Quality Reporting And Quick Reporting; Lessons From Allahabad High Court’s Triple Talaq Verdict

Senior Advocate of the Supreme Court C. Aryama Sundaram in his article [The New Indian Express-18th Dec] wrote wrongly in the opening para – “The triple talaq rule has similarly dire consequences for Muslim women — until the Allahabad High Court, looking aghast at the custom, struck it down.” It has been debated across the country immensely, how incorrect reporting (especially sensitive issues like this) leads to much confusion as a large population of the country is not privy to reading the...

‘Disaster Prevention And Speedy Justice Are Never Election Issues’, Say Neelam And Shekhar, Authors Of ‘Trial By Fire’

The 1997 Uphaar fire tragedy in New Delhi killing 59 patrons of a cinema-hall, was a man-made disaster, from which India has hardly learnt any lessons, either in preventing similar tragedies, or in ensuring appropriate punishment to those found guilty of causing them.Neelam and Shekhar Krishnamoorthy of Association of Victims of Uphaar Tragedy (AVUT) have, in their recent book, ‘Trial By Fire’ [Penguin Random House], lucidly brought out their challenges in pursuing the legal struggle to ensure...

Madras HC Directs Govt To Crack Down On Shariat Courts [Read Order]

“If a place of worship – whether it be temple, mosque or church, is used for purposes other than prayers and more specifically to create extra-judicial forums, certainly the authorities are duty-bound to take action against the same,” it said. The Madras High Court has recently directed the government to take necessary action to stop the activities of ‘shariat’ courts in the...

Is Group Admin Liable For Defamatory Texts Made By A Member? Delhi HC Says No [Read Judgment]

When an online platform is created, the creator, thereof, cannot expect any of the members to indulge in defamation, the court observed.The Delhi High Court, while dismissing a civil suit for defamation against an administrator of a social media group, observed that he cannot be made liable for defamatory statements made by any other member of the group.Justice Rajiv Sahai Endlaw said: “I...

‘Black Money’ Disclosures Not Immune From Criminal Liability: Taxation Laws (Second Amendment) Act, 2016 Came In To Force

Levy of penalty for misreporting of income @200% of tax payable under Section 270A of the Income-tax Act shall continue to apply.Taxation Laws (Second Amendment) Act, 2016 came into force as the Government has notified the rules on 15th December 2016.The Taxation and Investment Regime for Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana, 2016 introduced in the amendment will    commence today...

Read Supreme Court Directions On High Way Liquor Ban [Read Judgment]

The Supreme Court of India on Thursday directed the Centre and State Governments to ban sale of liquor along national and state highways.Here are the directions issued by the three Judge bench headed by Chief Justice Thakur in State of Tamil Nadu Vs K.Balu;(i) All states and union territories shall forthwith cease and desist from granting licences for the sale of liquor along national and...

Grant 180-Day Maternity Leave For All Female Employees Including Temporary Workers: Uttarakhand HC [Read Judgment]

The Court also directed to grant Child Care Leave (CCL) of 730 days’ to all female employees during the entire service.In a landmark judgment, Uttarakhand High Court has directed the government to grant maternity leave to all the female employees with full pay for 180 days, even working on contractual basis, ad hoc/tenure or temporary basis.The high court also held that a female...

Fine Can’t Be Paid In Demonetised Old Notes: Delhi HC [Read Judgment]

The issuance of currency notes and its demonetisation is purely an executive act and it is not open to the courts to step into the said arena, said the Court.The Delhi High Court has recently directed judicial officers not to accept the fine amount in old currency notes of Rs.500/1,000 post demonetisation.Justice Vipin Sanghi set aside the order of CBI Special Judge dated 16.11.2016. The...

We Are Grateful You’ve Been Around; Book Review Of Raju Ramachandran’s ‘I’ve Been Around For Some Time’

Raju Ramachandran belongs to the rare category at the Supreme Court bar, who inspite of immense work pressure manage to grab a pen and nourish their academic side. His book ‘I’ve been around for some time’ is a collection of few of his columns, articles and interviews published in his 36 year long (and still going strong) tenure as an advocate. The book collects 58 pieces divided in...

The Government Lawyer’s Guide

Part OneTwo weeks ago, I watched from the second row as Mr.Colin Gonsalves rose to make a submission to the Chief Justice’s court. The Disabilities Act had now turned 21, he said, and although it provided for many steps to be taken by the respective Governments to provide access and assistance to those who were differently abled (ramps, Braille signage, slopes on pavements, warning sounds and signals, etc.), nothing had been done. Aware of the normal sticky tape that weaves its way through...

Achieving Gender Equality, So Near And Yet So Far - Researching Implementation Of Law On Sexual Harassment At Workplace

IntroductionIt is reported that reported complaints of sexual harassment at a prominent Central Government organisation headquartered in Delhi are not being seriously inquired into and complainants are being pressurised to withdraw their complaints (TOI, 2016). In this context, I argue that over years employer response to reported complaints of sexual harassment by employers in India has persistently been not compliant with the law. It was so while the Vishakha guidelines (1997) were prevailing...

Bombay HC Rejects Demonetisation Argument, Allows IDBI Bank Employees To Protest

Bombay High Court has directed IDBI Bank to allow its own employees to protest peacefully within the premises of the bank at the World Trade Centre in Cuffe Parade. The bank had filed a suit seeking interim reliefs against the protesting bank employees who are seeking a revision in salary. They contend that their salaries have not been revised for the past four years.Appearing for the...