[Noon Meal Scheme] Kerala Govt Cites Dispute With Centre Over Funds, Assures High Court To Clear Arrears Soon

The Kerala government today assured the High Court that arrears of payments to government and aided schools under its 'Noon-Meal Scheme' will be cleared soon.Government pleader informed the High Court that the issues between the Centre and the State with respect to the funds have been resolved and hence, payments will be made soon.Single Judge Bench of Justice T.R. Ravi in its order...

Unacceptable That National Law University Jodhpur Has Only Contractual Teachers; Can't Expect Excellence Without Regular Staff : Supreme Court

The Supreme Court has expressed serious concerns at the National Law University, Jodhpur, operating only with contractual teachers. "To say the least, this is unacceptable and undesirable", the Court observed.The Court noted that as per the regulations of the University Grants Commission, only 10 percent of the staff can be contractual staff. The Court was told that the NLU's regulations...

TN Preventive Detention Law | Grounds To Be Supplied To Detenu "As Soon As Possible", Even A Day's Delay Violates Article 22(5): High Court

The Madras High Court has made it clear that the five-day period for communicating the grounds of arrest to a detenu under Section 8 of the Tamil Nadu Prevention of Dangerous Activities Act, 1982 (TN act 14 of 1982) should be strictly adhered to as the right to make an effective representation against detention is sacrosanct under Article 22(5) of the Constitution. Section 8(1) of the...

In A First, Supreme Court Data Available On National Judicial Data Grid On Real Time Basis; Boost For Transparency, Says CJI DY Chandrachud

Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud announced today that the Supreme Court is officially 'onboard' with the National Judicial Data Grid (NJDG) now. The CJI described the onboarding of the Supreme Court data on NJDG portal under the court's 'open data policy' as a step "to bring transparency and accountability in the judicial domain."The NJDG gives real-time data regarding the pendency of...

[TODAY AT 6PM] Launch Of Gautam Bhatia's Book "Unsealed Covers" And Panel Discussion. [WATCH LIVE]

Harper Collins Publishers invites you to the highly-anticipated book launch of "Unsealed Covers: A Decade Of The Constitution, The Courts And The State" by Gautam Bhatia. Join in for an enchanting evening filled with literary delights. There will also be a thought-provoking and inspiring panel discussion. The eminent panelists are: 1. Mr. Gautam Bhatia, Author. 2. Justice (Retd.) S....

Standard Of Proof To Prove Insanity Is Only 'Reasonable Doubt' : Supreme Court Acquits Man Accused Of Killing His Grandfather

The Supreme court observed that the standard of proof to prove the lunacy or insanity is only ‘reasonable doubt’.An accused who seeks exoneration from liability of an act under Section 84 of IPC has to prove legal insanity and not medical insanity, the bench of Justices JB Pardiwala and Prashant Kumar Mishra observed.The court observed thus while acquitting a murder accused by allowing...

Kerala High Court Rejects Plea To Erect Saffron Flags At Temple; Says Temple's Sanctity Shouldn't Be Diminished By Political Acts

The Kerala High Court recently held that in order to maintain the sanctity and tranquility of the temples, it cannot permit putting up of saffron flags and festoons on temple premises.Justice Raja Vijayaraghavan V., while refusing the plea by two devotees of the Muthupilakkadu Sree Parthasarathy temple to permit them to erect flags without any obstruction, observed:"Temples stand as beacons...

Supreme Court Upholds Life Sentence For Men Who Murdered Woman Alleging Witchcraft

In a recent judgment, the Supreme Court upheld the rigorous life imprisonment sentence of the convicts in a witchcraft-related murder case. The Court ruled that the convicts had a common intention to kill the victim.The five accused persons called the deceased a witch (diayen) who is the cause of trouble to the villagers as she used to indulge in witchcraft and killed her.The Court...

Court Not Barred From Assessing Detention Orders If Unjust Detention Suspected: Jammu & Kashmir High Court

The Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh High Court has quashed a detention order observing that while the Court does not engage in evaluating the detention order as in an appellate process, it does not imply that the Court is entirely precluded from scrutinizing the detention order. Justice Puneet Gupta added that if it finds that the order is merely a facade designed to unjustly detain an...

In Partition Suit, Every Interested Party Deemed To Be A Plaintiff; No Bar In Passing Numerous Preliminary Decrees: Supreme Court

In a recent development, a Division Bench of the Supreme Court, made an important observation that in a suit for partition, every interested party is considered to be a plaintiff. Further, law does not prohibit passing of numerous preliminary decrees.“Admittedly, we are dealing with a suit for partition, in which every interested party is deemed to be a plaintiff. Law does not bar passing...

Amicus Curiae Supports Life Ban On Convicted Politicians; Says Sec 8 RP Act Unreasonable For Limiting Disqualification Period

Senior Advocate Vijay Hansaria, the amicus curiae appointed by the Supreme Court in the matter relating to criminal cases against elected representatives (MPs/MLAs) in his 19th report has suggested that limiting the period of disqualification to contest elections after conviction to 6 years, is manifestly arbitrary and violative of Article 14 of the Constitution. The Amicus has...

Parliament Special Session Will Consider Bill On Election Commissioners' Appointment Process

The Centre's Bill proposes to exclude the Chief Justice of India from the selection panel formed by the Supreme Court to pick up Election Commissioners.