High Courts Weekly Round-Up

Allahabad High CourtAllahabad High Court held that parties may withdraw their consent once granted for Divorce by mutual consent, at any time before the passing of the decree.Bombay High courtBombay High Court asked the BCCI to shift all the IPL matches scheduled after 30th April to venues outside Maharashtra. The order will affect 13 matches which were scheduled to be held in Maharashtra in...

Detention even after order of release by High Court; Chhattisgarh HC awards compensation [Read Order]

The High Court of Chhattisgarh has awarded a compensation of Rs. 50,000 each to two persons who, despite the order of their release by it, were detained in prison for 113 days.Justice Sanjay K. Agrawal requested the High Court Administration to consider the feasibility of making a fool proof system to ensure, where a sentence is modified or reserved in appeal by High Court, the warrant is...

Overcrowded buses cannot claim own damage insurance cover: NCDRC [Read Order]

The National Consumer Dispute Redressal Commission has held that vehicles carrying passengers in excess of its capacity, cannot claim own damage insurance cover. The Bench comprising of Justices Ajit Bharihoke and Rekha Gupta upheld the State Forum view that in an own damage claim case, defense of overloading is available to the insurer.In this case, the District Forum had allowed the own...

Does Press Council of India have the Power to issue warrant? Govt. disagrees with Council

The Press Council of India (PCI) and the Government were at loggerheads over the issue of the media body's powers after it decided to serve a bailable arrest warrant against Union I and B Ministry Secretary Sunil Arora for failing to appear before it following summons.Information and Broadcasting Ministry sources said that the PCI has ‘limited powers’ and cannot decide everything unlike...

Kerala HC directs Mental Health Centres not to place patients with suicidal tendencies nude in seclusion; issues guidelines [Read Order]

The Kerala High Court has directed the Mental Health Centres of the state to ensure that none of the patients, even those showing acute suicidal tendencies, when placed in seclusion, shall be so placed nude, unless very acute situation warrants the same.Justice Vinod Chandran, on an Interim Application filed by Human Rights NGO, also directed that clothes shall be provided of suitable material...

Education Standards cannot be allowed to fall to an absolutely 'low level': Delhi HC [Read Judgment]

High Court refuses to allow Govt. employee’s plea for extension of time to complete law degree.Delhi High Court recently refused to allow a petition filed by a Government employee seeking a direction to the University of Delhi, to allow him to complete his LL.B. Course, by appearing in the back papers even beyond the span period.Dismissing the petition, the Justice Manmohan observed,...

China Pulls License of Prominent Rights Lawyer Pu Zhiqiangon for criticising the Government

Chinese human rights lawyer Pu Zhiqiangon announced on Wednesday that his license to practice law was revoked by the Beijing City Judicial Bureau.The bureau allegedly disbarred Pu from practicing law because of a December criminal conviction associated with using social media to critique the government. The move is criticized as a way to curtail activists from using their positions...

Vehicles transporting hazardous goods and LPG are to be fitted with Anti-Lock Braking System(ABS): Kerala HC [Read Judgment]

Court upheld the constitutional validity of Rule 96(9) of Central Motor Vehicle Rules Justice Shaji P Chaly of Kerala High Court in Shyamaladevi A.K v The Regional Transport Officer, Kottayam and others and a batch of other writ petitions has ruled that vehicles transporting hazardous goods and LPG are to be fitted with Anti-Lock braking system(ABS) to ensure safety on public road.The...

The Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Amendment Rules, 2016 notified

Amendments done in the Principal Rules namely the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Rules, 1995 by the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Amendment Rules, 2016 have been notified yesterday.Consequent upon amendments done in the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) {PoA} Act, 1989...

Allow atheist ‘witnesses’ to swear in the name of Constitution ; PIL filed in Bombay HC

Can those who do not believe in God be allowed to swear in the name of Constitution of India while deposing in Courts? A Public Interest Litigation has been filed by an atheist couple in Bombay High Court apparently seeks directions to lower courts and its staff to allow atheists to take oaths while deposing in court by keeping their hands on the Indian Constitution.Sunil Mane and wife...

Thrissur Pooram gets Green Signal from Kerala High Court [Read Order]

HC modifies its orders on fire crackers for Thrissur Pooram.In a huge relief for Thrissur Pooram organizers and fans, the Kerala High Court has modified the earlier orders which had called for complete ban on noise making fire crackers between sunset and sunrise.Now the Division Bench comprising of Justices Thottathil B. Radhakrishnan and Anu Sivaraman, in a hearing at 4 pm yesterday, said...

Activists' outrage at RK Pachari’s civil suit against Advocate Vrinda Grover for pursuing the case of sexual harassment against him

Several prominent Activists and organisations expressed their outrage at RK Pachauri, the former TERI (The Energy and Resources Institute) for filing a civil suit of injunction against Vrinda Grover and also demanding damages of Rs. 1 crore from the Advocate, who supported other women in the ongoing cases of sexual harassment at workplace against him. The two complaints against Pachauri were...