The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed two pleas challenging a Delhi high court judgment that upheld the Centre's Agnipath scheme for recruitment into the armed forces.
'I was not really aware that this movement was slyly being propped up by the BJP and RSS.'
Anti-corruption crusaders Arvind Kejriwal and Kiran Bedi, tried their best to pacify hostile media at a press conference in New Delhi on Thursday evening but could not say much in defence of Shanti Bhushan and his son Prashant.
The court's remarks came when the petitioner said they were seeking a court-monitored CBI probe into the deal.
Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) president Adish C Aggarwala Thursday wrote to Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud expressing "shock" at an open letter to the head of the judiciary by a senior member of the bar.
The AAP on Monday expelled rebel leaders Prashant Bhusan, Yogendra Yadav and two others for anti-party activities and "gross indiscipline".
'My view hasn't changed because the silence of the Supreme Court of India on matters of other's personal liberty cannot go uncriticised'
The "opaque" electoral bonds scheme for funding political parties will "destroy democracy" as it promotes corruption and does not allow a level playing field between the ruling and opposition parties, the petitioners challenging the validity of the scheme told the Supreme Court, which on Tuesday observed election funding was a "complicated issue".
The court was hearing two pleas including one alleging delay by the Centre in clearing the names recommended by the collegium for appointment and transfer of judges.
The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear a plea of an advocate seeking an independent probe into the recent 'communal riots' in Tripura and the alleged complicity and inaction of the state police in it.
Alleging that the BBC has been biased against India and the Indian government, the plea alleged that its documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a 'result of deep conspiracy against global rise of India and its prime minister'.
Former judges of the Supreme Court and high courts and some senior advocates have written a letter to the Chief Justice of India NV Ramana requesting the top court to take suo motu cognisance of the detention of protestors and demolition of their houses by the Uttar Pradesh authorities following protests against objectionable remarks made by BJP spokespersons.
The Supreme Court on Monday said it may not be possible to direct the trial court to conduct day-to-day hearing in the 2021 Lakhimpur Kheri violence case, in which Union minister Ajay Kumar Mishra's son Ashish is among those facing prosecution, as it may affect other cases pending there.
The Supreme Court observed on Tuesday it is more concerned about the risk factors than anything else when it comes to the conditional approval granted by the Centre for environmental release of genetically modified (GM) mustard. On October 25 last year, the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) under the Union environment ministry had approved the environmental release of transgenic mustard hybrid DMH-11 and the parental lines containing barnase, barstar and bar genes so they can be used for developing new hybrids. The apex court is hearing separate pleas by activist Aruna Rodrigues and NGO 'Gene Campaign' seeking a moratorium on the release of any genetically modified organisms (GMOs) into the environment pending a comprehensive, transparent and rigorous bio-safety protocol in the public domain conducted by agencies of independent expert bodies the results of which are made public.
The petition by the trio came two weeks after the apex court had on October 10 asked the Centre to provide details of the decision-making process in the Rafale deal with France in a sealed cover by October 29.
"It is very easy to fling allegations and letters," an anguished Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud said on Thursday while clarifying that the bail plea of Aam Aadmi Party leader Satyendar Kumar Jain in a money laundering case was listed before a bench headed by Justice Bela M Trivedi as Justice A S Bopanna was unavailable due to illness.
The infighting within the Aam Aadmi Party is taking one ugly turn after another.
A bench headed by Chief Justice N V Ramana took note of the submissions of lawyer Prashant Bhushan that the other accused in the case are moving courts for grant of bail citing the relief granted to Ashish Mishra.
The Supreme Court will on Monday examine allegations that Central Bureau of Investigation Director Ranjit Sinha compromised investigations into the spectrum and coal scams.
A bench headed by Chief Justice NV Ramana is likely to pronounce its verdict at 10:30 am on Monday.
"The girls are losing out on studies," lawyer Prashant Bhushan said.
The apex court said it would pronounce its order on Tuesday whether such a plea was maintenable or not.
'It is the common people, not lawyers and judges, who are the stakeholders of the judiciary.'
'We were not protesting for a wage hike or provident fund. We were protesting for the safety of the larger population. There is no personal gain.'
Lawyer Prashant Bhushan, appearing for the NGO, alleged that the scheme is a means for channelising unaccounted black money in favour of the ruing party.
A bench of justices Sanjiv Khanna, Dipankar Datta and Augustine George Masih told the petitioners, who pointed out that a meeting for the selection of ECs was pre-poned, to file a separate application pointing out the fact.
The Supreme Court on Thursday disagreed with the Centre's submission that petitions challenging the amended law allowing extension of the Enforcement Directorate director's tenure up to five years should not be entertained as they have been filed by political entities facing serious money laundering charges.
A bench of Justices B R Gavai and Vikram Nath said the matter requires to be heard.
A five-judge Constitution bench of the Supreme Court is scheduled to commence a crucial hearing from Tuesday on a batch of pleas challenging the validity of the electoral bonds scheme for funding political parties.
The electoral bonds scheme for funding political parties should not become a tool for "legitimisation of quid pro quo" between power centres and people who are benefactors of that power, the Supreme Court said on Thursday as it underscored the need for reducing the cash component in the electoral process.
The furore over the release of the RJD strongman from Siwan has now reached the apex court through various petitions.
"I am not contesting the Lok Sabha elections. Out of affection for me, Yogendra Yadav has said that," he told reporters when they asked him about Yadav's remark that his dream is to see Kejriwal as Prime Minister.
Sheoran, it is learnt, has the backing of the six wrestlers, including Bajrang Punia, Vinesh Phogat and Sakshi Malik, who led the protests against Brij Bhushan at Jantar Mantar.
The Supreme Court on Friday sought response from the Centre and Delhi Police on a plea seeking an SIT probe and initiation of contempt action against three lawyers who were allegedly caught on camera "bragging and boasting" that they had beaten up JNUSU President Kanhaiya Kumar and others, including journalists, in a court complex.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday said that the issue of who will become the prime minister of India after the 2014 Lok Sabha polls was not important.
A five-judge Constitution bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud, which was hearing an application filed by the Election Commission (EC) seeking a modification of the operative portion of its March 11 order in the electoral bonds case, directed its registrar (judicial) to ensure that the data filed earlier by the poll panel before it in a sealed cover be scanned and digitised.
He had spoken against expulsion of Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan.
The Aam Aadmi Party's national executive on Wednesday decided not to have Yogendra Yadav in the party's key Political Affairs Committee, days after he and Prashant Bhushan questioned the functioning of party chief Arvind Kejriwal.
In the third attempt in three days to sort out contentious issues between dissident leader Yogendra Yadav and Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP, members from both the camps on Wednesday held a marathon meeting in sought Delhi.
The bench said the petition has relied on a March 2 verdict of the apex court which had ruled that the appointment of the Chief Election Commissioner and ECs will be done by the President on the recommendation of a committee, comprising the prime minister, Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha and the CJI, to maintain the "purity of election".
