The Supreme Court has issued a directive to the Bihar government, ordering the removal of all unauthorised structures and encroachments along the Ganga river banks between Nauzar Ghat and Nurpur Ghat in Patna within six weeks. The court expressed concern over illegal constructions and noted the lack of action despite previous orders, warning of strict views on any laxity. The directive came during the hearing of a plea against a National Green Tribunal order regarding encroachments on eco-fragile floodplains.
The Allahabad high court has delivered a split verdict on the controversial practice of "bulldozer justice," involving the punitive demolition of properties linked to accused persons. Two judges, Justice Atul Sreedharan and Justice Siddharth Nandan, expressed differing views on whether a stay on demolitions can be issued, leading the matter to be referred to the Chief Justice for a third judge's opinion.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday barred Karnataka Police from taking any coercive steps against badminton player Lakshya Sen, his family members, and coach over allegations of forging birth certificates.
Reversing the burden of evidence means that the principle of innocent until proven guilty does not apply. It is exactly the opposite: Guilty as charged, until you can convince the judges of the contrary, points out Shekhar Gupta.
The Supreme Court has questioned the conduct of Sonam Raghuvanshi, accused of killing her husband during their honeymoon in Meghalaya, suggesting she surrender and face trial. The court is also examining whether a typographical error in the arrest memo justifies her bail.
The Supreme Court has stated that a complete ban on pellet guns is not possible as long as existing advisories permit their use for crowd control in exceptional circumstances by security agencies. However, the court clarified that allegations of specific misuse can be examined on a case-by-case basis, particularly in light of recent protests against the NEET paper leak.
The NCERT Class 8 social science textbook has undergone significant revisions, including a tweaked narrative on the 1947 Partition, the inclusion of VD Savarkar's demand for Swaraj, and the removal of references to Adolf Hitler and Nazi ideology. These changes follow a Supreme Court intervention regarding controversial content on the judiciary.
The Supreme Court has agreed to hear a plea by senior advocate Kapil Sibal challenging the interpretation of the Tenth Schedule's 'deemed merger' provision, which allows MLAs and MPs to avoid disqualification under the anti-defection law, citing its 'huge repercussions on our polity'.
A judgment of a Constitution bench would be "binding" on benches of lesser strength, the Supreme Court has said while recalling an April 2022 verdict delivered by it.
The Supreme Court highlighted the critical need to protect forests across India, specifically mentioning states like Jharkhand for their natural ecosystems. The court declined to interfere with a Jharkhand High Court order concerning regulations for stone mining and crushers near forest boundaries, asserting the High Court's constitutional authority in the matter.
The Supreme Court agreed to hear on Friday a plea of the Muslim side alleging that the alternative site identified by the Madhya Pradesh government for offering namaaz was located too far from the disputed Bhojshala complex in Dhar.
'Courts are not moved by spectacle. They act when the facts, as they stand, call for the law to step in.'
The DMK has approached the Supreme Court, alleging that Tamil Nadu ministers are actively influencing witnesses in the CBI probe into last year's Karur stampede case, which resulted in 41 deaths.
The Supreme Court, while hearing a bail plea in a murder case, made significant observations about the changing nature of society, the vulnerability of the modern generation, the impact of nuclear families, and the role of technology in child-rearing.
For the longest time, the court did not even hear important matters that the government did not want it to. Of late, it has begun to form benches. Meanwhile a lot of the damage has been done and continues to be done, asserts Aakar Patel.
The report of a three-member committee investigating the grounds for the removal of High Court judge Yashwant Varma, following the discovery of burnt currency notes at his residence, will be tabled in the Lok Sabha during the upcoming Monsoon session.
The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust is set to hold crucial meetings to appoint a new general secretary, fill three vacant trustee posts, and deliberate on the appointment of the temple's first Chief Executive Officer (CEO), all while addressing the ongoing donation theft controversy and the Supreme Court's call for a fair investigation.
History would not see the institution kindly if it continues to avoid, as appears to be the case, hearing and deciding some of the most pressing issues of our time, asserts Aakar Patel.
The Bombay High Court has upheld the acquittal of 22 accused in the 2005 Sohrabuddin Shaikh fake encounter case, citing a lack of evidence and broken links in the prosecution's case.
The Environment Ministry's expert appraisal committee (EAC) has cleared the expansion of the Magadh opencast coal mine in Jharkhand, operated by Central Coalfields Limited, despite pending court cases regarding alleged encroachment of forest land.
Under the Odisha state premature release policy, prisoners whose death sentences were commuted to life imprisonment become eligible for remission after completing 25 years in prison, subject to recommendations by the Odisha State Sentence Review Board and approval by the state government. Dara Singh has now spent more than 26 years in prison.
