Media Must Apologize To Acquitted Innocents: ‘Peoples’ Tribunal On Innocent Acquitted’ Suggests Legislative & Policy Changes [Read Report]

BackgroundThe Innocence Network organized its first Peoples’ Tribunal on Acquitted Innocents on 2nd October 2016 at Delhi. The Jury comprised of Justice (Retd.) A.P. Shah (Chairman), Mr. Saeed Akhtar Mirza, Prof. (Dr.) G.S. Bajpai, Ms. Neena Vyas, Ms. Nandini Sundar, Mr. Abdul Shaban, Mr. Vinod Sharma and Ms. Monica Sakhrani.It heard testimonies of those who had been charged with terror...

Plea Before ECI To Put Rider On Tax Exemption For Political Parties [Read Representation]

In a representation submitted to Chief Election Commissioner Nasim Zaidi, former RSS leader KN Govindacharya on Friday sought denial of tax exemption to political parties if these fail to share details of cash deposits exceeding Rs.20,000.The representation was endorsed by PV Rajagopal of the Ekta Parishad and Sushri Rajshree Chowdhary (great granddaughter of Netaji Subhash Chandra...

President Clears Enemy Property (Amendment And Validation) Ordinance For Fifth Time

President Pranab Mukherjee on Thursday re-promulgated the Enemy Property (Amendment and Validation) Fifth Ordinance, 2016, which is a nearly 50-year old law to guard against claims of succession or transfer of properties left by the people who migrated to Pakistan and China after the wars.The amendments aim to plug the loopholes in the principal Act to ensure that the enemy properties...

Exemption From Quarrying Permit For Building Construction Ultra Vires: Kerala HC [Read Judgment]

In a significant judgment, the High Court of Kerala has struck down Rule 14(2) of Kerala Minor Mineral Concession Rules 2015, which exempted the activity of extraction of ordinary earth in connection with construction of buildings on the strength of prior valid building permits issued by Local Self Government Institutions from the requirement of obtaining mining permit.The Court noted that...

Forcing Husband To Stay Away From His Parents Amounts To Cruelty: Bombay HC [Read Judgment]

HC says it is bound by the SC dictum in Narendra vs K MeenaThe Bombay High Court in Chitra Sachin Mapara vs Sachin Kumar Mapara has held that any pressure on part of the wife on the husband to stay away from his parents without any justifiable cause amounts to cruelty.Justice RD Dhanuka, while dismissing a second appeal preferred by the wife, observed that it is bound by the Supreme...

Release Of Water For Religious Purposes In Violation Of State Water Policy: Bombay HC [Read Order]

A division bench of Justices AS Oka and AA Sayed of the Bombay High Court has held the Maharashtra government in violation of it’s own water policy of 2003. The state government had decided to release water from the Gangapur Dam Complex in  Godavari river, for the purpose of shai snan at Kumbh Mela  in 2015. Apart from the legislation (State Water Policy 2003), a government resolution...

Removal Of Prisoner’s Name From Remission Register Doesn’t Amount To ‘Double Jeopardy’ : Bombay HC

The removal of a prisoner’s name from ‘Remission Register’ after registering a case against him for not reporting back in time after being released on parole does not amount to double jeopardy, the Bombay High Court has ruled.A division bench comprising Justice VK Tahilramani and Justice AM Badar observed that the action taken against the prisoner of removing his name from the...

Applying For Passport Made Easy: Read Significant Changes Brought In Passport Application Process

Aadhar as DoB, self-attestation and relief for single parents, divorcees, adopted children and orphans are the significant changesIn order to ‘streamline, liberalise and ease the process of issue of passport’, the Ministry of External Affairs has simplified passport application rules.Notifications reflecting these changes are yet to be published in gazette, but the ministry has...

I-T Dept Identifies 67.54 Lakh Potential Non-Filers In 2015-16

Further tightening the noose on tax evaders, the Income Tax Department has revealed that an additional 67.54 lakh potential non-filers in the assessment year 2015-16 had been identified.The analysis carried out by the Non-filers Monitoring System (NMS) has  identified people who have carried out high value transactions in the financial year 2014-15 but did not file return of income for...

‘Eliminated’ District Judges Unfit To Be PSC Member: Madras HC [Read Judgment]

The Madras High Court, in the judgment by which it has quashed the appointment of 11 members of the Tamil Nadu State Public Service Commission, has also made some important observations vis-à-vis the suitability of district judges, who have been eliminated as not fit for an extended tenure, for the post of a member of the State Public Service Commission.The high court held that such...

Centre Allows Payments To PMGKY In Old Currency Till Dec 30

Affording yet another opportunity to come clean, the Finance Ministry has issued a notification stating that payments towards Tax, Penalty, Surcharge and Deposits under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana (PMGKY) can be done in the demonetised currency notes of Rs.500 and Rs.1,000 till 30th December, 2016.The payment of tax, surcharge and penalty under the scheme is to be made through...

Madras HC Quashes ‘Flawed’ Appointment Of 11 TN PSC Members [Read Judgment]

Madras High Court has quashed the appointment of 11 members to the Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission (TNPSC).A division bench of Chief Justice SK Kaul and Justice R Mahadevan held that the process of appointment of 11 members of the State Public Service Commission was deeply flawed without following any transparent process and defeating the very constitutional scheme for such appointment,...