"My grandson has started wearing a mask and looks like a Ninja", says CJI Dattu Favours pollution compensation tax on trucks coming into Delhi

"The situation is alarming indeed. Even my grandson has started wearing pollution masks", Chief Justice H L Dattu said as he favoured imposition of hefty pollution tax ranging from rs 600 -1,200 on nearly 60,000 trucks from outside passing through Delhi spewing harmful pollutants.A bench headed by Justice Dattu on Monday sought positive views of Centre, Delhi government and MCD on the proposal...

Somnath Bharti’s wife refuses mediation in SC; Dwarka Court extends judicial custody till Oct 19

Former Delhi law minister and AAP MLA Somnath Bharti’s wife Lipika Mitra has refused to opt for mediation to settle the attempt to murder and matrimonial violence case filed by her against her husband. The Court then directed the Trial Court to dispose of Mr. Bharti’s bail petition expeditiously. Following this, the Dwarka Court extended Somnath Bharti's judicial custody till October 19.On...

Supreme Court Weekly Round-up

JudgmentsA two Judge Bench on Monday held that determining the adequacy of sentence to be awarded in a given case is not an easy task, just as evolving a uniform sentencing policy is a tough call. Justice T.S. Thakur and Justice Gopal Gowda by separate but concurring opinions, had ordered the release of an accused, who was convicted by Delhi High Court for offence punishable under Section 8...

High Courts Weekly Round-up

Delhi High CourtThe Court on Tuesday quashed the Criminal Proceedings against an accused on the ground of settlement between the parties and directed them to pay an amount of Rs.1,00,000/- in favour of “The Superintendent, ‘Nirmal Chaya’, Tihar Jail, Hari Nagar, New Delhi, Welfare Fund for Children and Destitute Women’ within two weeks under prior intimation to the Investigating...

SC threatens contempt action, CBI probe against MCI, Dental Council for misleading submissions through lawyers [Read Order]

The supreme court has castigated regulatory bodies like the Medical Council of India (MCI) and the Dental Council of India (DCI) for making false statements and misleading it using their lawyers in college recognition and student admission matters and threatened to initiate contempt proceedings and CBI probe against them."After hearing many similar matters involving the issue of grant of...

Irish Rape Case; Accused moves SC against permitting victim to depose through Skype

The accused in the 2013 Irish woman rape case has approached the Supreme Court against the Alipur fast track court and Calcutta High Court permitting the victim to depose from Ireland by video conferencing through Skype "in violation" of a 2003 Supreme Court order.Accused Sujoy Mitra also complains about poor quality of the video saying it will seriously prejudice his case. He also accused...

Children are our country's future and they need to be protected from sexual abuse; Delhi HC directs all Criminal Court to take all measures to ensure the true testimony of the child witnesses [Read Judgment]

Delhi High Court in a recent Judgment emphasised the need to protect children from Sexual abuse; Justice P.S.Teji who wrote the Judgment in Ankush Kumar v. State held as follows;"Child sexual abuse is one of the most pervasive social problems faced by our society. Its impact is profound because of the sheer frequency with which it occurs and because of the trauma brought to the lives of...

SC summons Bharti’s wife on his plea for mediation; refuses interim bail

The Supreme Court today issued notice to Lipika Mitra, wife of former Delhi law minister and AAP MLA Somnath Bharti who has been arrested in an attempt to murder and matrimonial violence case on a complaint by her, on a plea by the accused seeking mediation.A bench of Chief Justice H L Dattu and Justice Amitava Roy has asked Lipika to be present in the court at 10:30 AM on Monday.The...

AG can appear for private parties so long as there is no Conflict of Interest: Supreme Court

The Supreme Court today dismissed a writ petition which sought a direction to the Centre to stop giving permission to Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi to appear for private parties in cases against government.Rohatgi, Central government's senior-most law officer had raised eyebrows in the Supreme Court when he represented a private party and that too four-star Bar owners of Kerala in their...

Delhi HC levies costs of Rs. 40, 000 on woman for abuse of process of court and wasting Court's time

Delhi High Court in a recent order, levied costs of Rs. 40, 000 on a woman for "abuse of the process of the Court and wastage of its precious time", by filing two petitions challenging the grant of bail and validity of investigations carried out against three men, whom she had accused of rape and molestation.Justice Indermeet Kaur refused to interfere with the grant of bail and investigation...

7/11 Mumbai train blasts: Special MCOCA Court awards death sentence to 5 and life sentence to 7

Nine years after the 7/11 Mumbai trains blasts that killed 188 people, a Special MCOCA Court has reportedly awarded death sentence to five convicts and sentenced seven others with life imprisonment.Those awarded the death penalty are: Kamal A Ansari, 37, Ehtesham Siddiqui, 30, Faisal Attaur Rehman Sheikh, 36, Asif Khan alias Junaid, 38, and Naved Hussain Khan, 30.The seven other convicts...

Appointment and procedure followed by Probation Officers for pre-sentence report: Delhi HC lays down guidelines to be mandatorily followed upon conviction with offence punishable with death penalty

Commuting the death sentence awarded to a convict to life imprisonment, a Division Bench of the Delhi High Court has laid down guidelines and collated the existing procedure with regard to appointment of Probation Officers and the procedure to be followed by them. These guidelines have been directed to be mandatorily adopted by the Courts before the sentencing hearing, upon conviction...