Waqf Property Leasing Rules

The Government has formulated and notified the Waqf Properties Lease Rules, 2014 vide notification dated 3rd June, 2014. Some amendments in the Waqf Properties Lease Rules 2014 have been made vide notification dated 26th August, 2015. The details of amendments notified in the above Rules are: (i) Rule 7: The reserve price per square feet for lease of an immovable Waqf property shall (a)...

Court cannot allow the tool of PIL to be misused for intra office rivalries : Delhi High Court [Read Judgment]

The Delhi High Court, considering a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by a retired official of the DRDO, seeking directions to the Ministry of Defence, Government of India and the Defence  Research  &  Development Organisation (DRDO) to prosecute the respondent no.4 Dr. Arvind Kumar Saxena working as Director in Defence Materials & Stores Research & Development...

Delhi HC dismisses plea to Ban Cow Slaughter [Read Judgment]

Delhi High Court has dismissed a Public Interest Litigation seeking a direction to the Central Government to prohibit cow slaughtering and to take action against the slaughter houses.  First bench comprising of Chief Justice G.Rohini and Justice Rajiv Sahai Endlaw said these issues are beyond the domain of judicial decision making and is a policy matter in which the Courts under the doctrine...

Plea seeking investigation against Kejriwal and Bhushans for FCRA violation dismissed [Read Judgment]

The Delhi High court has dismissed a petition filed by Advocate Manohar Lal Sharma, seeking issuance of writ of mandamus to the Ministry of Home Affairs to register a criminal case against Shanti Bhushan, Prashant Bhushan, Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia under Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010 (FCRA) and to conduct day-to-day trial proceedings within supervision of High...

DDCA Scam: Court should take cognizance also to make DDCA accountable under RTI Act

Shocking exposures were made through video-stings by ruling party Parliamentarian and former cricketer Kirti Azad in a press-conference at Press Club of India (New Delhi) on 20.12.2015 about big scams and irregularities in Delhi & District Cricket Association (DDCA). Already Supreme Court is seized with matters involving Board for Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) where also high...

Stipulating Dress Code for Advocates cannot be termed as either Arbitrary or Unreasonable: Kerala HC [Read Judgment]

“The dress worn by the Advocate clearly induces the seriousness of purpose and a sense of decorum which are highly necessary and conducive for the dispensation of justice”- Justice A.M. ShaffiqueThe High Court of Kerala has dismissed a writ petition challenging the present dress code of advocates prescribed by the Bar Council of India under Section 49 of the Advocates Act holding that...

High Courts Weekly Round-Up

Bombay High CourtThe 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...

HP HC quashes notification including Dharamshala in the list of potential Smart cities; asks why it was preferred over Shimla?

Alas ! The decision to exclude Shimla city and include, Dharamshala town, in the list of potential Smart Cities, has not been taken ‘smartly’, the Court said.Himachal Pradesh High Court has quashed the notification which included Dharamshala in the list of potential Smart Cities by excluding the city of Shimla. A division Bench of Justices Rajiv Sharma and Sureshwar Thakur set aside all...

Former Defence Secretary R K Mathur appointed as New Chief Information Commissioner

Former defence secretary R K Mathur has been appointed as the Chief Information Commissioner (CIC) with the government deciding not to choose the head from among the serving information commissioners. The above appointment has been made for a term of five years from the date on which he enters upon his office or till he attains the age of sixty-five years, whichever is earlier.He will be...

Situs of the Mortgaged Property is not determinative of the Territorial Jurisdiction of the DRT: Bombay HC [Read Judgment]

We hold that the DRT whilst deciding whether it has territorial jurisdiction to entertain a Securitisation Application filed under section 17 of the SARFAESI Act would be guided by the principles enshrined in section 19(1) of the RDDB Act and not by section 16 of the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908, the Court said. Bombay High Court has held that Debt Recovery Tribunals, whilst deciding whether...

Adv. Seema Sapra sentenced to 1 month imprisonment and fine for calling a judge corrupt [Read Judgment]

“Baseless and reckless allegations of corruption against judges scandalizes judiciary and interferes or tends to substantially interfere with the due course of justice if the allegation of corruption is unsubstantiated”– Delhi High CourtComing down heavily on advocate Seema Sapra for accusing a judge of the High Court of corruption in open court, the Delhi High Court found her guilty...

Judges must accept healthy criticism of the Judgments but the Judges should not be criticized: Himachal Pradesh HC [Read Judgment]

The proceedings in the courts of law must be reported by the correspondents with legal background and accredited to the Courts to avoid misquoting of court proceedings, the Bench said.The High Court of Himachal Pradesh has closed contempt proceedings against a journalist after accepting his unconditional apology for misreporting the court orders, with a warning that in future he should be...