Re-reading ‘Olga Tellis and ors v. Bombay Municipal Corporation’ as Petitioner completes 50 years in Journalism

One of India’s finest and most respected journalists-Olga Tellis, who chased news and newsmakers and reported for various magazines and newspapers has completed 50 years in the profession.She was the only woman reporter covering politics and business when she started out in the 1960s at the Ananda Bazaar Patrika group.Though she started off covering the political beat as a political...

Agreement with consortium of banks: Stamp duty is payable on number of transactions, not instrument; SC [Read the Judgment]

The Supreme Court of India has held (Chief Controlling Revenue Authority vs. Coastal Gujarat Power Ltd. & others) that a security trustee agreement entered into by a borrower with one banker acting as security trustee for a consortium of banks, can only be regarded as a set of distinct transactions with each banker forming the consortium and consequently stamp duty would have to be paid...

Allotment of residential plots to Judges: SC stays Gujarat HC order; allows deletion of names of Judges as respondents

A Supreme Court Bench comprising Chief Justice H.L. Dattu, Justice P.C. Ghose and Justice A.M. Sapre has stayed the Gujarat High Court order that had issued notices to 27 Judges (both sitting and retired) of the Court, the state Revenue Department; and the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation among other government agencies, regarding the 2008 allotment of residential plots to sitting and...

Breaking; Madras HC quashes Bar Council of India notification relaxing the age limit for Three-year Law Course [Read the Judgment]

A Madras High Court bench comprising Justice S. Manikumar and Justice V.M. Velumani has quashed the Bar Council of India’s decision to relax the age limit for three year law course, by holding that BCI amended clause 28 under schedule-iii to rule 11 of the Rules of Legal Education, 2008 without following the procedure.The Court also directed the Registrar, Tamil Nadu Ambedkar...

Enrica Lexie; Italy Vs India at ITLOS -2 : Day-2

International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea witnessed second round of oral arguments by Italy and India in Enrica Lexie case yesterday. Live Law had covered the first round of arguments which may be read here.  Italian Ambassador reportedly  said  yesterday” :"Italy has been accused by India of being a country that doesn't keep its word,this accusation is totally unacceptable”....

Rajasthan HC outlaws the Jain practice of fasting unto Death [Read the Judgment]

The Rajasthan High Court on Monday declared (Nikhil Soni vs. Union of India & Ors. Civil Writ Petition No.7414/2006) the practice of 'Santhara' or 'Sullekhana', a Jain ritual of voluntary and systematic fasting to death as illegal, and directed the State to treat it as an offence punishable under section 309 of the Indian Penal Code and its abetment thereof under section 306 of the...

Aadhaar; Constitution Bench will determine the existence of a 'Right to Privacy' as a Fundamental Right [Read the order]

(The Centre for Communication Governance at National Law University, Delhi is posting daily reports of the arguments in the Aadhaar matter).Highlights from the Court’s rulingThe Supreme Court bench constituting Justices J. Chelameswar, S.A. Bobde and C. Nagappan has decided to refer the challenges to the Aadhar program to a constitution bench, especially to determine the existence of...

Supreme Court stays levy of Service Tax on Lawyers

A Supreme Court bench comprising Chief Justice H.L. Dattu, Justice A.K. Mishra and Justice Amitava Roy has stayed the Bombay High Court’s dismissal of a challenge to the levy of service tax on lawyers.The Court also stayed the Bombay High Court order dated December 15, 2014.  The matter has been tagged with other petitions pending before the Supreme Court.Sub-clause (zzzzm) of clause (105)...

#Porn Ban; If someone wants to watch Porn in the Privacy of their Bedroom, State cannot be a Moral Police or enter Peoples Bedrooms; Centre to SC

The Kamlesh Vaswani matter that has asked the Court to direct the Government to block all pornography over the Internet and was used conveniently by the Government to order the disablement of over 850 website last week came up before the bench headed by the Chief Justice today.Mr. Mukul Rohatgi, the Attorney General of India represented the Union along with ASG Ms. Pinky Anand. He stated...

Pak SC upholds setting up of military courts to try civilians; says vires of constitutional amendment can be examined

A 17 judge bench of the Supreme Court of Pakistan (SC) on Wednesday by majority of 11 against 6 upheld the 21st amendment to the Constitution of Pakistan providing for the establishment of military courts in Pakistan. The Court by a comprehensive majority of 14 against 3 also dismissed petitions challenging the 18th amendment to the Constitution. The 17-judge bench was presided over by the...

SC releases a Murder Convict who has been in Jail for 10 years finding that he was a Juvenile at the time of offence

Supreme Court of India has set free a man, who has been in prison for 10 years, for committing a murder in 1976, when he was a juvenile. Bench of Justices Pinaki Chandra Ghose and R.K. Agrawal held that Ram Narain vs. State of U.P.(Criminal Misc. Petition No. 7526 Of 2015), the petitioner,should get the benefit under Juvenile Justice Act since he was a juvenile on the date of commission of...

Parliament should bring new Law to regulate Social Media; Supreme Court

The current practice of multiple criminal cases being filed in different parts of the country against a person for allegedly making a defamatory statement must be put to an end as it would lead to anarchy and the accused would himself end up being a victim, the Supreme Court observed on Thursday.Further, expressing concern over the misuse of social media and internet, particularly after...