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The Supreme Court on Friday said it is fed up with the "frivolous petitions" filed by various state governments and public sector undertakings despite repeated warnings. A bench of Justices B R Gavai and K V Viswanathan said merely because officers of the state governments or public sector undertakings (PSUs) do not have to bear the cost of litigation personally, the court is burdened with such frivolous matters. "We are fed up with such frivolous special leave petition(s) filed by various state governments and public undertakings," the bench said after it got annoyed over an appeal moved by the Jharkhand government in the case of a government employee who has challenged his dismissal from service. "We have been telling this for the past six months. It is enough," the bench said and added that in spite of warnings, the counsel appearing for various state governments and public undertakings have not shown any intention to refrain from filing such frivolous petitions. "We continue to
New York state lawyers urged an appeals court late Wednesday to uphold Donald Trump's nearly USD 500 million civil fraud judgment, arguing there's overwhelming evidence to support a judge's finding that the former president lied for years about his wealth as he built his real estate empire. In paperwork filed ahead of oral arguments next month, New York Attorney General Letitia James' office said the current Republican nominee's appeal is awash in meritless legal arguments and ignores volumes of trial evidence showing that he and his co-defendants engaged in "fraud and illegality on an immense scale." On appeal, defendants tellingly ignore almost all their deceptions, Assistant Solicitor General Daniel S Magy wrote in a 168-page submission to the state's mid-level appeals court known as the Appellate Division. Trump, his company and top executives including his sons Eric and Donald Trump Jr created and used financial statements rife with blatant misrepresentations and omissions to .
The third week of testimony in Donald Trump's hush money trial draws to a close Friday after jurors heard the dramatic, if not downright seamy, account of porn actor Stormy Daniels, while prosecutors gear up for their most crucial witness: Michael Cohen, Trump's former attorney. Daniels' story of an alleged sexual encounter with Trump was a crucial building block for prosecutors, who are seeking to show that the Republican and his allies buried unflattering stories in the waning weeks of the 2016 presidential election in an effort to illegally influence the race. Trump, who denies the sexual encounter ever happened, walked out of the court in a rage Thursday, angrily telling reporters, I'm innocent. His attorneys pushed for a mistrial over the level of tawdry details Daniels went into on the witness stand, but Judge Juan M. Merchan denied the request. Over more than 7 hours of testimony, Daniels relayed in graphic detail what she says happened after the two met at a celebrity golf .
The practice of mentioning caste or religion of litigants in court cases must be shunned, the Supreme Court has said while directing its registry and all other courts to stop it immediately. A bench of Justices Hima Kohli and Ahsanuddin Amanullah directed all high courts to ensure that the caste or religion of a litigant does not appear in the memo of parties in any petition filed before HCs or subordinate courts under their jurisdiction. "We see no reason for mentioning the caste/religion of any litigant either before this Court or the courts below. Such a practice is to be shunned and must be ceased forthwith. "It is therefore deemed appropriate to pass a general order directing that henceforth the caste or religion of parties shall not be mentioned in the memo of parties of a petition/proceeding filed before this Court, irrespective of whether any such details have been furnished before the courts below," the bench said. The top court passed the order while allowing a transfer .
In a bid to free up thousands of crores of rupees locked up in litigation and arbitration, the government will come out with a discussion paper on a scheme detailing the percentage of amount which could be paid for expeditious resolution of contractual disputes, Finance Secretary T V Somanathan said. To begin with, the Department of Expenditure under the finance ministry will seek stakeholder suggestions on the quantum of percentage that could be offered for settling contractual disputes, besides other terms and conditions. The scheme would cover disputes relating to government contracts which are currently under arbitration or litigation. Under the scheme, which would be voluntary, contractors can come forward for resolution of disputes by accepting a specified percentage of the contract value. The percentage would be notified separately and will be 'reasonable and fair' so that many people take it, Somanathan told PTI. "...if they're willing to accept that percentage, it (dispute
Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud on Saturday said technology must be augmented with institutional reforms to resolve issues of access to justice, and it is essential to simplify the litigation process and make it "citizen centric". He also said the judiciary has been adopting technology to improve the working of courts and it is of "supreme importance" that courts are remodelled to reach out to citizens instead of them reaching out to courts in their quest for justice. Speaking at the Constitution Day celebrations at the Supreme Court, the Chief Justice of India (CJI) said judges across the country must reflect upon the constitutional vision of securing justice, equality and liberty. He said it is important that representation of marginalised communities and women in the legal profession and judiciary is increased. Justice Chandrachud also spoke about the e-initiatives -- virtual justice clock, justIS mobile app 2.0, digital court and s3WaaS websites of district courts -- tha