Law Ministry’s Consultative Committee Meeting Reviews NALSA Working

The Minister for Law and Justice Shri D. V. Sadananda Gowda has said that Working of National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) will be made more effective and it will be streamlined keeping in view the hardships and difficulties faced during the Justice delivery to those litigants who are unable to defend themselves for want of resources. He was responding to concerns of the Members of...

Amendments in the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order, 1950

The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has given its approval for introduction of a Bill in the Parliament for certain amendments in the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order, 1950 so as to modify the list of Scheduled Castes in respect of five States namely Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Kerala, Odisha and West Bengal and in the Central List of Other Backward Classes of...

Justice Gautam Patel, Justice Prabha Sridevan, and Prof Shamnad Basheer in MIP’s List of 50 World’s most influential Personalities in IPR

The reputed international journal ‘Managing Intellectual Property’ (“MIP”), has published its 13th list of 50 most influential people in IPR for 2014-15. The list includes some celebrated names such as Jack Ma, Founder and Chairperson, Alibaba, Justice Clarence Thomas, US Supreme Court, John Berard, CEO, Vox Populi, Franics Gurry, Director General WIPO, Michelle Lee,...

Supreme Court orders Fresh Tests on Maggi at Mysore [Read Order]

The Supreme Court on Wednesday said popular Maggi noodles will now be tested in an accredited laboratory at Mysore and not in Chennai as sought by the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC).The apex court also stayed the proceedings in the case pending in the apex consumer body.“It is directed that the Local Commissioner, appointed by the NCDRC, shall send samples...

SC appoints a Lokayukta for UP after State Govt. fails to comply repeated orders

In a rare order, the Supreme Court today exercised its Constitutional authority and appointed former High Court judge, Justice Virendra Singh, as Lokayukta of Uttar PradeshA bench headed by Justice Ranjan Gogoi went ahead with the extraordinary task invoking its powers after the State government failed to comply with its repeated directives. The bench examined a list of nominees and ordered...

Police Reforms; De-Link investigation from Law and Order: Karnataka HC [Read Judgment]

The authorities need to seriously think of bifurcating investigation from regular law and order and thus enhance the credibility of the investigation. This would indeed drastically cut down the crime, the Court said.The Karnataka High Court has directed the Government and Police department to seriously think of forming an Expert Committee to scientifically work out the allocation of work of...

LexisNexis India and Taxsutra together bring out an innovative and powerful online reference tool for Tax Professionals

LexisNexis India, a leading global provider of business information solutions and legal database, has joined hands with Taxsutra, which is a one-stop destination for all updates and analysis of domestic and international income tax rulings and news, to bring out a new innovative product–‘Orange’.Orange aims at leveraging the strengths of LexisNexis India and Taxsutra to provide...

Bombay HC upholds “Heritage” status of Lata Mangeshkar-owned “Jayprabha” Studio [Read Judgment]

The High Court of Judicature at Bombay dismissed a Writ Petition filed by renowned singer Lata Mangeshkar challenging Maharashtra government's decision to declare Jayprabha Studio in Kolhapur, owned by her, as a heritage structure. The Maharashtra Government had, on December 29, 2012, passed an order declaring the studio as a heritage structure. Mangeshkar had moved the court against...

SC notice to Gujarat Govt. on Hardik Patel’s fresh plea against Sedition Charges

The Supreme Court today issued notice to Gujarat government on a fresh petition filed by Patel quota agitation leader Hardik Patel against High Court order refusing to  quash sedition charge against him for allegedly attacking places like police stations in the state.Justices J S Khehar and R F Nariman posted the appeal for hearing on January 5 with another plea of pending plea...

498A; Relatives of the husband should not be made to suffer the ignominy of a criminal trial in the absence of specific and credible allegations; Madhya Pradesh HC [Read Judgment]

“the averments against the accused other than her husband and father-in-law were omnibus in nature and no specific role in this regard has been ascribed to any of them nor time and date of the assault has been given”.Quashing a crime registered under section 498-A read with section 34 of the Indian Penal Code and section 3/4 of the Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961, Justice C.V. Sirpurkar of...

High Courts Weekly Round-Up

Allahabad High CourtAllahabad High Court convicted a lawyer for committing criminal contempt of subordinate Court and has sentenced him to undergo simple imprisonment of six months. Division bench of Justices Sudhir Agarwal and ShamsherBahadur Singh has also restrained the lawyer from entering the High Court and District court premises for a period of three years.Bombay High CourtBombay...

Strict proof of marriage, not required in summary ‘maintenance’ proceedings under Section 125 CrPC: Bombay HC [Read Judgment]

The JMFC had failed to appreciate that the proceedings under Section 125 of Cr.P.C. are summary in nature and not intended to affect the civil rights of the parties. In proceedingsof this nature, there is no question of insistence upon strict proof, the court said.Bombay HC has held that in matters of awarding maintenance under Section 125 of Code...