By Pawan Kumar The International Criminal Court (ICC), an independent international criminal tribunal, came into existence in July 2002 at The Hague in the Netherlands through its founding treaty, the Rome Statute of 1998. Distinct from the International Court of Justice—an official organ of the United Nations that adjudicates disputes between States—the ICC has jurisdiction…
The Karnataka High Court has berated the state government over its alleged failure to curb the large-scale illegal sand mining across various rivers in the state, as well as the reported involvement of influential individuals cutting across political lines. The Division Bench of Justice DK Singh and Justice Tara Vitasta Ganju initiated a public interest…
The Supreme Court on Monday directed the Union government to constitute a tribunal within one month to resolve the long-standing inter-state Pennaiyar river water dispute between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, in accordance with statutory provisions of the Inter-State River Water Disputes Act, 1956. The Bench of Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Sandeep Nath held that…
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has approached the Supreme Court against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls currently underway in the state, undertaken by the Election Commission of India (ECI). The petition, filed on January 28, questioned the Election Commission of India (ECI)’s conduct of the revision exercise, alleging non-compliance with the…
By Bishwajit Bhattacharyya The Union Budget 2026-2027 (Union Government’s estimated receipts and expenditure from 1.4.2026 to 31.3.2027) has been presented in Parliament today by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. Estimated receipts of Rs 36.51 trillion fall short of estimated expenditure of Rs 53.47 trillion, by Rs 16.96 trillion, which reflects a fiscal deficit of 4.3…
By Sujit Bhar At first glance, the recent decision of the Gauhati High Court delivered by Justice Pranjal Das appears to be a straightforward application of settled legal principles. A woman claiming maintenance under Section 125 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (now Section 144 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023) failed to establish…
By Inderjit Badhwar Trade agreements rarely capture the public imagination. They are dense, technical documents—tariff schedules, rules of origin, regulatory annexes. Yet, every so often, a trade deal transcends its legal language and becomes a marker of geopolitical change. The India-European Union Free Trade Agreement signed in January 2026 is one such moment. This agreement…
The classic case that proves how much judicial time is wasted on one or the other partner seeking matrimonial revenge concluded recently in the Supreme Court which granted the warring couple a divorce, but fined each of them Rs 10,000 for clogging up the system. Here’s the legal shocker: The actual marriage lasted just 65…
The Bombay High Court has held that ex-gratia compensation under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Package (PMGKP) could not be denied merely because the hospital where a frontline health worker was deployed had not been formally requisitioned or notified as a dedicated Covid-19 treatment centre. The Division Bench of Justice RG Avachat and Justice Ajit…
The Supreme Court has imposed exemplary costs of Rs 5 lakh on the Union Government for prolonged and wilful non-compliance with judicial directions in relation to the appointment of a former Indian Revenue Service officer as Member (Accountant) of the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal (ITAT), holding that the case reflected institutional delay bordering on mala…