Supreme Court

Congress files writ petition in SC against amendments to election rules

The Congress on Tuesday filed a writ petition in the Supreme Court challenging the recent amendments to the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961 and expressed hope that the apex court will help restore the "fast eroding" integrity of the electoral process. The government has tweaked an election rule to prevent public inspection of certain electronic documents such as CCTV camera and webcasting footage as well as video recordings of candidates to prevent their misuse. AICC general secretary Jairam Ramesh, who filed the petition, said, "The integrity of the electoral process is fast eroding. Hopefully the Supreme Court will help restore it." "A writ has just been filed in the Supreme Court challenging the recent amendments to the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961," he said in a post on X. Ramesh said the Election Commission, a Constitutional body charged with the conduct of free and fair elections cannot be allowed to unilaterally, and without public consultation, amend such a vital law in

Former SC judge V Ramasubramanian appointed new chairperson of NHRC

Former Supreme Court judge V Ramasubramanian has been appointed the new chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission, the rights panel said on Monday. The post of NHRC chairperson had been lying vacant since Justice (retd) Arun Kumar Mishra completed his tenure on June 1. Mishra served as the eighth chairperson of the rights panel and was appointed to its top post in June 2021. On December 18, a high-powered committee led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a meeting to select the next chairperson of the NHRC, sources earlier said. A former chief justice of India or a retired judge of the top court are appointed as NHRC chairperson by the president on the recommendation of the selection committee. Justice (retd) Ramasubramanian, a former judge of the apex court, has been appointed the chairperson of the NHRC, a senior official said, adding "the NHRC received the communication about the appointment today". Former CJIs H L Dattu and K G Balakrishnan are among those who have

Andhra govt sets panel for SCs sub-classification after top court's ruling

The Andhra Pradesh government on Monday appointed retired IAS officer Rajiv Ranjan Mishra as the one-man commission to look into the sub-categorisation within Scheduled Castes (SC) in the state following the Supreme Court ruling in favour of it. The Government of Andhra Pradesh has appointed Rajiv Ranjan Mishra, IAS (retired) as One Man Commission to enquire into the sub-classification within Scheduled Castes in the light of judgment of the Supreme Court dated August 1, 2024, said an official press release. The commission will visit the undivided districts of Eluru, Krishna and Guntur from December 27 to 30 to conduct meetings and receive representations from individuals or institutions familiar with the subject matter. Memoranda and representations can also be submitted in person or through registered post at the commission's office until January 9, 2025. In August, the top court had held that states are constitutionally empowered to make sub-classifications within the scheduled .

India must protect integrity of constitutional institutions, says SC Judge

India must protect the integrity of its constitutional institutions from outside interference, including those that are politically motivated, said Justice P S Narasimha, Judge, Supreme Court of India, on Sunday. Justice Narasimha was delivering the Justice E S Ventakaramiah Centennial Memorial Lecture, organised by the National Law School of India University (NLSIU) in Bengaluru. Justice Venkataramiah served as the 19th Chief Justice of India. He previously served as a judge of the Karnataka High Court, as well as the Advocate General of Mysore. According to the Supreme Court Observer, he was a part of benches that pronounced 720 judgments. Of these, he authored 256 judgments during his term at the Supreme Court. In his lecture, Justice Narasimha said integrity of the institutions can be maintained only by putting in place safeguards in the appointment, decision making and removal process of individuals who helm these institutions. He also added that the topic of the memorial ...

Will SC conduct further inquiry, asks Surjewala after Pegasus verdict in US

Congress general secretary Randeep Surjewala on Sunday claimed that the Pegasus spyware case verdict in the US proved how 300 WhatsApp numbers of Indians were targeted and asked if the Supreme Court would now conduct a further inquiry in view of the judgment. Surjewala shared a media report which said that, for the first time, a court in the US had held Israel's NSO Group liable for its intrusive spyware Pegasus. "The Pegasus spyware case verdict proves how 300 WhatsApp numbers of Indians were targeted in the illegal spyware racket," Surjewala said in a post on X. He said it was time for the Narendra Modi government to answer who the 300 names targeted were. "Who are the two Union ministers? Who are the three opposition leaders? Who is the constitutional authority? Who are the journalists? Who are the business persons? What information was retrieved by the BJP government and agencies? How was it used - misused and to what consequence?" the Congress leader asked. He also questioned

