RTI Act Applies To Cochin International Airport Ltd : Supreme Court Upholds Kerala High Court Order

The Supreme Court today upheld the Kerala High Court order which held that the Cochin International Airport (CIAL) is a 'public authority' coming within the purview of the Right to Information Act, 2005.A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta passed the order, after hearing Senior Advocate Mukul Rohatgi (for CIAL). It was of the view that the impugned order furthered transparency...

Many Political Parties 'Mushrooming' These Days Only For Tax And Legal Benefits: Madras High Court Remarks

The Madras High Court, on Thursday (February 26th), orally remarked that many political parties were "mushrooming" lately, not with the intention of contesting elections but merely for getting tax benefits and other benefits under law. The bench of Chief Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava and Justice G Arul Murugan remarked that the court had recently dealt with cases related to the delisting...

Need To Record Reasons While Granting Bail In Heinous Crimes, Mechanical Bail Orders Impermissible: J&K&L High Court

Emphasising that bail orders in serious criminal cases cannot be passed in a cursory or mechanical manner, the High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh has held that courts are duty-bound to indicate reasons reflecting a prima facie satisfaction while granting bail, particularly where the accused is charged with grave offences punishable with death or life imprisonment.Justice Rajnesh...

Remand Illegal When Offences Are Bailable: Karnataka High Court Quashes Man's Custody For Allegedly Kidnapping Wife

The Karnataka High Court has directed release of a man sent to judicial custody by the trial court for allegedly kidnapping his wife, after noting that admittedly his major wife had voluntarily gone with him and thus the offence was wrongly invoked. Noting that the offences invoked were bailable, the court said that the trial court had erred in sending the petitioner to judicial custody....

Allowing Petitions To Languish Under Objections To Save Limitation 'Can't Be Countenanced': Delhi High Court

The Delhi High Court has refused to condone a 281-day delay in filing a criminal revision petition, holding that a litigant cannot claim the benefit of an earlier filing date after allowing a petition to remain under objections for months and later withdrawing it on technical grounds.Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma was dealing with a criminal revision petition filed against a trial court ...

Maharashtra Co-Operative Societies Rules | Failure To Pay Balance Amount In 15 Days Renders Auction A Nullity: Supreme Court

The Supreme Court has held that an auction sale conducted under the Maharashtra Co-operative Societies framework becomes void ab initio if the full purchase price is not deposited within the statutorily prescribed time. A bench of Justices PS Narasimha and Manoj Misra partly allowed the Bombay High Court's ruling, while allowing that part of the ruling which had set aside the auction sale due...

Aravalli Hills : Supreme Court Seeks Expert Panel To Determine Scope Of Permissible Activity, Maintains Halt On Mining

The Supreme Court today said it will first seek the opinion of experts on whether mining can be permitted in the Aravalli region and, if so, to what extent, while continuing the status quo on all licensed mining activities for the time being.A bench of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice Vipul Pancholi was hearing the suo motu case initiated over concerns...

Maharashtra Govt Flags Security Risk In Allowing Muslim Cab Drivers To Offer Namaz Near Airport; High Court Calls For Alternate Arrangement

The Maharashtra Government on Thursday informed the Bombay High Court that it cannot permit Autorickshaw-Taxi and Ola-Uber cab drivers to offer Namaz at a temporary shed in the vicinity of the Domestic Terminal of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA), even for the ongoing holy month of Ramadan, due to 'security' reasons.A division bench of Justice Burgess Colabawalla...

State Can't Arbitrarily Scrap Near-Complete Recruitment, Constitutional Courts Can Intervene If Decision Lacks Rationality: J&K&L High Court

Emphasising that the State's power to abandon a recruitment process is not absolute, the High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh has held that once a selection process reaches an advanced stage, its cancellation must rest on justifiable and rational grounds.The Court underscored that Constitutional Courts, in exercise of judicial review, are empowered to scrutinize such decisions and...

Labour Court Can't Re-Appreciate Evidence After Upholding Domestic Enquiry: Delhi High Court Restores Termination Of MTNL Workman

The Delhi High Court has held that once a Labour Court upholds the fairness and validity of a domestic enquiry, it cannot thereafter re-appreciate evidence or act as an appellate authority to substitute the findings of the Enquiry Officer.Justice Shail Jain held,“Once a domestic inquiry is held to be fair and in compliance with the principles of natural justice, the Labour Court does not sit...

'Online Abuses Hurled At Superior Courts Cross The Line': Allahabad High Court Warns Netizens Of Strict Contempt Action

The Allahabad High Court recently warned social media users against hurling online abuses directed at the judiciary that go beyond the defence of fair comment or informed criticism of a judgment. A bench of Justice JJ Munir and Justice Pramod Kumar Srivastava added that if the court takes cognizance of such posts in contempt jurisdiction, the same will attract strict legal...

Citing Garuda Purana, P&H High Court Holds Reimbursement For Emergency Medical Treatment In Non-Empanelled Hospital Can't Be Curtailed

In a significant ruling reinforcing the constitutional right to health and dignity, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has held that the State cannot mechanically restrict medical reimbursement to notified PGI/AIIMS rates when life-saving treatment was taken in a non-empanelled private hospital during a certified emergency.Justice Sandeep Moudgil said "it is important to bear in mind that...