Employees taking VRS cannot be treated on a similar footing as those retiring in normal course: hence no violation of Article 14 and no violation of the principle of equal pay for equal work;SC

The Supreme Court held that, under normal circumstances when an employee retires from service, his relationship with the employer comes to an end. Further, in the instant case the employees who retired under voluntary retirement scheme (VRS) form a separate class as compared to those who retired in normal course. Therefore these two classes cannot be said to be similarly situated. Hence there...

Gwalior Judge Harassment case: CJI appoints Chief Justice of Karnataka High Court to conduct preliminary enquiry

After the Supreme Court had quashed the inquiry Committee set up by Chief Justice of Madhya Pradesh High Court on December 18, the Chief Justice of India HL Dattu has appointed Chief Justice of Karnataka High Court D.H.Waghela to conduct preliminary enquiry in the matter.The Bench headed by Justice Khehar in its judgment had said, "The Chief Justice of India may re-initiate the...

2G Spectrum case: SC quashes order of summons to Bharti Cellular Ltd. CMD Sunil Mittal and Essar Group promoter Ravi Ruia

A Supreme Court bench comprising of Chief Justice H.L. Dattu, Justice Madan B. Lokur and Justice A.K. Sikri yesterday quashed an order to summon Bharti Cellular Ltd. CMD Sunil Mittal and Essar Group promoter Ravi Ruia, the case concerning allocation of additional 2G spectrum in 2002.The Bench reasoned that the legal principle had been applied wrongfully by the Trial Court, citing their...

Breaking: SC orders release of deaf and dumb convict after 14 years of imprisonment, finding that he was a juvenile at the time of commission of the offence [Read the Judgment]

Concluding that the deaf and dumb convict, who had been in jail for 14 years, was a juvenile at the time of commission of the offence, a Supreme Court Bench comprising of Justice T.S. Thakur and Justice R. Banumathi affirmed the conviction for rape and murder, while setting aside the sentence awarded to the appellant, setting him free henceforth.The appellant, Darga Ram @ Gunga was tried...

“Why should husbands made to suffer all the time”: SC refuses to transfer matrimonial dispute

Refusing to transfer a matrimonial dispute to the wife’s convenience, a Supreme Court Bench comprising of Chief Justice H.L. Dattu and Justice A.K. Sikri, observed, “Estranged wives seeking transfer of cases, filed by husbands, to their places of residence has become the order of the day. We had become too liberal in acceding to their requests. But the husbands also have a right. Why...

Government Advertisements: SC demands reply from Government and NGOs on panel report

An apex Court bench comprising of Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice Arun Mishra has demanded a reply from the Centre and the others, refusing to order a stop on publication of Government advertisements carrying photos of political figures.This came as a reply to Advocate Prashant Bhushan’s request that the Government and others should be restrained from giving such advertisements, in the...

Complaint against Former SC Judge: Prashant Bhushan alleges conflict of interest of the new CBI Director Anil Kumar Sinha

Activist and lawyer, Mr. Prashant Bhushan, in a letter addressed to Mr. Anil Kumar Sinha who was appointed as the new Director of the Central Bureau of Investigation last month, has alleged “conflict of interest” that might exist with regard to dealing with the complaint filed by Mr. Bhushan against Justice C.K. Prasad.Mr. Bhushan had filed a complaint with the CBI on 01.12.2014...

High Courts of the country enter 2015 with 35% vacancies; Allahabad HC functioning with 50% of approved strength of Judges

Vacancies in the High Courts all over India have been a major attribute of the ever mounting backlog of cases. As on 1st January, 2015, there are a total of 345 vacancies in the 24 High Courts across the country, being a clear indicator of the lack of manpower in the sentinels of justice across the country.The following graph shows the approved strength, the working strength and the vacancies...

Woman employees cannot be discriminated against for maternity benefits, solely on the ground that they obtained the baby through surrogacy: Kerala High Court

Providing a beautiful epilogue to the issue that was facing them, Justice Dama Seshadri Naidu observed, "For Robert Brown all love begins and ends with motherhood, by which a woman plays the God. Glorious it is as the gift of nature, being both sacrosanct and sacrificial, though; now again, science has forced us to alter our perspective of motherhood. It is no longer one indivisible instinct...

Allahabad HC Judge recommended for transfer despite objections from two SC Judges

In a move that may be considered as one of the last decisions taken before President Pranab Mukherjee bestowed his assent on the establishment of the National Judicial Appointments Commission, it has come to light that Allahabad High Court Judge Justice Vineet Saran was transferred to Karnataka High Court by the Supreme Court collegiums, despite fervent objections raised by the two apex...

Petitions filed in SC challenging National Judicial Appointment Commissions Act and Constitution 99th Amendment Act [Read the Copy of SCAORA Petition]

Fresh petitions have been filed in the Supreme Court challenging the National Judicial Appointments Commission, by the Supreme Court Advocates on Record Association, Senior Advocate Bhim Singh and Senior Advocate Bishwajit Bhattacharya.The petition filed by SCAORA, through its secretary, Mr. Vipin Nair, and settled by Senior Advocate Fali S. Nariman, has challenged both the Constitution...

Computerized database being built and committee constituted for formulating guidelines for museums in the country: Centre to Supreme Court

In an affidavit filed before the apex Court, the Centre admitted to the absence of any standard uniform procedure for regulation of Museums across India, but assured the Bench comprising of Justice J. Chelameswar and Justice P.C. Ghose that a computerized database is being built to bring in reforms in the sector.The Court was informed by the Ministry of Culture that Museum Reform...