SC asks HC, Maharashtra govt to ensure accused appear before trial courts

The Supreme Court has asked the Bombay High Court and the Maharashtra government to evolve a mechanism to ensure that accused are produced before trial judges either physically or virtually on every date so that the trial is not prolonged. The apex court, while dealing with an appeal challenging the Bombay High Court order denying bail to an accused, said a "sorry state of affairs" was being depicted as the trial proceedings in the case was being prolonged due to non-production of appellant before the trial judge either physically or virtually. A bench of Justices B R Gavai and K V Viswanathan was informed that this was not a solitary case but in many cases, such a difficulty arises. "We, therefore, direct the registrar general of the high court of judicature at Bombay, secretary, Home, state of Maharashtra and secretary, Law and Justice, state of Maharashtra to sit together and evolve a mechanism to ensure that the accused are produced before the trial judge either physically or ..

Marriage is a relationship built on mutual trust, companionship: SC

"Marriage is a relationship built on mutual trust, companionship and shared experiences," the Supreme Court has said as it upheld a Madras High Court decision granting divorce to an estranged software engineer couple. A bench of justices Vikram Nath and PB Varale said the length of separation and the evident animosity between husband and wife make it clear that there is no possibility of the marriage being revived. "Marriage is a relationship built on mutual trust, companionship, and shared experiences. When these essential elements are missing for an extended period, the marital bond becomes a mere legal formality devoid of any substance," the bench said. It added that the court has consistently held that prolonged separation, coupled with inability to reconcile, is a relevant factor in deciding matrimonial disputes. "In the present case, the length of separation and the evident animosity between the parties make it clear that there is no possibility of the marriage being revived,

Ex-SC judge Madan Lokur named chairperson of UN Internal Justice Council

Former Supreme Court judge Madan B Lokur has been appointed as chairperson of the United Nations Internal Justice Council for a term ending on November 12, 2028. In a communication to Justice Lokur, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the retired top court judge would head the council which also comprises other distinguished jurists. "I have the pleasure to appoint you, with immediate effect, as a member of the Internal Justice Council, in the capacity of chairperson, for a term ending on 12 November 2028," the communication dated December 19 said. "The other members of the Council (in alphabetical order) are: Ms. Carmen Artigas (Uruguay), distinguished external jurist nominated by staff; Ms. Rosalie Balkin (Australia), distinguished external jurist nominated by management; Mr. Stefan Brezina (Austria), staff representative; and Mr. Jay Pozenel (United States of America), management representative," it added. Born in 1953, Justice Lokur was appointed a judge of the Supreme .

CAG report on DND flyway shocking, says SC, NTBCL gave gold coins to staff

The Supreme Court on Friday said the CAG report looking into the financial record of the DND project in 2016 revealed shocking details including distribution of corporate gifts like gold coins to its employees, sub-staff and drivers. A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan upheld the Allahabad High Court order of 2016 directing the private firm Noida Toll Bridge Company Ltd (NTBCL) to stop collecting toll from commuters plying the Delhi-Noida-Direct (DND) flyway connecting South Delhi and Noida. "The CAG report shockingly reveals that the directors of NTBCL, including Pradeep Puri (who it seems was a senior bureaucrat), apparently did not perform any responsibility, yet all their expenses, including high-end remuneration were added in the total project cost," it said. Referring to the report, the bench said legal fees amounting to Rs 11 crore, travelling expenses amounting to Rs 400 lakh, and the cost of restructuring deep discount bonds at Rs 33 crore, were also added to th

Supreme Court removes 30% interest cap on late credit card bill payments

RBI stated that while it has directed banks not to charge excessive rates of interest, it does not directly regulate the rates charged by banks

SC reverses NCLAT order, restores claims of 4 lenders of Reliance Infratel

During the insolvency process, the resolution professional had admitted the claims of these four entities as lenders

