Justice KM Joseph Repeats His Word Of Caution, Says Secular State Cannot 'Whitewash' Hate Crimes

Supreme Court judge Justice KM Joseph on Monday reiterated that “there is no space for hate crime in a secular country.” A bench led by him was hearing a writ petition filed by a man against the UP Police's inaction in his complaint that he was subjected to hate crime in July 2021 in Noida.In this case, the UP Police registered an FIR only one and a half year after the incident took...

Centre Files Review Petition In Supreme Court Against Judgment Labelling Sikkimese-Nepalis As Of ‘Foreign Origin'

Amidst public outrage over the Supreme Court describing Sikkimese Nepalis as ‘persons of foreign origin’, the union home ministry has filed a review petition in the apex court. Under the scanner is a portion in a concurring opinion authored by Justice B.V. Nagarathna, where the judge, while narrating the historical evolution of the modern-day Indian state of Sikkim vis-à-vis...

Supreme Court Stays HC Direction To Woman In Same-Sex Relationship To Undergo Counselling

The Supreme Court on Monday stayed an order passed by the Kerala High Court directing a 23-year old woman, who is stated to be in a same-sex relationship, to undertake counselling. The High Court passed the order in a habeas corpus petition field by her same-sex partner alleging that she had been illegally detained by her parents.Challenging the High Court order, the partner approached...

Victoria Gowri To Take Oath As Madras HC Judge Tomorrow; Supreme Court Also To Hear Tomorrow Plea Against Her Appointment

Advocate Victoria Gowri, who is in the middle of controversy after complaints regarding her statements about religious minorities, will take oath a judge of the Madras High Court tomorrow at 10.35 AM.A circular issued by the Madras High Court stated that Gowri will take oath along with four others, whose appointments as additional judges were notified by the Central Government...

FIR On Noida Hate Crime Complaint Registered After 1.5 Years : Supreme Court Expresses 'Distress' At UP Police Laxity

The Supreme Court on Monday expressed dissatisfaction at the laxity shown by the Uttar Pradesh Police in registering an FIR in the Noida hate crime case of July 2021, in which a 62-year old Muslim man complained that he was pulled inside a car by a group of four men, was beaten up, pulled by his beard, assaulted and communal slurs were hurled against him.The Court noted with "distress" that...

‘Want To See If Apology Really Comes From The Heart’: Supreme Court Refuses To Close Contempt Proceedings Against Odisha Lawyers For Strike

The Supreme Court, on Monday, refused to close contempt proceedings against lawyers who had indulged in vandalism in court premises during their strike demanding formation of new Benches of the Orissa High Court. Senior Advocate, Vijay Hansaria apprised a Bench comprising Justice S.K. Kaul and Justice Manoj Misra that the lawyers against whom the Apex Court had issued contempt notices...

Supreme Court Sets Aside Ex-Parte Order Of Foreigners Tribunal Which Declared A Woman Non-Indian

The Supreme Court recently directed Foreigners’ Tribunal, Kamrup, Assam to consider afresh plea of a woman against whom an order alleging that she had entered Assam from East Pakistan after 25 March 1971, was passed by the tribunal ex parte. The petition was heard by a bench comprising CJI DY Chandrachud and Justice Dipankar Datta The matter was concerning an order of the...

Whole World Is Operating On Electronic Mode, Why Is ECI Still Giving Hardcopies Of Electoral Rolls To Parties? Supreme Court

In a petition challenging the free supply of electoral rolls through hard copies (as per Section 78A and Section 78B of the Representation of the People Act, 1951), CJI DY Chandrachud enquired why the Election Commission of India gave hardcopies of electoral rolls to political parties instead of giving electronic copies. The matter was listed before a bench comprising Chief Justice...

'Our Intent Was No Special Privilege Can Be Shown To Lawyers' : Supreme Court Says Bail Pleas Of Odisha Lawyers Be Considered On Merits

The Supreme Court, on Monday, clarified that when it had recorded in its order dated 14.12.2022 that lawyers who had indulged in vandalism in court premises during their strike demanding formation of new Benches of the Orissa High Court ‘do not deserve any indulgence’ it merely meant that no special privilege ought to be shown to them. Senior Advocate Vikas Singh appearing on behalf of...

'Accused In Custody For 5 Years' : Supreme Court Points Out To NIA While Hearing Bail Applications In Bhima Koregaon Case

The Supreme Court, on Monday, at the request of National Investigation Agency (NIA), directed the hearing of the bail applications of Vernon Gonsalves and Arun Ferreira, two of the accused persons in the Bhima Koregaon case, to be deferred to a Non-Miscellaneous day (Wednesday).A Bench comprising Justice Aniruddha Bose and Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia was hearing the bail applications of...

Victoria Gowri Case : Has Supreme Court Ever Quashed HC Judge's Appointment Before Oath-Taking? Yes, Only Once

In the entire history of the Supreme Court, there is only a single precedent of it quashing an appointment of a High Court judge, after finding that the person recommended was ineligible. That extraordinary action happened in the 1992 case Kumar Padma Prasad vs Union Of India And Ors 1992 2 SCC 428, where the Supreme Court quashed the appointment of one K.N. Srivastava as a judge of the...

Supreme Court To Hear Plea To Modify Judgment Describing Sikkimese-Nepalese As Of 'Foreign Origin'

As protests are simmering in Sikkim over a remark in a Supreme Court's judgment indicating that all Nepalis settled in Sikkim are of "foreign origin", an application has been filed in the Top Court seeking to remove the said observation.The observation was made in the judgment authored by Justice BV Nagarathna in the case Association of Old Settlers of Sikkim vs Union of India which held that...