The Congress party has accused the BJP and the Election Commission of being "partners in crime" in what it terms "seat chori" (seat theft), following the rejection of its Rajya Sabha candidate Meenakshi Natarajan's nomination. The party claims the rejection was based on "flawed and unreasonable" logic, alleging non-disclosure of a criminal case against Natarajan, despite her stating only a legal notice exists.
Legal database platform India Kanoon has approached the Delhi High Court, challenging a single-judge order that recognised an individual's 'right to be forgotten' and directed the platform to de-index and disable 'name-based search functionality' for certain judicial orders.
The Delhi High Court is hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) challenging the "intrusive surveillance" of protesters at Jantar Mantar. The Solicitor General argued that videography is for law and order, not snooping, while the petitioner contended it violates privacy. The court has asked police about protest regulation guidelines.
The Allahabad High Court has quashed a magistrate court's order rejecting a woman's plea for her husband's income and property details in a domestic violence case, ordering a fresh review and emphasising the importance of income disclosure in such cases.
A special court in Mumbai discharged NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar and others in a case registered by the Enforcement Directorate concerning an alleged Rs 25,000 crore scam at the Maharashtra State Co-operative Bank (MSCB). The court stated that the money laundering case could not proceed without a predicate offence.
The Supreme Court has ruled that the determination of citizenship status in India must adhere to a fair, lawful, and reasoned process, setting aside Gauhati High Court verdicts that had affirmed orders declaring some individuals as foreigners. The court stressed that constitutional protections of equality, life, and personal liberty apply to every person within India's territory.
Justice Atul Sreedharan of the Allahabad High Court has made strong observations on systemic corruption in India, suggesting the death penalty for offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act. He criticised the alleged embezzlement of donations at the Ram temple and the Uttar Pradesh government's "bulldozer actions," highlighting the normalisation of corruption and the state's complicity in unauthorised constructions.
A TADA court in Jamnagar convicted 12 individuals in connection with the 1993 arms landing case, linked to Dawood Ibrahim, intended to avenge the Babri Masjid demolition. Ten of the convicted were sentenced to five years rigorous imprisonment.
A court in Jalna, Maharashtra, sentenced a man and his brother to life imprisonment for the honour killing of the man's 17-year-old daughter over a land dispute related to her proposed marriage.
The nephew of one of Indira Gandhi's assassins, convicted in a major drug case in New Zealand, has been identified after losing a legal battle to keep his name secret.
The Supreme Court has directed an appellate tribunal to expeditiously decide an appeal filed by a 75-year-old advocate challenging the deletion of his name from the West Bengal voters' list following a Special Intensive Revision exercise. The court noted the petitioner appeared to be a bona fide resident and requested a decision within two months.
The Supreme Court has granted four weeks of protection from arrest to Bihar-based contractor Rishu Shree, who is accused of acting as a middleman in government tender manipulation. Shree is alleged to have charged commissions to facilitate contracts, with the Enforcement Directorate investigating a "larger conspiracy" involving multiple Bihar departments.
The Supreme Court dismissed a petition challenging the exorbitant fee structure in private medical colleges in Rajasthan, stating that self-financing institutions cannot be expected to charge the same fees as government institutions. The court emphasised the country's need for doctors and upheld the Rajasthan High Court's decision.
Google has challenged a Delhi High Court single-judge bench ruling that held it liable for trademark infringement by allowing competitors to bid on and use the 'Hindware' trademark as keywords in its Google Ads programme. Google argues that keyword bidding promotes competition and is a globally accepted norm, citing previous rulings that allowed the practice. The tech giant contends that the Trade Marks Act does not distinguish between coined and generic words for such infringements.
A new Class 9 NCERT textbook describes the judiciary as an "impartial and independent institution" that safeguards citizens' rights and upholds the Constitution, contrasting with a previous Class 8 textbook that sparked controversy over its depiction of judicial corruption. The new textbook was prepared before the Class 8 controversy erupted.
The first five courtrooms of the Supreme Court have become WiFi-enabled, Chief Justice of India (CJI) D Y Chandrachud announced on Monday, in a significant step towards the digitisation of the top court.
The Allahabad High Court has ruled that Muslim personal law, which recognises puberty as the age of marriage, cannot override the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act (PCMA) and the Prevention of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, which criminalise sexual relations with a child.
The Ayodhya Development Authority (ADA) has granted Supriya Mishra, wife of Luv Kush Mishra, who is accused in the Ram temple donation case, an additional week to provide documents for a house in her name that is under construction in Ayodhya's Saadatganj area, the police said.
Justice A M Khanwilkar, the second senior-most judge of the Supreme Court, retired on Friday and thanked bar association leaders for their 'love and affection'.