Anti-Sikh riots: SC directs Centre to file fresh status report on trials

The Supreme Court on Friday directed the Centre to file a fresh status report within two weeks on the status of trials in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. A bench comprising Justices Abhay S Oka and Augustine George Masih asked additional solicitor general Aishwarya Bhati to file an affidavit and permitted the petitioners in the case to file detailed objections. During the hearing, Bhati said recommendations of the special investigation team, set up by the top court, were carried out. A counsel appearing for one of the petitioners submitted there were some glaring instances in the SIT report and said 500 cases were clubbed in one FIR and the investigating officer could not probe them. "There were many instances where 498 cases were clubbed in one FIR and IO had to investigate all of them. Initially when the hearing began, the court felt that it should be confined to Delhi only. But we have done nothing about other states. We have given examples of Kanpur, Bokaro, etc., nothing has happene

Bengaluru techie's mother seeks top court's help to find missing grandson

The mother of Bengaluru techie Atul Subhash mentioned in her petition that Atul's ex-wife Nikita and her family, who are currently in custody, have failed to disclose the whereabouts of their grandson

EVM verification plea to be heard by another SC bench, says CJI Khanna

The Supreme Court on Friday said the plea seeking a policy for verification of electronic voting machines will be heard by a bench headed by Justice Dipankar Datta in January next year. A bench comprising Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar said the fresh plea of former Haryana minister and five-time MLA Karan Singh Dalal and one Lakhan Kumar Singla on the issue will be heard by a bench headed by Justice Datta in the week commencing January 20, 2025. A bench comprising Justice Khanna and Justice Datta had delivered a verdict earlier in April rejecting the demand for bringing back the old paper ballots. At outset, senior advocate Maninder Singh, appearing for the Election Commission, sought dismissal of the plea, saying that similar petitions for same reliefs were rejected earlier. The CJI said the bench headed by Justice Datta would hear this now. Earlier on December 13, a bench of Justices Vikram Nath and P B Varale had refused to hear the plea, sa

DND flyway toll ends: Supreme Court ruling brings relief to commuters

A Supreme Court bench stated that the Noida Authority 'overstepped its authority' by delegating the power to NTBCL to collect or levy fees on DND flyway, which resulted in an undue burden on commuters

Strict laws are for welfare of women, not for extorting their husbands: SC

The Supreme Court on Thursday said the strict provisions of law were for the welfare of women and not means to "chastise, threaten, domineer or extort" their husbands. Justices B V Nagarathna and Pankaj Mithal observed a Hindu marriage was considered to be a sacred institution, as a foundation for a family and not a "commercial venture". Notably, the bench observed the invocation of IPC sections including rape, criminal intimidation and subjecting a married woman to cruelty -- as a "combined package" in most of the complaints related to matrimonial disputes -- was condemned by the top court on several occasions. "The women need to be careful about the fact that these strict provisions of law in their hands are beneficial legislations for their welfare and not means to chastise, threaten, domineer or extort from their husbands," it said. The observations came when the bench dissolved the marriage between an estranged couple on the ground of its irretrievable breakdown. "The provisi

Disastrous situation: SC raps Delhi officials over untreated solid waste

Saying the daily generation of 3,000 tonne of untreated solid waste was a "disastrous situation" and a "shocking state of affairs" in Delhi, the Supreme Court on Thursday pulled up the Delhi chief secretary and sought government's explanation. A bench comprising Justices A S Oka and Augustine George Masih pulled up the Delhi chief secretary over the compliance of Solid Waste Management Rules 2016. "The manner in which the chief secretary has dealt with the issue is surprising. He does not care about orders of this court. Does not bother to file compliance affidavit. Who says we are on same page. If there is a gap of 3,000 metric tonnes untreated solid waste daily, is it not necessary for Delhi government and municipal corporation to come together and put brakes on certain part of development activities? The explanation must come from the Delhi government. Fact of the matter is there is no compliance of 2016 rules. Have you complied with the timelines?" asked the bench. The court ...

SC classifies small bottles of coconut oil as edible; to be taxed at 5% GST

The court, however, clarified that if coconut oil is packaged in small bottles and labelled as hair oil, it should be classified as hair oil under the Central Excise Tariff Act, 1985

Safari Retreats case on GST Council table, SC verdict may be reversed

The SC judgment on the expression "plant or machinery" appears to defeat the intention of the GST Council, the law committee observed

GST on betting: Indian gaming industry faces tax demands by Feb 2025

While some firms have already received tax demands, gaming industry bodies are lobbying to prevent aggressive enforcement actions until the Supreme Court resolves the matter