INDIA – Supreme Court Continues To Disqualify Three Dissident AIADMK MLAs
The Supreme Court stayed the disqualification proceedings against the Three (3) dissident AIADMK MLAs (E. Rathinasabapathy, V.T. Kalaiselvan, and V.T. Prabhu) on Monday 06 May for indulging in anti-party activities and supporting the Dhinakaran TTV camp. Regardless of the ALDMK MLAs notifying the apex court to restrain the speaker from acting on the anti-party disqualification notice, claiming that the Speaker’s action was taken without jurisdiction in an arbitrary manner and acted with malice.
INDIA – RBI Evaluates Banks ‘ Incentives To Move IBC
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is assumed to weigh a plan to ‘ encourage ‘ lenders to bring the bankruptcy court to errant borrowers. This is part of its regulatory countermove to overcome obstacles in the wake of a recent Supreme Court ruling. RBI is considering a proposal to assign loans to companies against which action has been initiated under the 2016 Insolvency & Bankruptcy Code (IBC).
USA – Cory Booker Wants To Launch A National Gun Licensing Program, Limit Shopping For Firearms
On Monday 06 May, Democratic presidential hopeful Cory Booker unveiled a comprehensive plan to reduce gun violence that includes setting up a national gun licensing program, limiting individual firearms purchases to one per month, and placing a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. He contends that if Americans need a license to drive a car, they should also be required to have one to buy and possess a firearm.
INDIA – Bar Suspends 6,238 Lawyers on Account of Unpaid Charges for Welfare
On Saturday 04 May 2019, the Bar Gujarat Council (BCG) decided to suspend the licenses of 6,238 advocates for failing to pay the one-time ‘ welfare fee ‘ owing to the Bar Indian Council (BCI). The BCG during a meeting at its headquaters has agreed to inform all its registered bar associations, courts in Gujarat of this decision and publish the list of suspended lawyers on its website.
INDIA – Lawyers Protest That There Are No Seats In The Gujarat District Court, Eleven (11) Arrested
Eleven (11) lawyers were detained by Gotri police for protesting against the lack of seating arrangements for them in the district court complex, even as the foundation stone for a new advocates’ building was laid by the Acting Chief Justice of Gujarat High Court A S Dave on Sunday 05 May 2019. The protest has been going on for over a year, gaining momentum in the last 20 days with state-wide bar associations extending their support to them. Reports, however, has it that later the Layers were released.
USA – BT Buzz: Pepsi Chickens Out, Are Farmers Supposed To Be Happy?
PepsiCo India informed a local court in Deesa, Gujarat on Monday 06 May that the case against a farmer Fulchandbhai Kachchawa is being withdrawn. Reportedly, It was a moment of joy for all farmers’ group associations that stood behind Nine (9) Gujarat marginal farmers who were brought to court by PepsiCo for allegedly infringing the intellectual property rights (IPR) of the company by cultivating and selling without permission.
INDIA – SC To Hear PIL In Time To Test ‘Conspiracy’ To Fix CJI On Allegations Of Sexual Harassment
The Supreme Court (SC) Monday 06 May 2019, agreed to hear a plea seeking direction to the CBI to lodge an FIR into the alleged conspiracy to “fix” Chief Justice of India (CJI) Ranjan Gogoi in a “concocted, false sexual harassment” case and said the matter would come up for hearing in the “due course”. Advocate M L Sharma, who has filed the petition, urged the bench to list his plea for hearing on Wednesday 08 May 2019.
INDIA – Delhi High Court Squashes the IAS 2018 Centre, IPS Cadre Allocation
Under the new policy, the Delhi High Court quashed the Center’s allocation of 2018 batch IAS and IPS officers and ordered a new cadre allocation. Reportedly, the re-allocation of cadres by the authorities should not take much time as it is done electronically.
HONG KONG – Brunei says that after protests by Stoning Law, gays won’t be executed
Brunei, on Sunday 05 May 2019, said it would not carry out executions by stoning for people convicted of adultery and gay sex, following a widespread international protest over the brutality of such penalties. Nevertheless, reports have it that critics of the newly enacted Islamic laws of the country have said several other harsh punishments remain on the books, including whipping and amputation, and have called for continued opposition until the laws are thoroughly revised.
INDIA – SC Collegium Recommends Six (6) Names for HC judges To Be Appointed
The Supreme Court collegium on Monday 06 May 2019, recommended Six (6) names for appointment as judges in the high courts of Delhi, Keral and Uttarakhand. Talwant Singh, Rajnish Bhatnagar, Asha Menon, Brijesh Sethi, Justices S A Bobde and N V Ramana are the recommended names.
