Undeclared Income: Abhishek Singhvi approaches IT Settlement Commission

Dr. Abhishek Manu Singhvi, one of the highest paid senior lawyers in the Supreme Court and the richest member of Rajya Sabha, has approached the Income Tax Settlement Commission (ITSC) and sought immunity from levy of penalty or institution of proceedings against him, reports IE. He had earlier disclosed his "undeclared income" of approximately Rs 11 crore, and had paid Rs 3.26 crore as tax...

Indian American sworn in as Judge in the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit

Sri Srinivasan has been sworn in as a Judge in the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit, the second most powerful court in the United States after the Supreme Court. He is the first Indian American to hold the post. Srinivasan hails from Chandigarh in India.President Barack Obama has described Srinivasan as a 'trailblazer’.According to an NDTV report, Srinivasan was first nominated by...

Unmarried couple indulging in sex in "live-in" can be considered “Married” rules Madras High Court

If any unmarried couple of the right legal age “indulge in sexual gratification in a live-in relationship,” this will be considered a valid marriage and they could be termed “husband and wife,” the Madras High Court has ruled.According to a report in The Hindu, the court said,  “If a bachelor has completed 21 years of age and an unmarried woman 18 years, they have acquired the...

Madras High Court rules "Internal Matters of High Court" cannot be disclosed under RTI

The Madras High Court has held that information relating to "internal matters of High Court" cannot be disclosed to public under the Right to Information (RTI) Act.A two judge Bench comprising Justices Elipe Dharma Rao and M Venugopal noted that if such information is disclosed, "It will definitely make an inroad to the proper, serene function of the Hon'ble High Court being an...

Coalgate: Three officials under scrutiny; Government not likely to give complete autonomy for CBI

Even as CBI prepares to interrogate Dasari Narayan Rao, former MoS for coal; and Naveen Jindal, Congress MP and Chancellor of Jindal University, reportedly three senior officials of the Jharkhand Government are now also under scrutiny, reports TOI. These officials were part of the screening committee which allocated a coal block to Jindal Steel and Power Ltd (JSPL) in 2007.On June 20-23, July...

NLU-Delhi holds First Convocation; President Pranab Mukherjee delivers convocation address

The National Law University, Delhi hosted its first Convocation ceremony on 15th June, 2013 at Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi. President Pranab Mukherjee delivered the convocation address and Chief Justice of India and Visitor to the University, Justice Altamas Kabir presided over the function.The degrees were conferred by Justice Badar Durrez Ahmed, Acting Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court...

Twentieth Law Commission gets one full time and two part time members

Justice Usha Mehra, retired Judge of the High Court of Delhi, has been appointed as a full-time Member of the 20th Law Commission of India. Justice Mehra headed the Commission of Inquiry set up to study various aspect of the Delhi rape case which occurred on 16th December, 2012.Dr. Bijai Narain Mani, eminent law author, and Dr. Gurjeet Singh, Director General of the National Law...

US Supreme Court rules natural human genes cannot be patented [Download Judgment]

In a path-breaking judgment, the US Supreme Court unanimously held that natural human genes are not patentable. The decision will have huge implications and will force a change at the federal patent office, which has been awarding gene patents since 1982.Sandra Park, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union, which sued to challenge the Myriad patents told Bloomberg, “Because of...

NLSIU Rape Victim drops out from Law School; Trial begins

Twenty one year old National Law School of India University (NLSIU) student who was allegedly gang raped, has decided to discontinue her studies and return to her hometown.The incident occurred on 31st October, 2012 near the Bangalore University campus and had led to subsequent protests over lack of safety measures for women. Out of the eight accused, seven has been arrested including a...

Cabinet defers promulgation of Food Security Ordinance

The Union Cabinet has today decided to defer the promulgation of an ordinance to implement the Food Security Bill. The controversial Bill will entitle the underprivileged population 5 kg food grains per person at Rs. 1-3 per kg.The Hindu reports, “The Bill got stalled after questions were raised by senior Ministers including Sharad Pawar, Ghulam Nabi Azad and P. Chidambaram about...

CCI Member H C Gupta resigns; CBI to question Gupta in Coalgate

Competition Commission of India (CCI) Member, H C Gupta resigned from the post to face charges in the coal blocks allocation scam. CBI has received sanction from the Ministry of Corporate Affairs to question Gupta, reports ET. A 1971 batch IAS officer of Uttar Pradesh cadre, Gupta was serving as a member of the CCI. Notably, he was Secretary in the Ministry of Coal as well as the panel chief...

Ministry of Home Affairs instructs to prosecute Police Officers refusing to register FIR

The Ministry of Home Affairs has issued an advisory to the States and Union Territories, mentioning that failure on the part of Police Officers to register an FIR on receipt of information about the cognizable offence will invite prosecution. The officer can be prosecuted for offence under section 166A of the Indian Penal Code or departmental action or both.The advisory further clarifies...