India Will Become Nazi State If Press Is Gagged; It’s The Duty Of Constitutional Court To Resist Such Attempts By Mighty State: Madras HC [Read Order]

“If the voice of the fourth estate is stifled in this manner, India will become a Nazi State and the hard labour of our freedom fighters and makers of our Constitution will go down the drain.”If the voice of the fourth estate is stifled in this manner, India will become a Nazi State, remarked Justice PN Prakash of Madras High Court while quashing a defamation complaint against India...

Petition Challenges Blanket Ban On Hukkah Parlours In Maharashtra; Bombay HC Seeks Reply From State [Read Petition]

The division bench of Chief Justice Naresh H Patil and Justice MS Karnik of the Bombay High Court on Monday sought reply from the State of Maharashtra in a batch of petitions filed by owner of Silver Spoon, a hukkah parlour, challenging a blanket ban imposed on hukkah parlours in the state.The State of Maharashtra had amended the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition) Act (COTPA)...

PM Modi, VP Naidu Attend Dinner Hosted By CJI On Constitution Day Eve

Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday attended a dinner hosted by the Chief Justice of India on the eve of Constitution Day.Chief justices and judges from Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Nepal and Bhutan, who are here to attend the BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) conference, were also...

Aircel-Maxis case: CBI Gets Sanction To Prosecute Former Union Minister P Chidambaram

The sanction required to prosecute former Union Home/Finance Minister P Chidambaram in the Aircel-Maxis case has been obtained from the authorities concerned, the CBI told a court on Monday.The court, which further extended the protection from arrest to Chidambaram and his son Karti till December 18, also granted three weeks to the agency to get sanction against some other people who are...

Gauhati HC Issues Directions For Registration Of Muslim Marriages Only By Licenced Registrars [Read Judgment]

The Gauhati High Court recently issued a slew of directions in order to ensure that only those duly authorised by the government under the Assam Moslem Marriages and Divorces Registration Act, 1935 issue marriage registration certificates for Muslims in the State.In doing so, Justice N. Kotiswar Singh emphasised on the importance of maintaining the sanctity of marriage certificates issued...

Image Of This Nation Has Taken Enough Beating, Ensure That There Is No Suppression Of Dissent, Discussion Or Debate: Bombay HC [Read Order]

“If democracy has be preserved and protected in this country and this part of the world, then, not only the Executive, but equally the citizens have to act accordingly.”“Freedom of speech and expression guaranteed by the Constitution of India, coupled with the freedom of religion, both of which are subjected to reasonable restriction ensure that there is no suppression of...

Law Intern Found Dead Days After Filing Sexual Harassment Complaint Against Lawyers

A law intern was recently found dead in Bangalore. Curiously, she had filed a sexual harassment complaint with Commercial Street police just days before she was found dead.The intern was from Andaman & Nicobar Islands and had traveled to Bengaluru in 2017 to intern with Jayanth M. Puttanshetti and Associates on Infantry Road.According to a TOI report, she was assigned to work with...

J&K Assembly Dissolution : Yet Another Instance Of Governor Toppling Constitution

After Arunachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Karnataka, yet another instance of abuse of Constitutional power by a Governor occurred this week, when Governor of Jammu and Kashmir Satya Pal Malik decided to dissolve JK assembly. J&K has been under Presidential rule since last June, after BJP withdrew from PDP-led coalition government, putting end to an alliance forged in December 2014.Earlier this week, PDP, NCP and Congress announced that they have formed an alliance and staked claim for...

Is This Fair Comment That You Attribute Motive To The Judiciary? Delhi HC Asks In The Contempt Case Against S. Gurumurthy

The Delhi High Court Thursday expressed anguish over the comments made by an editor of a Chennai-based news magazine against a sitting high court judge and said the case concerns the judicial system.A bench of Justices Siddharth Mridul and I S Mehta said journalistic licence does not give a person the right to make unsavoury allegations."We are all in for free press but don't attribute motive...

Allahabad HC Gets A Record: Highest Number Of New Judges Sworn-in Today

Setting a new record, 28 newly appointed Additional Judges of Allahabad High Court were sworn in by the Uttar Pradesh Governor on Thursday.They were administered the oath of office were by Governor Ram Naik at a ceremony held behind the chamber of the chief justice here.Chief Justice Govind Mathur and all other judges of the high court were present on this occasion.Out of the 28 new...

PMO Says Collating Info On Corruption Complaints Against Union Ministers ‘Cumbersome Exercise’, Revealing Info On Black Money Will ‘Impede’ Probe

Even as the BJP claims to have given a corruption-free government, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) has, in response to a query on all complaints submitted to the Prime Minister on corruption charges against serving Central ministers, taken shelter under Section 7(9) of the RTI Act.Section 7(9) provides that, “An information shall ordinarily be provided in the form in which it is...

McDonald's Franchisee Made Illegal Profit Of ₹ 7.49 Crores By Denying Benefit Of GST Reduction To Customers : Anti Profiteering Authority [Read Order]

The National Anti Profiteering Authority has found that Hardcastle Restaurants, a franchisee of McDonalds, did not pass on the benefit of Input Tax Credit(ITC) and reduction of GST rates to customers, and has amassed illegal profit to the tune of Rs.7.49 crores between November  15,2017 to January 31,2018The Authority has directed the franchisee to reduce prices in commensurate with...