Petition in Bombay HC for 30% reservation of women advocates in Bar Council and Bar Associations; HC seeks response

A Division Bench of Bombay High Court on Friday reportedly sought a response from the Bar Council of India and the Bar Association of Maharashtra and Goa, on a petition demanding that Bar Councils have a 30% reservation for women advocates.The petition, filed by the Bombay Lawyers Association, has now been posted for further hearing next month, by the Bench comprising Justice Abhay Oka...

High Courts Weekly Round-Up

Allahabad High CourtAllahabad High Court dismissed a PIL against forthcoming sesquicentennial celebrations. The Division Bench said that it is a ceremony of keeping in remembrance the achievements in the field of law and dispensation of justice in the past 150 years. Bombay High CourtBombay High Court held that possessing/transporting Gutka and Pan Masala articles would not attract offence...

Maneka Gandhi tells Rajya Sabha that marital rape cannot be criminalised in Indian context

The Woman and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi on Thursday told Rajya Sabha that ‘the concept of marital rape can’t be applied to India’. She added that a country like India is not ready for the change due to factors like poverty, illiteracy and religious beliefs.“It is considered that the concept of marital rape, as understood internationally, cannot be suitably applied in...

Issue Cheques only in the name of claimant victims: Madras HC cautions Motor Accident Tribunals [Read Judgment]

Madras High Court has directed all the Motor Vehicle Claims Tribunals to issue ‘Crossed Account Payee’ cheques favouring only the claimant victims and not in the name of anyone else. Justice Vaidyanathan said that appropriate action will be initiated against the erring officials, if any violation is brought to its notice in future.The Judge made this observation in a Judgment disposing of...

Madras HC makes singing of national anthem mandatory in all schools in state [Read Order]

Madras High Court has made singing of national anthem mandatory for all the schools in the state, including the private schools.This order was passed by the First Bench comprising of the Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice M.M.Sundresh in a PIL filed by one Mr. N.Selvathirumal, an Ex-serviceman who approached this Court aggrieved by the non-singing of the National Anthem in...

Allahabad HC dismisses PIL against its sesquicentennial celebrations; requests legal fraternity to make it a ‘memorable success’ [Read Order]

Allahabad High Court has dismissed a PIL against forthcoming sesquicentennial celebrations. Division Bench comprising of Justices Attau Rahman Masoodi and Amreshwar Pratap Sahi said that it is a ceremony of keeping in remembrance the achievements in the field of law and dispensation of justice in the past 150 years.According to the petitioner, the calculation of 150 years is founded on...

Govt. making a “deliberate and sustained effort to target and vilify” us; Lawyers Collective [Read the Statement]

The Lawyers Collective(LC), the prominent human rights firm headed by former Additional Solicitor General Indira Jaising released a statement on Thursday against the notice of Ministry of Home Affairs alleging the violation of Foreign Contribution Regulation Act(FCRA).The LC, in its statement held that the government was making a “deliberate and sustained effort to target and vilify”...

Union government taking U-turn from its earlier stand to make appointment-process in higher judiciary public

The Union government surprisingly takes a U-turn on its earlier view of making appointment-process in higher judiciary public. Unfortunately reverse-stand of the government comes a few months after the luminaries from bar and bench apart from Union government agreed to make appointment-process in judiciary to be covered by RTI Act. It is significant that such matters were in open...

Counter claim can be filed even after Framing of Issue, if recording of evidence is not concluded: SC [Read Judgment]

The Supreme Court has observed that Counter claim can be filed even after framing of issues, if the recording of evidence is not concluded. Apex Court Bench comprising of Justices Jagdish Singh Khehar and C.Nagappan made this observation in Vijay Prakash Jarath vs. Tej Prakash Jarath.BackgroundThe Trial Court had accepted the Counter Claim which was filed by the defendants after two and a...

Real Estate Bill passed near unanimously by Rajya Sabha; MPs say Bill spurs the sector

Real Estate (Regulation &Development ) Bill, 2016 was today passed near unanimously by the Rajya Sabha with almost all the parties welcoming the Government’s decision requiring developers to deposit 70% of the collections from the buyers in a separate account to meet construction costs including that of land. Many members also welcomed the balance stuck in the Bill to enable orderly...

Complaint filed against Kanhaiya Kumar and Professor Niveditha Menon for alleged remarks against Army

A fresh complaint has been filed against Kanhaiya Kumar by Bharathiya Janatha Yuva Morcha(BJYM), the youth wing of BJP for his alleged remarks on Indian Army at a student gathering at JNU for an event marking the International Women's Day. The complaint alleged that Kanhaiya's remarks were 'anti-national' and also he violated the conditions of his bail.It is reported that, Kanhaiya in his...

Bombay HC directs cheating accused to pay Rs. 10 lacs to Nana Patekar’s NGO to get charges quashed [Read Judgment]

In an unprecedented ruling, a Division Bench of Bombay High Court recently directed an applicant to donate a sum of Rs. 10 lakh to a Non-Governmental Organization, in order to get the criminal charges against him quashed.The Bench, comprising Justice Ranjit More and Justice V.L. Achilya directed Mr. Mahesh Kamble, trustee of Suman Education Society to pay the donation to the NGO, NAAM...