The Supreme Court delivered a split verdict on the constitutional validity of Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act, which mandates prior sanction for probing government servants in corruption cases. The case will now be placed before the Chief Justice for forming a larger bench.
Alleging that the NGO allows its name to be used "at the behest of some selected political interest", the Union of India told the top court that it is guilty of collecting huge funds by exploiting the agonies of riot-affected people.
The Supreme Court Registry is learnt to have refused to accept the Centre's plea seeking modification of its 2012 verdict in the 2G spectrum case which had said the State was duty bound to adopt the auction route while transferring or alienating the country's natural resources.
On Monday, Attorney General R Venkataramani, appearing for the Centre, mentioned an interim application before a bench of Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justice J B Pardiwala.
The Supreme Court has criticized the selective publication of a preliminary report on the Air India crash, calling it 'unfortunate and irresponsible'. The court raised concerns about privacy, dignity of victims' families, and the potential for biased narratives.
The Supreme Court of India has sought the government's response on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) that challenges the appointment process of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG), arguing it's unconstitutional. The PIL, filed by the Centre for Public Interest Litigation, claims the current process, solely through executive appointment by the Prime Minister, undermines the CAG's independence and violates constitutional principles. The court, while acknowledging the importance of institutional trust, questioned the extent to which it should intervene in the appointment process and whether this would constitute rewriting constitutional provisions. The PIL suggests the CAG's appointment should be similar to other independent bodies, with a selection committee comprising the Prime Minister, Leader of the Opposition, and Chief Justice of India. The case has implications for the independence and transparency of India's audit system.
A bench of justices H L Dattu and C K Prasad sought response from the government, the national carrier and CBI on a petition filed by an NGO, Centre for Public Interest Litigation, alleging that various decisions taken during the tenure of Patel were meant to benefit private airlines and caused huge loss to Air India.
The ministry also submitted that the identification of scheduled castes is centred around a specific social stigma that is limited to the communities identified in the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order, 1950.
The Supreme Court's order to remove stray dogs from Delhi-NCR localities has sparked mixed reactions, with RWAs welcoming the move and animal rights activists raising concerns about implementation and potential harm.
The Supreme Court will hear a plea seeking an independent selection process for the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) on March 17. The PIL, filed by the Centre for Public Interest Litigation, argues that the current system of appointment solely by the executive and the prime minister violates the Constitution and undermines the CAG's independence. The petition calls for a transparent process involving the prime minister, Leader of the Opposition, and Chief Justice of India. The PIL contends that the CAG's role as a watchdog over government finances requires a fair and non-arbitrary appointment procedure.
Expressing surprise over political parties not coming forward in filing objections related to 65 lakh excluded voters, the top court directed the chief electoral officer of Bihar to implead them in the court proceedings.
Thousands of people participated in a 'silent march' in Kolhapur on Sunday, demanding that 36-year-old female elephant Mahadevi (also called Madhuri), be brought back from Vantara wildlife rescue, treatment, and rehabilitation centre in Gujarat's Jamnagar district.
The Supreme Court on Monday sought response from the Centre on a petition filed by an NGO questioning the entire selection process for appointment of chairperson and members of the Lokpal and seeking its stay.
The solicitor general said that the PM CARES Fund is a 'voluntary fund'. "It is a public trust. It is a body where you can make voluntary contributions and no budgetary allocations to the NDRF or SDRF are being touched. What has to be spent will be spent," the law officer said.
The Supreme Court on Friday issued notices to soft drink majors Pepsico and Coca Cola on a petition seeking that there should be a disclosure by the companies about the ingredients and chemical composition of the product.
The Supreme Court Wednesday asked the Delhi high court to decide within two weeks the plea pending before it challenging the appointment of senior IPS officer Rakesh Asthana as the Delhi police commissioner.
The Delhi high court on Wednesday sought the central government and Rakesh Asthana's stand on a public interest litigation challenging the appointment of the Gujarat-cadre IPS officer as Delhi police commissioner.
The Centre's Presidential Reference on allocation of natural resources is aimed at getting the apex court overrule its 2G case verdict, which had asked the government to allocate resources only through auction, the Supreme court was told on Tuesday by an non governmental-organisation.
The bench in its order noted that the CBI report also dealt with its probe into the alleged violation by FIPB in the Aircel-Maxis deal.
The plea came up for hearing before a bench comprising Justices B V Nagarathna and Ujjal Bhuyan.
The petition was filed in 2003 by NGO Centre for Public Interest Litigation.
Embattled Central Vigilance Commissioner P J Thomas on Monday side-stepped questions about him continuing in office in the wake of a corruption case against him, saying he was still the CVC. "I am still the CVC. The matter is in court. So no comments," said Thomas. The Supreme Court is hearing a PIL by the NGO Centre for Public Interest represented by advocate Prashant Bhushan, questioning the legality of the CVC's appointment by a three-member selection committee.
It also opposed the suggestion that the contributions be transferred to the National Disaster Response Fund.
Most of the recommendations with regard to appointment of judges in high courts were pending with the collegium headed by the CJI, it said.
The bench was informed by advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for petitioner NGO Centre for Public Interest Litigation and others, that the Centre has filed an affidavit saying it wants to appoint another commission to examine the issue.
The Delhi high court on Tuesday dismissed a PIL challenging the appointment of Gujarat-cadre IPS officer Rakesh Asthana as city police commissioner.
The law officer said nothing remains in the matter after the privacy judgement.
The Supreme Court on Friday sought to know from a petitioner-NGO whether the state legislatures have the right to express their opinion or not on central laws and asked it to do some more research on the subject.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday said there must be a "debate" on the "serious" issue relating to the practice of political parties promising freebies and asked why cannot the Centre call for an all-party meeting on it.
A bench headed by Justice Ashok Bhushan and comprising justices R S Reddy and M R Shah said that voluntary contribution can always be made to the NDRF as there is no statutory bar under the Disaster Management Act.
The Delhi High Court Thursday termed as "copy-paste" a petition filed before it challenging the appointment of IPS officer Rakesh Asthana as Delhi Police Commissioner and warned the petitioner that such activity shall not be repeated in the future.
The Centre told the apex court that it has not issued any SOP that makes it mandatory to carry the vaccination certificate for any purpose.
While asking the Centre to set up the delimitation panel, the top court, however, said it cannot direct Parliament to amend or make laws for giving proper representation to other communities that form part of the STs as that would amount to "venturing into the legislative domain".
Justice Chelameswar said the State has reasons to keep surveillance depending upon the situations, but there should be "an amount of transparency in the process".
A bench of Justices B R Gavai and Vikram Nath said the matter requires to be heard.
The university has also directed security agencies to deploy ex-Army personnel to strengthen the security of its hostel blocks, the official said.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday pulled up government agencies for not taking action on the basis of taped conversations of former corporate lobbyist Niira Radia with top politicians, businessmen and others which show various serious matters like cross-border transactions.
Under attack for allegedly meeting officials of companies accused in 2G scam, Central Bureau of Investigation Director Ranjit Sinha on Thursday said that he would recuse himself from the ongoing probe in Coal scam if the Supreme Court ordered so.
The Delhi high court on Wednesday issued notice to Union Health Minister J P Nadda on a petition seeking a CBI inquiry into various cases of alleged irregularities and corruption in AIIMS raised by then Chief Vigilance Officer Sanjiv Chaturvedi.
Electoral bonds have been pitched as an alternative to cash donations made to political parties as part of efforts to bring transparency in political funding.