Disability Day: Empower Persons With Disabilities: President Pranab Mukherjee

President of India Pranab Mukherjee today said that employment is a vital factor in economic empowerment of persons with disabilities.“Vacancies have been reserved for such applicants in Government Ministries and establishments. Government’s National Action Plan for Skill Development will cover 25 lakh persons with disabilities by 2022 to enhance their employability. I would encourage...

CJI TS Thakur Gets Emotional After Visiting His Old School At J&K

Chief Justice of India TS Thakur visited his old school in Jammu today. He got emotional reminiscing about his school days. He said he met many of his classmates as well as teachers and then he went on to note that much had not changed in the past five decades. According to an Indian Express report he said- “In last 50 years, we’ve even gone to Mangalyaan, but there has been no change...

Can Cross-Objections Be Filed In Arbitration Appeal: SC Refers Issue To Larger Bench [Read Judgment]

The application of CPC is not conceived of and, therefore, as a natural corollary, the cross-objection cannot be entertained, the bench opined.A division bench of the Supreme Court has raised doubt over the correctness of judgment in ITI Ltd. vs. Siemens Public Communications Network Ltd., wherein it was held that that the applicability of Civil Procedure Code is not prohibited in an...

Nirbhaya Case's FIR Is Creature Of Police’s Afterthought: Amicus Sanjay Hegde

Senior Advocate Sanjay Hegde, one of the two amicus curiae appointed by Supreme Court in the Nirbhaya case, has submitted that the First Information Report (FIR) in the case is a creature of an afterthought by the police.He was arguing before a three-judge Bench comprising Justice Dipak Misra, Justice R Banumathi and Justice Ashok Bhushan hearing the case.In the argument note, he submitted...

Accused’s Intention, Role To Aid/Instigate Commission Of Suicide Must Be Proved For Conviction: SC [Read Judgment]

Section 306 IPC criminalises the sustained incitement for suicide, the bench heldDislodging concurrent finding of the guilt of in-laws accused of abetting a woman’s suicide, the Supreme Court in Gurcharan Singh vs. State of Punjab, has observed that intention and involvement of the accused to aid or instigate the commission of suicide is imperative to constitute abetment.An apex court...

After HCs & AFT, SC Now Slams Centre For Delay In NHRC Appointments

After the row over delay in appointing judges to High Courts and Armed Forces Tribunal, now the Supreme Court has taken up the case of National Human Rights Commission and asked pointed questions to the Centre.A bench of Chief Justice T S Thakur and justice D Y Chandrachud  have questioned the inordinate delay in filling up vacant positions in the NHRC including that of the Director General...

After CJI, SC Panel Push, A Beijing-like Pollution Code For Delhi

The Supreme Court and the Environment Pollution Control Authority appointed by it have given a green signal to a pollution code for Delhi (for the first time) on the lines of what has been implemented in Beijing for a graded response to health emergencies caused by noxious air that frequently engulfs the area in the winter.The plan finalized by the Central Pollution Control Board in...

Demonetisation: SC Defers Hearing To Monday For A Chaos-Free & Steamlined Proceeding

The Supreme Court today observed that there was "too much chaos" in the demonetisation case hearing due to large number of petitions seeking different reliefs and said there was a need to categorise petitions and streamline the hearing.Adjourning hearing in the case to Monday 2pm, the bench headed by Chief Justice T S Thakur asked Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi appearing for Centre to sit...

SC Rejects Plea For Making National Anthem Mandatory In Courts On Technical Grounds

AG told the Court that the application is not in appropriate format and suggested to file the proper application. The Court accepted the same and rejected the petition.Supreme Court of India Today has rejected an application filed by BJP leader, Advocate Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay to make the National Anthem compulsory for all the Courts throughout the Country on technical grounds.The...

‘Dismantling Patriarchy Challenges Ahead’ [Text of Justice Sunanda Bhandare Memorial Lecture by VP Hamid Ansari]

The Vice President of India, Shri M. Hamid Ansari has delivered the 22nd Justice Sunanda Bhandare Memorial Lecture ‘Dismantling Patriarchy Challenges Ahead’, on 30th November 2016. He said that  the process of dismantling patriarchy may have been initiated but is yet to deliver a finished product.Here is the full text of the speech “It is a privilege to be invited to join a galaxy...

SC Unhappy Over Tardy Progress Of States In Setting Up Food Commissions [Read Order]

The Supreme Court bench comprising Justices Madan B Lokur and N.V.Ramana on December 1 made it clear that State Food Commissions should be constituted at the earliest in accordance with Section 16 of the Food Security Act. The bench disapproved of the practice of some States having some other body function as the State Food Commission without having the necessary expertise or the qualification...

Ahead Of SC Hearing, Centre Says Demonetisation Necessary ‘Reasonable Restriction’ Not ‘Deprivation’

In an affidavit filed just before the crucial hearing on demonetization set for today, the centre has told the Supreme Court that the scrapping of old Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 banknotes, Curb on money transactions, including withdrawals and wedding expenses banknotes does not violate citizens’ fundamental rights, as alleged, but imposed “reasonable restrictions” to eradicate black money...