Collegium & Reform: A determined bench goes ahead to screen suggestions

As the Constitution Bench resumed its hearing on the reform of the Collegium system today after a gap of two weeks, things which could have been anticipated unfolded itself. Once the Bench decided to throw open the doors of the hearing to the public at large on November 5, by inviting their suggestions for reform, it was obvious that there could not be fetters on the nature of the...

President appoints Justice T. S. Thakur as the new Chief Justice of India

In exercise of the powers conferred by clause (2) of article 124 of the Constitution of India, the President is pleased to appoint Justice Tirath Singh Thakur, Judge of the Supreme Court, to be the Chief Justice of India with effect from 3rd December, 2015.Born on 4th January, 1952, he was enrolled as a Pleader in October, 1972 and joined the Chamber of his father Late Shri D.D. Thakur, a...

Dogs should not be killed in an indiscriminate manner, but indubitably the lives of the human beings are to be saved and one should not suffer due to dog bite; SC [Read Order]

Supreme Court has allowed Intervening applications pertaining to stray dog issue and has requested the High Courts across the country, not to pass any order relating to the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, 1960 Act and the 2001 Rules pertaining to dogs. The court also has asked all the Local Self Government bodies and Animal welfare Board to file affidavits regarding the issue.Apex Court...

Thanks to Madras HC, TN to get its first transgender Police Inspector [Read Order]

There are two other transgenders serving as police constables and the petitioner would be really the third one. The social impact of such recruitment cannot be lost sight of, which would give strength to the case of transgenders, the Court said while holding Prithika, entitled to be recruited to SI post.Madras HC cleared the hurdles in way of Prithika Yashni by holding that the she is entitled...

PIL challenging mining lease renewals in Goa: SC issues notice to State Government and mining companies

A Supreme Court bench headed by Justice Khehar has issued notice to Goa Government and all mining companies in Goa on a Public Interest Litigation filed through Advocate Prashant Bhushan. The PIL challenges the en masse renewal of mining leases in the State of Goa declared “expired” by the Supreme Court. The Bench directed the respondents to file their replies by December 1 and has listed...

Surprises in store at tomorrow’s Collegium hearing

As the Supreme Court’s Constitution Bench resumes its hearing on reforming the Collegium to recruit Judges for the Higher Judiciary tomorrow at Court 4, it will be confronted with another delicate issue, which will be as problematic as the one it faced on November 3 and 5, when it first met after delivering the October 16 main judgment.On November 3, the Bench’s presiding Judge, Justice...

eCourts Project: 95% of Phase I completed, Phase II to computerise 5751 new courts in 3 years

As per the data available on the Department of Justice website, as on September 30, 2015, more than 95% of the mandated activities under the Phase I of the eCourts Integrated Mission Mode Project have been completed. Under Phase-I, National eCourts portal have became operational. The figures of pendency of District Judiciary Courts across the country, in aggregate for country and States as...

Protection to an honest public servant required in the larger interest of society; Supreme Court grants 10 Lakh compensation to an IFS officer haunted with corruption charges [Read Judgment]

The dire necessity is to fill in the existing gap by protecting the honest officers while making the corrupt officers realize that they are not above law. The protection to an honest public servant is required not only in his interest but in the larger interest of society, the bench said while granting ten lakh compensation to the Petitioner.Supreme Court has directed the Uttar Pradesh...

Centre’s clean chit to ex-CJI K G Balakrishnan in benami case but SC refuses to accept it

In a huge relief to former Chief Justice of India K G Balakrishnan, the centre today submitted before the supreme court that detailed probe into complaints that his kith and kin amassed wealth during his tenure as Chief Justice of India from January 2007 to May 2010 “yielded nothing”.Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi appearing for the Centre said there cannot be a CBI probe afresh as it...

Exclusive; BCI says SC collegium should consult Lawmin/AG/ SG on Judges Appointment [Read Suggestions]

Two days before the SC is set to continue the hearing on improving the collegium system of appointment of judges, the Bar Council of India today submitted its suggestions to the Supreme Court and said the executive cannot be completely kept away from the judge selection process.The resolution passed by the BCI under the Chairmanship of Manan Kumar Mishra after wide consultations with all...

Uncertainty as Contractor tells SC it cannot collect Pollution Tax from Delhi Trucks

In a surprising move, the toll levy contractor SMYR consortium today appeared before Supreme Court and expressed inability to make the collection of environment compensation charge imposed by the apex court on polluting commercial vehicles entering Delhi citing several problems including financial loss.Making its points clear through senior lawyer Shyam Divan who represented them, SMYR...

Justice Kurian Joseph- the letter PIL ‘petitioner’- after improving Delhi’s children's parks, now the Taj Mahal

Justice Kurian Joseph, a vibrant judge of the Supreme Court is in a way also of late donning the role of an active letter PIL ‘petitioner’.After his letter to the Chief Justice of Delhi High Court in April 2013 became instrumental in improving the condition of children’s parks in Delhi, Justice Joseph has now embarked on restoring the Taj Mahal to its original glory.In a letter written...