Top Stories
CAA's Discriminatory Nature : Explaining With The Help Of A Supreme Court Case
After keeping the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019(CAA) on the backburner for over four years, the Union Government on March 11 notified the rules to implement the legislation, which purports to give citizenship to persecuted minorities in our neighbouring countries who fled to India. The interesting aspect is that neither the Act nor the Rules mention fleeing from "religious persecution" as a condition to apply for citizenship. In other words, undocumented migrants from...
Is Royalty On Mining Leases Tax? What Are States' Powers To Tax Mineral Rights? Supreme Court 9-Judge Bench Reserves Judgment
The Supreme Court 9 judge constitution bench on Thursday (March 14) reserved its judgment on the issue of whether royalties on mining leases be considered as tax and whether the States have the power to levy royalty/tax on mineral rights. The 8 days long hearing deliberated upon the multifaceted taxation matter of mineral-bearing lands. The key reference question involved in the present matter...
'One Nation, One Election' Panel Recommends Cutting Short State Assemblies' Term To Synchronize With Lok Sabha Term
The High-Level Committee (HLC) appointed by the Central Government has submitted its report on "one nation, one election," advocating for simultaneous elections to Lok Sabha, State Legislative Assemblies, and local bodies. Headed by former President Ram Nath Kovind, the committee submitted its extensive 18,626-page report to President Droupadi Murmu. Established in September of the...
Supreme Court Invites Fresh Applications For Senior Designation
The Supreme Court has invited applications from Advocates/Advocates-on-Record as well as Former Chief Justices/Judges of High Courts for designation as Senior Advocates in terms of the 2023 guidelines available on the Court website.As per the notification of March 14, Advocates/AoRs whose cases have been deferred by the Full Court may apply afresh online, irrespective of the 1-year...
Supreme Court Asks States To Inform Steps Taken To Regularise Special Teachers Working On Contractual Basis
In a matter pertaining to special teachers being engaged on contract basis without security of tenure, the Supreme Court has called for affidavits from all States in the country specifying the number of such teachers working under them on contractual basis, who are Rehabilitation Council of India (RCI)-trained and eligible to be appointed.The Bench of Justices CT Ravikumar and Rajesh Bindal...
Transfer Of Govt Employee Not Vitiated Merely Because It Was Issued At Instance Of MLA : Supreme Court
The Supreme Court on Wednesday (March 13) observed that the interference by the court in an order of transfer at the instance of a state employee holding a transferrable position without any violation of statutory provision is impermissible. Reversing the findings of the High Court's Division Bench, the Bench Comprising Justices J.K. Maheshwari and Sanjay Karol, while restoring the findings...
Whether MMDR Act Excludes State's Power To Tax Mineral Rights? Supreme Court 9-Judge Bench Hears Arguments [Day 7]
On the 7th day of its hearing, the Supreme Court 9 Judge Constitution Bench dwelled into the interplay between the nature of limitations imposed under Entry 50 List II (State's Powers on taxes on mineral rights); Powers of the Union over regulation and development of mines and minerals and the residuary powers given to the Union under Entry 97 List I. Senior Advocate Dr AM Singhvi urged the...
Farmers Protest | Haryana Govt Approaches Supreme Court Against High Court Directing Judicial Inquiry Into Death Of Protesting Farmer
The Haryana government has filed a Special Leave Petition challenging the High Court's order of a judicial inquiry into the death of a protesting farmer, Shubhkaran Singh, who lost his life on February 21 on the Punjab-Haryana border. According to the case details available on the Supreme Court's website, the instant appeal was filed on March 11. However, it is still on the defect list....
Uttarakhand Uniform Civil Code Receives President's Approval
In a crucial development, the Uttarakhand Uniform Civil Code (UCC) Bill, 2024 has been granted assent by President of India Droupadi Murmu.It may be recalled that in 2022, a committee was formed by Pushkar Singh Dhami-led Uttarakhand Government to prepare a draft of the UCC. This committee consisted of a five-member panel headed by retired Supreme Court Judge Ranjana Prakash Desai and...
Man Facing Contempt Case For Not Paying Cost Makes Further Contemptous Comments In Reply; Supreme Court Extends His Custody
The Supreme Court today directed Upendra Nath Dalai, the man against whom contempt proceedings are going on for non-payment of cost imposed by the Court as well as for making contemptuous remarks, to be taken back into custody till Monday.The genesis of the case before the Bench of Justices CT Ravikumar and Rajesh Bindal lies in Dalai filing a "public interest litigation" (PIL) to declare...
By 2:1 Majority Bombay High Court Allows Centre To Notify 'Fact Check Unit' Which Can Declare Social Media Content About Its Business As Fake
By a 2:1 majority and in a setback for the petitioners in the 2023 IT Rules Amendment Case, the Bombay High Court -in an interim order – has refused to restrain the Union government from notifying its Fact Check Unit.Rule 3(1)(b)(v) of the IT Rules amendment 2023 empowers the government to establish a Fact check Unit and unilaterally declare online content related to the government's...