India: Sharia Court Decision On Marriage: Supreme Court To Consider A Woman’s Plea

The Supreme Court of India is set to consider a Muslim woman’s plea in a suit she filed in order to declare the setting up of Sharia courts as unconstitutional for deciding on divorce, marriage, and other family cases. A bench comprising, Justices A M Khanwilkar, Chief Justice Dipak Misra,and D Y Chandrachud, asked the woman to file an application to intervene as a party in a batch of pleas challenging the practice of polygamy and ‘nikah halala’ among Muslims.

India: PMC Lawyers To Get Case-Base Payment

Lawyers serving with the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) will start receiving their payment on case-based henceforth. This policy will replace the practice of monthly payment. This was made known by the head of PMC’s legal department, Ravindra Thorat. Over 1,400 cases are in various courts awaiting judgment. Thorat added that the shift in the payment pattern is geared towards speeding up the court cases that are still pending in court.

India: US May Not Collaborate With India On Security At 2+2 Meeting

On September 6, the United States and India will hold a 2+2 security meeting. There are indications that the two countries may not sign a security Pact at the meeting. Officials from both countries have agreed that an announcement could be made between the two countries with regards to the Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement (COMCASA), however, signing the policy document is not guaranteed. Lawyers from both countries are looking into the document. In the previous week, the lawyers did some adjustments in the text, one of them familiar with the process said.

India: Elgar Parishad Probe: Pune Special Court Grants Extension To The Police

A special court sitting in Pune on Sunday granted a 90-day extension to the police in Pune for them to file charges against the five activists who were arrested due to a protest on June 6.  The police in Pune had arrested activists Rona Wilson (from Delhi), Sudhir Dhawale (from Mumbai), academician Soma Sen from Nagpur, lawyer Surendra Gadling from Nagpur, and former PMRD fellow Mahesh Raut from Nagpur during simultaneous raids on June 6 in relation to the Elgar Parishad probe.

India: Ex-Supreme Court Solicitor General Calls For Evolving Laws

Former Supreme Court Solicitor General, K.V. Biswanathan, on Sunday called for evolving laws which would change the society and would not overturn precedents. He made the suggestion during a lecture on “Precedent: Problem of Plenty” on the occasion of the 29th death anniversary of legal luminary Ranjit Mahanty. He suggested that the constitution should be amended to resolve the imbroglio when judges are caught between justice and precedent.

India: Pet Shop Regulation: High Court Grants Two Weeks Timeframe For The Centre To Notify Rules

A High Court sitting in Delhi has granted two weeks timeframe to the Central government in order to notify regulations on pet shops. The court warned that failure to abide by the two weeks timeframe could spell doom for the country’s justice system. A bench of Justice V K Rao and Chief Justice Rajendra Menon passed the ruling after the centre sought additional two weeks timeframe for it to notify the regulation.

India: Pending Criminal Cases: High Court in Bombay, Punjab, and Haryana Ranks High

President Ram Nath Kovind, on Saturday, expressed serious concern over the pendency of court cases in the country. The president made this known at a conference in New Delhi. The backlog in the High Courts was over 32 lakh as of September 1, while subordinate courts account for the bulk of pending cases across courts. According to data at the disposal of the National Judicial Data Grid. The court cases include more than 14 lakh civil cases and 7 lakh criminal cases, the rest being writ petitions. Nearly two of these cases have been pending for over ten years, and another three between five and ten years.

Scotland: Promulgate Laws That Will Protect Police Dogs, Holyrood Ministers Urge Scottish Government

Holyrood Ministers on Sunday urged the Scottish Government to give police dogs the protection they deserve. The ministers advised that the government should include plans to make attacking dogs an offense. The government will unveil plans for 12 bills after the summer break on Tuesday. Right now, in Scotland, it is not a crime to kill or injure a police dog, but with the UK Government having signaled its support for such a change, SNP ministers are being encouraged to follow suit.

Malaysia: Lesbian Sex: Mob Cain Two Malaysian Women For Violating Islamic Law

Two Malaysian women were caned on Monday for violating Islamic law on lesbian sex. This caning was done despite an outcry from activists. The case has sparked widespread condemnation. Activists said it is a bad development for the gay community in the country. Activists said it was the first time women in Malaysia would be caned for violating a sharia regulation which forbids same-sex relations.

Egypt: Government Ratifies Laws Monitoring Social Media Users

The Egyptian government has ratified a law granting government agencies the legal right to monitor social media users in the country as part of tightening internet controls. This was revealed on Saturday by an official gazette. The law had been approved by the parliament in July. Egypt’s Supreme Council for Media Regulations will now have the power to monitor social media users with more than 5,000 followers. The council can suspend or block any personal account which publishes or broadcasts fake news or anything (information) inciting violating the law, violence or hatred.

UAE: Tourist Visas: New Rules Underway, UAE Assures

The UAE government has assured that new rules on the tourist visa are underway. The was made known by the UAE Cabinet in a recent release. Tourists traveling to the UAE would not need to pay visa fees for their dependents that are18 years or below. The new fee regime will be applicable between July 15 and September 15 every year. This development is expected to boost tourist numbers during the off-peak season.

Singapore: It’s Time To Abolish Caning, Analyst Urges Government

A political analyst, M Ravi, at the weekend urged the Singaporean government to abolish caning and other archaic laws. Ravi said “the media is buzzing with news about Roach, a Canadian national who committed robbery at Stanchart Bank in Singapore. Roach who is in Britain now, will be extradited to Singapore soon following an undertaking was given by the Singapore government to the British government that Roach will not be caned. The word is that the President of Singapore will ultimately pardon him from being caned.” Ravi added that “has the President of Singapore ever pardoned a Singaporean from being caned on exceptional grounds? I will be happy to be proven otherwise.”

US: Allege Employment Discrimination: EEOC Charges Adecco USA

A staffing agency, Adecco USA, Inc. has been charged by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) for violating federal laws by refusing to offer a candidate employment at a production facility based on his actual and perceived disability. According to the EEOC’s lawsuit, in April 2016, a potential employee with learning and other mental disabilities has been discriminated on the ground of test failure. The applicant requested that the test be read to him for purposes of test administration, which Adecco initially declined, causing him to fail the test.