The Supreme Court Wednesday asked the Centre and the NCR states to continue implementing for few days the measures to ensure improvement in air quality, saying that preventive actions are needed in anticipation to curb pollution even as it wondered what signals are being sent to the world.
While Solicitor General Tushar Mehta during the hearing claimed that the stubble burning only contribute 10 per cent of the air pollution, senior advocate Vikas Singh, appearing for the petitioners seeking action to curb air pollution, pointed out that the Centre's Sunday meeting had recorded a finding that stubble burning is responsible for 35-40 per cent in Delhi air pollution.
A bench headed by Chief Justice S A Bobde said it will hear the transfer petition of the Centre on January 10.
The five-judge constitution bench headed by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, which heard their contentions at length, told them they will have to justify the procedure adopted for abrogation as the court cannot postulate a situation "where the ends justify the means".
Citing national security, the Centre had refused to file a detailed affidavit in the matter.
The pleas are related to reports of alleged snooping by government agencies on eminent citizens, politicians and scribes by using Israeli firm NSO's spyware Pegasus.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday asked whether Parliament could have enacted the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, which divided the erstwhile state into two Union territories, during the subsistence of President's rule in 2018-2019.
The top court laid down broad principles of law to be taken into account especially in the case of recruitment in police forces, saying their ability to inspire public confidence is a bulwark to society's security.
The Supreme Court has taken cognisance of the Lakhimpur Kheri incident in which eight people were killed in violence during a farmers' protest, with a bench headed by Chief Justice of India N V Ramana scheduled to hear the matter on Thursday.
The Supreme Court said on Thursday the surrender of Jammu and Kashmir's sovereignty to India was "absolutely complete" with the accession of the former princely state in October 1947, and it was "really difficult" to say that Article 370 of the Constitution, which accorded special status to the erstwhile state, was permanent in nature.
Restoration of peace and the normal routine of daily life, compared to the past, stands out as its most significant achievement, observes Mohammad Sayeed Malik, the veteran commentator on Kashmir affairs, four years after the abrogation of Article 370.
Kumar, who is currently the West Bengal CID additional director general, was part of a special investigation team set up by the West Bengal government to investigate the scam before the Supreme Court handed over the case to the CBI in 2014, along with other chit fund cases.
The Uttar Pradesh government on Wednesday sought urgent listing of its plea against the Karnataka high court's decision to quash a notice issued to the then Twitter India Managing Director Manish Maheshwari seeking his personal appearance as part of the probe into a communally sensitive video uploaded by a user on the microblogging site.
A bench headed by Chief Justice N V Ramana agreed to hear next week the EC's plea after senior advocate Vikas Singh submitted a large number of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail machines (VVPATs) are still being preserved and need to be released.
It is for the first time in the history of the apex court that nine judges took oath of office at one go.
The Supreme Court on Monday restrained the Centre and Navy from releasing from services some officers (both male and female), who were not granted a permanent commission and sought reply from the Centre.
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.
It also directed the Hindu parties to file their replies within three weeks on the appeal filed by the management committee of the Anjuman Intezamia Masjid challenging the Allahabad High Court order on the appointment of a survey commissioner.
The Supreme Court on Friday agreed to hear a plea challenging the constitutional validity of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act filed by an activist. A bench comprising Chief Justice S A Bobde and justices B R Gavai and Surya Kant issued notice to the Centre on activist Saket Gokhale's plea and tagged them along with over 160 petitions challenging the CAA which are listed for hearing this month.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday said the provisions of the Special Protection Group Act and contents of the Blue Book are "comprehensive" in ensuring proximate security of the prime minister and other SPG protectees, and any lapse in following these can lead to "devastating and serious consequences".
The CJI, who hails from Andhra Pradesh, had said in the last hearing that he belonged to both the states and suggested 'mediation' to Andhra Pradesh and Telangana for settling their dispute, saying it did not want to interfere 'unnecessarily'.
According to the cause list uploaded on the apex court website, a bench comprising Chief Justice N V Ramana and Justice Surya Kant would hear on August 5 three separate petitions seeking probe into the reports of alleged snooping by government agencies on eminent citizens, politicians and scribes by using Israeli spyware Pegasus.
The strategic 900-km-long Chardham project worth Rs 12,000 crore aims to provide all-weather connectivity to four holy towns -- Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath, and Badrinath -- in Uttarakhand.
The Supreme Court on Friday directed the Centre and the states in the National Capital Region (NCR) to implement the orders of the panel on air quality management to curb air pollution while ruing that some sections of the media have 'portrayed' it as a 'villain' which wants to close down schools in New Delhi.
'These people are not religious. They do not have respect for other religions... This lady is single-handedly responsible for what is happening in the country... Has a loose tongue'
The top court also asked the state governments of Punjab and Haryana to pursue the farmers for two weeks not to do stubble burning.
"Would your Lordships give me time till Monday? I have almost got it done. We are working something out," senior advocate Harish Salve, appearing for the UP government, told the bench headed by Chief Justice N V Ramana. "List on Monday," said the bench which, also comprised justices Surya Kant and Hima Kohli, acceding to the request.
A vacation bench of Justices Surya Kant and JB Pardiwala also requested the high court consider the plea for the grant of compensation to Mohammad Latief Magrey for the death of his son Aamir Magrey.
The Supreme Court on Friday said when the public interest is so clearly articulated and is an urgent and pressing exigency, private interests must give way to the extent required.
The Supreme Court on Friday sought response from former Twitter managing director Manish Maheshwari on an appeal of the Uttar Pradesh government against the Karnataka high court's decision to quash a notice seeking his personal appearance as part of the probe into a communally sensitive video uploaded by a user on the microblogging site.
The Supreme Court has said that grounds like "there was a love affair" between the girl and the accused and there was alleged "refusal to marry" will have no bearing on the grant of bail in a POCSO case.
The top court also asked the Uttar Pradesh government, which opposed the bail plea of Ashish Mishra terming the offence as 'grave', to file an affidavit with regard to the status of the second case filed over the killing of three occupants of the SUV, which allegedly mowed down the farmers.
The SC declined to set up a committee of a retired apex court judge to inquire into the incidents of violent protests
It asked the board to determine whether the pregnancy if terminated could risk the life of the woman or not.
The top court was hearing the plea of an organisation 'Lawyer's Voice' seeking a thorough investigation into the breach in Prime Minister Modi's security in Punjab and ensuring there is no such event in the future.
In an unprecedented decision, the Supreme Court Collegium has recommended the names of three women judges for appointment in the apex court which, if cleared, would give the country its first woman Chief Justice of India (CJI) in the form of Justice B V Nagarathna on February 10, 2027.
'Don't want the government to set up a committee on its own'
The additional sessions judge said there are 208 prosecution witnesses, 171 documents and 27 forensic science laboratory (FSL) reports in the case.
The top court also stayed the proceedings against a third journalist, an associate editor in the same media house, who was recently summoned by the police in connection with the reports on violence.
A special bench headed by Chief Justice N V Ramana, in an interim order uploaded Wednesday night, also directed the Commission for Air Quality Management in the NCR and Adjoining Areas to 'commission a scientific study of air quality based on available data of previous years bearing upon recorded levels of air pollution'.
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