]

According to a recent survey conducted by the Indian National Bar Association, 68% of the victims of sexual harassment at workplace did not report to the management about the incident, due to fear of retaliation and discrimination.The survey, carried out over a period of seven months from April to October, 2016, covered 6,047 people, of which 78 per cent were females, working in sectors such...

Copy Of FIR Can’t Be Refused Except In Sensitive Cases: Chhattisgarh HC [Read Order]

Police officers would be under the duty to provide the FIR if applied, said the High Court.The Chhattisgarh High Court has held that even if the copy of FIR has been forwarded to the Magistrate, a person seeking certified copy of FIR from the police authorities cannot be denied.Titash Banik had approached the high court after his application before the police authorities seeking certified copy...

Bombay HC Warns State Against Overcrowding Of Prisons, Pushes For ‘Model Jails Like Developed Nations’ [Read Order]

A division bench of the Bombay High Court on Thursday asked the Maharashtra government some direct questions regarding the condition of prisons and what is to be done in order to set up a model prison in the state on the lines of those in developed countries.The bench headed by Justice Abhay Oka observed that in view of the increasing number of undertrials, a study would have to be conducted...

Family Court Has No Jurisdiction To Decide Guardianship Of Kids Ordinarily Residing Abroad: Karnataka HC [Read Judgment]

The Karnataka High Court, in Dr. Mashmoom v. Mr. Sajid, has recently held that ordinary residence as mentioned in Section 9 of the Guardianship and Adoption Act does not include the temporary residence of children.Clarifying the meaning of word ‘ordinarily’, it held that it completely rules out the temporary residence of children.The appellant in this case had appealed against the decision...

Delhi HC Asks CBI Whether An FIR Can Be Filed Against Allegedly Corrupt AIIMS Officials

The division bench of Chief Justice G Rohini and Justice Sangita Dhingra Sehgal of the Delhi High Court has asked the CBI to file it’s reply on an application which seeks directions to register cases against corrupt officials of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences(AIIMS) Delhi for their involvement in the alleged irregularities in purchase of certain items for surgery department...

State Govt Not Bound To Appoint Outstanding Sportsperson To State Service: Punjab & Haryana HC [Read Judgment]

The Punjab & Haryana High Court, in Ravinder and another vs. State of Haryana and others, has rejected a petition brought forward by two sportsmen Ravinder Kumar, an international player of kayaking, and Bijender Singh, a canoeing player from Sonepat district.In the petition filed by them, they asserted that the state government is bound to pass an order on representation of the...