NRI Voting: SC Gives Centre Two Weeks To Decide On Modalities Of Amending RP Act

The Supreme Court today gave the Centre two weeks time to take instructions on how it will go about with the amendment of the Representation of People’s Act to allow Non Resident Indians to vote in Indian electioins from abroad.At the outset, Attorney General K K Venugopal informed the court that a decision has been taken to amend the Act and not just amend the rules.After a brief...

Brenda Hale To Become The First Female President Of The UK Supreme Court

Brenda Hale will reportedly become the first woman to be appointed as the President of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom. As Deputy President, Lady Hale is already Britain’s most senior female Judge.One of three daughters, both her parents were headteachers, and she was educated at the Richmond High School for Girls before studying at Girton College, Cambridge. She was called to the...

Rape Cases Of Victims With Child-Like Brain Cannot Be Shifted To POCSO Court : SC [Read Judgment]

The Supreme Court has ruled that a man who rapes or sexually abuses a mentally challenged adult victim cannot be tried under the stringent provisions of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act 2012 even  if such a victim has an under-developed brain like that of a child.The judgment meant that mental age of the victim will not be  the criteria for classifying an offence...

Cow Vigilantism: SC Asks States To File Affidavit After Centre’s Submission That States Have To Take Action

The Modi Government on Friday made a categorical statement before the Supreme Court that they  do not support any cow vigilantism and said it will be soon stated in an affidavit.Solicitor General Ranjit Kumar appearing for the Centre also said these were issues of state subject being subject of law order and it was for the state's to control them.The bench however asked the Centre and States...

Malegaon Blasts: Victim’s Father Challenges HC Order Granting Bail To Pragya Singh Thakur [Read Petition]

A Special Leave Petition has been filed in Supreme Court challenging the Bombay High Court Judgment granting  bail to Pragya Singh Chandrapal Singh Thakur alias Sadhvi alias Swami Purnchet Anand Giri, an accused in the 2008 Malegaon Blasts.The petition filed by Nisar Ahmed Haji Sayed Bilal, father of one of the blast victims submitted that the Impugned Judgment is erroneous, bad and liable to...

Amend MTP Act To Allow Termination Of Pregnancies Beyond 20 Weeks In Case Of Minor Rape Survivors: Petition Before SC

A Petition has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking guidelines for constitution of a permanent medical board in each district of India for expedient termination of pregnancies beyond 20 weeks in exceptional cases, such as the ones involving minor rape survivors.The Petition further demands amendment of Section 3 of the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, 1971, so as to permit termination...

Right To Privacy Of Accused & Media Reporting Of Court Proceeding: UK SC Refuses To Grant Anonymity To Child Sex Abuse Suspect [Read Opinion]

At a time when the Indian Supreme Court is grappling with the issue of declaration of right to privacy as a fundamental right, the UK Supreme Court, on Wednesday, refused to allow the plea for anonymity by a man who was arrested for child sex abuse but was subsequently released without facing any charges.By a 5:2 majority, the Court opined that the while a party is entitled to invoke the right...

Privacy Be Declared A Fundamental Right In The Changing Times: Poovayya [Read Written Submission]

“In as much as the Constitution is a living document, and for it is the usufruct of the living, rather than the property of the dead, it becomes imperative to construe its provisions in light of the prevailing circumstances and jurisprudential mores”: Senior Advocate PoovayyaAffirming that right to privacy was inherent in most fundamental rights, senior advocate Sajan Poovayya who...

There Is No Dignity Without Privacy: Senior Advocate Anand Grover [Read Written Submission]

Addressing the mammoth nine-Judge Constitution Bench set up for the purpose, Senior Advocate Anand Grover submitted that privacy is actually the bulwark of other Fundamental Rights, especially those that are strung by the “golden thread of the Indian Constitution”-- Articles 14 (equality), Article 19 (freedom) and 21 (right to life and liberty).“If privacy is stripped off, other...

Right To Privacy [Day-2]- To What Extent One Can Remain Anonymous ? SC Ponders

As the 9-judge bench of the Supreme Court continued hearing on whether right to privacy should be declared a fundamental right, it today posed pointed questions as to what level the anonymity should or can be allowed."For example you are applying for passport. They ask your father's name, mother's name, spouse's name..in certain cases for passport for an adopted child they insist on name...

“Regressive To Deny Right To Privacy In 2017 By Relying On A 63-Year Old Decision”: Arvind Datar And Meenakshi Arora Back The Right [Read Written Submissions]

Before the mammoth nine-Judge Constitution Bench set up for the purpose, Senior Advocates Mr. Arvind Datar and Ms. Meenakshi Arora strongly argued in favor of the declaration of the ‘right to privacy’ as a Fundamental Right.Mr. Datar’s arguments were confined to the impact of the U.S. Constitution and the decisions of the U.S. Supreme Court in deciding of the following two questions- Can...

Justice P N Bhagwati Turned SC Into A Court For Voiceless, Poor, Downtrodden: CJI

A full court of the Supreme Court presided over by Chief Justice J S Khehar on Tuesday paid glowing tributes to former Chief Justice P N Bhagwati who passed away at the age of 95 on June 15, 2017“Court number 2 which justice Bhagwati presided before being elevated as the Chief Justice had for the first time become a workshop for giving law a human face”, the Chief Justice said at...