The Bombay High Court has identified a worrying trend of foreign nationals infiltrating India, fraudulently acquiring documents like Aadhaar and PAN cards to claim Indian citizenship. The court highlighted serious gaps in inter-agency coordination and document verification, noting that some individuals have engaged in anti-national activities. It urged the Centre to amend the Aadhaar Act to facilitate tracing and deportation, and to establish procedures for dealing with human trafficking and border infiltration. The ruling came during a case involving an Afghan national who overstayed his visa and obtained fake documents to secure an Indian passport.
The Bombay High Court strongly criticised the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) for its failure to secure open manholes, questioning why it acts only after fatalities occur. The court dismissed BMC's progress reports as an "eyewash" following the death of Aslam Shaikh, who fell into an open manhole. Despite BMC's assurances and actions like suspending officials and offering compensation, the court emphasised the need for preventive measures before the monsoon season.
The Bombay High Court has expressed shock over the demolition of a printing press set up by Dr B R Ambedkar in Mumbai in 2016 and has criticised the city police for their inaction despite complaints.
The Bombay High Court has granted bail to researcher Rona Wilson and activist Sudhir Dhawale, arrested in the Elgar Parishad-Maoist links case. The court noted that they had been in jail since 2018 and the trial was yet to start. The court said the two had spent more than six years in jail as under-trial prisoners. The NIA, the prosecution agency, did not seek a stay to the HC order. Eight other activists have been granted bail in the case, which pertains to provocative speeches allegedly delivered at the Elgar Parishad conclave held in Pune on December 31, 2017.
The Bombay High Court has discontinued its monitoring of the investigation into the 2015 murder of communist leader and rationalist writer Govind Pansare, directing the sessions court to expedite the ongoing trial. The decision comes after a report by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) indicated that the investigation has been thoroughly conducted, with only the arrest of two absconding accused remaining. The court has ordered daily hearings for the trial, which has already begun and has seen 28 prosecution witnesses examined as of December 16, 2024.
A division bench of Justices Gautam Patel and Kamal Khata took suo motu cognizance of the tragic incident and initiated a public interest litigation on the issue.
Prolonged incarceration without trial amounts to infringement of the right to life under the Constitution, the Bombay high court said while urging a special court to expedite the trial in the 2018 Elgar Parishad-Maoist links case.
The Bombay high court on Monday said when streets and footpaths are cleared for the prime minister and other VVIPs for one day, why can't it be done on a daily basis for everyone else too.
The Bombay high court will on Thursday hear a petition filed by the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena seeking permission to hold its annual Dussehra rally at the iconic Shivaji Park in central Mumbai on October 5.
The Sena in its plea, filed through advocate Joel Carlos, said the party was holding the Dussehra rally every year at the Shivaji Park since 1966 and the civic body had always permitted it.
The Bombay high court on Monday rued that for long illegal constructions have been mushrooming but time has now come to change the attitude that nothing will happen to such structures.
Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray on Friday welcomed the Bombay high court's decision to allow his faction to hold its annual Dussehra rally at the iconic Shivaji Park ground in Mumbai, and said his party's faith in the judiciary stood vindicated.
The Uddhav Thackeray faction maintained that it would hold the annual event at the Shivaji Park despite the denial of permission.
The Bombay high court on Tuesday directed the Mumbai civic body to demolish the unauthorised construction at Union minister Narayan Rane's bungalow in Juhu area in Mumbai, noting that it violated the Floor Space Index (FSI) and Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) rules.
The Bombay high court on Friday permitted the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena to hold its annual Dussehra rally at the iconic Shivaji Park ground in central Mumbai on October 5.