Rajiv Kumar, the 25th chief election commissioner of India, has demitted office after a nearly three-year tenure marked by both electoral successes and allegations of bias from opposition parties. Kumar oversaw the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and the Jammu and Kashmir assembly polls, among other major elections. During his tenure, he implemented reforms across various aspects of the Election Commission's functioning, including structural, technological, capacity development, communication, international cooperation, and administration. However, he faced criticism from opposition parties and activists on several issues, including the efficacy of Electronic Voting Machines, alleged fudging of voter data, and being "lenient" on the ruling BJP. While the Commission responded to the allegations, Kumar often defended himself and the poll authority through poetry. In his farewell address, Kumar expressed concerns about the timing of petitions raising doubts over poll processes and the impact of freebie promises on the fiscal health of the state. He also criticized the practice of showing early trends on counting day by news channels, calling it "nonsense". Kumar's tenure was marked by numerous controversies, with opposition parties and activists alleging bias and irregularities. While the Election Commission defended its actions, the allegations cast a shadow over his time in office.
The Supreme Court collegium headed by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud has rejected a request made by Justice V M Velumani to retain her as a Madras high court judge.
A division bench, comprising Justices M Duraiswamy and Sundar Mohan, set aside an order of a single judge, which nullified the July 11 General Council (GC) meeting of the AIADMK.
The Madras high court on Monday took strong objections to the violent incidents in Tamil Nadu's Kallakurichi district on Sunday, and directed the state police chief to constitute a special investigation team (SIT) to identify the rioters and take stern action against them.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday told the Madras high court chief justice that the habeas corpus petition of Tamil Nadu minister V Senthil Balaji shall be decided by new bench expeditiously, and asked him to place the plea before three judges "at the earliest".
Justice Krishnan Ramaswamy delivered the verdict on Monday morning, which allowed the EPS faction to hold the GC meet, the supreme decision making body of the main opposition party in Tamil Nadu.
The Madurai bench of the Madras high court on Monday issued an order terming the 10.5 per cent internal reservation for the Vanniyars community in Tamil Nadu as 'unconstitutional.'
The Madras high court on Thursday convicted a well-known Youtuber, A Sankar alias 'Savukku' Sankar, for criminal contempt and sentenced him to six months' imprisonment.
A vacation bench of the Madras high court on Friday admitted a public interest litigation plea to stop forcible conversion of students in schools and ordered notice to the Tamil Nadu government, returnable in four weeks.
The Madras high court has declared that the statue of the main deity at a temple in Salem district is that of Buddha and not 'Thalaivetti Muniappan'.
The Madras high court on Friday directed the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) to hold its 'route marches' and public meetings in 51 places in Tamil Nadu on November 6, instead of the originally proposed October 2.
The collegium, which also comprised senior most judges Justices U U Lalit and A M Khanwilkar, held deliberations on December 14, 2021 and January 29, 2022, recommended 17 names for appointment as judges in Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Orissa high courts.
"The CBI Director should be empowered to report directly to the minister and the prime minister with exclusive powers like the Cabinet secretary and should act alone without being under the administration of the central government," the judgment further read.
The Madras high court on Tuesday held that the devotees of Thenkalai sect must be given the first two or three rows inside the Varadaraja Perumal temple in Kanchipuram and behind them the Vadakalai sect, and ordinary devotees shall be permitted to sit in the remaining available space.
A division bench of Justices M Duraiswamy and R Hemalatha, which granted the interim stay, however, directed Vijay to remit the balance amount of 80 per cent of the entry tax levied on the import of his Rolls Royce Ghost Car from England in 2012.
The Madras high court on Wednesday set aside the proceedings of the Tamil Nadu revenue department locking and sealing the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam headquarters in Chennai following the July 11 violence, and directed that the keys of the office be handed over to party chief K Palaniswami.
A bench headed by Justice D Y Chandrachud acknowledged that the Madras high court's remarks were 'harsh', but did not expunge them, saying they do not form part of the judicial order.
