News Updates
Fine cannot be more than twice the amount of bounced cheque, says SC
The Supreme Court has held that Courts cannot impose a fine of more than twice the amount in bounced cheques, and emphasized that the limit is inviolable and should be respected.ABench of Justices TS Thakur and Vikramajit Sen said ”Even in a case where the court may be taking a lenient view in favour of the accused by not sending him to prison, it cannot impose a fine more than twice the...
CCI to recover penalties imposed on companies
The Ministry of Corporate Affairs has said it will take 'suitable and appropriate' steps to recover penalties from such parties that have not paid the penalties imposed by the CCI on them under Competition Act, 2002.“Competition Commission of India (CCI) has decided to take 'suitable and appropriate' steps to recover penalties from such parties that have not paid the penalties imposed by...
Ban on news broadcast on private FM radio questioned by Supreme Court
The Supreme Court has issued notice to the Central Government on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Common Cause (an NGO) seeking direction to the government to allow private radio stations, including community radio, to broadcast news.A bench headed by Chief Justice P. Sathasivam, heard the PIL. "How can you (the government) restrict FM radio channels from broadcasting news,...
Fraud committed against banks is offence against the society says SC
Hearing a criminal appeal filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation against the accused who obtained a loan on the basis of forged documents, the Apex Court said that fraud committed against banks is an offence against the society and asked the Courts not to provide any forbearance to such offenders.A bench of Justices Ranjan Gogoi and S J Mukopadhayaya said that, “The offences...
RTI ratings: India secures 2nd position among 95 countries
India has secured second position in world rankings after Serbia in a list of 95 countries, including US and UK, after scoring high on the legal framework of the Right to Information (RTI). India and Slovenia share the second spot in the list prepared by Centre for Law and Democracy, an international human rights organization based in Halifax, Canada.While Serbia has scored 135, India along...
A tooth for a tooth and an eye for an eye ought not to be the criterion to clothe a case with 'rarest of the rare' jacket: SC
Commuting the death sentence of a convict to life imprisonment, a three judge Bench of the Supreme Court held that, "In a civilized society — a tooth for a tooth and an eye for an eye ought not to be the criterion to clothe a case with 'rarest of the rare' jacket and the Courts must not be propelled by such notions in a haste resorting to capital punishment."The Bench comprising...
Chennai lawyer Rishi Kumar pens first Indian legal thriller
Chennai based lawyer, Rishi Kumar has come out with his second novel, Legal 007. The legal thriller is being published by Leadstart.Speaking to Live Law, Kumar said, “I'm quite happy and elated that my second novel has released. More so, since I'm told that this is the first Indian legal thriller in the bookstores.” When asked if he would turn to writing full time, Kumar told,...
Court Fees (Delhi Amendment) Act, 2012 struck down by Delhi High Court
In what is being seen as a major relief for litigants, the Delhi High Court has struck down the Court Fees (Delhi Amendment) Act, 2012, pursuant to which the Delhi Government had increased court fees across the board.On a petition filed by the Delhi High Court Bar Association, a Division Bench comprising Justice Gita Mittal and Justice J.R. Midha quashed the government's decision. The...
Justice G S Singhvi writes to the CJI to relieve him from the 2G Bench
Justice G S Singhvi will retire from the Supreme Court on December 12th, 2013 and hence he has requested the Chief Justice of India, P Sathasivam to relieve him from the hearings of CPIL v. Union of India [Civil Appeal 10660/2010], popularly know as the 2G scam case, in order to complete the other judicial work pending.TOI reports, “Acting on Justice Singhvi's request, the CJI has constituted...
SC directs Centre, States and Union Territories to reserve 3% government jobs for disabled
A three judge Bench of the Supreme Court on Tuesday directed the Central Government, State Governments and Union Territories to provide 3% reservation on total number of vacancies in the cadre strength for persons with disabilities in all government jobs.A Bench comprising of Chief Justice, P Sathasivam and Justices Ranjana Prakash Desai and Ranjan Gogoi said, "Employment is a key...
Electoral Reforms: SC directs Election Commission to introduce Vote Verifiable Paper Audit Trial in EVMs
In a landmark judgment, the Supreme Court today directed the Election Commission of India (ECI) to introduce Vote Verifiable Paper Audit Trial (VVPAT) in Electronic Voting Machines (EVMS) for the upcoming general elections in 2014.Delivering the judgment on a PIL filed by Dr. Subramanian Swamy, [SLP (Civil) 13735/2012], a Bench of Chief Justice P Sathasivam and Justice Ranjan Gogoi...
People are the ultimate source of authority: CJI
Speaking on the importance of Indian Constitution, Chief Justice of India, P Sathasivam said that, “The people are the ultimate source of authority in our country”. He also opined that, “The constitutional law could not be learnt but only ‘understood’ as it was diverse in nature. In Europe, much of homogeneous people could not have a single constitution. However, In India we managed...