Supreme Court Now Open For General Public On Saturdays

‘This is a great opportunity to gain inside access to the grand interiors of the Supreme Court building and admire the majestic structure in its full glory.’The Supreme Court held thus… The apex court observed so and so. You can see such news reports about the Supreme Court almost every day.But have you ever seen that powerful place, where important judgments are pronounced, where laws...

“The Temple Is Open Only For 24 Hours On November 5 And 6, We Have Fixed A Date, Don’t Rush”: CJI Gogoi On Sabarimala Review Petitions

As Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi nears the completion of his first month in office, his stern approach towards granting an urgent listing to matters upon being ‘mentioned’ continues.On his very first day as the Chief Justice of India, he had asserted that the morning ‘mentioning’ ritual be confined to cases of extreme emergency, including those of demolition, eviction and death.On...

M J Akbar's Statement Recorded In Defamation Complaint Against Priya Ramani; Calls #MeToo allegations 'Scurrilous'

Former Union minister M J Akbar, who has filed a criminal defamation case against journalist Priya Ramani, told a Delhi court on Wednesday that an "immediate damage" has been caused to him due to the "scurrilous", concocted and false allegations of sexual misconduct levelled against him.Akbar appeared before Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Samar Vishal and recorded his statement...

SC Collegium Recommends Transfer Of Eight High Court Judges

The Supreme Court collegium has recommended the transfer of eight judges to the High Courts of Hyderabad, Karnataka, Bombay, Punjab & Haryana, Orissa and Jharkhand.The collegium comprising Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi, Justice MB Lokur, Justice Kurian Joseph, Justice AK Sikri and Justice SA Bobde recommended the following transfers:Karnataka High Court judge, Justice Raghavendra...

The Story Of A Stay Order Which Keeps CBI Alive

'While the present controversy has enlivened discussions regarding reformative measures to insulate the agency from political influence, the stake holders may also keep in mind that the very existence of the agency is hanging by a loose thread extended by the SC.'The unprecedented existential crisis which engulfed the Central Bureau of Investigation last week following the Alok Verma-Rakesh Asthana episode did not escalate to damaging levels, thanks to a crucial intervention made by the Supreme...

“I Send My Soul Through Time And Space/ To Greet You. You Will Understand…”: On Sabarimala And The Civil Rights Cases

From 1861 to 1865, a long and bitter civil war was fought in the United States of America. One of the major causes of the war was a dispute over the institution of slavery. After the pro-slavery Southern States were defeated, the institution was abolished throughout the U.S., Black people were formally emancipated, and three important amendments to the American Constitution were passed. The first of these, the thirteenth amendment, stated that “neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except...

Delhi HC Issues Contempt Notice Against Gurumurthy For Tweets Against Justice Muralidhar

The Delhi High Court Monday issued contempt notice to the editor of a Chennai-based, Tamil news magazine for his tweets against Justice S Muralidhar.A bench of Justices Hima Kohli and Yogesh Khanna initiated contempt proceedings and sought response of Swaminathan Gurumurthy, the editor of the weekly 'Thuglak' magazine, and listed the matter for further hearing on December 11.Gurumurthy is also...

Sabarimala Belongs To All, Not Just Hindus, Observes Kerala HC In Petition Seeking To Prevent Entry Of Non-Hindus.

The Court observed that Sabarimala welcomed devotees from all faiths and was a symbol of communal harmony.While considering a petition seeking to restrict entry of non-Hindus in Sabarimala temple, the High Court of Kerala orally observed that Sabarimala belonged to all and not just Hindus. The petition filed by T G Mohandas, Convenor of BJP State Intellectual Cell, contended that non-Hindus...

Sabarimala : HC Terms Women's Plea For Protection Premature; State Undertakes  To Give Protection To Genuine Devotees

It was undertaken by the State Attorney that the State will do everything possible to maintain law and order and to afford protection to 'genuine' devotees, whether men or women, to offer worship at the hill top shrineThe High Court of Kerala today termed the petition filed by four women for police protection to visit the Sabarimala shrine as "premature". The Court expressed that the...

Now Bar Council ID Card Is Valid Identity Proof For Train Journey As Railway Issues Circular Following Kerala HC Judgment [Read Circular]

The Ministry of Railways has issued a Circular following the directions of the High Court of Kerala to treat identity card issued to advocates by Bar Councils as valid proof of identity for train journey.On August 8, the High Court through a judgment of Justice Devan Ramachandran directed the Railways to accept ID cards issued by Bar Councils as valid proof as they are statutory bodies under...

Kerala Govt Brings Ordinance To Give Employees 'Right To Sit' In Shops & Establishments [Read Ordinance]

The Kerala Government has promulgated an Ordinance to give employees the 'right to sit', by amending the provisions of Kerala Shops and Establishments Act 1960. The Ordinance titled 'The Kerala Shops and Establishments(Amendment) Ordinance 2018' was promulgated by the Governor of Kerala and notified in the Gazette on October 4.It contains a mandatory condition to provide seating arrangements...

Salary Challenge: Kerala Govt Moves SC Challenging Stay On “No Consent” Letter Sought From Employees Unwilling To Donate 1 Month Salary To CM's Flood Relief Fund

Days after the Kerala High Court stayed the condition in a Government Order (GO) that mandated a declaration from government employees unwilling to contribute their one month’s salary to the Chief Minister’s Distress Relief Fund (CMDRF), the State Government has approached the Supreme Court challenging this order.In the impugned order, the Bench comprising Justice CT Ravikumar and Justice...