With the Yogi Adityanath government taking credit for cracking down on criminals and making it an election issue, political parties are now having a rethink on aligning with those who have a criminal background but also enjoy influence in their areas.
Industry body CII has pitched for a reduction in personal income tax rates, decriminalisation of the goods and services tax and a relook at the capital gains tax rates as part of its agenda presented to the government for the forthcoming Budget. Arguing that the GST law already contains adequate penal provisions for deterrence against evasion of taxes, CII has suggested decriminalisation of GST law. Also, the applicability of prosecution provisions should not be based on the absolute amount of tax evasion but should be based on real intent to evade the taxes and a certain percentage of the tax payable, it stated.
The best thing we can pray for is that the courts give a quick judgment in favour of Fundamental Rights so that the government can worry about other things than what it will not let young women wear, hopes Aakar Patel.
The apex court said that there was a need for a law to prevent persons with serious criminal cases pending against them from entering the legislature and be a part of lawmaking.
An appeal has been filed in the Supreme Court challenging the Delhi high court's split verdict on the issue of criminalisation of marital rape on a batch of petitions challenging the exception in the law that exempts husbands from being prosecuted for non-consensual sexual intercourse with their wives.
The senior lawyer, who contended that the marital rape exception was not constitutional, said that the marital rape exception would be tested on the anvil of its constitutionality and an individual's opinion was not relevant.
The number of Indians over 15 either working or looking for work is lower as a percentage than in the United States, China, Bangladesh or Pakistan, points out Aakar Patel.
The Chinese government on Saturday ordered the release of people detained over a host of coronavirus-related incidents, a day ahead of Beijing's plan to scrap its three-year-old stringently implemented zero-Covid policy.
While recusing herself from the matter, she said that she had earlier represented a party in the case as a lawyer.
'Where was the armed police?' 'Did you see armed constables around him?' 'There was deep negligence by the UP police and this was a deep conspiracy.'
Officials said 387 passengers were aboard two flights from Toronto and Singapore on the day the country ended its strict COVID-19 restrictions for travellers.
The three-member Collegium, headed by Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud and also comprising Justices S K Kaul and K M Joseph, said the proposal for appointment of Kirpal as a judge of the high court has been pending for over five years and needs to be processed expeditiously.
Watch all the debates and proceedings.
The National Judicial Commission Bill, 2022, was introduced after the majority of voice votes were in its favour.
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.
Ofcom ruled that it did not consider RT's licensee, ANO TV Novosti, 'fit and proper' to hold a UK broadcast licence.
The following is the chronology of events leading to the SC unanimously decriminalising part of controversial Section 377.
Timeline of events relating to proceedings on the issue.
The high court said prima facie charges of rioting and unlawful assembly are made out against nine of the 11 accused, including Imam, Tanha and Zargar.
The modern world will not accommodate bigotry of the sort India is showing the world today, argues Aakar Patel.
Batsman Umar Akmal was handed a three-year ban by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Monday after he failed to report corrupt approaches, prompting Raja and Zimbabwean cricketer-turned-commentator Mpumelelo Mbangwa to have a discussion on match-fixing on social media.
Perhaps the BJP will win the UP elections, but that will be a political win and will leave the problems on the ground from the economy to national security to disaffected farmers and minorities intact, asserts Aakar Patel.
'Ladakh too is politically paralysed and in limbo, as Rafale jets roar above Leh and Israeli arms dealers prowl the town.'
A bench comprising Chief Justice N V Ramana and Justices D Y Chandrachud and Surya Kant also issued a notice to the Agartala police on the plea filed by advocates, Mukesh and Ansarul Haq, and journalist Shyam Meera Singh against lodging of the FIR.
The Supreme Court has extended the benefits of the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act to minors who engage in consensual sexual activity by exempting doctors from disclosing their identity to the local police.
The government is considering revising the age of marriage of women and for that a task force has been formed.
In a landmark judgment, after months of deliberations, the Supreme Court on Thursday struck down the Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, which criminalised homosexuality. A five-judge Constitution bench, headed by Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra and comprising Justices D Y Chandrachud, Rohinton Fali Nariman, A M Khanwilkar and Indu Malhotra in its verdict said, "Criminalising gay sex is irrational and indefensible." Following this historic judgment, reactions poured in on Twitter, celebrating the verdict. Here are some of them.
Watch Opposition vs government duel in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha LIVE.
The apex court said political parties will also have to upload reasons for selecting candidates with pending criminal cases on their website.
'India may well be a religious country, but that is precisely why we need to avoid criminalising blasphemy,' argues Mihir S Sharma.
Dominic Xavier wonders when and if the courts will legalise same sex marriages in India.
The Supreme Court Thursday agreed to hear a plea of two advocates and a journalist seeking quashing of a criminal case lodged under the harsh Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act provisions against them for allegedly bringing facts through social media posts about the 'targeted violence' against the minority community in Tripura.
Law Minister Kiren Rijiju on Saturday claimed that a few retired judges and some activists who are 'part of the anti-India gang' are trying to make the Indian judiciary play the role of the opposition party.
Timeline of events relating to proceedings on the issue.
Pakistan batting great Zaheer Abbas said a legislation to criminalise fixing should have been pushed by the board much earlier as it would have prevented recent cases of spot-fixing. Abbas said he would like to see the board bring all those players to book, who have been found guilty or had any involvement in corrupting the game.
Bill seeking to criminalise instant triple talaq is likely to be introduced in the upper house.
The US on Thursday raised concerns over India's Personal Data Protection (PDP) Bill and draft non-personal data governance framework, claiming these could potentially threaten innovation and economic growth. In its latest 'Special 301' Report, the US Trade Representative (USTR) kept India on the priority watch list, maintaining the country remains one of the world's most challenging major economies with respect to protection and enforcement of intellectual property (IP). In December 2021, a joint parliamentary committee released a report recommending changes to the PDP Bill, 2019, that could undermine important IP protections in India.
It is hard to escape the feeling that solving the problems of 2020 and 2021 will require something special which at the moment is not on view, observes Aakar Patel.
Last week, a division bench of the high court in Jammu ordered the police to strictly enforce the beef ban in the state.
