Court Orders

Courts mustn't hesitate in refusing liberty for corruption-free society: SC

The Supreme Court has said courts should not hesitate in denying liberty to the accused for ensuring a corruption free society. A bench of Justices J B Pardiwala and R Mahadevan accordingly upheld the dismissal of a public official's anticipatory bail in a corruption case. The court lamented corruption had in it "very dangerous potentialities". Further, it opined an "over solicitous homage to the accused's liberty can, sometimes, defeat the cause of public justice". The top court was hearing the plea of a public servant against an order of the Punjab and Haryana High Court denying him the relief. The high court rejected his anticipatory bail in a case filed against him in Patiala under the provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023. The top court said the accused was alleged to have demanded illegal gratification over an audit in the development work in a gram panchayat. "If even a fraction of what was the vox pupuli about the magn

SC disapproves 'long dates' in matters of liberty, urges expedited hearing

The Supreme Court on Thursday said courts were not expected to keep the matters concerning liberty after a long gap. A bench of Justices B R Gavai and Augustine George Masih made the observation after being informed that the Punjab and Haryana High Court posted the hearing of a plea for temporary bail on medical grounds after two months. The petitioner's counsel said he had approached the high court for the grant of temporary bail on the ground that his client's two-year-old daughter needed urgent surgery. The lawyer argued the high court, in its order passed on February 21, posted the matter on April 22. "In the matters of liberty, the courts are not expected to keep the matter at such a long date," the bench said and permitted the petitioner to move the high court for an earlier hearing. The bench asked the high court to advance the date and hear the issue at least with regard to grant of temporary bail on the medical ground of operation of the petitioner's daughter. The ...

SC orders Yasin Malik to appear virtually before Jammu court from Tihar

The Supreme Court on Friday directed jailed JKLF chief Yasin Malik to appear in a Jammu court from Tihar Jail through video-conferencing on March 27. A bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan noted that the Jammu sessions court was "well-equipped" with the video-conferencing system enabling the virtual examination. The CBI sought the transfer of the trials in the 1989 case of the kidnapping of Rubaiya Sayeed, daughter of former union minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed, and the 1990 Srinagar shootout case, from Jammu to New Delhi. During the hearing, solicitor general Tushar Mehta, appearing for the CBI, informed the court that as per the report filed by the registrar general of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court, the video-conferencing system was working properly in the Jammu court. Mehta said it appeared all the accused were working in tandem to delay the trial while pointing out that Malik refused to engage a lawyer and others were opposing the transfer of trial. The top court

Trump admin defying order to pause freeze on foreign aid, says judge

The Trump administration has kept withholding foreign aid despite a court order and must at least temporarily restore the funding to programmes worldwide, a federal judge has said. Judge Amir H. Ali on Thursday declined a request by nonprofit groups doing business with the US Agency for International Development to find Trump administration officials in contempt of his order, however. The Washington, D.C., district court judge said administration officials had used his February 13 order to temporarily lift the freeze on foreign aid to instead "come up with a new, post-hoc rationalisation for the en masse suspension" of funding. Despite the judge's order to the contrary, USAID Deputy Secretary Pete Marocco, a Trump appointee, and other top officials had "continued their blanket suspension of funds", Ali said. The ruling comes in a lawsuit by the nonprofit groups challenging the Trump administration's month-old cutoff of foreign assistance through USAID and the State Department, whic

Yoon appears in 2 S Korean courts while defending his martial law decree

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol appeared in court on Thursday for a hearing where his lawyers contested his arrest on a criminal charge alleging he was orchestrating a rebellion when he briefly imposed martial law in December. Security was heightened as the motorcade transporting Yoon arrived at the Seoul Central District Court and dozens of his supporters rallied nearby. The preliminary hearing will involve discussions of witnesses and other preparations for his criminal trial, and the court was also to review the request by Yoon's lawyers to cancel his arrest and release him from custody. Such challenges are rarely successful. Yoon was indicted January 26 on the rebellion charge carrying a potential punishment of death or life in prison. In South Korea, presidents have immunity from most criminal prosecutions but not on charges of rebellion or treason. The indictment alleges his imposition of martial law was an illegal attempt to shut down the National Assembly and arrest ..

