Inadequate Legal Aid To Murder Accused: Patna HC Sets Aside Death Penalty, Orders Retrial [Read Judgment]

It was mandatorily required on the part of the trial court to take steps for providing any counsel from Legal Aid Committee or at the expense of the government, the bench said.The Patna High Court has ordered a retrial in a murder case while setting aside the death sentence imposed on an accused, observing that the accused was not provided adequate legal aid.This was a case of the murder of...

PIL Against Advocate General’s “Disrespectful” Place In India’s Order Of Precedence: Chhattisgarh HC Asks State To Respond [Read Petition]

The Chhattisgarh High Court has asked the State to respond on a PIL moved by two advocates objecting to the “disrespectful” placement of Advocate General at serial number 25, much below Additional Secretary to Government of India and the Additional Solicitor General of India, in India’s Order of Precedence which shows the hierarchy of official positions and seeking a direction to place...

1988 Patiala Road Rage Case: As State of Punjab Seeks Conviction Of Its Own Minister, SC Asks Who Identified Accused No.2

On Thursday, the State of Punjab surprised everyone by seeking the conviction of its Minister of Local Government, Tourism, Cultural Affairs, and Museums, Navjot Singh Sidhu, in the ongoing hearing of his appeal in the Supreme Court against the 2006 judgment of the Punjab and Haryana high court, which sentenced him to three years imprisonment in the 1988 Patiala road rage case, in which...

‘Committed To People Not To Government’

In the Harvard Club of India hosted conversation between Mr. Karan Thapar and Justice Chelameswar on 7th April 2018, Journalist Thapar had posed a question to Justice Chelameswar, regarding the propriety of the 12/1 Press Meet. The question drew its relevance from the 9th principle of the “Restatement of Values of Judicial Life” 1997 that was adopted by the Supreme Court in its Full Court as a charter to be followed by judges, which stated “A Judge is expected to let his judgments speak for...

Delhi HC Recognizes Copyright On Photos Uploaded On Facebook [Read Order]

The Delhi High Court has recently recognized copyright on photos uploaded on Facebook.The order was passed by Justice Manmohan on a suit for permanent injunction filed by Fairmount Hotels Pvt. Ltd., demanding that one Mr. Bhupendra Singh be restrained from infringing their copyright.It had alleged that Mr. Singh, who was managing their Hotel for about 4 years, opened a hotel and...

Unnao Rape Case: Allahabad HC Takes Suo Motu Cognizance; Appoints Senior Advocate Gopal Chaturvedi As Amicus Curiae

The Allahabad High Court, on Wednesday, took suo motu cognizance of an incident of rape followed by the custodial death of the victim's father in Uttar Pradesh's Unnao district.The Bench comprising Chief Justice D.B. Bhosle and Justice Suneet Kumar took cognizance of a letter written to it by Senior Advocate Gopal S. Chaturvedi detailing the incident. It has now directed the matter to be...

1988 Patiala Road Rage Case: Accused Navjot Singh Sidhu Is Guilty of Murdering Gurnam Singh, Argue The Legal Heirs of Complainant

Sidharth Luthra, Senior Counsel for the legal heirs of the complainant in the 1988 road rage case against cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu, on Wednesday, told the Supreme Court bench of Justice J.Chelameswar and Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul, that the victim, Gurnam Singh, died of head injury, allegedly caused by Sidhu, and therefore, it was a clear case of murder.Making a...

Minority Ministry Cites Quran To Justify Haj Ban On Disabled; Says Also Have To Prevent Some From “Begging” In S Arabia [Read Affidavit]

“That retaining this provision also needs to be understood in the light of CGI Jeddah advice in 2012 for strict screening of disabled persons in view of instances of many such people indulging in begging which is strictly prohibited in Saudi Arabia”, MMA affidavit in SCThe Centre has cited the Quran before the Delhi High Court to justify its policy barring differently-abled persons...

Call To Abstain From Judicial Work Violates Fundamental Right Of An Advocate: MP HC Directs Advocates To Resume Work [Read Order]

None of the provisions of the Act confers power on the statutory body to call the members to abstain from judicial work which is a responsibility of every member of the Bar in terms of the provisions of the Act itself, the bench said.Holding that call to abstain from judicial work is a violation of fundamental right of an advocate, the Madhya Pradesh High court observed that the decision of...

Bombay HC Suspends Recruitment For 9000 Posts As HC Administration Failed To Make Reservations Under Persons With Disabilities Act

In a notification dated 6 April, the Bombay High Court has stayed the process for recruitment of around 9,000 stenographers, junior clerks and peons, in furtherance of an order noting that the High Court administration had failed to mention seats available for the differently-abled and visually challenged in the advertisements.The official notification states: "The Hon'ble High Court of Bombay...

Does Service Of Forfeiture Order On Minor Constitute A Valid Service? SC To Consider 

A Supreme Court bench of Justice RK Agrawal and Justice AM Sapre shall consider whether service of forfeiture order on a minor constitutes a valid service and whether the power of rectification includes the power of review in context of the Smugglers and Foreign Exchange Manipulators (Forfeiture of Property) Act (SAFEMA) of 1976.The bench shall also determine whether sufficient service for...

Unmarried Adult Daughter Entitled To Claim Maintenance From Her Father, Rules Bombay HC [Read Judgment]

The Bombay High Court, in Agnes Lily Irudaya v Irudaya Kani Arsan, has held that the unmarried daughter though the attained majority is entitled to claim maintenance from the father.In this case, the mother had approached the family court claiming maintenance from her husband for daughter who had turned major but IS unmarried, for meeting her educational expenses. The family court dismissed...