Today’s Legal Updates

Thursday, 23rd December 2021

  1. Today a Delhi court warned an accused and asked him to maintain decorum, after he had joined a virtual hearing from his bed but could not produce any document in support of his claim of being unwell. (CBI v. Sumedh Singh Saini & Ors)
    • Accused no. 1 Sumedh Kumar Saini has joined the proceedings through VC (Cisco Webex App). However, it is observed that he has joined the VC proceedings/Court while lying on the bed. On being asked, he submits that he is unwell and is down with fever
  2. Today Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju called upon lawyers and law students to adopt Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) methods more frequently.
  3. An explosion has rocked a court complex in Punjab’s Ludhiana leaving at least two people dead and four others injured, the blast occurred when the courts inside the complex were in session, the blast has come at a time when the safety and security of district court complexes and judges of the subordinate courts is being subject to intense debates.
  4. Today Chief Justice of India NV Ramana has expressed “deep shock” at the explosion which rocked a court complex in Ludhiana, Punjab, leaving at least two people dead and four others injured.
    • He is expressed grave concern “at the lack of adequate security in court complexes,” and hoped that the “law enforcing agencies will pay necessary attention to ensure protection for the court complexes and all the stake holders.”
    • CJI called Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court Ravi Shankar Jha, and enquired about the development.
      1. Earlier this month, a blast had occurred in Delhi’s Rohini court injuring one person.
      2. Before that, a Rohini court was witness to a shootout that left three people including gangster Jitender Gogi dead.
      3. The Supreme Court is also hearing a suo motu case concerning safety of judges, which it had initiated after the death of Jharkhand judge Uttam Anand, who was mowed down by a vehicle when he was out on a morning walk.
  5. Today the Madras High Court issued notice to advocate R Santhanakrishnan who was seen in a compromising position with a woman during court proceedings which were being held via video conference.
  6. Today Outgoing Uttarakhand High Court Chief Justice RS Chauhan said that the judiciary cannot be docile or meek, and that the Constitution has bestowed it with the role of a guardian of the people.
  7. Today the Kerala High Court bid adieu to Justice R Narayana Pisharadi who is due to retire over the course of the Christmas vacation on December 26, 2021.
  8. Today the Karnataka Legislative Assembly on Thursday passed the Karnataka Protection of Right to Freedom of Religion Bill, 2021, which prohibits unlawful conversion from one religion to another by misrepresentation, force, undue influence, coercion, allurement or by any fraudulent means.
  9. Today the Bombay High Court refused to intervene in a plea by eight accused in the Bhima Koregaon violence case seeking a rectification of the ‘factual errors’ in the order refusing default bail to them.
  10. Today the Delhi High Court held that even though convictions in rape cases can be based on the sole testimony of the prosecutrix, the case can be rejected if the story projected by the prosecutrix is found to be improbable.  (Ram Bax v State of NCT of Delhi)
  11. Today the Bombay High Court set aside the conviction of a man who was booked for cheating a woman by having sexual relations with her under the promise of marriage.  (Kashinath Narayan Gharat v. State of Maharashtra)
  12. Today the Delhi High Court has held that the non-availability of enabling infrastructure for persons with disabilities, glaring and apparent throughout the city, is violative of Article 21 of the Constitution. (Jyoti Singh v. Nand Kishore & Ors)
  13. Today the Kerala High Court rued how social media has given fertile ground for the rise of “self-appointed crusaders” who use their relative anonymity to spew unprovoked and malicious opinions on the internet.
  14. Today the Bombay High Court held that the plea by Yes Bank founder Rana Kapoor alleging that the sanction obtained by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to prosecute him under the Prevention of Corruption Act (PCA) was done in an improper manner, can be heard by a single-judge.
  15. Today a Delhi court has directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to thoroughly investigate the role of former Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh in connection with the alleged leak of sensitive information and documents pertaining to the ongoing investigation against him.
  16. Today the Chief Secretary of the Maharashtra government and Director of State Health Department filed a response before the Bombay High Court explaining the rationale behind discriminating between persons who are vaccinated against COVID-19 and those who are not, when it comes to access to public spaces and public transport.  (Feroze Mithiborwala v. State of Maharashtra & Ors)
  17. Today the Patna High Court will hear submissions on the issue of guidelines to be laid down to ensure that the judiciary is able to function independently, without any fear of intimidation.
    • The Court had initiated this suo motu case on November 18 after Station House Officer Gopal Krishna and Ghoghardiha Sub-Inspector of Police Abhimanyu Kumar Sharma forcibly entered the chamber of Judge Avinash Kumar, and abused and assaulted him.
    • Advocate General Lalit Kishore submitted that another status report on the investigation would be submitted within two weeks, and assured the Court that the investigation would be done in right earnest without allowing any interference from outside sources.
  18. Today Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas declared a paid “Rejuvenation Break” for all the members and staff of the firm from December 25, 2021 to January 2, 2022.
  19. Today a magistrate court in Lucknow has ordered the Uttar Pradesh Police to register a first information report (FIR) against Senior Advocate and Congress leader Salman Khurshid for allegedly comparing Hindutva to terror outfits like Boko Haram and ISIS in his book ‘Sunrise Over Ayodhya: Nationhood In Our Times‘.
  20. Yesterday the Bombay High Court reserved its verdict in the review mercy petition filed by half sisters Renuka Shinde and Seema Gavit who were convicted and sentenced to death for abducting and murdering children between 1990 to 1996.  (Renuka Shinde & Anr. v. State of Maharashtra & Ors.)
  21. IDIA Charitable Trust and international law firm Allen & Overy will collaborate on an internship programme to support IDIA Scholars studying in law schools in India.
  22. Today Founder and former Chairperson of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI) Dr MS Sahoo has joined National Law University, Delhi as a Distinguished Professor, with effect from December 20, 2021.
  23. A man charged under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS Act) was granted bail by the Delhi High Court after he had spent over nine years languishing in jail as an undertrial.  (Atul Aggarwal v Directorate of Revenue Intelligence)
  24. Today the Allahabad High Court has requested Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi and the Election Commission of India to explore the option of postponing the upcoming Uttar Pradesh assembly elections in view of rising Covid-19 cases.

Legal Prudent Fraternity