SIT on Black money submits first report

The Supreme Court-appointed Special Investigation Team (SIT) on black money gave its first report to the court on Wednesday and found large scale tax evasions by importers and exporters. The sealed cover report submitted to a bench of Justices H L Dattu, Ranjana P Desai and Madan B Lokur identified a number of instances of over-invoicing in power plant machinery and equipment imports. In one...

Sexual Harassment Charges: Mumbai Sessions Court Judge suspended after preliminary enquiry found prima facie evidence

A Mumbai Sessions Court Judge M.T. Gaikwad has been suspended on charges of sexual harassment of a staff member, after a preliminary inquiry found prima facie evidence against him. The accused is a Judge of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act Court.The female staff member had filed a complaint with the Registrar a month ago, following which an inquiry was conducted by a...

Bombay High Court orders CCTVs in Police Stations to monitor custodial deaths

A Bombay High Court Bench comprising of Justice V.M. Kanade and Justice P.D. Kode on Wednesday ordered installation of CCTV cameras in Police Stations, with a compliance report to be filed within four weeks.The Bench reportedly directed magisterial inquiry against the police officials accused in a custodial death case. It also said that custodial death cases should be treated on...

27335 Appeals and Complaints are pending in the Central Information Commission

As on 30.07.2014, the total number of RTI applications pending in the Central Information Commission is 174. Besides this, as on 31.07.2014, 27335 appeals and complaints are pending in the Commission.  State-wise data is not centrally maintained.   During the year 2011 there were five Information Commissioners (IC) apart from one Chief Information Commissioner in the Central...

A Magistrate not become functus officio to proceed on a Protest Complaint just because he accepted a refer report from the police on the same matter; SC [Read the Judgment]

A two Judge Bench of the Supreme Court of India Today held that having accepted the final report the learned Magistrate had not become "functus officio" and was denuded of all power to proceed in the matter. In Rakesh and another vs. State of UP the Supreme Court [Crl. Appeal 1412/2014] examined the question "whether a Magistrate after accepting a negative final ...

New Motor Vehicles Act is coming

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways is working on a proposal to replace the “Motor Vehicles Act, 1988”. In a written reply in the Rajya Sabha today, the Minister for Road Transport, Highways and Shipping Shri Krishanpal Gurjar said the new Act which will inter alia facilitate technological intervention and information technology based systems to ensure efficient and safe...

More than 2000 complaints/cases of Child rights violation registered by NCPCR in last 3 years & current year

The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has reported that it has registered 2333 complaints of child abuse/violation of child rights during the last 3 years and the current year. A total of 934 complaints/cases concerning abuse/violation of child rights were registered in NCPCR in the year 2013-14. The highest number of registered cases i.e., 532 are from the State of...

Justice Manjula Chellur appointed as First Woman Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court

Justice Manjula Chellur, on Aug 6 2014, sworn in as the first woman chief justice of Calcutta high Court. The oath ceremony was presided over by Governor of the state Keshari Nath Tripathy at Raj Bhavan in the presence of Chief Minister Mamta Bannerjee.Justice Chellur thereby became 37th of Calcutta High Court. she replaced justice Arun Kumar who is elevated to Supreme Court.After Oath...

Apex Court orders will transfer Punjab and Haryana High Court lawyers after appointment as Judges

Punjab and Haryana High Court lawyers Jaishree Thakur and B.S. Walia will most probably be transferred to the Rajasthan and Jammu and Kashmir High Court respectively after being appointed as High Court Judges.The transfer reportedly follows the Collegium directive while clearing the lawyer’s names for elevation to the Bench. Such a decision has come after nearly two decades.The...

Pay 50k to get Anticipatory Bail in Dowry Case : Delhi High Court

The Delhi High Court in a significant judgment has asked a man to give Rs 50,000 to his estranged wife and minor daughter as a pre-condition for granting him anticipatory bail in a dowry harassment case registered against him. In the significant case Avinash v. State, the High Court asked the husband to pay Rs.50,000/- to the Complainant for meeting day to day requirements of the child...

Calcutta High Court appoints Amicus Curiae to help and determine what ‘Viscera’ is and how long it can be preserved

Calcutta High Court appointed Advocate Phiroze Edulji as an amicus curiae to assist the court to help and determine what ‘Viscera’ is, how long can it be preserved and what is the law governing its examination at forensic science laboratories?The answers to these questions are crucial to decide a life insurance claim that a widow and her son is facing. Advocate Phiroze Edulji (amicus...

Victims of Custodial Death in Maharashtra only from a Minority Community? Bombay High Court Asks

Over the increasing number of cases involving custodial death in Maharashtra a Bombay High Court bench on 31st of July, 2014, comprising of Justice V.M. Kanade and Justice P.D. Kode remarked that victims of custodial deaths in Maharashtra appears to be only from the minority community.This remark was made after the division bench appointed advocate Yugmohit Choudhary as an amicus curiae in...