Supreme Court expresses need for reforming social status of transgenders

Pointing out that transgenders have always been ostracized socially, politically and culturally, a petition has been filed by the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) in the Supreme Court seeking for a grant of legal status of a "third and equal sex" to the transgenders.A Supreme Court bench of Justices K S Radhakrishnan and A K Sikri while hearing the petition which sought for a...

Hefty compensation awarded in Anuradha Saha medical negligence case

A hefty amount of Rs 5.96 crore is to be paid by Kolkata- based AMRI Hospital and three doctors to a US-based Indian-origin doctor as compensation for medical negligence which led to the death of his wife in 1998. The Supreme Court bench of Justices SJ Mukhopadhaya and V Gopala Gowda has asked the hospital and the three doctors to pay the amount to Kunal Saha, an Ohio-based AIDS researcher...

Fundamental rights includes Right to get pure food, says Supreme Court

The right to life and human dignity under art 21 of the Constitution also incorporates the right to have food articles and beverages which are free from harmful residues such as pesticides and insecticides, the Supreme Court has ruled.The apex court said that food articles which are harmful and injurious to public health had the potential of striking at the fundamental right to life guaranteed...

Gen V K Singh’s 'Scandalous' remark criticized by Supreme Court

Ex-Army chief Gen V K Singh had to bear Supreme Court’s criticism and harsh words, as he entered court room No. 3 before the bench of Justices R M Lodha and H L Gokhale in the hearing on the suo motu contempt proceedings initiated against him for allegedly attributing motive and doubting the way in which the apex court last year handled his petition seeking change of year of birth from 1950...

Centre rejects SC’s suggestion to set up ‘super regulator’ for environment clearance

Stating that required regulatory mechanism for appraising projects, enforcing environmental conditions and imposing penalty on polluters is already in place, the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) rejected a suggestion proposed by the Supreme Court two years ago to set up a ‘super regulator’ for single-window grant of environment and forest clearances for projects.The Centre...

157 clinical trials blocked by Supreme Court

While hearing PILs filed by a doctor Anand Rai and NGO Swasthya Adhikar Manch, alleging large-scale clinical drug trials across the country by multinational pharmaceutical firms using Indian citizens as guinea pigs in those tests, a Supreme Court bench of Justices R M Lodha and S K Singh has said that no trial of new drugs be allowed till consent of people subjected to trial is recorded...

Supreme Court starts hearing in 15 death row convicts pleas, says no application of Tandoor murder case on mercy plea rejection

Reacting to the contentions made by a criminal lawyer practicing in the Supreme Court who had confronted the media by stating that the principle enunciated in the 'tandoor' case judgment should be applied to petitions by condemned prisoners, a Supreme Court bench of Chief Justice P Sathasivam and Justices Ranjan Gogoi and S K Singh said its recent judgment in the 'tandoor' murder case...

Following Supreme Court’s order, Congress MP Rasheed Masood becomes the first MP to be disqualified

The Supreme Court judgment striking down a provision that protects a convicted lawmaker from disqualification on the ground of pendency of appeal in higher courts saw light of the day when convicted Congress leader Rashid Masood lost his Rajya Sabha seat for being held guilty in a case of corruption and other offences.66-year-old Masood became the first MP to lose his seat after the after...

SC rejects Asaram's Writ Petition; grants liberty to approach the Court

Supreme Court  today disposed of  the Writ Petition  filed by  Asaram Bapu, and while so, granted  him liberty to approach again, in case the media is not following the guidelines issued  in its various judgments .Asaram Bapu, had sought relief from the Court invoking  its Writ Jurisdiction, seeking a direction to restrain the  media  from publishing any news report/article in...

A victim of bigamous marriage is entitled to maintenance, rules Supreme Court

Is a victim of bigamous marriage entitled to maintenance? The Supreme Court has answered the question in the affirmative by holding that if a man deceitfully marries a woman hiding the subsistence of earlier marriage, he is obliged to pay maintenance to her under Section 125 of Code of Criminal Procedure (Cr. PC).In the matter of Badshah Vs. Sou. Urmila Badshah Godse & another...

“Girls are morally bound not to have sex before marriage”: says a Sessions court Judge, Ex CJI condemns the ruling

Over his remark that girls are morally bound not to have sex before marriage, an Additional Session’s Judge in Delhi is facing severe criticism. Calling it an absurd justice, V.N Khare, former Chief Justice of India, said that he would have taken an action against him.The controversy arose from the judgment delivered by additional session’s judge Virendar Bhatt, on a rape case in Delhi...

Supreme Court agrees to hear PIL on ASI excavation in Unnao

The Apex Court has agreed to hear a PIL seeking monitoring of digging being done by Archeological Survey of India (ASI) for gold in a village named Daundia Khera in Unnao district in U.P.The bench headed by Chief Justice P Sathasivam, however refused to give a prompt hearing over the petition and asked the petitioner to remove the errors in the petition, which will now be heard in the...