The Chhattisgarh High Court has nullified a divorce order issued by a private Sharia body, stating that religious institutions cannot assume the authority of a court or use religious belief to determine an individual's legal rights. The ruling reinforces the supremacy of the constitutional framework and the rule of law over extra-judicial forums.
'Tariff action relating to the excess-capacity investigation will be even more susceptible to judicial overturn.'
Former Election Commissioner Ashok Lavasa has strongly criticised the ongoing special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, labelling it an 'unfair procedure' despite its legal standing, raising concerns about mass voter deletions and the erosion of democratic trust.
Police in Nanded district, Maharashtra, seized five brass of illegally excavated river sand and apprehended the truck driver on Friday. The driver failed to produce valid permits, leading to a case registered under the BNS and Maharashtra Land Revenue Code for theft and unauthorized resource extraction.
Nepal has banned the import, sale, and distribution of Priyagold biscuits, citing them as sub-standard. This decision follows India's food regulator FSSAI initiating legal proceedings against the manufacturer, Surya Food and Agro Ltd, for using cattle feed bran and other serious violations, and suspending its licence.
The controversy surrounding actor Imran Khan's participation in a Mumbai protest, and BJP leader Kirit Somaiya's demand for his deportation, raises critical questions about the legal rights of Overseas Citizen of India cardholders to engage in political dissent and the grounds for their expulsion from India.
The Supreme Court has ordered the reinstatement of R Saravanan, a deputy registrar of Periyar University, who was dismissed for alleged disproportionate assets. The court observed that dismissal is akin to a "death penalty" for a government servant and criticised the university's inquiry for lacking evidence, upholding the single-judge bench's decision.
Ten-month-old Radha's future is uncertain after her mother, Muskan Rastogi, was sentenced to death for the murder of her husband, Saurabh Rajput, in the 'blue drum' case. Radha has been living with Muskan in Meerut district jail since birth, and jail authorities state there will be no immediate change due to the appeals process. The case also involves questions about Radha's paternity.
France is preparing for fresh demonstrations on October 24 with a "massive" police deployment and extended curfews, following days of violent unrest. The protests, initially sparked by school conditions, have broadened into a nationwide campaign against rising living costs and declining public services, leading to over 2,500 arrests and significant damage.
Bollywood actor Imran Khan has launched a legal challenge in the Bombay high court against a police notice ordering him to leave India by October 28, following his participation in a political protest and a concurrent review of his OCI status.
An Indian national was killed and two others were injured in an attack on King Fahd International Airport in Dammam, Saudi Arabia. This incident follows another attack on the Shaybah oilfield where an Indian was also injured, amidst escalating strikes by Yemen's Houthi rebels on Saudi infrastructure.
AISA president Neha Bora appeared before a special executive magistrate after the Delhi High Court dismissed her challenge to a police notice requiring a Rs 10,000 "peace bond." Bora refuses to sign the bond, alleging it's used to curb democratic dissent, while the court has directed authorities to provide her with all material supporting the allegations by October 29.
Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke has highlighted a stark contrast between the Allahabad High Court's decision to stay the conviction of a murder accused seeking a BJP ticket and the continued judicial custody of CJP co-convenors Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das. Dipke criticised the extended incarceration of Ranka and Das, who were arrested for protesting at Jantar Mantar, while emphasising their sacrifices for public good. The CJP has demanded their immediate release and questioned the legal proceedings, calling for institutional accountability.
Three individuals were injured in a clash involving firing and stabbing between two groups in Delhi's Govindpuri area, suspected to be due to old enmity. Police are investigating the incident, which occurred during idol immersion festivities.
Actor Imran Khan, a US citizen, has filed a petition in the Bombay High Court challenging a police notice directing him to leave India by October 28. The notice was issued after he was briefly detained near a political protest. Khan claims he did not participate in the protest and that the notice is arbitrary. The High Court will hear the plea on October 26.
Police in Jammu and Kashmir arrested five alleged drug peddlers in separate operations in Samba and Reasi districts on Wednesday. Three individuals were apprehended in Samba with 10.06 grams of heroin and a weighing machine, while two others were arrested in Reasi with 10 grams of heroin. All five have been booked under the NDPS Act, and further investigation is ongoing.
Muskan Rastogi and Sahil Shukla, sentenced to death for the murder of Muskan's husband Saurabh Rajput, spent a distressed first night in Meerut jail. Both are preparing to appeal the verdict in the Allahabad High Court. Jail authorities are providing counselling and medical support, while the victim's family has expressed satisfaction with the verdict but refused to adopt Muskan's infant daughter.
Suspended Assam Police officer Sandipon Garg, an accused in the death case of singer Zubeen Garg, has been released on bail by the Gauhati High Court after nearly a year in custody. Garg, who is the singer's cousin, expressed his desire for the truth about Zubeen's death in Singapore to emerge. The state government plans to challenge the bail decisions in the Supreme Court, while investigations by both Assam Police and Singapore authorities have yielded differing conclusions regarding foul play.
Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini announced the state government's firm support for power employees, pledging to challenge the Haryana Electricity Regulatory Commission's (HERC) decision to grant a parallel electricity distribution licence to a private company for Gurugram and Nuh districts before the Appellate Tribunal for Electricity (APTEL). The government is appealing to unions to defer their planned three-day strike while making arrangements to ensure uninterrupted power supply.
The Gujarat government has proposed to allot a long-disputed municipal plot in Vadodara to former cricketer Yusuf Pathan, gifting 500 square metres and offering the rest at a concessional rate. This proposal comes months after Pathan, a newly elected MP, broke away from the Trinamool Congress to join the NDA. The plot has been subject to legal battles and encroachment notices since 2012.
