Author: Adarsh Shukla

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), an animal rights organisation, has petitioned the Supreme Court for a review of its ruling from May 18 that upheld the legality of Tamil Nadu’s amendments to the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act (PCA Act), allowing the bovine sport known as Jallikattu. (State of Tamil Nadu v. PETA.) According to the review plea, these “sports” abuse animals by using force, agitation, aggression, and pressure to cause them to flee or fight. The petition further argued that these events, notably Jallikattu and bullock cart races, frequently result in catastrophic injuries and fatalities…

On July 15, a Mumbai court accepted the Central Bureau of Investigation’s (CBI) chargesheet in the Videocon-ICICI Bank loan case. Additionally, former ICICI Bank MD and CEO Chanda Kochhar, her husband Deepak Kochhar, and Videocon Group Chairman Venugopal Dhoot were also called by special CBI judge SP Naik-Nimbalkar to appear in court on August 2. What did the court say? The court noted that the evidence suggested, at least on the surface, that Kochhar had received through businesses started by her husband a portion of the loan provided by the bank to Videocon Group as “reward.” The judge went on…

Friday saw the swearing-in of Justices Ujjal Bhuyan and SV Bhatti as Supreme Court judges, bringing the court’s operational strength to 32. At a ceremony held in the Supreme Court, which was attended by other judges and attorneys, Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud gave the two judges their oaths of office. The collegium of the apex court had recommended their appointment to the Supreme Court on July 5, 2024 The Central government subsequently announced the nominations on July 12. While Justice Bhatti was the Chief Justice of the Kerala High Court, Justice Bhuyan presided over the Telangana High Court.…

The Indian Penal Code (IPC) Section 498A, which makes it illegal for a husband or any of his family members to abuse a wife, cannot be made into a compoundable crime, the Bombay High Court said on Thursday. [Sandip Sule vs.State of Maharashtra ] The matter belongs in the legislative purview, according to a division bench of Justices AS Gadkari and SG Dige, who also observed that the Central government has submitted an affidavit asserting that making Section 498A a compoundable offence will be detrimental to the welfare of women. “We have reviewed the Union government’s affidavit. The Court was clear…

In the Delhi Riots conspiracy case brought by activist Umar Khalid, the Supreme Court decided to examine his bail request on Wednesday. The Delhi Police’s attorney requested that the date be changed, noting the bench’s worries over the Mondays’ customarily high workload. The bench of Justices MM Sundresh and AS Bopanna said that the decision to hear a case was for the court to take up. The matter would take only two to three minutes and therefore could be heard on the date mentioned. Senior Attorney Kapil Sibal, who was arguing on behalf of Khalid, responded to the Delhi Police’s…

The Places of Worship Act of 1991 cannot be used, the Supreme Court said on Tuesday, to impose a general stay of the many lawsuits and legal actions underway in various courts around the nation over contested religious sites. The parties in each relevant matter must get a stay from the relevant court by citing the fact that the Place of Worship Act is in effect and has not been suspended by the Supreme Court, according to a bench consisting of Chief Justice of India Dhananjay Yashwant Chandrachud, Justice PS Narasimha, and Justice Manoj Misra. What did the Supreme Court…

The Chief Minister of Assam Conrad Sagma has inaugurated a National Law University in the state. The temporary campus is located in Mayurbhanj Complex, Shillong. The inauguration was done after the state cabinet of Meghalaya approved the National Law University Ordinance, 2022. Who will be the university functionaries? Professor Dr. Indrajit Dubey is the founding vice chancellor of the new National Law University. He was serving at the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur in the Rajiv Gandhi School of Intellectual Property Law. The inaugural ceremony was attended by the Chief Justice of the Meghalaya High Court, Sanjib Banerjee, the education…

Supreme Court Justice Dipankar Dutta, recently speaking at the HR Khanna Symposium, paid tribute to the eminent legal luminaries of the country who have enriched the field of law and jurisprudence. He expressed gratitude to such legal personalities for their contribution to the field of law and the cause of justice. What did the Justice talk about? Justice Dipankar Dutta began by addressing Justice HR Khanna whose commitment to justice and the rule of law has continued to guide India’s constitutional jurisprudence till today. His commitment to his duties continues to impact the constitutional functionaries. Justice Khanna delivered the dissenting…

The Digital Personal Data Protection Bill has obtained Cabinet clearance and is anticipated to be considered during the Monsoon session of the Parliament. The bill attempts to govern the acquisition, storage, and use of personal data by digital players. In light of the Supreme Court’s declaration that privacy is a basic right protected by Article 21 of the Constitution, India’s continuous efforts to safeguard personal data and privacy have acquired relevance. After incidences of data breaches and unauthorized use of personal information by organizations before more stringent restrictions were implemented internationally, the necessity for a strong data protection law became…

The Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament (MP) and Senior Advocate, P Wilson recently wrote to the Law Commission of India questioning its decision to reopen the discussion on the Uniform Civil Code. He belongs to the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) party of Tamil Nadu. Expressing a strongly critical view, he said that the implementation of a uniform civil code will lead to the destruction of diversity in India. What did MP Wilson say in his letter to the Commission? Wilson expressed his fear that the Uniform Civil Code if implemented, would be a danger to India’s secularism. The unique traditions,…