India's political landscape is ablaze with activity! From the ongoing debates surrounding the new farm bills and their impact on rural India, to the upcoming state elections shaping the national narrative, the stakes couldn't be higher. Key political figures are maneuvering strategically, with alliances shifting and power dynamics constantly in flux. The opposition's challenge to the ruling party is intensifying, sparking vigorous debates on crucial policy matters including economic reforms and social justice initiatives. Parliamentary proceedings are filled with heated exchanges, reflecting the deep divisions within the nation. This evolving political climate directly impacts the lives of every Indian citizen, influencing everything from economic opportunities to social welfare programs. Stay informed about the latest developments in Indian politics, from crucial legislative decisions to grassroots movements, by exploring Abtak.com for in-depth analysis and breaking news updates. Understanding the intricacies of our political system is crucial; stay engaged, stay informed, and stay ahead.
New Delhi: Delhi High Court on Tuesday clarified that prison authorities are empowered to decide pleas for parole and furlough of inmates even if their appeal is pending in the Supreme Court. It answered a reference received from a single judge that emerged from a challenge to the Delhi Prison Rules filed by several former policemen serving jail terms in the notorious Hashimpura massacre case of Uttar Pradesh."Thus, the Delhi Prison Rules do not bar consideration of parole and furlough if the matter is pending before the Supreme Court. It is an altogether different question as to whether, in the facts of a specific case, the prison authorities ought to grant parole or furlough if the Supreme Court is seized of the matter either in a special leave petition or in an appeal. The grant or non-grant of parole and furlough on merits would depend on the facts of each case," a bench of Justices Prathiba M Singh and Amit Sharma held.The court pointed out that there could be a situation where the apex court may have specifically refused to grant suspension of sentence or refused bail to a particular convict. "The authorities would have to bear in mind the non-grant of suspension or bail by the Supreme Court or other relevant circumstances, and the same may have an impact on the consideration of parole/furlough," it noted."In such cases," HC said, "a deeper scrutiny would be required by the prison authorities as to whether parole or furlough could be granted to the convict."The bench emphasised that the mere fact that the authorities could exercise power did not mean parole or furlough ought to be granted as a matter of right, and whether relief could be granted or not was a different issue altogether and depended on the facts of each case.Furlough and parole envisage a short-term temporary release of a convict from jail. While parole is granted to the prisoner to meet a specific exigency, furlough may be granted after a stipulated number of years have been served without any reason.The high court was dealing with a batch of petitions by the convicts whose plea for furlough was not entertained essentially on the ground that their appeals are pending before the Supreme Court."To impose a bar on consideration of parole/furlough if a special leave petition or appeal is pending in the Supreme Court could have completely unpredictable consequences and could also result in practical difficulties for convicts who may require to be granted parole/furlough due to emergent situations," it highlighted.The court put an end to an earlier interpretation of Rule 1224 of jail that barred parole/furlough being granted if the appeal is pending in the high court. Later, a court ruling extended the bar to also the pendency of appeal before the Supreme Court, which was reversed on Tuesday by the bigger bench.The high court sent each of the petitioners back to the bench that was hearing their plea for parole/furlough, noting that a decision must be made in light of the reference answered by it.
New Delhi [India], February 7 (ANI): The Delhi High Court on Friday reserved the order on an application moved by Baramulla MP Engineer Rashid seeking custody parole to attend ongoing parliament session amidst jurisdictional row. However, the National Investigation Agency (NIA), while opposing the custody parole, stated that Rashid Engineer does not need to respond to any questions. They emphasized that this request is generic and pointed out that Engineer has no speech to deliver. Senior Advocate Sidharth Luthra appeared for NIA also argued that taking an oath and campaigning are separate m ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], February 10 (ANI): The Supreme Court (SC) on Monday said that appeals challenging the acquittals of accused persons in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots cases need to be filed seriously by prosecution agencies and not just for the sake of it. A bench of justices, Abhay S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan, was informed by Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Aishwarya Bhati, who represented the Delhi Police, that the state has asked prosecuting agencies to file Special Leave Petitions (SLPs). Also Read | UP Shocker: Woman Strangulates 2 Daughters, Attempts to Kill Self After Domestic Dispute With ...Read More >
