67-year-oldHC judgment isno longer valid The unchallenged 67-year reign of a Bombay High Court judgment that personal law, religious customs, usages and beliefs are outside the ambit of fundamental rights of equality, life and dignity came to an end on Friday. Justice D.Y. Chandrachud, in his separate opinion, held that …

IHCL bid for 32.5% of gross turnover wins in NDMC auction The Taj Mahal Hotel on Mansingh Road in Lutyens’ Delhi will remain with the Tata Group’s Indian Hotels Company Limited (IHCL), which won the auction for a 33-year lease on Friday, the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) said. The …

Rejects SIT probe into activists’ arrest The Supreme Court, in a majority opinion on Friday, held that the pan-India crackdown and arrests of five activists in the Bhima-Koregaon violence case on August 28 was not an attempt to silence dissent. Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra and Justice A.M. Khanwilkar …

Kolkata launches first flood forecast system The Kolkata Municipal Corporation, with the support of the Asian Development Bank, on Thursday launched the country’s first flood forecasting and early-warning system, which will provide real-time data on inundation, rainfall intensity, temperature, air quality and other climate-related data. This is expected to help …

This time in adultery law verdict This is the second time Justice D.Y. Chandrachud has contradicted the verdict of his father, former Chief Justice of India Y.V. Chandrachud. Thirty-three years after his father upheld the validity of adultery law, Justice D.Y. Chandrachud ruled on Thursday that the earlier view cannot …

The Commission has drawn on legal backing for the directive from Supreme Court’s observation in the landmark S.R. Bommai and Others Vs. Union of India and Others (1994) judgment that the caretaker government should merely carry on day-to-day work and desist from taking any major policy decision. The provisions of …

The Kerala government, which has been changing its stand on the contentious issue of women of the menstrual age group entering the Sabarimala temple, had on July 18 told the Supreme Court that it now favoured their entry. The apex court had on October 13 last year referred the issue …

Marriage does not mean ceding autonomy, say Justice Chandrachud Justice Rohinton Nariman, in his separate opinion but concurring judgment holding that adultery is not a crime, said Section 497 made a husband the “licensor” of his wife’s sexual choices. Justice Nariman listed out countries which had repealed adultery as a …

The statement that “praying in a mosque is not an essential part of Islam andnamaz by Muslims can be offered even in the open” by a Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court in a 1994 judgment played a role in the Allahabad High Court decision to partition the disputed Ram …

The rail route to Herat, if extended to Kabul, will also link India’s air corridor India will be invited to help with a key rail link in Afghanistan, during the visit of Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev early next week, a presidential aide told The Hindu . The rail link of …

It will be headed by former SC judge Ranjana Prakash Desai After a long delay, the Centre on Thursday constituted an eight-member search committee, to be headed by former Supreme Court judge, Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai, to recommend the chairperson and members of the anti-corruption ombudsman Lokpal. The Lokpal and …

‘She can makeher ownsexual choices’ Justice D.Y. Chandrachud held that a married woman can make her own sexual choices. By marrying, she has not consented to refrain from sexual relations outside marriage without the permission of her husband. A husband is not the owner of his wife’s sexuality. To be …

The Indian Railways are set to launch their ‘Make in India’ smart coaches with new features like black box and artificial intelligence (AI)-powered CCTVs, matching international standards. Named ‘Smart Trains’, the coaches have been equipped with sensors that can detect defects on bearings, wheels, and the railway track, giving constant …

It will be tantamount to State entering into a ‘real private realm’, says SC Treating adultery as an offence is tantamount to the State entering into a “real private realm,” Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra wrote in his main opinion for the Constitution Bench on Thursday. If Parliament, as …

Essentiality of offering prayers in a mosque not in question: Justice Bhushan Speaking for the majority judgement of himself and the Chief Justice on the issue of referring the question “if a “mosque as a place of prayer is an essential part of Islam”, in the Ramjanmabhoomi-Babri Masjid appeals, to …

Centre’s nod for increase follows abduction, killing of SPO, policemen last week The Union Home Ministry’s decision to increase the salaries of Special Police Officers in Jammu and Kashmir came after the State Chief Secretary wrote to the Centre highlighting the threat to their lives. On Wednesday the Ministry enhanced …

How couples deal with itis a private matter, says CJISection 497 treats a woman as her husband’s commodity A five-judge Constitution Bench, led by Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra, in four separate but concurring opinions on Thursday held that adultery is not a crime and struck it off the …

Plea to refer issue to larger Bench rejectedNew three-judge Bench to be constitutedHasty decision, says dissenting judgment A three-judge Bench of the Supreme Court, in a majority opinion of 3:1 on Thursday, declined to refer the question if a “mosque as a place of prayer is an essential part of …

The Cinchona administration report just issued [in Ootacamund] sets out that the output of quinine rose from 62513 to 55014 pounds in the official year. This is a source of satisfaction as the increased production was accomplished without any addition to the manufacturing plants. Post office pice packets are becoming …

A Commission to examine the relationship between Inamdars and their tenants in Mysore has just been appointed by the Government of His Highness the Maharajah. The rights and responsibilities of this class of landholders in the State are not known with any definiteness, especially in the state of things now …