Bar, Bench & Litigation

Consumer forum fines Apollo hospitals Rs 1 cr for medical negligence

The national consumer forum has ordered Apollo Hospital to pay a compensation of Rs.1 crore to a couple for wrongful delivery of their child that caused permanent brain damage. Holding the hospital and its gynaecologist for “medical negligence”, the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (N...

Rohatgi to SC: ELEVEN-judge bench must hear NJAC challenge

The challenge to the constitutional validity of the act setting up the National Judicial Appointment Commission and the supporting constitutional amendment must be heard by a larger bench of nine or 11 judges, Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi told the Supreme Court today. Addressing the constitution b...

Strike-ation extended: Delhi lawyers' pecuniary protest to continue till May 2

The Delhi lawyers’ strike, which began last Wednesday to protest against the delay in passing the amended bill on enhancing the pecuniary jurisdiction of district courts, was today extended till May 2. The lawyers, who were scheduled to hold a rally outside parliament on April 28 after the last exte...

RamJet takes out half-page native ad in Express to make case for his anti-black money litigation

Ram Jet ad
Ram Jet ad
Ram Jethmalani has run a half-page advertisement article in the Indian Express today, arguing in detail why he is fighting for black money stashed in foreign bank accounts to be repatriated, laying into both his own party the BJP and the former Congress government.

Delhi judicial services (DJS) exam results late yet again, timeline uncertain

The Delhi lower judicial service (DJS) exam is once again on a schedule delayed by several months after the release date for of final result in its June 2014 round remains uncertain.

Delhi HC orders Kingfisher to pay pilot 21 months (Rs 52 lakh) in back-pay

The Delhi high court has directed the now defunct Kingfisher Airlines to pay over Rs.52 lakh to a female ex-pilot, on her plea seeking outstanding salary for a period of 21 months. Justice Jayant Nath ordered the grounded carrier to pay Rs.52,61,450 with nine percent interest to the pilot. Taking no...

Opposition demands resignation as AAP law min Jitender Tomar's law degree not genuine, college tells HC

A Bihar-based university from where Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Delhi law minister Jitender Singh Tomar claimed to be enrolled as an advocate and obtained his LLB degree yesterday told the Delhi high court that the provisional certificate is not “genuine” and the document “does not exist in the university...

CJI Dattu tells Gov't he'll boycott NJAC until case heard

Chief Justice of India HL Dattu has told Prime Minister Narendra Modi that he would not take part in the NJAC while the court’s constitution bench was hearing the challenge to the validity of the NJAC Act and the supporting constitutional amendment act, the apex court was told today. Informing the c...

Karnataka high court stays BCI's new 'practising certificate' requirement

The New Indian Express reported that the Karnataka high court yesterday stayed for the petitioner the Bar Council of India (BCI) rule introduced in January that makes a “Certificate of Practice”, to be renewed ever several years, compulsory for all advocates: Hearing a petition filed by advocate A P...

Journo jailed in leak case to argue for his own bail as lawyers still strike

A Delhi court today allowed former journalist Santanu Saikia to argue for his bail application himself in the documents leak case as none of the advocates are appearing due to the recently extended lawyers’ strike. Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Sanjay Khanagwal allowed Saikia to argue his bail appli...

Delhi HC wants action plan to tackle polluted air in city & courts

The Delhi high court on Friday asked the central government to produce an action plan to deal with polluted air in the national capital. A division bench of Justice BD Ahmed and Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva also asked the Delhi government, the Public Works Department, the Delhi Development Authority and...

The other 14 private members' bills passed since Independence

The Rights of Transgender Persons Bill, 2014, passed by the Rajya Sabha on Friday is the first private member’s bill to get the ujpper house’s approval in the past 45 years. Members of parliament other than ministers are called private members and bills presented by them are known as private member’...

Case of the week: PIL to rename India as Bharat, SC issues notice

The Supreme Court on Friday issued notice to the Centre and the state governments, including union territories, on a PIL seeking that country should be named as ‘Bharat’. The PIL petition has sought direction to the Centre and the state governments including union territories to use to Bharat for al...

Much-extended lawyers strike delays ministry leak bail again to next week

A Delhi court today fixed April 27 for hearing the bail application of five corporate executives who are accused in the petroleum ministry’s documents leak case, after a previous postponement to today that was also caused by the district courts’ lawyers strike for pecuniary jurisdiction. Due to the ...

How section 66A lives on in India (with greetings from Turkey & Russia with love)

Jadavpur University professor Ambikesh Mahapatra is still anxious a month after the Supreme Court struck down as unconstitutional a controversial law that led to his arrest for e-mailing a cartoon mocking West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

Lower court Delhi strike extended till TUESDAY (!) as 100+ lawyers 'detained'

The two-day strike by Delhi lawyers, which began on Wednesday to protest against the delay in passing the amended bill regarding enhancement of the pecuniary jurisdiction of district courts, was on Thursday extended till April 28 even as over a 100 lawyers were detained during a protest march. The l...

New SC seniors: @sanjayuvacha Hegde, Rana Muhkerjee, Subramonium Prasad, Mahalakshmi Pavani, V Mohana

Five lawyers, including two women, were designated as senior advocates by the Supreme Court today - Rana Muhkerjee, Subramonium Prasad, Mahalakshmi Pavani, V Mohana and Sanjay Hegde - reported Bar & Bench . Hegde is one of the most active Indian advocates on the social network Twitter, where he...

In parliament today: Much talk, little action on distressed farmers & urea power

PRS Legislative Research’s Trina Roy reports: Rajya Sabha reconvened today for its first sitting after it was prorogued on March 28, 2015. The members in the Upper House decided to unanimously suspend the scheduled business of the day and take up a discussion on farmers’ distress and agrarian crisis...

Rohatgi: NJAC will only start with additional judges after two 'eminent persons' picked soon

The central government today informed the Supreme Court that during the pendency of the appeal against the National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC) and the constitutional amendment backing it, the commission would only deal with cases of additional judges whose terms would be coming to an en...

SC seeks government response on army unit's promotion policy

The Supreme Court yesterday asked the government to spell out whether it has cleared the army’s promotion policy to have a combat unit commanded by a colonel at the age of 37 years who will exit after commanding the unit for two and a half years. The bench of Justice TS Thakur and Justice R Banumath...