Former CJI H.L. Dattu to be appointed as new NHRC Chairman

Former Chief Justice of India H.L. Dattu has reportedly been appointed as the new Chairman of National Human Rights Commission. The NHRC post had been lying vacant since May 11 last year, when Mr. K.G. Balakrishnan demitted office after his five-year term. Justice Cyriac Joseph had been functioning as the acting chairperson since then.Justice H.L. Dattu had retired as the CJI on December 2,...

GI Tag for Basmati: Madras HC directs APEDA to not take any precipitative action in respect of produce from MP [Read Orders]

A Division bench of Madras High Court has directed the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) to refrain from taking any precipitative action on its Basmati GI, in respect of the produce from the existing areas in the state of Madhya Pradesh where such rice is alleged to have been grown. The Bench comprised of Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and...

Intelligence Agencies cannot be made Accountable to CAG: SC

The Supreme Court today dismissed a Public Interest Litigation which sought making intelligence agencies like the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), Intelligence Bureau (IB) and National Technical Research Organisation (NTRO) accountable to the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India.Refusing to agree to the PIL filed by lawyer Prashant Bhushan, a bench headed by justice Dipak...

SC issues Notice on Prashant Bhushan’s Challenge against Limited Validity Passport [Read Petition]

The Supreme Court has today issued notice to Central Government on a petition filed on behalf of Mr. Prashant Bhushan regarding non-issue of full-validity passport to him. (Prashant Bhushan v Union of India & Anr). The Supreme Court has asked the government to file its reply within 3 weeks.The petition challenges Section 6(2)(f) of the Passports' Act 1967 read with Notification 570(E) of...

Court cannot issue a direction in breach of law however noble it may seem to appear; Madras HC declined to issue a blanket order to release Juveniles on same day of surrender

Madras High Court recently ruled that it cannot direct the Juvenile Justice Board to release the Juveniles on bail on the same day of their surrender. Dismissing a batch of petitions filed on behalf of the juveniles, Justice P.N. Prakash observed,“Whether in a given case, the juvenile in conflict with law will be exposed to “moral, physical or psychological danger” is a fact that can...

Gujarat HC allows Rape Victim to Terminate 24-Week Pregnancy [Read Order]

The Gujarat High Court Single Bench Justice Sonia Gokani permitted an 18-year-old rape victim to abort her 24-week-old foetus observing that continuance of pregnancy may result in a grave injury to her mental health.The Court took into account the opinion of expert panel of doctors constituted a few days back after the HC admitted the plea of the young girl from Junagadh district.The...

Guidelines for Examination of Computer Related Inventions (CRIs) issued [Read the Guidelines]

Intellectual Property India has published Guidelines for Examination of Computer Related Inventions (CRIs) via Office of the Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trademarks on 19th February, 2016.The aim of this document is to provide guidelines for the examination of patent applications in the field of CRIs by the Indian Patent Office so as to further foster uniformity and consistency...

PIL against Online Sale of drugs: Madras HC orders notice to Centre

Madras High Court issued notice to the Centre on a PIL seeking to ban websites from selling scheduled medicines online in violation of Drugs and Cosmetic Rules.The Division Bench, comprising Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice M.M. Sundresh before which a PIL filed by N Ruthynamoorthy of Salem, a business man, came up, directed assistant solicitor general Su Srinivasan to file a...

Letter to spouse talking of intention to divorce and remarry constitute ‘cruelty’: Delhi HC [Read Judgment]

A single letter can constitute an act of cruelty, the Delhi high court Single Bench Justice Najmi Waziri has said, granting divorce to a man living separately from his estranged wife for the past 28 years.The matter came by way of an appeal challenging the order of Additional District Judge, Delhi dissolving the marriage between the parties on the ground of cruelty. The husband who was...

SC raps AAP Govt. over Water Crisis

The Supreme Court of India on Monday issued notices to Uttar Pradesh and Haryana Governments, directing them to take quick action to end the water scarcity in Delhi. The Court has been assured by the Haryana Government that water supply will resume in NCR region by the evening. The Bench, headed by Chief Justice T.S. Thakur also sought a report from Haryana Government on Delhi...

Justice Saran to be sworn in as Chief Justice of Orissa HC

Justice Vineet Saran will be the new Chief Justice of Orissa High Court, a Presidential warrant of appointment declared on Friday.Notably, the post of the Chief Justice in the Orissa High Court was lying vacant after Chief Justice DH Waghela was transferred to Bombay High Court, on February 15th. Justice Pradeep K. Mohanty was officiating as Acting CJ since then.Sources in the High Court...

PMO directs Law Ministry to finalize MOP for Appointment of Judges

Prime Minister’s Office has reportedly asked the Law Ministry to finalise the new Memorandum of Procedure for appointment of Judges. PMO has reportedly, in a letter to Law ministry, asked it to give final shape to the document after consulting the Attorney General (Source: IE)Memorandum of Procedure is a document which guides the appointment of judges to the higher judiciary. The draft MoP...