Lok Sabha Passes Representation of People(Amendment) Bill To Allow Proxy Voting By NRIs [ Read Bill]

Today, the Lok Sabha passed the Representation of People(Amendment Bill), which seeks to amend the provisions of Representation of People Act 1950 and Representation of People Act 1951.The Amendment Bill seeks to enable Non-Resident Indians to cast  votes through their proxies in the constituency.The 1950 Act deals with allocation of seats and delimitation of constituencies...

Justice Rajendra Menon Sworn In As Chief Justice of Delhi High Court

Justice Rajendra Menon was sworn in as the Chief Justice of Delhi High Court today. Delhi Lt Governor Anil Baijal administered oath to Justice Menon.Justice Rajendra Menon was the Chief Justice of Patna High Court. The SC Collegium had recommended his appointment as Delhi High Court Chief Justice on July 20.It may be recalled that the initial recommendation of the SC Collegium was for...

Law As Tool For Social Change : Examples From Karunanidhi

The legislative changes piloted by him are notable, as they are illustrative of the power of law to act as a catalyst for social change.Five-times CM and president of Dravida Munnetra Kazhakam(DMK) Party Muthuvel Karunanidhi, who passed away on August 7, rode to power on the wave of Dravidian movement. The Dravidian movement powered by the thoughts of Periyar E.V Ramaswamy started off as an attempt to assert Tamil cultural identity; gradually it gained more ideological depth under the guidance...

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...