WB courts gave 6 death sentences in last 6 months for crimes against girls

While the last judicial execution in West Bengal for the rape and murder of a minor in Kolkata took place over two decades ago, courts across the state have awarded death penalties to six convicts in the last six months for perpetrating sexual assaults on girls. Another convict was also awarded capital punishment for murdering his family members, taking the total number of death penalties in the state in the last half-year to seven. In six of the seven cases, death by hanging sentences were given for the savage nature of rapes and murders perpetrated on girls, qualifying them under the 'rarest of the rare' category, where convicts were booked under the POCSO Act, besides sections of the IPC and, later, of the BNS. The list excludes the sentence for the RG Kar Hospital rape and murder convict Sanjoy Roy who was spared the capital punishment by a Kolkata court, after the gruesome death of the on-duty trainee medic on August 9 last year, and was sentenced to life imprisonment till ...

Beed court orders seizure of collector's car in farmers' compensation case

A court in Majalgaon in Beed on Monday ordered seizure of the district collector's car to recover compensation to be paid to three farmers for giving their land for an irrigation project. Land was acquired in 1998 in Wadwani tehsil from farmers Shivaji Toge, Santosh Toge and Babu Moge for an irrigation project, their lawyer Baburao Tidke said. "They had approached Majalgaon court claiming the compensation given to them was inadequate. The court had enhanced the compensation in an order of October 29, 2015. The amount was only partially disbursed, with the administration yet to pay a cumulative sum of Rs 29.50 lakh," Tidke said. "The court today ordered seizure of the collector's car to recover this amount. Warrant has been issued for the auction of the car once it is seized. The collector handed the car keys to us when we went there with the warrant," he said. When contacted, Beed Resident Deputy Collector Shivkumar Swami said, "I cannot talk on the issue as it is not with me.

Federal judge orders US govt to restore funds for foreign aid programmes

The order blocks the Trump administration from canceling foreign aid contracts and awards that were in place before Trump took office on January 20

Judge extends stay of Trump order to pull many USAID staffers off their job

A court order halting Trump administration plans to pull all but a fraction of USAID staffers off the job worldwide will stay in place for at least another week. US District Judge Carl Nichols ordered the extension after a nearly three-hour hearing Thursday, much of it focused on how employees were affected by abrupt orders by the Trump administration and ally Elon Musk to put thousands of USAID workers on leave and freeze foreign aid funding. The judge said he plans to issue a written ruling in the coming days on whether the pause will continue. Nichols, a Trump appointee, closely questioned the government about keeping employees on leave safe in high-risk overseas areas. When a Justice Department attorney could not provide detailed plans, the judge asked him to file court documents after the hearing. USAID staffers who until recently were posted in Congo had filed affidavits for the lawsuit describing the aid agency all but abandoning them when looting and political violence ...

US judge keeps block on Trump employees' buyout plan in place for now

The decision by US District Judge George O'Toole in Boston prevents Trump's administration from implementing the buyout plan for now, giving a temporary victory to labour unions

Rushdie was too stunned to react when a man started to stab him: Prosecutor

Salman Rushdie was so stunned when a masked man started to stab him on a stage in western New York that the author didn't even try to fight back, a prosecutor said Monday during opening statements in the suspect's attempted murder trial. Rushdie, 77, is expected to testify during the trial of Hadi Matar, bringing the two face-to-face for the first time since the attack that left Rushdie seriously wounded and blind in one eye. On the day of the attack in August 2022, the Booker Prize-winning novelist was seated in an armchair on stage at the Chautauqua Institution Amphitheater, about to present a lecture on keeping writers safe. District Attorney Jason Schmidt told jurors Monday that the attack was swift and sudden. He said Matar bounded up a staircase to the stage and ran about 30 feet (9 meters) toward Rushdie. As the stabbing began, Rushdie and fellow speaker Henry Reese were so stunned that they initially remained seated. Without hesitation this man holding his knife forcefully

Trial begins of man accused for attempting to kill Salman Rushdie

Lawyers are scheduled to deliver opening statements Monday at the trial of the man charged with trying to fatally stab author Salman Rushdie in front of a lecture audience in western New York. Rushdie, 77, is expected to testify during the trial of Hadi Matar, bringing the writer face-to-face with his knife-wielding attacker for the first time in more than two years. Rushdie, who wrote Midnight's Children and Victory City, had been about to speak about keeping writers safe from harm in August 2022 when Matar ran toward him on the stage at the Chautauqua Institution Amphitheater. Matar stabbed Rushdie more than a dozen times in the neck, stomach, chest, hand and right eye, leaving him partially blind and with permanent damage to one hand. The India-born British-American author detailed the attack and his long, painful recovery in a memoir, Knife: Meditations After and Attempted Murder, released last year. Matar, 27, of Fairview, New Jersey, is charged with attempted murder and assa

