Supreme Court Asks Centre To Produce Original Records Relating To Order Blocking BBC's Documentary On Modi

The Supreme Court on Friday issued notice on petitions challenging the Centre's decision to block the public access to BBC's documentary "India : The Modi Question".A bench comprising Justices Sanjiv Khanna and MM Sundresh also directed that the Centre should produce the original records relating to the order on the next date of hearing, which will be in April 2023.The bench was considering...

On First Principles, SC Collegium’s Recommendation To Elevate A Party Leader As A High Court Judge May Be Flawed

The Supreme Court Collegium, even while appearing to stand up to the Government in the ongoing tug of war for primacy over appointments of Judges to the Higher Judiciary, may actually be losing the perception battle with regard to adherence to the first principles.One such first principle is that candidates, who openly owe allegiance to political parties, ought not to be considered for elevation to the High Court Benches. This is not to suggest that membership of a political party is itself a...

Supreme Court Issues Directions To Avoid Delay In Release Of Prisoners After Getting Bail [Read 7 Directions]

The Supreme Court has issued the following guidelines on the issue of undertrial prisoners who continue to be in custody despite having been granted the benefit of bail on account of their inability to fulfill the conditions stipulated in the bail order or otherwise. “1)The Court which grants bail to an undertrial prisoner/convict would be required to send a soft copy of the bail order...

Union Budget 2023 : FM Announces Increase Of Rebate Limit; No Income Tax For Persons With Income Upto Rs 7 Lakhs In New Regime

In a major budget announcement helping the salaried middle class, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced the proposal to raise the income tax rebate level to Rs 7 lakhs per annum from Rs 5 lakhs per annum."Currently, those with income upto 5 lakhs do not pay any income tax in both old and new regimes. I propose to increase the rebate limit to 7 lakhs in the new tax...

Supreme Court Directs All Courts/Tribunals To Mandatorily Deposit Amounts Deposited By Parties With Registry In A Bank/Financial Institution

The Supreme Court has issued an important direction that all courts and judicial forums should frame guidelines to ensure that amounts deposited with the office or registry of the Courts or Tribunals are mandatorily deposited in a bank or financial institution. This direction is issued to ensure that litigants do not face any future loss of interest on the amount deposited before...

Shanti Bhushan’s Indelible Legacy Will Continue To Inspire Those Who Campaign For Accountability

If there is one phrase which could sum up the life and career of the eminent lawyer and former Union Law Minister, Shanti Bhushan who passed away on Tuesday, it is his zeal and passion for seeking accountability from the executive as well as the judiciary. His legal acumen was a means to this end. Shanti Bhushan was born in Bijnor, a district town of Western Uttar Pradesh, on November 11, 1925, Armistice Day. His parents named him Shanti, which means peace in Hindi, because he was...

Legendary Lawyer & Former Law Minister Shanti Bhushan Passes Away

Acclaimed lawyer Shanti Bhushan, Senior Advocate, passed away at his home in Delhi at 7PM today. He was aged 97 years.He was the lawyer who represented Raj Narain in the legendary case in Allahabad High Court which resulted in unseating Indira Gandhi as the Prime Minister in 1974. He has taken up several causes of great public interest and was a vocal activist against corruption and a champion...

PM CARES Fund Not A Fund Of Government Of India, Cannot Be Labelled ‘Public Authority’: PMO To Delhi High Court

The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) has told the Delhi High Court that the PM CARES Fund is not a “State” under Article 12 of the Constitution of India and does not constitute as a “public authority” under Right to Information Act, 2005. The affidavit filed by the Under Secretary of PMO states that the PM CARES Fund has been set up as a Public Charitable Trust and that it is not...

Every Breach Of Promise To Marry Is Not 'Rape' : Supreme Court Acquits Man Sentenced To 10 Years Imprisonment

The Supreme Court observed that it would be a folly to treat every breach of promise to marry as a false promise and to prosecute a person for the offence of rape under Section 376 IPC.One cannot deny a possibility that the accused might have given a promise with all seriousness to marry her, and subsequently might have encountered certain circumstances unforeseen by him or the...

Don't Record Witness Testimonies In English Translations Alone; Follow Sec 277 CrPC : Supreme Court To Trial Courts

The Supreme Court has disapproved of the practice of trial judges recording the deposition of a witness only in the English language form as translated by the judge, when the witness testifies in a different language.The evidence of the witness has to be recorded in the language of the court or in the language of the witness as may be practicable and then get it translated in the language of...

Centre Violated Citizens' Right To Know By Blocking BBC Documentary On Modi : N Ram, Prashant Bhushan & Mahua Moitra Tell Supreme Court

Terming the Centre's decision to block public access to BBC's documentary "India : The Modi Question" as "manifestly arbitrary" and "unconstitutional", veteran journalist and former editor of The Hindu N Ram, Advocate and civil rights activist Prashant Bhushan and Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra have jointly filed a petition in the Supreme Court.The writ petition filed under Article 32 of...

The Unread Judgments on Gandhi's Assassination

The investigation, trial, appeal to the high court and appeal to the privy council were all completed with remarkable speed, in 20 months.