The top court said that it was not against anyone but the primary concern is illegal constructions in Coastal Regulation Zone areas, which eventually lead to natural disasters.
A bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra asked Bhushan to deposit the fine by September 15, failing which he will attract a jail term of three months and debarment from law practice for three years. Freedom of speech cannot be curtailed but rights of others need to be respected, said the bench, also comprising Justices B R Gavai and Krishna Murari.
While recusing himself from hearing the matter, Justice Ramana said Rao is from his home state and he had attended the wedding ceremony of Rao's daughter.
The top court called the pollution in Delhi-NCR as atrocious and said no one is safe even inside homes. "It is too much. No one is safe even inside their house. It is atrocious," the bench said.
The top court directed the Maharashtra government to place before it the material which was collected during the investigation against Navlakha and placed before the high court in a sealed cover.
The Supreme Court on Friday termed as a "serious matter" the issue of alleged mysterious death of special Central Bureau of Investigation judge B H Loya, who was hearing the Sohrabuddin Sheikh encounter case, and sought response from the Maharashtra government on pleas seeking an independent probe into it.
The contempt petition refers to the February 1 tweets by Bhushan in which he had allegedly said that the government appeared to have misled the apex court and perhaps submitted fabricated minutes of meeting of the high-powered selection committee headed by the prime minister.
The court also questioned how Amrapali Group could mortgage the entire projects and secure loan worth thousands of crores of rupees from banks when it was only an agent to develop the property.
A bench headed by Chief Justice H L Dattu agreed to hear the CBI's two petitions on reopening of the court after the Dussehra break.
The former IPS officer had also sought impleadment of Bharatiya Janata Party president Amit Shah, the then MoS Home in the state government and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh functionary S Gurumurthy as parties in his petition, which was also rejected.
Dealing with the misuse of provisions of SC/ST Act and lodging of false cases, the bench said it was not due to the caste system but due to human failure. The directions passed on provision of arrest and conducting a preliminary probe before any case is lodged is uncalled for and the court should not have exercised its plenary powers, said the bench.
During the hearing in CJI's court No 1, an unfazed Justice Gogoi said the allegations are unbelievable.
The apex court posted the matter for further hearing on July 10.
"We have to make government responsible for this," the bench said and asked, "Why can't govt machinery stop stubble burning?"
A bench headed by Justice J S Khehar asked the medical board to examine the woman at King Edward Memorial College and Hospital at Mumbai, by Saturday and submit its report
The single judge had set aside the Central Information Commission's direction holding that judges have to disclose such information.
The Supreme Court on Friday agreed to hear on Monday the plea of farmers' organisations challenging legality of the fresh promulgation of the land acquisition ordinance by the Narendra Modi-led government.
The court said the conduct of the directors was in 'gross violation' of its order.
The Calcutta high court on Thursday said it would monitor the Criminal Investigation Department investigation into the Kamduni gangrape and murder case and also questioned the justification of state Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's fixing of a time frame for completing the probe.
A five-judge Bench of Justices NV Ramana, Arun Mishra, RF Nariman, R Banumathi and Ashok Bhushan heard the petition filed by Vinay Sharma and Mukesh Singh. The duo had moved a curative petition in the top court after a Delhi court issued death warrants in their names for their hanging on January 22.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to expand the eight-hour night-time ban period on bursting of crackers and voiced unhappiness over the government's failure to run a campaign to create public awareness during Diwali time on the ill-effects of fireworks.
"We do not want all children to become ninjas," a senior lawyer told the Supreme Court on Thursday, taking a cue from Chief Justice H L Dattu's reference to his grandson looking like a ninja by wearing a mask to avoid high levels of pollution in Delhi.
The NDA government, under attack for blocking porn sites, on Monday told the Supreme Court that it does not believe in a "totalitarian" state and cannot become moral police.
The apex court also forthwith restrained him from undertaking judicial and administrative work.
A notice by the office of Supreme Court Secretary General also said that the report of the committee constituted as part of the in-house procedure is not liable to be made public.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday lifted its embargo and allowed the Centre to go ahead with the appointment of Central Vigilance Commissioner and a Vigilance Commissioner from the list of candidates shortlisted by it.
The SC dismissed a PIL seeking quashing of amendments made in Citizenship Act which deny voting rights to OCIs.
Justice V Gopala Gowda recused himself from the hearing without citing any reason and said, "let the matter be placed before the Chief Justice" for its allocation to some other bench.
'No judge can take up a matter on its own unless allocated by the CJI as the CJI is master of the court,' the top court said.
A roster of the work for fresh cases notified under the order of the chief justice of India will come into effect from February 5 till further orders.
"I have already assigned the bench. The file had come to me. It will come up on Monday," said Chief Justice of India H L Dattu.
SP-Congress alliance is likely to consolidate Muslim vote in their favour.
Sacked Gujarat cadre IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt was rebuked for his conduct of contacting opposition Congress party, NGOs and their activists to influence the Supreme Court which on Tuesday said he has not come up with "clean hands" to question the lodging of criminal cases against him.
The case based on "random materials" like loose sheets, papers, e-mail print outs is "merit less" as they are "inadmissible materials" having "no evidentiary value under the law, the court said.
Prasad will face charges including criminal conspiracy and fraud in the fresh trial.
The Supreme Court ordered a Central Bureau of Investigation probe in the massive admission and recruitment scandal in Madhya Pradesh that will also encompass deaths of people related to it as more skeletons tumbled out of the Vyapam cupboard with yet another witness reported dead.
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