New Delhi, Jun 6 (PTI) The Supreme Court on Friday cancelled the bail granted to former Karnataka minister Vinay Kulkarni in connection with a 2016 case related to the murder of BJP worker Yogesh Gowda. A bench of justices Sanjay Karol and Satish Chandra Sharma passed the order while noting that there was sufficient material on record to suggest that attempts were made by Kulkarni to either contact the witnesses or alternatively, influence them. "Keeping in mind the totality of circumstances, this court is of the considered opinion that the bail granted to the respondent (Kulkarni) ought to ...Read More >
Berhampur (Odisha), Jun 6 (PTI) Environmental activist Medha Patkar on Saturday appealed to the people of Odisha for protection of Rushikulya river. The government planned to construct a dam in the river Pipalapnaka under Sorada block in the district. While participating in the Save Rushikulya river movement in Ganjam district, she said, "Rivers may be small or big, but they are our mother. We have to protect the rivers from attacks." She attended a meeting were organised by the Rushikulya Banchao Kriyaanusthan Committee (RBKC) and the Centre for Climate Justice, spearheading the agitation a ...Read More >
NEW DELHI: Boosting his chances of securing premature release, Delhi high court Tuesday noted "demonstrable indicators of reformation" in Santosh Kumar Singh, convicted in the 1996 rape and murder case of DU law student Priyadarshini Mattoo.Deciding a batch of petitions by murder convicts, including Singh, challenging the rejection of their plea for remission, HC asked the Sentence Review Board (SRB) to consider their applications afresh in next four months.Justice Sanjeev Narula outlined "an element of reformation" in Singh and underlined that the nature of the original crime cannot, by itsel ...Read More >
Kochi, July 3: The Kerala High Court has held that a married woman cannot allege that she was coerced into sex under the false promise of marriage. The court's ruling came while hearing the prosecution's statement against the petitioner (accused) that he sexually assaulted the woman after falsely promising to marry her. He was also accused of having threatened to publish her photos and videos after borrowing Rs 2.5 lakh from her. "It is observed that while considering the cases alleging rape on the basis of the promise of marriage, it is difficult for this court at this juncture to enter into ...Read More >
The Supreme Court on Tuesday (November 26, 2024), indicated a level of hypocrisy attached to criticism about Electronic Voting Machines (EVM), saying ""EVMs are tampered when you lose and fine if you win". The oral remark was made by Justice Vikram Nath before dismissing a petition filed by evangelist K.A. Paul, who urged for a judicial order to return to paper ballots. Also read:EVM-VVPAT case | Cannot disclose 'source code' of EVMs, will result in misuse: Supreme Court Justice Nath, during the hearing, asked Mr. Paul whether he wanted to turn the court into a political arena. Mr. Paul sa ...Read More >
Mumbai: The Bombay High Court has raised concern over terminally ill prisoners languishing in Maharashtra's jails and asked the state govt to consider proper implementation of an advisory on grant of medical bail or to place them in house arrest. A division bench of Justices Revati Mohite Dere and Prithviraj Chavan on Monday said they visited the Yerwada central prison in Pune on Sunday and met with prisoners, particularly women inmates, and inspected the condition there. The bench referred to a ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], May 21 (ANI): The Supreme Court on Wednesday granted anticipatory bail to former Indian Administrative Service (IAS) trainee officer Puja Khedkar, accused of forging her documents to obtain eligibility for the 2022 Union Public Service Commission test. A bench of Justices BV Nagarathna and Satish Chandra Sharma asked Khedkar to cooperate in the probe. Also Read | Security Scare in Kolkata: Police Launch Probe After Drone-Like Objects Spotted Over Sky, Centre Seeks Report From West Bengal Govt. During the hearing, the bench said, "What is the grave crime she has committed? ...Read More >
Hyderabad, June 8 (SocialNews.XYZ) Telangana's former Special Intelligence Bureau (SIB) chief T. Prabhakar Rao, a key accused in the phone tapping case, returned from the United States on Sunday. He is likely to appear before the Special Investigation Team (SIT) on Monday as per the undertaking given to the Supreme Court. The retired Indian Police Service (IPS) officer, who has been in the United States for 14 months, returned to India as directed recently by the apex court. He recently gave an undertaking to the Supreme Court that he will return to India soon after receiving emergency trav ...Read More >
New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Wednesday granted bail to two accused in the December 2023 Parliament security breach case. A bench of Justices Subramonium Prasad and Harish Vaidyanathan Shankar granted relief to Neelam Azad and Mahesh Kumawat on a personal bond of Rs 50,000 each and two sureties of the like amount. The judge also directed them not to give interviews to media outlets or make social media posts related to the incident. The accused had challenged a trial court's order rejecting their bail plea. In a major security breach on the anniversary of the 2001 Parliament terror attac ...Read More >
