Gopal Subramanium among first choice of CJI Lodha as Special Public Prosecutor for Coalgate cases

A Supreme Court bench comprising of CJI R.M. Lodha, Justice Madan B. Lokur and Justice Kurian Joseph, has paved way for a structured and consolidated prosecution in the coal block allocation case, by urging the Delhi High Court to nominate a Sessions Judge in order to constitute a Special Court to look into the offences under the Indian Penal Code (IPC), Prevention of Corruption Act...

1993 Surat Bomb Blast case: Supreme Court acquits all 11 accused [Read the Judgment]

A Supreme Court Bench comprising of Justice T.S. Thakur and Justice C. Nagappan acquitted all the 11 accused for the 1993 Surat bomb blast, which claimed the life of a school girl and injured several others. The apex court reversed the 2008 TADA Court judgment which had convicted them and awarded them with imprisonment varying from 10 to 20 years.It was submitted by the prosecution that...

Constitution Bench quashes Central Government Notification issued based on per incuriam Judgment; [Read the Judgment]

The Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court, which continues its sitting with newly appointed Judge RF Nariman has delivered its first Judgment, quashing the O.M. No. 36012/23/96-Estt.(Res) dated 22.7.1997 and consequential Notification dated 30.11.1998 issued by the Central Government omitting the provisions of regulation 7(3) of the Central Secretariat Service Section...

SC Demands Status Report on Female Foeticide From All States

A Supreme Court Bench headed by Justice Dipak Misra has sought detailed affidavits from all States as well as the Centre, elaborating on the steps taken by them to curb the menace of female foeticide, which has been distorting the sex ratio of the country, despite of being banned almost two decades ago.The order was in response to a report which stated that the nuisance continued to...

Justice G.S. Singhvi named as Arbitrator by Government in Reliance Gas Price Row

Former Supreme Court Judge, G.S. Singhvi has  reportedly  been named as its arbitrator by the Government, in the dispute with Reliance Industries over natural gas prices. Last month, Reliance and its partners, BP Plc and Niko Resources had announced the appointment of David Steele, a former British judge, as their Arbitrator.RIL in conjunction with its partners BP and NIKO, had issued a...

Tribunals are parallel justice delivery mechanisms, lacks right people: Supreme Court

A Supreme Court Constitutional bench comprising of Chief Justice R.M. Lodha, Justice J.S. Khehar, Justice J. Chelameswar, Justice A.K. Sikri and Justice R.F. Nariman today observed that the Government has strived to create a parallel justice delivery mechanism in tribunals. However, the difficulty lies in finding the right judicial person for tribunals dealing with specific areas of...

Plea for mother’s name on Documents: SC seeks response from all States and UTs

A Supreme Court bench headed by Justice H.L. Dattu has issued notices to all States and Union Territories, seeking response on a petition demanding identification of a child by the name of his or her mother in all official documents and affidavits. The plea was filed by journalist-turned- spiritual activist, Madhav Kant Mishra.The petition reportedly stated: "In our male-dominated culture,...

Delay in adjudication by Family Courts is against human rights and the basic embodiment of dignity of an individual: SC [Read the Judgment]

A Supreme Court bench comprising of Justice Dipak Misra and Justice V. Gopala Gowda observed that a delay in adjudication by the Family Court is not only against human rights but also against the basic embodiment of dignity of an individual. It had come to the notice of the Court that on certain occasions the Family Courts have been granting adjournments in a routine manner as a consequence...

‘No sanctity in suffering; nothing holy about agony’

The title of this article comes from a poignant piece written by Archbishop Desmond Tutu when asked to comment upon assisted dying or on what is commonly known as ‘euthanasia’. The views of the Archbishop come in the background of the ongoing vociferous debate in the House of Lords on Lord Falconer's assisted dying bill. In a nutshell, Lord Falconer’s proposed legislation would make...

No fund for Stipend; BCI will approach Government, proposing stipend for new lawyer

The Bar Council of India has put a proposal before the Government of India, to provide a fixed stipend to new entrants into the profession, in order to address the woes of the new entrants.Mr. Bhoje Gowda S.L., Vice-Chairman, Bar Council of India, told Live Law that, the move has been taken in order to encourage the new comers to remain in the profession for a long term. He added that, “We...

Supreme Court collegium reiterates its stand on Justice Manjunath’s elevation; over rules Government’s objections

The Supreme Court collegium, headed by Chief justice R.M. Lodha has stood firm on its recommendation to elevate Justice K.L. Manjunath as the Chief Justice of Punjab and Haryana High Court. The Collegium has reportedly rejected the NDA Government’s objections against the appointment, terming the return of the file for reconsideration as baseless and unfounded.The adverse note spoken...

Shakti Mill Gang rape cases: Juvenile offender convicted; sent to Nasik school to learn good behavior

The two juveniles accused in connection with the 2013 Shakti Mill gang rape cases of a photojournalist and a telephone operator, were today declared guilty of the offence by the Juvenile Justice Board, comprising Principal Magistrate G B Jadhav and member Mary Shettiyar. They were convicted of gang rape, criminal conspiracy and molestation, besides other relevant sections of IPC. The guilty...