Advocate Lawrence Liang, part of the Bangalore-based Alternative Law Forum, has issued a legal notice to Penguin India, claiming that the publisher has violated freedom of speech laws and readers’ rights by agreeing to destroy all copies of Wendy Doniger’s book The Hindus.

The Supreme Court has adjourned its hearing in the public interest litigation (PIL) against Swatanter Kumar until 26 March, as two more interveners attempted to join the PIL.

Penguin India has released a statement, blaming section 295A of the Indian Penal Code, which bans “outraging the religious feelings of any class of citizens” with “malicious intent”.

Legally India has obtained a copy of the public interest litigation filed by anonymous lawyer X, a former intern of ex-Supreme Court judge Swatanter Kumar, whose case will again get heard by the Supreme Court tomorrow (14 February).

The Supreme Court has opened up its panel of lawyers eligible to be selected as amicus curiae (Latin for “friend of the court”), to assist the judges from time to time in matters.

The Bombay high court, hot on the heels of the Delhi high court that designated three new senior advocates, has named 11 advocates to become seniors, though none of them were women.

Madras high court chief justice RK Agrawal was elevated to the Supreme Court yesterday, reported the PTI . His judicial career began in February 1999 at the Allahabad high court 14 years after which he was appointed acting chief justice of the Madras high court. He became chief justice of Madras HC ...

The media, in India and abroad, has predictably had a field day over the settlement Penguin India entered into to recall and destroy all India-based copies of Wendy Doniger’s book, The Hindus: An Alternative History , against which a religious organisation filed criminal and civil cases. The Mint ca...

The Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) asked solicitor general Mohan Parasaran if National Green Tribunal (NGT) chairperson Swatanter Kumar can face removal proceedings based on treating the SC sexual harassment petition against him as “written complaint”, reported the Indian Express . An ex...

In settlement of a civil and two criminal suits brought by a religious group against Penguin Books India, the publisher has agreed to withdraw and destroy all copies of a history book on Hinduism.

Delhi high court chief justice NV Ramana was elevated to the Supreme Court on Saturday and will assume office from Thursday, reported the New Indian Express . Ramana served as chief at the Andhra Pradesh high court from 10 March to 20 May last year, and was elevated as Delhi HC’s chief on 20 Septemb...

The Patna high court’s full court has recommended the dismissal of three district judges to the Bihar government for, allegedly, being “found with some women during a police raid” at a Nepal hotel on Republic Day, reported the Express . Nawada court sub-judge Komal Ram, Ara sessions judge Jitendra N...

Supreme Court justices CK Prasad and Kurien Joseph dismissed, with costs of Rs 5 lakh, the review petition of ex-MLA Kishore Samrite in which Samrite had alleged impropriety against Prasad, reported the Times of India . Samrite had asserted that Prasad should have recused from the case in which Samr...

Amit Sibal, Cambridge University graduate, Dayan Krishnan, public prosecutor and 1993 NLSIU Bangalore graduate, and Anup Bhambhani, have been designated senior counsel in the Delhi high court.

Hunger strike for permanent Western Orissa HC bench : Orissa high court lawyers launched an indefinite hunger strike today on the third day of their court boycott, to protest against the lack of a permanent bench of the HC in western Orissa. The lawyers have also asked all banks and financial establ...

An SC bench came down heavily on an advocate-on-record who did not turn up for a hearing and instead sent a nameless lawyer holding himself out as “proxy counsel”.

After the Supreme Court’s second-most senior judge and next Chief Justice of India (CJI) RM Lodha said he would be the last person to accept appointment to the Lokpal selection panel, Chief justice of India (CJI) P Sathasivam reportedly nominated the SC’s third-most senior judge HL Dattu to the pane...

The Supreme Court Gender Sensitisation and Internal Complaints Committee (GSICC) has received two complaints of sexual harassment since it was set up on 26 November 2013, reported the PTI , citing the GSICC Annual Report (PDF): In the First Meeting of the GSICC held on 9/12/2013, an Internal Sub-Com...

Six Delhi Judicial Service (DJS) examinees from 2011 have lost the case for their instatement in the city’s lower judiciary, due to a lack of courtrooms and infrastructure, reported the PTI . The petitioners, who had secured a little over the cut-off ranks for appointment to the DJS, had argued that...

A bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) P Sathasivam ordered the Birbhum district judge to submit a detailed report about action taken by police in the West Bengal village ‘kangaroo court’-ordered gang rape case. The Supreme Court has appointed additional solicitor general Sidharth Luthra to ...