Murder Of Two Minor Daughters: Bombay Hc Acquits Death Row Convict Mahendra Parve [Read Judgment]

The Bombay High Court has acquitted Mahendra Prave, sentenced to death by the trial court for killing his two minor daughters by throwing them in a well. The court held that insufficient evidence and botched investigations have failed to prove his guilt beyond reasonable doubt and he was, thus, exonerated of the offence.The 36-year-old resident of Buldhana district, Mahendra Parve, was...

Karnataka HC Tells Govt. To Give Job To Terror Attack Victim [Read Judgment]

She should get a feeling that the State and the society has recognised her as a victim of terrorism and cared for her, instead of leaving her to resign to her fate, the court observed.The 2013 bomb blasts in Bangalore shattered her dreams to stand on her own feet, and her fervent pleas before the government to provide a job on compassionate grounds fell on deaf ears. But finally, the...

Custodial Deaths: Bombay HC Fiat To Magistrates On Immediate Independent Inquiry

The Bombay High Court on Tuesday directed the Registrar General of the high court to issue a circular to all magistrates in the State to conduct an independent inquiry as soon as they get to know of a custodial death.A division bench of Justice Abhay Oka and Justice AA Sayed gave these directions while hearing a PIL filed by the India Centre for Human Rights, seeking implementation of...

After Bhupendra Vira’s Murder, Call For RTI Activists’ Protection Grows Louder

With the murder of Bhupendra Vira, the focus on attacks against RTI activists is back and rightly so. More and more such attacks have been happening since the Right to Information Act came into force and became a tool in the hands of the common man to expose any wrongdoing by public servants and people in powerful positions.When Satish Shetty, an RTI activist from Pune, was murdered in 2010...

SC To Decide Maintainability Of Appeals Against 2007 Cauvery Tribunal Ruling [Read Order]

The Supreme Court has agreed to hear if the appeals filed through special leave against the 2007 Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal by Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala are maintainable.The centre and union territory Puducherry have opposed the court’s jurisdiction to hear cases concerning interstate water disputes, while Karnataka and Tamil Nadu in a rare unison on the Cauvery issue agree that...

Can Builders Be Arrested For Failing To Hand Over Flats? NCDRC Says Yes [Read Order]

The National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC) has upheld an order of the state commission, which had ordered the arrest of officials of a real estate for failing to hand over flats or make refunds on time.In the instant case, in spite of the proclamation published against the director and general manager of the company under Section 82 CrPC, they did not appear before the...

Bombay HC Slams Govt For Not Procuring Noise Meters

The Bombay High Court on Monday slammed the state government for not procuring noise decibel meters ahead of the festival season. It was hearing a contempt petition against KP Bakshi, Additional chief Secretary (Home).This is not the first time that the state government has failed to comply with court orders. A contempt notice was issued against Bakshi, who was present in the court, after...

Bombay HC Gives Interim Relief To Kapil Sharma On Building Demolition [Read Petition]

The Bombay High Court on Monday ordered an interim stay on a notice issued by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) dated April 28, 2016, that directed demolition of portions of an 18-storey building, in which comedian Kapil Sharma owns a flat, in Goregaon.Sharma, who had challenged the said order, stated in his petition that he had not carried out any unauthorised construction at...

Mumbai RTI Activist Bhupendra Vira Shot Point Blank

In yet another brutal attack on an RTI activist in Maharashtra, Bhupendra Vira was shot dead at his residence in Santacruz, Mumbai, on late Saturday night. Although the identity of the assailant is yet to be verified, but it is largely being alleged that he was targeted for taking on the land mafia.The 72-year old activist, who had waged a battle against unauthorised structures and...

Temporary Disconnection Of Water Supply Does Not Amount To Mischief: Delhi HC [Read Judgment]

The Delhi High Court has ruled that temporary disconnection of water supply does not constitute ‘mischief’. The court stated that the act does not confirm to the essential provisions defining the offence of ‘mischief’ under Section 425 IPC.The single judge bench of Justice Mukta Gupta quashed summons issued to the respondents and stated that, ‘one of the essential ingredients of...

Demand For Privacy By Spouse Isn’t Cruelty, Not A Valid Ground For Divorce: Delhi HC [Read Judgment]

“Privacy is a fundamental human right. So when a woman enters into matrimony, it is the duty of the family members of her matrimonial home to provide her with some privacy.” the court said.The Delhi High Court has dismissed a divorce petition filed by the husband (appellant) in Mini Appa Kanda Swami @ Mani v. M Indra under section 13(1)(ia) [cruelty and desertion] of the Hindu Marriage...

High Courts Weekly Round-Up

Bombay High CourtThe Bombay High Court in Rajendra vs. State Of Maharashtra, held that the cognisance of offences punishable under Chapter IV of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, cannot be taken on the basis of the charge sheet filed by the police under section 173 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC). Calcutta High Court“Do not pit one community against another”, the Calcutta...