Puri: Lord Jagannath and His Siblings Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra were adorned with 208 kg gold ornaments during the 'Suna Besha' ritual on chariots Sunday, an integral part of the annual Rath Yatra festival in Puri. The devotees can have 'darshan' of the deities from 6.30 pm to 11 pm, said the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA). According to temple sources, the deities adorn around 30 different designs of ornaments which include gold, diamond, silver and other precious metals. "Initially, around 138 designs of ornaments were used during the era of King Kapilendra Deb in 146 ...Read More >
Hyderabad: Telangana's former Special Intelligence Bureau (SIB) chief T Prabhakar Rao, a key accused in the phone tapping case, returned from the United States on Sunday, June 8. He is likely to appear before the Special Investigation Team (SIT) on Monday as per the undertaking given to the Supreme Court. The retired Indian Police Service (IPS) officer, who has been in the United States for 14 months, returned to India as directed recently by the apex court. He recently gave an undertaking to the Supreme Court that he will return to India soon after receiving emergency travel documents and ...Read More >
Chandigarh, Jun 26 (PTI) A Mohali court on Thursday sent to a seven-day remand Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia, who was arrested by the Vigilance Bureau on Wednesday in an alleged disproportionate assets case involving Rs 540 crore of laundered "drug money". Before producing Majithia in court amid tight security arrangements, police detained several Akali supporters protesting against the arrest near the court complex. Ferry Sofat, the counsel representing the bureau, told reporters the court has sent Majithia to seven-day vigilance remand, with the next date set on July 2. ...Read More >
Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Monday, prima facie, observed that Abu Salem, convicted in the 1993 Bombay blasts case, has not yet completed 25 years of incarceration as stipulated in the extradition terms under which he was brought from Portugal. A division bench of Justices Ajey Gadkari and Rajesh Patil made the prima facie observation while hearing Salem's plea seeking premature release. The Court, while admitting the petition, refused to grant any interim relief. Salem approached the HC after his plea was dismissed by the special TADA court in December 2024. Salem's advocate contended ...Read More >
New Delhi, Dec 11 (PTI) A Delhi court has sought a report from police commissioner Sanjay Arora asking why no efforts were made to arrest a man who was serving 10 years in jail in a drugs case but jumped interim bail in 1998 to be held only recently. Additional sessions judge Ekta Gauba Mann was hearing the proceedings regarding a 1994 FIR registered in Jama Masjid Police Station, wherein the investigating officer produced the accused Ashok Kumar Yadav before the court. The court noted the IO's submissions that Yadav was convicted under Section 20 (contravention in relation to cannabis plant ...Read More >
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday said accelerated the trial against former West Bengal education minister Partha Chatterjee facing money laundering probe in the teacher recruitment scam, while directing his release on bail on or before February 1, 2025. The apex court's judgment came on the bail plea of Chatterjee in the money laundering case arising out of the West Bengal cash-for-jobs scam. A bench led by Justice Surya Kant and comprising Justice Ujjal Bhuyan said a suspect can be held in custody indefinitely. The apex court decided to grant bail to Chatterjee, prime accused in teach ...Read More >
New Delhi: Lawyers from the district courts decided on Saturday to roll back their decision to abstain from work in protest against the shifting of the judges of the 34 digital Negotiable Instruments Act courts to the Rouse Avenue courts.A statement released by the All District Courts Bar Association of Delhi on Saturday said that the lawyers' coordination committee met the chief justice of Delhi High Court and was assured that all digital courts would function strictly as digital platforms only. The remaining proceedings and judicial work only would be conducted in the regular local courts, t ...Read More >
New Delhi, Jul 1 (PTI) The Delhi High Court on Tuesday set aside the decision of the sentence review board which had rejected a plea for premature release of Santosh Kumar Singh, who is serving life term for the 1996 rape and murder of law student Priyadarshini Mattoo. Justice Sanjeev Narula said there is an element of reformation in Singh and referred the matter back to the sentence review board (SRB) to consider afresh the convict's premature release plea. "I have found some element of reformation in him. The SRB decision is set aside and I have referred back the matter to SRB to consider ...Read More >
Cuttack, Jul 4 (PTI) Enforcement Directorate's Deputy Director Chintan Raghuvanshi, who was arrested by the CBI while allegedly accepting a bribe from a businessman in Bhubaneswar, was released on interim bail from the Jharpada jail on Friday evening. The Orissa High Court granted him interim bail on Wednesday for 10 days on the ground that the young officer became a father on June 28 and he wanted to see his newborn baby and attend some rituals. Also Read | PM Narendra Modi Conferred With 'The Order of the Republic of Trinidad & Tobago' During Ceremonial Event at President's House in Port o ...Read More >
Kuldeep Singh Sengar is also serving a 10-year jail term in connection with the custodial death of the Unnao rape victim's father. Kuldeep Singh Sengar sought interim bail on the grounds that he was suffering from various ailments The Delhi High Court on Thursday granted a two-week interim bail on medical grounds to expelled BJP leader Kuldeep Singh Sengar who is serving life term for raping a minor in Uttar Pradesh's Unnao in 2017. A bench headed by Justice Prathiba M Singh suspended the sent ...Read More >