INDIA – Supreme Court Adjourns Rafale Review Hearing, Following Rahul Gandhi Case Gets Delinked
The Supreme Court on Monday 06 May 2019, adjourned the hearing in the Rafale review petition to Friday 10 May 2019, after learning that the hearing in the contempt case against Congress chief Rahul Gandhi had been segregated and posted for that date.
Australia – First Person Charged Under The New Laws On Porn Revenge In Western Australia
A 24-year-old, Perth man from Spearwood, has become the first person to be charged under Western Australia’s new revenge porn laws for allegedly creating fake Instagram pages under his ex-girlfriend’s name and sharing intimate photographs. This charge is under the Criminal Law Amendment (Intimate Images) Act 2018 which came into force on Monday 15 April. The man is due to appear before the family violence court at Fremantle magistrates court on Monday 20 May 2019.
INDIA – No One In Society Will Take Her As a Wife, Bombay HC declares Girl’s marriage to be valid for 14 years Old
The Bombay High Court (HC) has held the marriage of a 56-year-old advocate with a minor girl valid after she expressed her willingness to live with him after turning 18 in September 17 2018. The court’s rationale was that “no one in the society would accept her as a wife” and securing her future was of concern now. This was judged last week while hearing a petition filed by the advocate seeking to quash a rape case lodged against him for marrying the girl when she was just 14.
INDIA – Madras HC May Scorn TikTok If It Does Not Moderate Unwanted And Inappropriate Contents
On Wednesday 24 April 2019, the Madras High Court (HC) lifted its interim ban on video-sharing app TikTok, with the condition that pornographic videos would not be uploaded on the app. The Court’s public order states that “the Court considers TikTok submissions to it an undertaking that any “negative and inappropriate or obscene materials would be filtered and if any violation is found later, this Court would seriously view it as contempt of Court.” Reportedly, the order does not define what may be construed as negative, inappropriate or obscene. However, Tiktok seems to have given an assurance of due diligence, as required by law, and not a guarantee of taking down content.
Dubai – Unlawful Fundraising Can Get You To Jail For Up To Dh500,000 in UAE
It is illegal to raise money from the public in the UAE either for donations or charity without seeking prior approval from the competent authorities viz. General Authority of Islamic Affairs and Endowments (GAIAE) at the federal level or Islamic Affairs & Charitable Activities Department (IACAD) in the emirate of Dubai. The law is following Article No. 27 of Federal Law No. 5 of 2012 on combating cyber-crimes.
INDIA – Chandigarh: No Drugs for Rural Dispensaries
People residing in the rural areas of Punjab will continue to bear the brunt of non-availability of medicines in the government-run rural dispensaries for some time. The suppliers have refused to send drugs to dispensaries as payments, running into several crores of rupees, have not been cleared.
CANADA – Robyn Urback: There Is No Way To Seek Justice For Fetal Homicide Victims Without New Laws On Abortion
According to Canada’s Criminal Code Sec. 223 (1), a fetus becomes a human being when it has “completely proceeded, in a living state, from the body of its mother.” Reportedly, the bill was written in such a way as to protect women from being charged with an offence for having an abortion, since it specified a crime would only occur when someone was committing a violent act against a pregnant woman.
UNITED KINGDOM – Online political advertisements ‘Need A Change Law’
The director of regulation at the Electoral Commission, Louise Edwards has called for a change in the law to make online political adverts show clearly who paid for them. She further stated that “What we need and what we’re calling for, is an apparent change in the law to make parties and campaigners say on the face of their advert, who they are, who are paid for that advert and who is promoted”.
CANADA – Grieving Mother Says Make The Law For Children In Boats To Use Life Jackets
Cara McNulty, the mother of an 11-year-old son, Joshua Steinburg, who died in a boating accident on the St. Lawrence River on September 01 2018, is appealing to the Government to enact a federal law in Canada forcing children to wear life jackets. Now she has started a campaign to raise awareness about the fact that while federal law stipulates watercraft must carry life jackets for everyone onboard, there’s no law saying they have to be worn — even by children.
USA – New York Cracks Down On Employers Who Discard Workers With Criminal History
Tens of Millions of American people are hunted by their criminal record when they look for a job. As such recently, states and localities have been passing laws to prevent employers from unfairly rejecting works with criminal records. These laws are called “Ban the Box”. Reportedly New York is among 30 cities, states and counties that have passed ban the box laws that apply to private sector employers.
