Facing impeachment on charges of corruption and judicial misconduct, Sikkim high court Chief Justice P D Dinakaran resigned on Friday from the post.
'If the parliamentary committee's report does not find substantiated charges, the process ends.'
In a setback to Sikkim High Court Chief Justice P D Dinakaran, the Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to quash some of the charges framed against him by a Rajya Sabha-appointed panel looking into allegations of corrupt practices and misconduct against him.
The Supreme Court collegium headed by CJI N V Ramana has learnt to have recommended eight names of judges, including acting chief justice of Calcutta High Court Justice Rajesh Bindal, for their elevation as chief justices of different high courts.
The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed former Chief Justice of Sikkim high court P D Dinakaran's plea challenging the Rajya Sabha-appointed committee's decision to frame charges against him by allegedly exceeding its jurisdiction.
At a time when there is no mechanism in place to appoint or elevate judges to the higher judiciary, 8 high court judges have retired in a month, raising the vacancies from 384 in August to 392 this month.
Justice Paul Daniel Dinakaran, facing impeachment proceedings in the Rajya Sabha, was sworn in as the Chief Justice of the Sikkim High Court on Monday after his transfer to the Himalayan state following allegations of corruption.
Sixteen charges of corruption and irregularities have been slapped by a Rajya Sabha constituted panel against Chief Justice of Sikkim High Court Justice P D Dinkaran, who is facing impeachment proceedings in Parliament. The committee comprising Supreme Court Justice Aftab Alam, Karnataka High Court Justice K S Khehar and eminent jurist P P Roy issued the charge-sheet to Dinakaran on March 16 and has sought his response by April 9.
The new judges of the top court include Justice B V Nagarathna, who will be in line to be the first woman Chief Justice of India (CJI) in September 2027, Justice Bela M Trivedi, Justice Hima Kohli, Justice C T Ravikumar, Justice M M Sundresh, and senior advocate and former Additional Solicitor General P S Narasimha.
Chief Justice of India Bhushan Ramkrishna Gavai spoke about Dr. B R Ambedkar's views on the supremacy of the Constitution and the need for an independent judiciary.
The government's decision of not approving Joseph's name has evoked sharp reactions.
In the high courts, only 13.2 per cent women occupied the position of judge.
The agency has moved with its charge sheet against Shukla after getting a go ahead from the government to prosecute the retired judge, they said.
In a first, the Supreme Court Collegium had last week recommended for appointment to the apex court three women judges, including Justice B V Nagarathna who will be in line to be the first woman Chief Justice of India (CJI) in September 2027 if she gets the final nod.
The collegium has recommended to the Centre to appoint justices N H Patil and D K Gupta as the chief justices of the Bombay and Calcutta high court.
In a joint statement, they noted that while the incident highlights the prevailing "apathy, misgovernance and lack of accountability" in Kolkata, the capital of West Bengal, the state government's "apparent inclination" to shield perpetrators rather than protect victims is a "grave miscarriage of justice".
The Supreme Court on Wednesday allowed a non-government organisation to assist the Rajya Sabha-appointed panel in its ongoing probe into the charges of corruption and judicial misconduct against Sikkim high court Chief Justice P D Dinakaran.
The Supreme Court on Monday sought response of the Rajya Sabha-appointed panel on Sikkim High Court Chief Justice P D Dinakaran's allegations that the committee has exceeded its jurisdiction in probing charges of judicial misconduct and corruption against him.
The CJI is expected to write to the President and the Prime Minister soon about his recommendation.
The report reveals that the inaction of the West Bengal state government, including tacit acceptance of the violent operations of the armed supporters of the CPI-M, resulted in serious human rights abuses, including unlawful killings, abductions, sexual assault of women and forced eviction and displacement of thousands of people in 2007.
Vacancies in high courts continue to mount with the collegium which made a comeback three months ago yet to recommend fresh names for the posts, including that of chief justices to eight of them.
Former US attorney-general Ramsay Clark slammed the West Bengal government for 'perpetrating atrocities' on the people of Nandigram as part of a globalisation drive to set up industries there.
The Supreme Court on Monday said it will decide "once and for all" the legal issue of whether the earlier apex court judgment laying down procedures for the appointment of the director general of police (DGP) in states will also be applicable to Delhi and other cities.
The CJI said there is an urgent need to emerge from the adjournment culture to a culture of professionalism.
The Centre on Tuesday promised to take action on the report of a fact-finding team which claimed that there were 15,000 incidents of post-poll violence in West Bengal in which 25 people were killed and 7,000 women were molested.
The draft will be examined, studied and discussed before it is tabled in the assembly on February 6, he said.
The Committee of Administrators (COA) wants BCCI to appoint an Ombudsman and an Ethics Officer at the earliest to deal with any disputes leading up to its much-awaited Annual General Meeting and elections.
The bench issued notice to the Centre and said it would hear the matter on Friday.
President Pranab Mukherjee on Tuesday said that justice should not only be delivered in time but must also be accessible to the most marginalised of the society.
Days before the first vote for the Lok Sabha polls is cast, the Supreme Court on Thursday asked the rival Nationalist Congress Party factions led by party founder Sharad Pawar and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar to abide by its directions on the use of symbols, party names and disclaimers in publicity material for the elections.
The top court made it clear that prisoners are being released in an attempt to avoid overcrowding in jails due to the pandemic, also called COVID-19.
'Nearly 13,000 individuals have been charged for sedition since 2010.' 'If the Supreme Court stay ever gets vacated, arrests will follow immediately.'
Campaigning ended on Wednesday evening for 102 Lok Sabha seats across 21 states and Union territories which will go to polls in the first phase on April 19 with top leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance and the opposition Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) making a last-gasp effort to woo voters.
Four BJP leaders and former Supreme Court judge S Abdul Nazeer, who was part of the Constitution bench that upheld the archaeological report on Ayodhya, were among six new faces appointed as Governors on Sunday.
'Judging by the conduct of two governors of Kerala and one governor from Kerala, Congressmen treated Raj Bhavan as a transition point before taking a flight back into active politics.'
A bench of the NGT, headed by its chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel, directed that the order will also apply to all cities and towns in the country where the average of ambient air quality during November (as per available data of last year) falls under 'poor' or worse category.
'When the courts intervene, we are attacked for judicial activism'
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