High Courts Weekly Round-Up

Allahabad High Court

While dismissing a PIL filed by advocates, in which one prayer was to place a judge of high court at par with ministers, the Allahabad High Court observed that status of high court judges being constitutional functionaries having different powers, privileges and functions cannot be placed at par with minister for the purpose of conditions of functioning.

The High Court, while directing a Wakf which it found to have encroached the High Court’s property and constructed a religious structure on it, issued directive to its Registrar General to ensure that in future no part of the High Court premises, either at Allahabad or at Lucknow, is permitted to be used for practicing religion or offering prayers or to worship or to carry on any religious activity by any group of persons.

Bombay High Court

The Bombay High Court allowed a writ petition filed by a 26-week pregnant woman due to several skeletal and neurological abnormalities in the foetus.

The High Court said there is no need to seek permission for leading secondary evidence under Section 65 of the Indian Evidence Act before any Court. Justice GS Patel was hearing a writ petition against an order of a trial court wherein an early application under S.65 of the Evidence Act was filed seeking ‘permission’ for proving contents of a lease deed through secondary evidence. The trial court disallowed the application partly.

The Nagpur bench of the High Court rejected an appeal filed by a 55-year-old man from Wardha who was convicted of raping his minor step-daughter and was sentenced to life by the trial court.

Delhi High Court

The Delhi High Court on Monday dismissed the PIL moved by Energy Watchdog challenging the appointments of Shashi Shanker and BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra as the CMD and non-official director of Oil & Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), while reiterating its stand against unsubstantiated pleas being made in the name of public interest litigations.

The High Court set aside the election of the office-bearers of the All India Football Federation (AIFF), including its President Mr. Praful Patel, while calling for a fresh election within five months.

The High Court scorned at the practice of non-payment of minimum wages to workmen and came down heavily on industries which do not grant minimum wages, opining that such industries had “no right to continue”.

The Delhi High Court, on Tuesday, ruled that the Centre cannot deny passports to Indian citizens staying in designated Tibetan refugee settlements.

On Tuesday, the High Court also dismissed as infructuous a Petition challenging the election of Dr. Akhilesh Das Gupta  as the President of the Badminton Association of India in the year 2014.

The High Court recently directed the Centre to ensure that 5% quota in shop allotment is set aside for the disabled.

Taking note of the traffic congestion around the High Court complex, the High Court directed the Delhi Traffic Police to ensure that no vehicles are parked on Sher Shah Road, which houses the Court complex.

The High Court recently came to the rescue of an air hostess who was denied reinstatement by Airlines Allied Services Ltd. after she took an 18 months sick leave.

A High Court division bench of Justice S Ravindra Bhat and Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva admitted an appeal filed in Commissioner of Income Tax- Exemption vs Patanjali Yogpeeth (Nyas). The present appeal has been filed against the ITAT ruling holding propagation of yoga qualified as ‘medical relief’.

The High Court, on Wednesday, struck down certain portions of Parts I, II, III, IV, VI, VII and VII of the Income Computation and Disclosure Standards (ICDS) and connected Notifications and circulars issued by the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT).

Gujarat High Court

The Gujarat High Court recently refused to entertain a writ petition filed by one Rajendrasingh Shekhavat who sought a stay on the release of the film Padmavati, directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali.

The High Court is set to examine the question whether a wife can initiate prosecution against her husband for unnatural sex punishable under Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code

Madras High Court

The Madras High Court upheld the ban on sale of Diclofenac in multiple dosage packs as it poses a threat to vultures.

The High Court refused to allow filing of Income Tax return without producing Aadhaar number and enrolment ID.

Madhya Pradesh High Court

The Madhya Pradesh High Court quashed the order of Bhopal sessions court issuing production warrant against extradited gangster Abu Salem with observation that the order was issued without jurisdiction.

Rajasthan High Court

The Rajasthan High Court, on Tuesday, permitted a 23 year old woman, who had converted to Islam and married a Muslim man, to join her husband.