The Supreme Court of India has stayed a Lokpal order that allowed complaints to be filed against a sitting high court judge. The court termed the order "something very, very disturbing" and a concern for the independence of the judiciary. The bench issued notices to the Centre, the Lokpal registrar, and the complainant, directing them to keep the identity of the judge confidential. The court will hear the matter again on March 18.
'Presumption of innocence must guide all formal actions, but transparency must not be mistaken for pre-judgment.' 'The cruel irony, however, is that Justice Varma is a fine judge who enjoys a reputation for writing well-reasoned judgments.'
Samajwadi Party leader and Kairana MP Iqra Choudhary has moved the Supreme Court seeking effective implementation of the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991. This move comes amidst several petitions challenging the law's validity, including those filed by the Akhil Bhartiya Sant Samiti and lawyer Ashwini Upadhyay. The Supreme Court, in December 2022, had restrained all courts from examining fresh suits and passing interim orders in pending cases seeking to reclaim religious places. The Act aims to maintain the religious character of places of worship as they existed on August 15, 1947, but the dispute relating to Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid at Ayodhya was kept out of its purview. The court has listed Choudhary's plea with other pending pleas for February 17.
The CJI also dealt with the principle of affirmative action by the state and said it was meant to achieve broader equality and was not against the right to equality.
The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld the constitutional validity of Section 6A of the Citizenship Act related to the grant of Indian citizenship to illegal immigrants in Assam by a majority verdict of 4:1.
The Delhi high court on Friday dismissed with a cost of Rs 1 lakh a public interest litigation (PIL) challenging the appointment of Justice D Y Chandrachud as the Chief Justice of India.
A bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta issued notice to the Centre on a plea filed by an NGO, Association for Democratic Reforms, and listed the matter along with other pending petitions on the issue for hearing in April.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has criticized the government's decision to appoint Gyanesh Kumar as the new Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) in the middle of the night, arguing that it is "disrespectful" and "discourteous" given the ongoing Supreme Court challenge to the selection process. Gandhi presented a dissent note to the selection committee, stating that the process violates the Supreme Court order and undermines the integrity of the electoral process.
Modi asserted that judicial reform is not merely a policy matter.
The Supreme Court collegium headed by Chief Justice of India S A Bobde is holding its scheduled meeting on Thursday to discuss possible candidates for the appointment of judges in higher judiciary, sources familiar with the development said.
Outgoing Chief Justice of India (CJI) N V Ramana on Friday said the appointment of 11 Supreme Court and 224 high court judges, besides recommending the names of more women for judgeship during his tenure as the head of the judiciary, was a reflection of "the coherence and determination" of judges to strengthen the judiciary to further the goal of justice.
He said he was wondering where our institutions are going wrong, that students are forced to take their life.
A seven-judge Constitution bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud, by a majority of 6:1, set aside the apex court's five-judge bench verdict of 2014 in the EV Chinnaiah vs State of Andhra Pradesh case which had held that no sub-classification of Scheduled Castes (SCs) can be allowed as they are a homogeneous class in themselves.
Inaugurating the 39th chief justices' conference in New Delhi, which is being held after a gap of six years, the CJI outlined the agenda of the meeting and said the 'aim and object of today's conference is to discuss and identify the problems that are affecting the administration of justice'.
The media must confine itself to honest journalism and not use it as a tool to expand its influence and business interests, Chief Justice of India (CJI) NV Ramana said on Tuesday.
The sources said the CJI took his daughters to his chamber while explaining about his workplace and showed them the place where the judges sit and from where the lawyers argue their cases.
Presently, Justice Ramana is the senior-most Supreme Court judge after the CJI.
The CJI, who hails from Andhra Pradesh, had said in the last hearing that he belonged to both the states and suggested 'mediation' to Andhra Pradesh and Telangana for settling their dispute, saying it did not want to interfere 'unnecessarily'.
Commencing hearing on pleas challenging the constitutionality of the Places of Worship Act, 1991, the Supreme Court asked the Centre to reply to cross-pleas against or seeking implementation of statute.
