Madras HC Rejects PIL Alleging Lack Of Safety Distance Between Fireworks Units At Sivakasi [Read Order]

The Madras High Court rejected a public interest litigation challenging the issue of licences to certain fireworks units despite their alleged violation of safety norms stipulated under the Explosive Rules 2008.The PIL was filed by one P. Eswarasamy against certain fireworks units at V. Chockalingapuram at Sivakasi taluk in Virudhunagar district, alleging that the units did not maintain...

Patna HC Quashes Levy Of Entry Tax On Goods Brought To Bihar By E-commerce Sites [Read Judgment]

The Patna High Court in Flipkart Services Pvt. Ltd. vs. State of Bihar and WS Retail Services Pvt. Ltd. vs. State of Bihar declared entry tax levied on goods brought in through e-commerce sites as ultra vires to the Constitution.The bench comprising Chief Justice Iqbal Ahmed Ansari and Justice Chakradhari Sharan Singh said the provisions under the Bihar Finance Act, 2015, under...

Delegation Of Powers: Delhi HC Issues Notice To Consumer Affairs Dept, ASCI

The Delhi High Court in Pratham Education vs Department of Consumer Affairs and Ors (WP No. 3890/16), in a writ petition challenging the competence of the Department of Consumer Affairs in delegating and conferring authority on the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI), has issued notices to the respondents.The ASCI is a company incorporated under Section 25 of the Indian Companies...

Availing Of VRS No Bar In Claiming Past Dues If Scheme Does Not Cover It: SC [Read Judgment]

If it is specifically covered, or the language of VRS would show that it covers the claim under the scheme, no forum will have any jurisdiction, the Bench observed.A three-judge Bench of the Supreme Court in A. Satyanarayana Reddy & ors. vs. Presiding Officer, Labour Court, Guntur & ors., has held that even though there is cessation of relationship between the employee and the...

Ensure No Excess Fee Is Collected From Students: Madras HC [Read Order]

The Madras High Court has directed the authorities to ensure in future that no excess fee is collected from students illegally.This observation by the high court bench comprising Justice S. Nagamuthu and Justice M.V. Muralidaran was made on a writ petition filed by an alumnus student of E.R. Higher Secondary School, complaining that the school authorities were collecting excess fee from...

Minor Errors In Record-Keeping Under PCPNDT Act Can’t Invite Prosecution Against Doctors: Bombay HC [Read Judgment]

The Bombay High Court has ruled that minor procedural errors and inadvertent omissions in maintaining records under the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (Prohibition of Sex Selection) (PCPNDT) Act, 1994, cannot be regarded as a punishable violation on part of the doctor. The Court also slammed the authorities for instituting the case solely on the basis of Vigilance...

NGT Can't Decide The Constitutionality Of Statutory Provisions: Bombay HC [Read Judgment]

The Bombay High Court in Central Indian Ayush Drugs Manufacturers Association & Ors. vs. State of Maharashtra through Secy. & Ors., has decided the scope of jurisdiction of the National Green Tribunal (NGT).The bench comprising Justice B.P Dharmadhikari and Justice A.S. Chandurkar decided that the NGT did not have power to adjudicate upon the vires or validity of any enactment...

NEET Row: SC Orders Centralised Counselling For Medical Admissions In Maharashtra [Read Judgment]

Calming the din over medical admissions to deemed universities in the state of Maharashtra, the Supreme Court ordered for centralised counselling for all vacant medical seats in the state and ruled that deemed universities shall come under the scope of NEET.Confusion ensued Bombay High Court’s August 30 order that stayed the Maharashtra government’s decision mandating centralised...

Sr Civil Judge Rachna Tiwari Lakhanpal Caught Red-Handed Taking Bribe; Sent In Judicial Remand

The CBI on Thursday arrested senior civil judge Rachna Tiwari Lakhanpal on bribery charges. She was remanded in 14-day judicial custody and will be produced before the court on 13th October.A CBI team caught the senior civil judge of the Tis Hazari Court, Delhi, while allegedly accepting ₹4 lakh from an advocate who was appointed as local commissioner by her in a case she was adjudicating....

Madras, Kerala HCs Get New Judges [Read Notifications]

President Pranab Mukherjee on Thursday appointed 15 judges to Madras High Court and five additional judges to Kerala High Court. A notification to that effect has been published by the Law Minister.The newly-appointed additional judges of Kerala High Court are Sathish Ninan, Devan Ramachandran, Somarajan P., Shircy V. and Aettupanku Mohammedkhan Babu.The newly-appointed judges of Madras...

Suspecting Wife’s Character Amounts To Cruelty, Valid Ground For Divorce: Bombay HC [Read Judgment]

The Nagpur Bench of Bombay High Court in Vibha Goswami v. Arun Goswami, held that suspecting wife’s character, physically assaulting her and harassing her for coming home late after work amounts to cruelty and is a valid ground for divorce.The Bench comprising Justice Vasanti A. Naik and Justice Indra Jain granted the wife divorce on the ground of cruelty.The wife (petitioner) and the...

Indian-American Lawyer Nathan Desai Shot Dead After Injuring 9 In Houston Shooting Spree

Disgruntled Indian-American lawyer and an apparent Nazi sympathiser Nathan Desai was shot down by the police on Monday after he went on an indiscriminate shooting spree in Houston city.He opened fired at passers-by on the street. Nine people were wounded in the shootout with one sustaining grievous injuries.Though the authorities have not ascertained the motive, it has been reported that...