PIL filed in Supreme Court demanding CBI probe in Sunanda Pushkar death case

In a recent development to the Sunanda Pushkar case, Supreme Court advocate N Rajaraman told media that a CBI probe is needed into the case and that a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) has been filed in the Supreme Court in this regard.The advocate said there has been a delay in the investigation of the case and it wouldn't have become a media trial had the leads given by All India Institute...

Court can recall any witness even if once that power under S.311 CrPC, has been exercised: Supreme Court [Read the Judgment]

A Supreme Court bench comprising of Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai and Justice N.V. Ramana, while upholding High Court verdict to recall an investigating officer as a witness, observed that the Court can exercise power of resummoning any witness even if once that power under Section 311 of CrPC has been exercised.Section 311 empowers the court at any stage of any inquiry, trial or...

CJI Lodha’s letter to the Government warns against any such ‘unilateral segregation’ in the future

Chief Justice of India, R.M. Lodha made headlines by criticizing the Government for segregating the names of the proposed candidates for elevation, without his “knowledge and consent”, at a function organized to bid farewell to Justice B.S. Chauhan, who retired recently. However, what remained unknown was that a day before this statement, he had written a letter to the Law Minister...

Government puts Judicial Appointment Bill on hold; decides to hold Fresh Discussions and Consultations

The Judicial Appointments Commission bill has reportedly been pushed into a state of latency by the NDA Government. The Judicial Accountability Bill has also met the same fate.This bill proposes the replacement of the collegium system of appointment of judges to the High Courts and the Supreme Court. Even though the UPA Government had undertaken an intense consultation process,...

When convicted with Life Imprisonment, other Sentences will run concurrently: Supreme Court [Read the Judgment]

A Supreme Court bench comprising of Justice S.J. Mukhopadhaya and Justice Dipak Misra has held that in case of a life term, the other sentences would run concurrently. Hence, where a person gets convicted for several charges such as abduction-cum-murder or rape-cum-murder, the sentences won't run consecutively.The bench referred to Section 31 of CrPC which relates to the sentence in cases...

Breaking ; No Automatic Arrest in 498-A Cases, SC Issues Strict guidelines to Police and Magistrates, Non Compliance will Attract Disciplinary & Contempt Proceedings [Read the Judgment]

The Supreme Court, has delivered a much awaited judgment by the common man. The judgment (Arnesh Kumar Vs. State of Bihar & Anr) has effectively rewritten the relationship between the police and public. The important verdict arises from an appeal preferred by an husband who apprehended his arrest in a case under Section 498-A of the Indian Penal Code, 1860 and Section 4 of the...

35% rise in the Incidences of rape Reported in 2013: National Crime Records Bureau [Read the Report]

According to the latest statistics released by the National Crime Record Bureau, the number of rapes cases reported in India has increased from 24,923 in 2012 to 33,707 in 2013, indicating a 35.2% rise over the year.Madhya Pradesh saw the highest number of instances of rapes reported, with an increase of 26.6% from 3,425 instances in 2012 to 4,335 in 2013. Delhi is followed by Mumbai...

Accused cannot be deprived of Hearing in a Criminal Revision Petition: Supreme Court [Read the Judgment]

A Supreme Court bench comprising of Justice T.S. Thakur and Justice C. Nagappan in a judgment delivered on Monday, observed that the appellant who is an accused person cannot be deprived of hearing on the face of the express provision contained in Section 401(2) of the Code and on this ground, setting aside an order of the High Court and remitting the matter.The appeal was filed against an...

Disciplinary proceedings cannot be Initiated or Continued after Retirement: Supreme Court [Read the Judgment]

A Supreme Court bench comprising of Justice T.S. Thakur and Justice C. Nagappan, in an appeal against U.P. Co-operative Institutional Service Board, has held that disciplinary proceedings cannot be initiated or continued after retirement, while directing the respondent to pay the arrears of salary and allowances, as also the retiral benefits in accordance with the rules, as if there had been...

SC Accepts Issue of Mental Cruelty, even when prayer absent in relief Clause [Read the Judgment]

A Supreme Court Bench comprising of Justice S.J. Mukhopadhaya and Justice Dipak Misra upheld the High Court's verdict and granted divorce on the ground of mental cruelty, even though the relief wasn't prayed in the relief clause.The Bench considered it necessary for the sake of justice to address the issue of mental cruelty, considering it the bounden duty of this Court to do so and not to...

Vodafone Tax Dispute: Supreme Court Dismisses PIL to Restrain Centre from Arbitration

A Supreme Court bench comprising of Justice H.L. Dattu and Justice S.A. Bobde has reportedly refused to admit a PIL filed by Biswajit Bhattacharya, former Additional Solicitor general, seeking a direction from the Supreme Court to the centre to recover around Rs 20,000 crore tax dues from UK telecom major Vodafone and to restrain the government from going ahead with arbitration on...

“I will not hold my office for even a second if the independence of Judiciary has been compromised"; CJI

Chief Justice of India, R.M. Lodha has criticized the Government for segregating the names of the proposed candidates for elevation, without his “knowledge and consent”, at a function organized to bid farewell to Justice BS Chauhan, who retired today.The Chief Justice has chosen the farewell  occasion to reassure the Indian Public that the independence of Judiciary is not compromised, and...