Judge halts Trump order of USAID workers' leave giving them 30 day deadline

A federal judge on Friday temporarily blocked the Trump administration from placing 2,200 employees of the U.S. Agency for International Development on paid leave. U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols, who was nominated by President Donald Trump, sided with two federal employee associations in agreeing to a pause in plans to put the employees on paid leave as of midnight Friday. The workers associations argue that Trump lacks the authority for his swift dismantling of a six-decade-old aid agency enshrined in congressional legislation. CLOSE IT DOWN, Trump said Friday on social media of USAID. Crews used duct tape to block out the agency's name on a sign outside its Washington headquarters Friday, and a flag was taken down. Someone placed a bouquet of flowers outside the door. A group of a half-dozen USAID officials speaking to reporters Friday strongly disputed assertions from Secretary of State Marco Rubio that the most essential life-saving programs abroad were getting waivers to ..

Sambhal home demolition: SC asks petitioner to approach jurisdictional HC

The Supreme Court on Friday asked a petitioner, who was seeking initiation of contempt proceedings against Sambhal authorities for allegedly violating its verdict on demolition of properties, to approach the jurisdictional high court. "File it before the high court," a bench of Justices B R Gavai and K Vinod Chandran told the counsel appearing for petitioner Mohammed Ghayoor. "We find that the issue can be best addressed by the jurisdictional high court," the bench said, while granting liberty to the petitioner to approach the high court. In his plea filed in the apex court through advocate Chand Qureshi, the petitioner alleged the authorities violated the top court's November 13, 2024 verdict which laid down pan-India guidelines and barred demolition of properties without a prior showcause notice and giving 15 days to the aggrieved party to respond. The plea claimed authorities in Uttar Pradesh's Sambhal bulldozed a part of the petitioner's property on January 10-11 without a prio

Calcutta civil court lifts gag order on publication of 'The Dirty Dozen'

The book, published by Pan Macmillan India, another defendant in the case, examines the rise and fall of India's 12 largest corporate defaulters

Bikaner House attachment case: Delhi Court orders release of Rs 92 lakh

Nagar Palika had deposited the amount with the court the last month. Earlier, the court had issued a warrant for attachment of Bikaner House in New Delhi

Kirloskar Brothers Ltd wins interim relief in trademark dispute with KPL

During the pendency of the suit, Kirloskar Proprietary sought to withdraw the communications and claimed to have reinstated the trademark licence/user rights granted to Kirloskar Brothers

Ruling on FIR that MF Husain's paintings 'hurt religious sentiments' today

A Delhi court is likely to decide today whether or not to direct an FIR after a plea alleged two paintings of late artist and Padma awardee M F Husain hurt religious sentiments. Judicial magistrate first class Sahil Monga had on January 20 ordered the seizure of the paintings displayed at an art gallery in the national capital and reserved the order on FIR after hearing arguments. The paintings feature Hindu deities Hanuman and Ganesh. During the hearing on Wednesday, complainant and advocate Amita Sachdeva, said the most revered entities of Sanatan Dharma -- Hanuman and Ganesh -- were insulted in Husain's paintings. "This is obscenity. Depicted most revered deities in obscene manner a deliberate and malicious insult. Husain may be the greatest artist in the world, but he has no right to insult my deities," he argued. He claimed there was an advertisement and thousands of people saw the painting of "deities being ridiculed". "Prima facie case is made out for exhibiting such offen

Murder charge upheld against only suspect in 1996 Tupac Shakur killing

The only suspect ever to be charged in the 1990s killing of rap icon Tupac Shakur in Las Vegas has lost a bid to have his murder case dismissed. Clark County District Court Judge Carli Kierny said in a decision issued Tuesday that Duane Keffe D Davis had provided no proof of any immunity deals and that the state of Nevada has never offered him a deal. Davis and his lawyer had argued that he never should have been charged with murder because of immunity agreements he says he reached years ago with federal and local authorities. Attorney Carl Arnold said the indictment against his 61-year-old client is an egregious violation of his constitutional rights because of a 27-year delay in prosecution. Arnold said after the hearing that they will decide in the coming days if they will appeal the judge's decision to the state Supreme Court. Prosecutors said Davis has provided no proof that he was granted immunity by authorities who interviewed him in 1998 and in the early 2000s while he was

RG Kar rape-murder: Sealdah Court finds accused Sanjay Roy guilty

RG Kar rape-murder: Nationwide protests had erupted after a trainee docto was found dead in the hospital's seminar room on August 9