The Supreme Court on Friday granted bail to eight convicts in the infamous 1987 Hashimpura massacre case of 38 persons by the personnel of the Provincial Armed Constabulary. IMAGE: File photograph of Muslims in Meerut staging a protest demanding justice in the 1987 Hashimpura massacre case. Photograph: PTI Photo/Rediff archives A bench comprising Justices Abhay S Oka and Augustine George Masih took note of the submissions of senior advocate Amit Anand Tiwari, appearing for four convicts, that t ...Read More >
New Delhi: Former IAS probationer Puja Khedkar, accused of cheating and wrongly availing OBC and disability quota benefits in the civil services examination, has moved the Supreme Court for anticipatory bail. A bench of Justices B V Nagarathna and Satish Chandra Sharma is scheduled to hear the plea on January 15. Khedkar has challenged the December 23 2024 Delhi High Court order which refused to grant her anticipatory bail. The high court said a strong prima facie case was made out against Khedkar and an investigation was required to unearth the "larger conspiracy" to manipulate the system ...Read More >
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday decided to grant anticipatory bail to former IAS probationer Puja Khedkar, accused of cheating and wrongly availing OBC and disability quota benefits in the civil services examination. The matter was heard by a bench consisting of justices BV Nagarathna and Satish Chandra Sharma. "What is the grave crime she has committed? She is not a drug lord or a terrorist. She has not committed 302 (murder). She is not an NDPS offender", said the bench. "You should have a system or software. You complete the investigation. She has lost everything and will not ge ...Read More >
Silchar: Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday visited the flood-ravaged districts of Hailakandi and Sribhumi in the Barak Valley. He assured affected residents of providing timely disbursement of rehabilitation grants and swift repair of damaged infrastructure.This marks Sarma's second visit to the flood-hit region within four days, underscoring the gravity of the situation. Speaking to the media in Sribhumi after inspecting multiple relief camps, the CM said, "Flood-related problems may persist till July. I will return before Durga Puja to ensure that roads and infrastructure ar ...Read More >
Resignation is the only option before Justice Yashwant Varma to avoid impeachment by Parliament as the government pushes for bringing a motion to remove the Allahabad high court judge over alleged corruption. IMAGE: Justice Yashwant Varma. Photograph: ANI Photo/span> Officials aware of the procedure to appoint and remove Supreme Court and high court judges pointed out that while defending his case before lawmakers in any of the House, Justice Varma can announce that he is quitting and his verba ...Read More >
Mumbai, July 1: Recently, the Bombay High Court ordered Yes Bank to pay INR 50,000 to compensate Microfibers Pvt Ltd for delaying opening a bank account after insisting on an Aadhaar card. It is learned that the private bank insisted on an Aadhaar card despite the interim relief granted by the Supreme Court at the time. Although the private bank had complied and opened the account in January 2019, the bench of Justices MS Sonak and Jitendra Jain said that they had failed to do so between April and September 2018, a period during which Aadhaar was not mandatory. The Bombay HC made these observ ...Read More >
New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Wednesday granted bail to Neelam Azad and Mahesh Kumawat, both accused in the Parliament security breach case of December 13, 2023. The order, reserved on May 21, was pronounced by a division bench comprising Justice Subramonium Prasad and Justice Harish Vaidyanathan Shankar. Each of the accused should furnish a bail bond of ₹50,000 and two sureties of the same amount. The court also barred Neelam and Mahesh from holding press conferences, giving interviews, or posting on social media about the incident. Additionally, they must report to the concerned police ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], July 7 (ANI): Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare & Rural Development, Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Monday inaugurated the 11th edition of the India Maize Summit, organized by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) in association with (IIMR) Indian Institute of Maize Research. Speaking at event, Chouhan emphasized that 'Farmers' sewa is our mool mantra,' reaffirming the government's commitment to farmer-centric policies. He outlined a multi-pronged strategy to boost maize production, and increase farmer incomes, while ensuring environme ...Read More >
Bengaluru: The Karnataka government on Thursday took strong action against the police officers allegedly responsible for the Bengaluru stampede, suspending several high-ranking officials, including the city's police commissioner. Addressing a press conference, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah also announced a one-man commission to probe the lapses that triggered the deadly stampede. "Cubbon Park Police Station police inspector, station house master, station house officer, ACP, Central Division DCP, cricket stadium in-charge, additional commissioner of police, commissioner of police have been susp ...Read More >