'The larger lesson for India Inc is that promoter oversight and professional management are not inherently contradictory. The difficulty arises when the boundaries between the two are unclear.'
Muskan Rastogi and Sahil Shukla, sentenced to death for the murder of Muskan's husband Saurabh Rajput, spent a distressed first night in jail and are now preparing to challenge the verdict in the Allahabad High Court.
The Delhi High Court has ruled that foreign nationals do not possess an inherent or legally enforceable right to enter India, even if they hold a valid visa. The court emphasised that entry is a sovereign function, subject to national security, foreign policy, and administrative discretion. This observation came while dismissing a plea from a Turkmenistan national who was denied entry despite having a business visa, citing adverse inputs and national security concerns.
Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti is facing potential legal action after she was seen holding the national flag upside down during a protest in Srinagar. The protest was against the abrogation of Article 370 and Article 35A. Officials are considering action for violating the Flag Code of India.
A Class XI Dalit student in Coimbatore died by suicide on October 21, allegedly due to caste-based harassment and bullying by classmates over his caste and food choices, including beef. Police have registered cases against the principal, a teacher, and two classmates, with the teacher already arrested. The incident has led to protests and calls from political leaders for stringent action and measures to eliminate caste discrimination in schools.
A 19-year-old alleged white supremacist, Alexandros Paporakis, was arrested in Aurora, Illinois, for plotting a mass shooting at a Hindu temple. Authorities found a manifesto detailing plans to kill Indians and other minorities, along with firearms and ammunition. Paporakis faces charges of making a terrorist threat and unlawful possession of weapons.
French President Emmanuel Macron criticised unnamed foreign leaders, including Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu, for making "stupid comments" and exploiting recent domestic unrest in France for their own political campaigns. Speaking in Doha, Macron condemned the use of misinformation and AI-generated content to misrepresent the situation, asserting there was no foreign interference in the events but manipulation of information afterwards. He specifically called out Trump's claims about France being "under siege" and Netanyahu's assertion of an "invasion of extremist Islam."
The Bombay Bar Association and senior lawyer Satish Maneshinde have strongly criticised the use of police force against students protesting the NEET leak issue in Mumbai. Maneshinde has offered pro bono legal assistance to any student facing legal action, while the BBA emphasised the constitutional right to peaceful assembly and dissent.
The Supreme Court has sought responses from the Centre and others regarding a plea challenging the validity of 'Talaq-e-Hasan' and other forms of unilateral divorce under Muslim personal law. The petition also seeks uniform procedural safeguards, economic protection for divorced women, and questions the constitutionality of Section 2 of the Muslim Personal Law (Shariat) Application Act, 1937, as well as the lack of safeguards against polygamy.
The Supreme Court has granted a temporary relief to former Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan, his daughter, and son-in-law by staying for a week the investigation against them in the alleged Cochin Minerals and Rutile Limited (CMRL) bribery case. The apex court permitted them to appeal a single judge's order before the Kerala High Court division bench and cautioned the Enforcement Directorate against exceeding its statutory limits.
A former Vadodara corporator has requested land for Indian spinner Radha Yadav to establish a cricket academy, following the Gujarat government's proposal to allocate a civic plot to former cricketer Yusuf Pathan. The request for Yadav aims to promote cricket and develop Vadodara as a sports city, contrasting with Pathan's decade-long dispute over a residential plot.
A POCSO court in Bhubaneswar has sentenced Dillip Bhoi to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment for raping an eight-year-old girl near her school last year. The court also imposed a fine and ordered compensation for the victim.
Harvard trained lawyer Shahdan Farasat's detention by the Delhi police at Saturday's protest has ignited a crucial debate on the shrinking space for peaceful dissent and the protection of democratic rights.
When it pretends to be deaf, a situation can snowball into something it cannot contain. The government cannot dismiss public anger merely because protests are inconvenient or politically embarrassing, asserts Ramesh Menon.
A protest in Mumbai's Shivaji Park area, supporting the Cockroach Janta Party's stir against CEC Gyanesh Kumar, intensified on Sunday with the arrival of Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray and MNS' Amit Thackeray. Police detained dozens of protesters, including social activist Anjali Damania, leading to further condemnation from the Thackeray cousins who criticised the police action and the BJP government.
The Supreme Court clarified that it was not taking cognisance of media reports suggesting government authorities tendered unconditional apologies in contempt proceedings related to restrictions during an October 10 protest. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta explained that apologies are procedural, and authorities have defended their actions, citing reasons like maintaining public order and intelligence inputs. The court emphasised that media coverage was not relevant to its proceedings.
Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh, Dinesh Trivedi, clarified that former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's arrival in New Delhi two years ago was unexpected and not facilitated by the Indian military. He addressed ongoing extradition requests from the current Bangladeshi government, stating India acted out of duty during tragic circumstances in Bangladesh.
The Uttarakhand State Legal Services Authority has requested the Dehradun district judge to act on a compensation plea filed by the family of retired Brigadier Mukesh Joshi, who died after being hit by a stray bullet during a shootout in Dehradun.
The Centre has announced a major bureaucratic reshuffle, appointing Prakash Rajpurohit as Deputy Election Commissioner and approving appointments for 27 civil servants at joint secretary and equivalent levels across various ministries and departments.
An Army officer's wife has been booked in Jammu for alleged espionage, accused of using AI tools like ChatGPT and Claude to write analytical papers on sensitive national security issues for Chinese intelligence operatives. The well-qualified freelance researcher, who had an IT internship with the UN, is cooperating with investigators after being intercepted at Jammu Tawi railway station. The probe focuses on her alleged contacts with foreign nationals and the nature of the sensitive documents found on her mobile phone.