Justice GR Swaminathan of the HC bench in Madurai noted that Tamil Nadu was a land of temples where the shrines have played a central role in our culture.
'There is a general feeling among parents of students, especially female students, that co-educational study in Christian institutions is highly unsafe for the future of their children'
Justice SM Subramaniam said the higher police officials are expected to maintain not only good conduct, "but their actions must be always in consonance with the constitutional principles."
The first bench refused to restrain the media, both electronic and print, from publishing the oral observations of the judges relating the role of EC in holding elections to four states and the Union Territory of Puducherry in the country during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Madras high court on Monday came down hard on the Election Commission and called it the "the most irresponsible institution" for the alleged spread of the second wave of Covid-19 in the country.
It was a triangular session, with the judge hearing the case from Nagercoil, petitioner's counsel V Raghavachari at one place and advocate-general R Shanmugasundaram, at another place, in the city.
Bumper-to-bumper insurance cover for new vehicles will not be mandatory as suggested by the Madras high court in its order last month. Instead, the decision to make it mandatory or not will be left to the legislators and the parliament. On Monday, the court decided to modify its order, which had said that whenever a new vehicle is sold after 1.9.2021, it is mandatory for coverage of bumper-to-bumper insurance every year, in addition to covering the driver, passengers, and owner of the vehicle, for a period of five years.
ustice R Mahadevan passed the interim order on a plea moved by the Chennai-based Tamil Nadu Chemists & Druggists Association seeking a direction to authorities concerned to block the links of websites that selling medicines online.
The Supreme Court on Friday asked the Madras high court to adjudicate in three weeks the pleas filed by O Panneerselvam (OPS) and others against the July 11 general council meet of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) in which OPS was expelled from the party.
Her resignation has been accepted with effect from September 6, it said.
The collegium had recommended her transfer on August 28, after which she had made a representation requesting it to reconsider the proposal.
The Madras high court on Thursday ruled that no unannounced resolutions could be taken up at the meeting of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam general and executive councils in Chennai, restraining the camp led by joint co-ordinator Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS) from initiating any such move over the possible single leadership issue.
The Supreme Court Friday set aside a Madras High Court direction that the Centre must seek the top court's approval before implementing 10 per cent reservation for the economically weaker sections in all-India quota seats of medical colleges.
Petitions challenging the election of All India Anna Dravida Munetra Kazhagam supremo and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa to the assembly in a byelection have been filed in the Madras high court by two independent candidates.
Karti contended that the lookout circular was part of the Centre's 'political vendetta'.
In a letter to his colleagues at the Bench, the members of the Bar, the Registry and the staff, he appreciated the kindness and warmth with which he and his spouse were greeted during his 11-odd months of tenure.
A total of 11 advocates and two judicial officers were on Monday appointed as additional judges in the high courts of Allahabad, Karnataka and Madras.
The Madras high court on Monday banned all unauthorised 'Sharia' courts functioning from mosque premises in the state of Tamil Nadu.
The Madras high court had observed that the responsible EC officials should probably be tried on murder charges for their failure to ensure adherence to COVID-19 protocols during the election process in four states and a Union Territory.
A plea has been filed in the Madras High Court seeking a direction to the central government not to allow the Board of Control for Cricket in India to conduct Indian Premier League T20 cricket matches, scheduled to held across India from March 29 to May 24 due to the coronavirus outbreak. The PIL, filed by advocate G Alex Benziger, is likely to come up before a division bench comprising Justices M M Sundresh and Krishnan Ramaswamy on March 12.
Rahman had received Rs 3,47,77,200 from Libra Mobile during 2010-11 in his individual capacity as an artiste which must have been considered for taxation and this was not considered by the Assessing Officer in the reassessment order.
The ED had registered an ECIR (Enforcement Case Information Report) in the matter under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.
In a major relief to actor Kamal Haasan, the Madras high court on Tuesday night lifted the ban imposed on his movie 'Vishwaroopam' by the Tamil Nadu government after it courted controversy over its alleged anti-Muslim content.
