Bar, Bench & Litigation

Bombay HC grants bail to 3 Hindu men who allegedly killed Muslim, because 'innocent victim's' religion 'provoked' them

Bombay HC order makes religious 'provocation' a favourable (via @alokpi) Alok ಪ್ರಸನ್ನ कुमार ( @alokpi ) tweeted: “Killing in the name of religion means that should get bail (provided you’re Hindu) (and you kill a Muslim)-Bombay HC” Bombay High Court grants bail to 3 murder accused, says they were ‘p...

Law Commission issues strange press statement that it does not outsource its work, especially NOT to law firms (or P&A)

Mohit Singh ( @mohitsingh8) tweeted: “Law Commission of India denies media reports of hiring a law firm, terms reports as incorrect and baseless.…” Law Commission denies hiring of Law Firms The Law Commission of India has noted that certain newspapers and e-magazines are carrying news items which su...

Why courts banning entry to interns imperils the future of the legal profession

The Quint ( @TheQuint ) tweeted: “Blog | ‘Interns not allowed’: How the apex court is stifling its legacy” ‘Interns Not Allowed’: How the Apex Court is Stifling its Legacy By Swapnil Tripathi Signs like ‘interns are not allowed’ are placed in bold font at the high court canteens. The apex court clea...

The Tatas v Cyrus dispute: A handy timeline from 7 December to now...

Anil Padmanabhan ( @capitalcalculus ) tweeted: “For those who came in late… #TataMistry spat: The journey from boardroom to courtroom” Tata-Mistry spat: The journey from boardroom to courtroom Marked by war of words, allegations and counter allegations, the two-and-half month-long bitter feud betwee...

Mooting Premier League is back: MPL 7 sees Nalsar, UILS, NLS, NLIU lead after strong 2016 start

Good news everyone: the Mooting Premier League (MPL) is indeed and truly back, reincarnated now in its seventh edition after taking a break for a little more than a year, and we’re kicking off with a round-up of what has happened in the 2016-17 season so far.

Justice AP Shah keeping busy since retiring from Law Com: Calls for CBI to probe Sahara, Birla IT documents

The Wire ( @thewire_in ) tweeted: “Justice A.P. Shah demands income tax governing body review Sahara case” Justice A.P. Shah Demands Income Tax Governing Body Review Sahara Case By Ajoy Ashirwad Mahaprashasta Even as the Union government has maintained a conspicuous silence about the alleged involve...

Was AG Mukul Rohatgi allowed to advise a PSU directly without law ministry request? Big deal or a big deal?

Raghav Ohri ( @raghavohri0 ) tweeted: “ET Investigation: Attorney General flouts service Rule, says it’s “directory”. NO, it’s mandatory, holds ex-SC Judge” Did the top law officer of India violate a service rule? The rule requires all government law officers to advise ministries or public entities ...

HC Justice CS Karnan to make history, will appear in SC to argue against his own transfer

Utkarsh Anand ( @utkarsh_aanand ) tweeted: “For the first time, a sitting high court judge will argue on his own in SC against collegium’s transfer move.” HC judge will appear in SC to argue against collegium’s transfer move | The Indian Express By Utkarsh Anand IN A FIRST, a sitting High Court judg...

Does India's new disability law, which has taken years to come, achieve what it should? No.

IDIA ( @IDIALaw ) tweeted: ”.@Rahul400 points out many loopholes in the new #disability law recently approved by Parliament via @HuffPostIndia” India’s New Disability Law Is A Half-Hearted Litany Of Platitudes By Rahul Bajaj In 1990, when President George H. W. Bush signed into law the Americans wit...

TechLegis, Khaitan, Dentons Rodyk on Beijing Digital buy in Spice Online

“In an instance of an offline retailer buying an e-commerce property, Chinese handset retailer Beijing Digital Telecom has acquired 49% stake in Spice Online, the online retail arm of Spice Group, according to BSE filings.

In 2016, several HC judges in rape cases remained rather fond of quoting retrograde passages from precedents...

The Ladies Finger ( @TheLadiesFinger ) tweeted: Are you a legal figure or a loquacious speaker delivering a lecture on the morality of Indian women?… We Went Through 45 High Court Judgments of Rape Cases in 2016, So You Don’t Have To. Really, You Don’t Want To Judges, why do you call raped women hel...

BCI finally issues 9th AIBE practice certificates • Strangely 3,500 remain withheld

The Bar Council of India (BCI) has announced that certificates of practice (COPs) for All India Bar Exam (AIBE) candidates from 23 states are now apparently available, nine months after holding the exam in March 2016, and seven months after results had been published in May 2016.

Demonetisation of CLAT 2017: Only online payers may apply • Deadline: 31 March

The Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) 2017 convenor CNLU Patna will only accept online payment for registration for the tenth edition of CLAT, to be held on 14 May.

Last week in courts by @alokpi: Wages • Civil War • Enemy Ordinance • Myspace • more...

Splendiferous Greetings! I hope you all had a Merry Christmas/Happy Hanukkah/Kwanzaa/Festivus, and here’s an advance Happy New Year to you all. This is what’s been up in the week before Christmas.

New SCBA prez Suri: ‘Top seniors’ behind win • Losing side claims BJP politics ignored his Modi biography

The Supreme Court Bar Association’s (SCBA) new president, senior advocate Rupinder Singh Suri said that he won the 14 December SCBA election due to the support of “the top seniors and common lawyers”.

Last week in courts by @alokpi: Liquorshop ban • Disabilities bill passed • Cauvery forever • GST wait • more...

The Supreme Court of India just finished its work for this year and had an action-packed, if shortened week, the High Courts have been at it, and the organs of Government are all functioning, grinding out laws, rules, guidelines, notifications and much more to govern/rule/harass/intimidate/thieve the populace (delete as per political persuasion). Parliament has… well… you saw how that went.

SIAC gets new chairman: Drew & Napier CEO Davinder Singh to succeed new AG-to-be Lucien Wong

The Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC) has appointed Drew & Napier CEO and Singapore senior counsel Davinder Singh as its new board of directors chairman to replace Allen & Gledhill chairman Lucien Wong , who is stepping down from SIAC today due to his appointment as Singapore’s attorney general.

The weekly courts round-up by @alokpi (4th - 10th December 2016)

This is an effort to try and sift through the tonnes of “content” about the law, courts and legal developments every week and bring you the most interesting and important. This newsletter will be a mix of links to original content, opinion and commentary, and the occasional gif. This is not just for lawyers, but for anyone who wants to keep up to date with what’s happening in the world of the law and legal institutions.

Most gov’t SC appeals are over tax, yet most are simply dismissed without hearing

Taxation is the most litigated subject matter by the government which files a large proportion of its tax cases without application of mind, indicates research by the Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy.

The mysteries that remain in Tata’s John Doe invocation to unmask 35 anon emails & 3 IPs

Delhi high court Justice Rajiv Endlaw has ordered three internet service providers (ISPs) to find out the identities behind 35 email accounts and three IP addresses that had allegedly been used a year ago to send allegedly defamatory emails about a Tata Motors Insurance Broking & Advisory Services chief executive Tarun Samant, as reported Mint and others.