Civil Society asks President and CJI to reconsider list of names recommended for elevation to the Madras High Court

The Chennai-based ‘Forum for Integrity in Governance’, a civil society coalition of 45 eminent citizens has appealed to the President and the Chief Justice of India to reconsider the names recommended by the Madras High Court (HC) to fill 15 vacant posts of judges as they were allegedly chosen on “divisive consideration and intense and unhealthy lobbying”.M G Devasahayam, convenor of...

Political Parties and Supreme Court PIO defying the orders passed by CIC

Jagjit Singh filed an RTI application to find out if the vehicles being used in the Supreme Court are following its own direction, which banned usage of tinted glass in all vehicles. Singh’s RTI also sought information about the cars in order to know about compliance of various norms by the Supreme Court.On 26th April, 2013 the Central Information Commission (CIC) gave an order in favour...

Breaking: Prof. Manoj Kumar Sinha from NUJS appointed as Permanent Director at ILI

Manoj Kumar Sinha (pictured), Professor of Law at National University of Juridical Sciences, Kolkata has been appointed as permanent Director at the Indian Law Institute, Delhi.Prof. Sinhad had earlier served as Director at the Indian Society of International Law, New Delhi, India from May 2006 - March 2009.Prof. Sinha has confirmed about his appointment to Live Law. He said he will take...

No straightjacket formula on marriageable age of girls, says SC

A Supreme Court Bench comprising of Justices J S Khehar and Dipak Misra [in SLP (Crl.) No. 1507/2006] on Wednesday observed that there can be no straightjacket formula on marriageable age of girls. As long as there is no extraneous consideration, coercion, malice, misuse or assault, the child marriage shall be voidable and not void ab initio, at the option of the contracting party who was a...

CJI P Sathasivam led Bench refuses to extend Order; Jai Prakash Associates Limited to pay 25 crores

The Supreme Court yesterday refused to extend order passed by the predecessor bench, which granted interim protection to Jai Prakash Associates Limited from paying 25 Crores.This civil appeal in the Supreme Court arises from a writ petition that was filed by Himprivesh Environment Protection Society before the High Court of Himachal Pradesh against setting up of cement plant and thermal plant...

Delhi HC asks Centre to file response on two PILs challenging appointment of CAG

The Delhi High Court today agreed to examine the appointment of Shashi Kant Sharma as Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India and asked the Centre to file its response by August 8, on two separate PILs challenging the appointment.A Bench headed by Acting Chief Justice, Badar Durrez Ahmed said, "Let them file an affidavit. As the matter requires hearing, put up on August...

Justice Altamas Kabir issues Press Release against TOI and Indian Express reports; clarifies stand in Sahara-SEBI matter

The former Chief Justice of India, Altamas Kabir has issued a press release to refute the allegations leveled against him by Times of India and Indian Express. He wrote that there is a difference between responsible reporting of facts and fabricated reports that are published in newspapers to deliberately malign an individual. He asserted that it had become essential for him to put the...

RTI application reveals 280 posts of Judges in High Courts vacant

The reply to an application filed under the Right to Information (RTI) Act has revealed that 280 posts of Judges are vacant in various High Courts across India, against a sanctioned strength of 906. The Ministry of Justice in its reply has also informed the applicant that there are 2 posts of judges vacant in the Supreme Court as opposed to an approved strength of 31 (as on 1st May, 2013)....

SC directs Centre to implement tobacco ad rules

The Supreme Court on Monday paved the way for implementation of Point of Sale Rules on tobacco and tobacco products.The rule says each board shall contain in an Indian language warnings that 'tobacco causes cancer' or 'tobacco kills' and it should be prominently displayed measuring 20 cm x 15 cm.A Bench headed by Justice G S Singhvi quashed the interim order of the Bombay High Court staying...

Justice Kabir breaks decade long tradition of the CJI not dissenting

A Bench of Chief Justice Altamas Kabir (who has since retired) and Justices Gyan Sudha Misra and J Chelameswar, by a majority of 2:1 held that order of preventive detention cannot be quashed at the pre-execution stage merely on the ground that the offender has been absconding, evading arrest or could not be arrested due to inaction of authorities. Justice Kabir, contrary to the decade...

Students and Faculty petition NUJS's Academic Council over fall in academic standards and opaque administration

Last week, students as well as faculty at the National University of Juridical Sciences (NUJS), Kolkata have submitted separate petitions to the Academic Council of the University. Academic Council is the apex body of the University for all academic matters. Both the petitions pertain to, deterioration of academic standards and protest against an opaque and arbitrary...

Chief Judicial Magistrate charged with Wife’s murder

A Special Investigative Team (SIT) has been set up to probe into Chief Judicial Magistrate Ravneet Garg’s wife’s murder case.The deceased, Gitanjali Garg’s body, aged around 30, was found lying in a park with two bullet injury marks on Wednesday evening.  CJM Garg's licensed revolver was found near the body. Garg had alleged that Geetanjali (pictured) committed suicide.However,...