Punjab & Haryana HC Sets Aside Income-Based Sub Category Under Backward Classes Quota [Read Order]

The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Tuesday set aside a government notification fixing income criteria for allotting quota seats to candidates from the backward class category.The impugned notification had been issued on 17 August, 2016 under the Backward Classes (Reservation in Services and Admissions in Educational Institutions) Act, 2016. It had stipulated that the children of people with...

This Is What SC Held When It Quashed Charges Under POCSO Act Against Doctors In Kottiyoor Rape Case [Read Judgment]

‘Evidence should be such which should at least indicate grave suspicion. Mere likelihood of suspicion cannot be the reason to charge a person for an offence.’The Supreme Court has discharged the gynaecologist, paediatrician and the hospital administrative who were arrayed as accused in the Kottiyoor rape case.The main accused in the case is a church priest. As per the complaint, when...

Madras HC Allows Marina Beach To Be The Final Resting Place of Karunanidhi [ Read Order]

(Story updated with the operative portion of Order)The Madras High Court has allowed ex-CM and DMK leader Karunanidhi to be interred near Anna Memorial at Marina Beach, after a special hearing session.The special hearing was held by Acting CJ Huluvadi.G Ramesh and Justice S.S Sundar when DMK moved an urgent petition against the decision of State Government denying permission to bury...

Centre Notifies Appointment of Acting Chief Justices For Delhi And Patna High Courts [Read Notifications]

The Central Government, on Monday notified the appointment of Justice S. Ravindra Bhat as the Acting Chief Justice of Delhi High Court until Justice Rajendra Menon assumes charge as the Chief Justice of the Court.This is in view of the fact that Justice Gita Mittal will now be assuming charge as the Chief Justice of Jammu and Kashmir High Court.Another notification announced the appointment...

Acting CJs Appointed For Bombay, Uttarakhand ,Orissa & Madras High Courts

Acting Chief Justices have been appointed for the High Courts of Bombay, Uttarakhand, Orissa and Madras as per Notifications issued by the President of India.Justice Naresh Harischandra Patil, the senior-most puisne Judge of Bombay High Court has been appointed as the Acting Chief Justice of Bombay High Court, consequent to the appointment of Justice V.K Tahilramani as the Chief Justice of...

Centre's Scramble For One-Upmanship Over Judicial Appointments

The SC Collegium has been biting the bullet, sending disconcerting signals about  independence in judicial appointments.Though the acceptance of re-recommendation for Justice K M Joseph's elevation has avoided an embarassing stand-off between Centre and SC Collegium, it is hard to miss the an emerging pattern in the recent judicial appointments, which indicates the attempts of the Centre to have one-upmanship over Collegium.The appointment of Justice Joseph - whom the Collegium had unanimously...

Justice VK Tahilramani Appointed As Chief Justice Of Madras High Court [Read Notification]

Justice VK Tahilramani has been notified as the Chief Justice of Madras High Court, with Justice Indira Banerjee’s elevation to the Supreme Court.Justice Tahilramani joined the Bar in 1982, and has served as a Government Pleader and Public Prosecutor for the State of Maharashtra. She was elevated to the Bench in June, 2001, and was appointed as the Acting Chief Justice of Bombay High Court...

J&K HC Gets Its First Woman Chief Justice: Justice Gita Mittal [Read Notification]

Acting Chief Justice of Delhi High Court, Justice Gita Mittal has been appointed as the Chief Justice of Jammu and Kashmir High Court. She is set to become the first woman Chief Justice of the High Court.Justice Mittal is an alumna of Campus Law Centre, Delhi University, and began practicing in 1981. She was appointed as an Additional Judge of Delhi High Court in July, 2004, and was confirmed...

Dr. Tarunabh Khaitan Wins 2018 Letten Prize

Dr. Tarunabh Khaitan has won the 2018 Letten Prize. The purpose of the prize "is to recognize younger researchers’ contributions in the fields of health, development, environment and equality in all aspects of human life”. It also “aims to raise public awareness of how research can be used to solve global human development challenges”.The prize is a collaboration between the...

Insolvency Code Amendment Passed By Lok Sabha Treats Home Buyers As Financial Creditors [Read Bill]

The Lok Sabha has passed the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (Second Amendment Bill) 2018. One of the significant features of the Bill is that it recognizes home buyers, who have invested money in real estate projects for allotment of residential flats, as financial creditors. This is sought to be done by expanding the definition of 'financial debt' as given in Section 5(8) of the Code....

This Is Hardly Good Governance: SC Asks State Of Jharkhand To Make Regular Appointments Only [Read Judgment]

‘What has eventually been achieved by the State of Jharkhand is to short circuit the process of regular appointments and instead make appointments on an irregular basis. This is hardly good governance.’This is hardly good governance, remarked a Supreme Court bench headed by Justice Madan B Lokur observing that the State of Jharkhand continued with the irregular appointments for almost...

Cannot Cancel Entire Exam If Two Students Were Found Copying: SC Upholds ASTE Exam In Gauhati [Read Order]

The Supreme Court last week upheld the examination held for selection to the post of Assistant Signal-and- Telecommunication Engineer (ASTE) (Grade-B) against 30% LDCE quota vacancies in Gauhati.The Bench comprising Justice S.A. Bobde and Justice L. Nageswara Rao opined that the State could not have cancelled the entire exam if only two students were found copying, observing, “In...