Appointments of 170 High Court Judges are under Process: Law Minister

Union Law & Justice Minister Shri D.V. Sadanada Gowda today addressed the media here in New Delhi and gave an account of the achievements/initiatives of ministry his ministry in last two years. Following is the detail of his narrations: Initiatives towards Ease of Doing Business  To ensure speedy and fair disposal of commercial disputes, a new Act namely, the Commercial Courts,...

Complaints against subordinate judiciary should be entertained only if accompanied by duly sworn affidavit and verifiable material: Delhi HC [Read Circular]

The Registrar General of Delhi High Court has issued a Circular in view of the concern expressed by Chief Justice of India T.S. Thakur regarding the large number of complaints being received against members of the sub-ordinate Judiciary.The Circular lays down guidelines for the sake of uniformity in procedure while dealing with such complaints. It directs that the complaints making...

Uttarakhand Case: Towards a new jurisdiction?

The Uttarakhand High Court judgment that invalidated the President’s rule in the State is emblematic in several respects. The judgment by the Division Bench that runs into 99 pages is, to an extent, a reiteration of Bommai (AIR 1994 SC 1918) as regarding the imperativeness of the floor test. But the judgment indicates a leap further when it dealt with the mandate of the 10th Schedule of...

Right to reputation & Right to eat – Article 21 stretched further

Tennyson wrote –“A land of settled government,A land of just & old renownWhere freedom slowly broadens downFrom precedent to precedent”Article 21 of the Constitution states – No person shall be deprived of his life or personal liberty except according to “procedure established by law”. The most vocal debates during Constituent Assembly sessions on its predecessor draft Article...

No ‘distinguished jurist’ in sight?

'In 67 years of Independence, the Presidents of India have been looking with a telescope and have not found any jurist worth appointing as a Supreme Court Judge! So obviously jurists don’t exist in India. Hence, I think this is a dead issue', said Prof.Upendra Baxi in an interview to Livelaw.Justice Ajay Manik Rao Khanwilkar, Justice Dhananjaya Y. Chandrachud, Justice Ashok Bhushan, and...

#SwarajAbhiyan-IV ; SC asks Centre, States and RBI to religiously implement Drought-policies [Read Judgment]

A policy might be acceptable and worthy, but often it is the effective implementation and monitoring that is lacking, the Court said.In yet another judgment concerning the issue of draught, the Supreme Court in SwarajAbhiyan – (IV) vs. Union of India has directed the Central and State Government authorities and the Reserve Bank of India and other banks to religiously implement their...

From the Bar to the Bench and beyond

Justice Ajay Manik Rao Khanwilkar, Justice Dhananjaya Y. Chandrachud, Justice Ashok Bhushan, and Senior Advocate Nageswara Rao were sworn in on Friday as Judges of Supreme Court of India. With these appointments, the total strength of the Supreme Court is now 29, as against the total strength of 31.The appointments have also increased the total number of Judges to be directly elevated from...

Breaking; Law on Criminal Defamation is not Unconstitutional; SC [Read Judgment]

“Freedom of speech and expression is not absolute. The concept of social interest has to be kept in mind when considering reasonableness of a restriction”.A two Judge Bench of the Supreme Court of India Today upheld the Constitutional Validity of Sections 499 to 502[ [Chapter XXI]] of Indian Penal Code  relating to Criminal Defamation. The Bench comprising of Justices Dipak Misra...

Ajay M Khanwilkar, D Y. Chandrachud, Ashok Bhushan & Nageswara Rao sworn in as SC Judges

Justice Ajay Manik Rao Khanwilkar, Justice Dhananjaya Y. Chandrachud, Justice Ashok Bhushan, and Nageswara Rao are sworn in Today as Judges of Supreme Court of India.Chief Justice of India has administered the oath of office to four new judges at the Chief Justice’s Court Hall. The function was attended by Supreme Court Judges, law officers, Lawyers and family members of the new judges.With...

SC issues Notice on PIL seeking stricter penalty in cases of Animal Cruelty [Read Petition]

The Supreme Court of India Today has issued notice on a Public Interest Litigation filed by NGO, Angel Trust, seeking stricter penalty in cases of animal cruelty in the wake if increased number of cases in the country where animals have been cruelly killed or hit.The Petition filed through Advocate Prashant Bhushan and Sidhartha K Garg states that a vacuum of law has been created, since...

People with disabilities also have the Right to Live with Dignity; SC directs SpiceJet to compensate Jeeja Ghosh who was forcibly de-boarded from flight [Read Judgment]

There should be a full recognition of the fact that persons with disability were integral part of the community, equal in dignity and entitled to enjoy the same human rights and freedoms as others, the Court said.In a significant Judgment, the Supreme Court has asked the SpiceJet Ltd to pay Rupees Ten Lakhs to Jeeja Ghosh, an eminent activist involved in disability rights, for...

CJI seeks Centre’s view on doubling number of judges [Read Petition]

The Supreme Court today issued notice to Centre on a public interest litigation which sought immediate directions to double the number of judges in the country as recommended by the Law Commission in its 245th report in view of the growing pendency which has now touched an alarming 3.3 crore in the country..A three judge bench headed by Chief Justice T S Thakur also sought Judicial Reforms on...