We have moved from an era of shortages and controls to an increasingly confident, technology-driven economy. We have seen governments come and go, coalitions rise and fall, and extraordinary advances in science, communications and economic development. But one question has remained constant: What does government mean to the ordinary citizen? For the citizen, governance is…
The Delhi High Court has disposed of two long-pending petitions concerning the levy of entertainment duty on multi-service operators (MSOs), while extending for three months the interim protection earlier granted by the Bombay High Court to enable the petitioners to pursue appropriate legal remedies. A Division Bench of Justice Prathiba M Singh and Justice Vikas…
The Supreme Court on Thursday took strong exception to allegations that vigilantes were intimidating and harassing a 14-year-old girl who had participated in the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protests at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar. A Bench comprising Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice V Mohana observed that allegations of…
Bharatiya Janata Party leader and senior advocate Gaurav Bhatia has initiated contempt proceedings against Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) co-convenor Saurav Das over social media remarks concerning the Acting Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, Justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra. The proposed contempt action centres on allegations that Das made statements casting aspersions on…
The Delhi High Court has directed authorities across the country to make biometric-based Aadhaar authentication mandatory before granting any registration under the Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime, in a bid to curb fraudulent registrations obtained using stolen or frozen PAN and Aadhaar details. A Division Bench of Justice Anil Kshetarpal and Justice Shail Jain…
The Supreme Court has sought a response from the Centre and other authorities on a plea seeking stronger safeguards to protect children from Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse Material (CSEAM) circulating through social media and other digital platforms. A three-judge Bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana…
The Madras High Court recently directed the Tiruppur Police to grant permission to the Hindu Munnani to install a Vinayagar (Ganesha) idol at Yasin Babu Nagar in Tiruppur as part of its Vinayaka Chaturthi celebrations. The Matter came up before Justice V. Lakshminarayanan who passed the direction while disposing of a petition filed by an…
The maker of the proposed film “Kala Hiran: The Battle for Legacy”, reportedly inspired by actor Salman Khan’s 1998 blackbuck poaching case, told the Delhi High Court on Thursday (September 10) that the movie is presently not in a releasable state as its contents are yet to be certified by the Censor Board. The statement…
The Allahabad High Court recently stayed an FIR registered against journalist Amit Yadav by the Uttar Pradesh Police in connection with a news report highlighting the alleged poor condition of a government school in Lucknow. A Division Bench comprising Justice Abdul Moin and Justice Pramod Kumar Srivastava observed prima facie that the FIR appeared to…
The Supreme Court has sought the response of the Uttar Pradesh Government on a Public Interest Litigation questioning the constitutional validity of statutory provisions that provide salaries, allowances, allied facilities and pensionary benefits to serving and former Members of the Legislative Assembly and Legislative Council. A Bench of the Supreme Court issued notice on a…