Centre Asks SC To Junk PIL On Drought As Swaraj Abhiyan Turns Political Party

The Central government has taken yet another shot at avoiding the 2015 public interest litigation on its dealing with droughts in the country.Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi told the Supreme Court that the case must not be heard anymore since petitioner Swaraj Abhiyan has migrated from being a non-profit to a political party. The Swaraj Abhiyan, in a month, will finish all formalities to...

No GM Mustard Without SC Approval [Read the application for directions]

What could be India’s first transgenic food crop- genetically modified mustard will not be rolled out commercially without a stamp of approval from the Supreme Court of India.The central government agreed to this during the hearing of a public interest litigation, it vehemently opposed holding the commercial release of GM mustard.A bench of Chief Justice TS Thakur, Justices L Nageswara Rao...

Why Names Of 57 Borrowers Who Owe Banks Rs 85,000 Cr Be Not Disclosed? Asks SC

The Supreme Court today asked the RBI why names of 57 borrowers who have defaulted on bank loans worth a whopping Rs 85,000 crore should not be made public.“Who are these people who have borrowed money and are not paying back? Why this fact that the person has borrowed money and not paying back be not known to public”, asked a bench headed Chief Justice T S Thakur.The bench said if the...

After SC Nudge, Haji Ali Dargah Agrees To Allow Entry To Women

In a major victory for female worshippers, Mumbai’s Haji Ali Dargah Trust today told the Supreme Court that in a month’s time women will be allowed till its inner sanctum sanctorum.“We have already passed a resolution on October 11 to this effect and need two weeks time to implement..Some flooring has to be done and we also need to remove some obstructions like wooden windows and...

Stalemate Over NJAC: Is Presidential Reference A Way Out?

On October 16, the first anniversary of the Supreme Court’s landmark judgment in the National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC) case, went completely unnoticed in the legal circles and in the media.The reasons are not far to seek. The judgment, although a landmark in India’s jurisprudence on separation of powers, has still left many questions unresolved. One of these is how to...

Justice Katju: I Genuinely Believe SC Made Some Serious Mistakes In Soumya Case

Former Supreme Court judge Justice Markandey Katju today made it clear that he genuinely believed that the Supreme Court made some serious mistakes in adjudging the Soumya case.In his new Facebook post, he wrote:“Lord Denning, the celebrated British judge once said ‘The Judge has not been born who has not made a mistake’, and in Soumya's case, I genuinely believe that the Supreme Court...

More FDI Only If Judiciary Is Effective: CJI

“In this country, 18,000 judges are handling 50 million cases. The avalanche of cases is putting the judicial system to tremendous stress. A major concern any foreign investor has regarding safety of his investment is the efficacy of the judicial system of the country where he is going to invest. It is intensively and deeply connected with our ambition of attracting more and more...

After Govt Failed, Arbitration Only From 5 Star Hotels & Neeti Bagh Clubs: CJI

In some blunt speaking during the international arbitration conference, Chief  Justice T S Thakur  said in Delhi, five star hotels and clubs in plush Neethi Bagh had become the buzy arbitration centres in the absence of “credible” alternative institutions.According to him this was because the performance of government sponsored International Centre for Alternative Dispute...

Supreme Court Weekly Round-Up

SC Reminds HCs of ‘Doctrine Of Restraint’ In Complex Fiscal EvaluationThe Supreme Court with ‘immense pain’  asked the high courts to keep in mind the established doctrine of restraint, while issuing writ of mandamus in tender/bidding matters. The court also observed that a writ court cannot sit in appeal over the financial consultant’s assessment. Finish Probe into Scribe Murder...

Justice Katju Will Appear Before SC To Explain Why Death Sentence Should Be Imposed On Govindachamy

Justice Markandey Katju, through his Facebook post, has said that he will be appearing before the Supreme Court Bench headed by Justice Ranjan Gogoi in Soumya Rape and Murder case.Saying that he received the Supreme Court notice in the matter, Justice Katju said: “I will be appearing before the Supreme Court in the Soumya case on 11th November at 2 p.m.to explain why the judgment...

Let's Make India A Global Hub Of Arbitration: PM Modi

The three-day Global conference on National Initiative Towards Strengthening Arbitration and Enforcement in India came to a close on Sunday in New Delhi with the Prime Minister's address. Organised by the NITI Aayog, the conference was meant to identify the inherent lacunae in arbitration in India and to define a roadmap to strengthen the same. In the course of three days the conference...

The Curious Case Of Arbitration In India

A reliable and responsive alternate dispute resolution system is essential for rapidly developing countries like India. While several efforts have been made to do the same, it was only last year that the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996 was amended through a judicial push and legislative reforms. The amendment strives to bring the Indian arbitration mechanism at par with the...