Author: NitiRiti Bureau

New Delhi, May 18. In a sudden move, Kiren Rijiju was replaced on Thursday as Law Minister by Arjun Ram Meghwal, a leading Scheduled Caste leader from Rajasthan. Meghwal currently holds the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs and Culture. He will hold independent charge as Minister of State for Law in addition to his existing portfolio. His appointment assumes significance in view of the impending Assembly polls in the state in Dec, 2023. Meghwal is from the Bikaner constituency. A man of many descriptions, Meghwal has risen from the bottom to become a state IAS officer, and after retirement dabbled in…

New Delhi, May 18. The Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that the legislature has already held that Jallikattu was part of Tamil Nadu’s cultural heritage and courts cannot set this aside. A top court Constitution bench said that the state law minimises cruelty to animals while promoting the bovine sport in which a bull is allowed to run amok and the sportsmen try to catch it by the hump. “It is not a piece of colourable legislation,” a bench led by Justice K.M. Joseph said. At the same time, the bench also upheld laws allowing similar sports involving animals such…

New Delhi, May 17. The Supreme Court on Wednesday granted anticipatory bail to Indian Youth Congress leader B.V. Srinivas on the condition that he cooperate in the Assam police probe into the harassment case lodged against him by expelled Assam Youth Congress leader Dr Angkita Dutta. The Gauhati High Court had earlier refused to quash the case against him or grant him anticipatory bail. Srinivas had challenged this decision in the top court. Today when the case came up for a hearing, a bench comprising Justices B.R. Gavai and Sanjay Karol, granted him anticipatory bail. The bench went through the…

New Delhi, May 11. The Supreme Court on Thursday faulted the Maharashtra Governor for asking former Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray to face a floor test when there was no objective material before him to presume that he had lost the confidence of the house but refused to reinstate him. “He resigned voluntarily and did not face the floor test. The Governor was correct in calling the BJP to form a government,” a five-judge bench led by Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud, said. The bench said that they cannot quash a resignation. The Thackeray camp had sought court intervention to…

New Delhi, May 11. The Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that the Delhi government would have control over all services and officers except those dealing with public order, police and land, ending another bitter standoff between the centre and the Kejriwal government on the issue. The government of the national capital territory of Delhi (NCTD) should have control over services except the ones excluded from its legislative domain, a five-judge led by CJI D.Y. Chandrachud, said unanimously. However, it would not extend to the services which comes under land, law and order and police. The LG shall be bound by…

New Delhi, May 9. The Supreme Court on Tuesday hinted at making a directive principle-type declaration granting marriage equality to all, days after it gave up the idea of moulding the Special Marriage Act to allow LGBT couples marry, adopt and have families. This would force the government to bring in a law to deal with the issue. The top court said as much at close of proceedings today on multiple pleas seeking marriage equality for the LGBT community. Further arguments will continue tomorrow. The Indian government has so far promised the LGBT community everything short of according legal recognition…

New Delhi, May 9. The Supreme Court on Tuesday frowned on political statements being made on the Muslim reservation issue in the Karnataka election campaign trail when it was still sub-judice before the top court and stayed the state’s hand on taking any further action for now on this. The bench was alluding to remarks made by Home Minister Amit Shah when its attention was drawn to the speeches. The bench had earlier restrained the incumbent BJP government in the state from scrapping the 4 per cent quota for the religious minority and dividing it up between the politically influential…

New Delhi, May 9. The Supreme Court on Tuesday deferred till July hearing a plea filed by Bilkis Bano against the en masse release of all those convicted for gang-raping her and murdering many of her kin during the 2002 Gujarat riots. The top court has had to adjourn the case for the last few hearings over the non-service of court notices on two of the accused. The accused claimed in court that they were out of town and had not received the notices. One accused’ kin refused to accept the court notices, Bano’s counsel Shobha Gupta claimed. Not to…

New Delhi, May 8. Indian Youth Congress leader B.V. Srinivas, who became the helping face of the party during Covid, on Monday moved the Supreme Court seeking to quash an FIR filed against him by expelled Assam youth Congress president Dr Angkita Dutta. The Gauhati High Court had earlier refused to quash the case or grant him anticipatory bail. The probe was still at a very nascent stage while rejecting his plea for pre-arrest bail, it noted. There’s no indication that the FIR was politically motivated, it also observed. Srinivas immediately challenged the decision in the top court. His plea…

New Delhi, May 8. The central government on Monday informed the Supreme Court that the situation in violence-hit Manipur was under control and urged the top court not to wade into the contentious issue of reservations for now to avoid making the situation worse. “There has been no violence for the last two days,” Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told a three-judge bench led by Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud after it expressed “concern over the loss of life and property in the state”. The bench also comprised Justices P.S. Narasimha and J.B. Pardiwala. “Curfew is being relaxed for two to…