Bombay HC Invites Views On 57 Applications For Designation As Senior Advocates [Read List]

The Bombay High Court has has made public the names of advocates who have applied to it for being designated as Senior Advocates. The list has names of 57 lawyers in total. The notice invites suggestions and views from stakeholders on the proposal, directing these to be sent to the Permanent Secretariat of the High Court on or before February 28, 2019. The notification states,...

Delhi HC To Transfer Commercial Suits Valued At Or Below Rs.2 Crores To District Courts [Read Circular]

The Delhi High Court yesterday issued a circular to transfer all commercial suits valued at or below Rs. 2 crores pending before it to the respective District Courts.The circular is based on the recently passed Commercial Courts, Commercial Division and Appellate Division of High Courts(Amendment) Act 2018, which altered the specified value from Rs.One crore to Rs. 3 lakhs.The circular will...

Dishonour Of Cheque Trial : Accused And His Witnesses Can Lead Evidence On Affidavit: Gujarat HC [Read Judgment]

The Gujarat High Court on Tuesday held that just like the witnesses, the accused in a case filed under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act can also lead evidence by way of an affidavit in terms of Section 145.Justice JB Pardiwala ruled, "The evidence on behalf of the accused would include that of the accused, subject to Section 315 Cr.P.C. If the evidence of the witnesses could be...

To Serve Judiciary Is Not Less Than Call Of Military Service, Says Justice Arun Mishra

"Contempt is a weapon like Brahmasatra to be used sparingly to remain effective. At the same time, a Judge has to guard the dignity of the Court and take action in contempt and in case of necessity to impose appropriate exemplary punishment too. "

Suman Bodani Becomes The First Female Hindu Civil Judge of Pakistan

Ms. Suman Pawan Bodani has become the first Hindu woman to be appointed as a civil judge in Pakistan. She secured 54th rank in the merit list and will serve in her native district of Qambar-Shahdadkot. As per reports, Ms. Bodani passed her LLB. examination from Hyderabad and did her masters in law from Karachi's Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Institute of Science and Technology (SZABIST)....

The Hearing That Was (Not): The Story Of CBI Acting Chief, And Of Conflicting Interests And Recusals

"We get a feeling that Your Lordships do not want it to be heard"Said Senior Advocate Dushyant Dave to Justice A. K. Sikri last Thursday, perturbed at the latter's segregation of himself from the hearing on the challenge to M. Nageshwar Rao's continuation as the interim CBI Director, coming close on the heels of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi's recusal from the matter. The PIL by NGO Common Cause and RTI Activist Anjali Bharadwaj had come to be placed before the second senior most judge of the...

ICICI-Videocon Case : Is Chanda Kochhar A 'Public Servant' Under Prevention Of Corruption Act?

A 2016 SC judgment extended the application of PC Act to private bank employees.

Highest Number Of Death Penalties Awarded By Trial Courts In 2018 Since 2000 : Project 39A Report

162 death penalties were awarded by trial courts in 2018

Lawyer Of Opposite Party Can Be Summoned As A Witness If There Are Justifiable Circumstances: Kerala HC [Read Judgment]

"The bar under Section 126 ought not to be mistaken as prohibiting the lawyer of opposite party from being summoned as his own witness, in cases where his examination is justified by the circumstances."

Sanction To Investigate Public Servant: When The Act Is Ex-facie Criminal, Approval Under Section 17A of PC Act Not Necessary, Rules Delhi HC

Delhi High Court has recently ruled that when the act of a public servant is ex-facie criminal or constitutes an offence, prior approval of the Government as mandated under Section 17A of Prevention of Corruption Act would not be necessary.Justice Najmi Waziri was hearing petitions filed by CBI Officers Rakesh Asthana And Devender Kumar for quashing the FIR registered by CBI against...

Evolution Of Seniority Convention And Appointment Of Chief Justice Of India

The Constitution of India, 1950 is the longest national Constitution of the world. The original Constitution that was adopted and enacted by the Constituent Assembly on 26th November 1949 contained 395 Articles divided into 12 parts and 8 schedules. As of 2014, the total word count of the Indian Constitution was 1,46,385 which is well above the average length of a Constitution which comprises 21, 960 words and it is twenty-times longer than the Constitution of the United States which its current...

God Save Indian Democracy

The political class now is not unduly worried about the nuances of the Constitution. And the high priests do not care. I am only reminded of Robert Bork's statement— the question nowadays is not how to read the Constitution, but whether to read it. We live in an era of "constitutional morality" and sealed cover jurisprudence. God save Indian democracy.