The Supreme Court of India has extended its stay on a court-monitored survey of the Shahi Idgah Mosque complex in Mathura, which is located adjacent to the Krishna Janmabhoomi temple. The court deferred the hearing on a plea against the survey to April 1, while the interim order staying the survey will continue to operate. The Hindu side claims that the mosque complex holds signs of a temple that once existed at the site, while the Muslim side contends that the lawsuits filed by the Hindu litigants violate the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act of 1991.
"We live lives which are relatively isolated from the political arm of the government -- but obviously judges have to be conversant with the impact of their decisions on the polity at large. That's not political pressure but an understanding by the court of the likely impact of a decision," CJI Chandrachud said in his address at the Oxford Union.
The Supreme Court of India has sought a response from the Election Commission of India (ECI) regarding pleas seeking verification of burnt memory and symbol loading units in Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). The court directed the ECI to refrain from erasing or reloading data during the verification process and to explain the procedure adopted for verification. The bench also expressed concerns over the high cost of verification and directed the ECI to reduce the fee. The court's directive comes following its previous judgement where it allowed aggrieved candidates to seek verification of EVMs.
Chief Justice of India-designate Justice U U Lalit on Friday highlighted three areas on which he intends to work during his 74-day tenure as the head of the judiciary and said he would strive hard to ensure that at least one Constitution bench is functioning in the Supreme Court throughout the year.
Commencing final arguments on a batch of pleas against the verdict, the bench, heard senior lawyers including Abhishek Manu Singhvi, Salman Khursheed and Menaka Guruswamy for the petitioners.
The National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC) has dismissed a complaint filed by the family of former Chief Justice Of India J S Verma alleging he died because of medical negligence during his treatment.
President Droupadi Murmu administered him the oath at a brief ceremony held at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.
He said in order to have a thriving democracy, one must have an independent judiciary because it is through dispute resolution that society is assured of governance by the rule of law.
The CJI said "news mixed with views is a dangerous cocktail".
The CJI's announcement made in the apex court assumes significance in the wake of Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju's statement in Rajya Sabha on Thursday in which he said there was a feeling among the people that long court vacations were not very convenient for justice seekers.
The former CJI was criticised for being part of a special bench set up to hear a suo motu case titled 'In Re: Matter of Great Public Importance Touching upon the Independence of the Judiciary' on a Saturday on April 20, 2019.
Justice Lalit will be the second CJI who was directly elevated to the apex court bench from the Bar.
The concept of investigative journalism is vanishing in the Indian media landscape, Chief Justice of India NV Ramana said on Wednesday.
Chief Justice of India U U Lalit on Friday said that the Supreme Court will endeavour to dispose of as many cases as possible and he will strive his best to live up to the expectations of the people.
In January, the Supreme Court Collegium had reiterated its November 11, 2021 recommendation for appointing Kirpal as a judge of the Delhi high court, rejecting the Centre's contention that though homosexuality stands decriminalised in India, same-sex marriage is still bereft of recognition.
The judge further underlined that the minorities of the country had not only joined the mainstream but also were an important facet of it.
The Supreme Court of India has ruled that the secular nature of the state does not prevent it from interfering with religious practices and attitudes when they impede development and the right to equality in the larger public interest. The court dismissed pleas challenging the 1976 amendment to the Constitution, which added the terms "socialist", "secular", and "integrity" to the Preamble, stating that Parliament's amending power extends to the Preamble as well.
Justice Chandrachud said unlike many countries, India's Constitution was forged by Indians here in New Delhi
Besides scoring 13 runs, CJI Bobde also bowled two overs, giving away 17 runs
"More voters were added in Maharashtra in five months between the Lok Sabha and assembly polls than in five years," the former Congress president said.
The Chief Justice of India, Justice N V Ramana Saturday said the Legislature needs to revisit laws and reform them to suit the needs of time and people so that they match 'practical realities'.
