Supreme Court

November 16, 2024 5:05 PM

SC asks Centre to look into ground situation on menstrual hygiene in schools

The Supreme Court has directed the Centre to examine the ground realities surrounding menstrual hygiene in schools before implementing its national policy on the matter. The directive came during a hearing where the petitioner raised concerns about the policy’s effectiveness and the accuracy of data it relied upon. A bench of Justices J.B. Pardiwala and Pankaj Mithal asked Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Aishwarya Bhati to address the issues highlighted by the petitioner and clarify the Ce...

November 14, 2024 10:32 AM

Supreme Court issues guidelines to halt ‘bulldozer justice’, underlines separation of powers between executive and judiciary

The Supreme Court on Wednesday issued stringent guidelines to prevent "bulldozer justice," ruling that the executive cannot assume the role of a judge by declaring an accused guilty and punishing them through property demolitions. The Court ruled that no demolition should proceed without providing the property owner with at least 15 days' prior notice. This notice must be delivered via registered post, clearly posted on the structure itself, and must specify the violations and legal grounds for...

November 5, 2024 4:20 PM

Supreme Court rules not all private properties can be acquired by Govt under Article 39(b)

In a landmark ruling, a nine-judge bench of the Supreme Court has determined that not all private properties can be taken over by the state under Article 39(b) of the Indian Constitution. The judgment clarified that privately owned properties do not inherently qualify as "material resources of the community" and, therefore, cannot be acquired solely to serve the "common good." Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, authoring the majority opinion, stated that including all private properties as ...

October 24, 2024 8:19 PM

SC declines plea on demolition drives, says ‘don’t want to open Pandora’s box’

The Supreme Court on Thursday declined to entertain a plea by the National Federation of Indian Women (NFIW) challenging recent demolition drives, stating that it did not want to open a "Pandora's box." The court emphasized that only those directly affected by the demolitions should approach it for relief. A bench comprising Justices B R Gavai, P K Mishra, and K V Viswanathan observed that the petitioner was neither directly nor indirectly impacted by the alleged demolitions and, therefore, cou...

October 21, 2024 7:02 PM

Pakistan empowers parliament to pick country’s top judge

Pakistan approved changes to the constitution on Monday, which included empowering parliament to pick the Supreme Court's chief justice, drawing criticism from opposition parties who said it was an attempt to subvert the judiciary. Pakistan's top court has become a battleground between the government and jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan, ruling on issues ranging from a controversial national election to a potential military court trial for Khan and his supporters. The constitutional cha...

October 18, 2024 4:52 PM

MHA urges states and UTs to implement BNSS for undertrial prisoner relief

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has issued an advisory to all states and Union Territories (UTs), urging them to implement Section 479 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (BNSS), which aims to provide significant relief to undertrial prisoners. The advisory said that prison authorities must utilize the new provisions to ensure bail for inmates who have served extended detention periods, especially first-time offenders. It highlights the need for close monitoring of eligible inmat...

October 17, 2024 3:56 PM

Assam Accord: SC upholds constitutional validity of Section 6A of Citizenship Act

The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld the constitutional validity of Section 6A of the Citizenship Act inserted by way of an amendment in 1985 in furtherance of the Assam Accord. A bench of Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, Justices Surya Kant, MM Sundresh, and Manoj Misra gave the majority verdict, while JB Pardiwala passed a dissent verdict. The Central government, in an affidavit, had told the Supreme Court that it would not be able to provide accurate data on the extent of illegal migr...

October 14, 2024 4:57 PM

Supreme Court rejects plea alleging side effects of COVID-19 vaccines

The Supreme Court of India on Monday dismissed a petition alleging that COVID-19 vaccines caused severe side effects, including blood clotting, calling the plea as an attempt to create unnecessary alarm. A bench led by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, along with Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, declined to entertain the petition, stating that it lacked merit. "We don’t want to rake this up. This is just to create a sensation," remarked the bench, questioning the usefulness of the petition....

October 4, 2024 11:37 PM

Supreme Court rejects petitions to review judgement allowing sub-classification of Scheduled Castes

The Supreme Court has rejected petitions seeking a review of its Constitution Bench judgment that granted states the authority to sub-classify Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (SCs/STs). The decision was handed down by a seven-judge bench, led by Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud, dismissing the review pleas. "The review petitions are dismissed. Having perused the review petitions, there is no error apparent on the face of the record. No case for review under Order XLVII Rule 1 o...

October 4, 2024 12:18 AM

No effort being made by CAQM to implement its own directions on air pollution: Supreme Court

The Supreme Court expressed dissatisfaction with the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) for failing to enforce its own directives aimed at curbing air pollution, particularly in light of the approaching stubble burning season. "From the affidavit of compliance we find that no effort is being made by CAQM for implementation of its directions, not a single prosecution has been initiated and the last meeting was only held on August 29," said the Supreme Court. The court has directed the...