PUBLICITY INTEREST LITIGATIONS

Though PlLs are meant to help the poor, they are being increasingly misused by vested parties. This has overburdened the judiciary and led to delays in disposal of bonafide cases

DAIRY DIARIES

Amid ruckus, the Haryana assembly tabled amendments to bills related to the sale and transport of cattle in urban areas. The Opposition has said the government should build dairy complexes to keep these animals

Kerala government urges Supreme Court for independent safety review of the Mullaperiyar Dam

Kerala informed the Supreme Court that a fresh review of the safety of the 126-year-old Mullaperiyar Dam (above) should be conducted by an independent panel of experts, comprising qualified engineers and experts in their respective fields.

BREATHER FOR TAMIL NADU

The Court has refused to stay a decision of the state to allocate 50% super-specialty seats in government medical colleges to NEET-qualified in-service candidates. This has aggrieved candidates who appeared in NEET-Super Specialty-2021

CASTING OUT THE COUCH

On a petition filed by Women in Cinema Collective, the Kerala High Court has directed film production companies to constitute an Internal Complaints Committee under the POSH Act to avoid sexual abuse under the casting couch system

INFRASTRUCTURE ISSUES

The CJI has often spoken about the need for a National Judicial Infrastructure Corporation. Now a plea has been filed for setting up a Judicial Vista so that dispensation of justice is not hampered

MOPPING UP MORE MONEY

In a move to monetise non-core assets of the government and boost the economy, the cabinet has okayed the formation of the National Land Monetisation Corporation

LIFTING THE VEIL

Wearing the hijab has a historical perspective. This should be taken into consideration when deciding if girl students can wear them in classrooms. Constitutional principles and secular values should be upheld

“CONTINUOUS TRAINING IS IMPORTANT”

Chief Justice of India NV Ramana recently lamented that available resources were not being put to maximum use to upgrade judicial infrastructure in the country. The apparent resource squeeze and underutilisation of funds has the potential to impact the successful implementation of the ongoing e-court project of the Supreme Court. The project is currently in Phase 2. SANJAY RAMAN SINHA spoke to JUSTICE MADAN B LOKUR, former judge of the Supreme Court and former judge-in-charge of the Supreme Court e-committee, to find the reasons for this lacunae. Excerpts from the interview:

INSPIRED BY TILAK

The immortal words of the great revolutionary still resonate within the judiciary as it strives to be uphold righteousness. This is the foundation of “Dharam Rajya”

COURT GIVES SUCCOUR

In a relief to many judicial aspirants, the apex court has relaxed the upper age limits for the Delhi Judicial Service Examination 2022 and the Delhi Higher Judicial Service Examination 2022

A QUESTION OF FAITH

A Karnataka High Court order stating that the hijab is not an essential part of Islam and that freedom of religion is subject to reasonable restrictions has become controversial and already reached the Supreme Court

BACKBREAKING BACKLOG

With 45 million cases in various courts and heavy caseload, time-bound justice is a chimera. The bulk of cases have to be resolved through traditional legal procedure and a robust judicial workforce

A PILL FOR NEET ASPIRANTS

In a relief to many, the upper age limit for NEET-UG has been removed. This will allow more aspirants to take the exam and address the shortage of doctors in the country

Tardiness Will Be Costly

Reports that the Personal Data Protection Bill might be stalled have come as a shocker. India needs to move fast because by the time the new law comes in, technology would have advanced greatly

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

The Delhi High Court, while responding to a petition, has said that it is fundamental that a full and complete disclosure of a food article being vegetarian or non-vegetarian is made a part of consumer awareness

THE FETTER FARCE

The Supreme Court has developed a strong definitive jurisprudence over time, limiting the use of handcuffing as a practice. The latest incident related to former JNU student Umar Khalid reveals how it is being ignored by police forces

SPILL THE BEANS

In a velvet glove approach, Bihar has now allowed drinkers a chance to escape jail term. The relaxation was introduced to bring down the number of people crowding jails on this count

THE GREAT BARRIER RELIEF

The Delhi High Court has asked the Delhi police about the protocol for putting up barricades, many of which are unmanned and cause harassment to commuters. Guidelines in this regard are not followed

TIMELY JUDICIAL INTERVENTION

CJI Ramana asked the A-G to use his good offices to talk to the centre about evacuation of students from Ukraine. The Court is the guardian of fundamental rights and has a good record in protecting them

CAMERA HEARINGS

A petition has been filed in the Delhi High Court seeking the removal of CCTV cameras installed in public-aided schools in Delhi and deletion of the video live streamed which is available to the public. The plea is based on Article 21 of the Constitution which guarantees individual privacy as a fundamental right

CRIME & PUNISHMENT

While an investigation has been launched into the situation in Ukraine, the International Criminal Court must receive full support to give the world a robust and effective international criminal justice system

CLOSING IN ON TRUMP

The recent evidence gathered by investigators revealing that former president Donald Trump insidiously supported the “big lie” campaign could be consequential for him and will ratchet up pressure on the US justice department to act against him

BOOZE BONANZA

In February, retail liquor vendors in Delhi offered hefty discounts to exhaust their stocks by the end of March, when licenses will be renewed. This led to liquor stores in several areas witnessing long queues of drinkers. The matter has now reached the Delhi High Court

WAR OF THE WORLD

After weeks of posturing about will we or won't we, Russia launched a massive coordinated attack on February 24, reminiscent of what the German military did to Poland in 1939. That started World War II, but what will this lead to?

India and the Ukraine crisis

New Delhi is caught in a cleft stick over the Russian invasion of Ukraine. It has close military ties with Moscow which it would be unwilling to jeopardize, and there are other reasons for India to walk a fine line.

Pressure On The Press

The Press Information Bureau's new guidelines on accreditation has stirred a hornet's nest. Media organisations have been quick to brand them as another measure to restrict press freedom

The First Virtual 'Gang Rape'

A case of a woman claiming she was “gang raped" after entering Facebook’s Metaverse has shown the need for laws in 3D virtual worlds. Digital dignity too should be structured around human dignity

THE YOGI & HIS MOVES

Chitra Ramkrishna, former CEO of the Exchange, is in trouble over her alleged links with a yogi. But what is worrying and sinister is how much insider information she has divulged and to whom

VOCAL FOR LOCALS

For political reasons, certain states have passed laws for reservation of jobs for locals in the private sector. The Supreme Court's directions in the matter offer food for legal thought