India: Central Government Writes States, Union Territories On The Amendment Of SC/ST Law
The Central government through the Union Home Ministry on Tuesday alerted State governments and Union Territories through a letter on the amendment of Scheduled Tribes and Scheduled Castes. This is coming some days after the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, Shivraj Singh Chouhan assured that the amended law would not be misused and that no individual would be arrested before the conclusion of the investigation. The Centre in the letter expressed dismay over low conviction rates, the decline in complete cases, and a massive spike in pendency.
India: Passing Of NEET Exam, A Condition To Study Medicine Abroad, Delhi HC Declares
The Delhi High Court bench of justices A K Chawla and S Ravindra Bhat on Tuesday upheld the decision of the Medical Council of India regarding the passing of NEET Examinations before proceeding to study medicine in foreign countries. The court made the declaration after hearing the pleas from parties involved in the case. “From next year, any student desirous of studying medicine overseas must pass the NEET test”, the court declared.
UK: UK PM Announces Freedom To Choose Civil Partnership
The British Prime Minister, Theresa May on Tuesday announced that couples were now at liberty to engage in a civil partnership. The announcement by the Prime Minister followed an earlier judgment by the Supreme Court which concretized the practice. May said the practice will address the perceived imbalance between same-sex couples and mixed-sex couples. A right activist who promoted the practice said: “it’s a step in the right direction”.
India: BCI Queries Two Law Colleges Over Non-Inspection Of The Colleges
The Bar Council of India (BCI) on Tuesday despatched notices to New Law College and SNDT law college over failure to allow it inspect their premises. The Council gave the colleges six weeks each to respond to the notice. Failure to respond within six weeks might result in withdrawal of accreditation and graduates of these colleges might not be mobilized to enroll as lawyers. In a statement by the two colleges, they acknowledged receipt of the notice and pledged to respond within the time limit.
India: Confusion Over Use Of Aadhaar For E-KYC By Private Firms
There is uncertainty in the use of Aadhaar by verifying the identity of individuals by private firms. Recall that the Nation’s apex court struck down section 57 recently, meaning all private firms have been barred from using Aadhaar to verify the identity of the customers. A Supreme Court lawyer, Rahul Narayan in an interview on Tuesday asserted that though the court has barred private firms from using Aadhaar, yet a few sections of both legal and corporate sectors believe that the law requires deeper interpretation.
US: Brett Kavanaugh Won’t Return To Class, Harvard University Says Amid Students Protest
Harvard University Management on Monday night in a move to douse students unrest said in a press release that the Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh won’t return to teach students of the law school. The students were protesting the attempt by Kavanaugh to return to class after an allegation of sexual misconduct. As of Tuesday, it was unclear whether Kavanaugh has withdrawn his intention of getting the Supreme Court top job.
India: Official Data Reveals Inadequate Senior Law Officers In India
India is currently fraught with a shortage of senior law officers, data from the Ministry of Law revealed on Tuesday. According to the data, there are over 15,000 pending cases in various courts in the country. The data also showed that the position of Solicitor General has been vacant since October 20, 2017, when Ranjeet Kumar resigned from office. Other vacant positions are additional Solicitor General which has dropped from 11 to the present 7.
India: Ericsson Petitions SC Over Anil Ambani’s Attempt To Leave India
Ericsson, whose headquarters is in Sweden but with offices in India, on Tuesday petitioned the Supreme Court Over an attempt by Anil Ambani to flee the country. Ericsson is praying the Supreme Court to prevent Anil Ambani from leaving the country over unpaid dues. Recall that Ericsson had agreed to settle the matter out of court by reducing the dues from Rs 1,600 crore to Rs 550 crore, but Anil Ambani was not willing to pay.
Quebec: Newly Elected Government Could Enact Strict Marijuana Laws
Results from yesterday’s election are pouring in. There are indications that the Coalition Avenir Quebec party will emerge victorious in the election. The party had promised several high-hopes legislations during the campaign. However, political analysts are of the view that the CAQ party could enact strict laws with regards to marijuana. Recall that one of the many promises of the CAQ party was to raise the minimum age of smokers to 21.
India: Bad News For Those Leveraging HUFs To Split And Save Taxes
This is not the best of times for families relying on the Hindu Undivided Family tool to split and save taxes. The HUF tool falls under the purview of the Indian Income Tax Act, 1961. Recently, the Law Commission recommended the abolition of HUFs due to tax losses on the part of the government. The proposed recommendation by the Law Commission is on the grounds that the government is losing massive revenue, hence, the tool should not be sustained.
India: Ex-Chief Justice Of Bangladesh Urges India To Support Democracy, Rule Of Law In Bangladesh
A former Bangladeshi Chief Justice, Surendra Kumar Sinha, 67, on Tuesday sought the support of India over democracy and the rule of law in Bangladesh, begging the Indian government not to ignore the will of the Bangladeshi masses. Sinha is currently seeking political asylum in the United States after he was ousted from office. Sinha alleged that he opposed autocratic and undemocratic principles of the present government in Bangladesh. The Bangladesh PM, Sheikh Hasina had earlier refuted the allegation of high-handedness levied on his government by Sinha.
Australia: Family Law Becoming Complex, Justice John Pascoe Says
The outgoing Family Court’s Chief Judge, John Pascoe on Tuesday said the family law currently invoked in the country was becoming increasingly complex. Pascoe made this remark in a conference of Nation Family Law in Brisbane. Pascoe asserted that a Royal Commission should be constituted to review the failings of the present family laws. Earlier in the year, the country’s Attorney General had announced that the government is considering merging Federal Circuit Court with the Family Court to reduce the cost of justice.
India: Bombay HC Asks Offenders To Do Community Service
The Bombay High Court bench of justices Bharati Dangre and Ranjit More on Monday in a unique punishment ordered two youths named Singh Sethi and Kunwar Singh Sethi to carry out community service before their offense can be quashed. The duo had threatened a restaurant owner at the Versova beach to serve them free liquor, after which the BKC police booked them for the offense. The court subsequently asked the youngsters to clean up the beach located in the state for at least one whole month.
Ireland: Government Proposes Law To Bar ‘Spouse Killer’ From Financial Benefits
The Irish government on Tuesday proposed a new law which will bar spouse killer from benefiting financially in a domestic violence case resulting in the death of a spouse. The government made the pronouncement after a man named Eamonn Lillis collected a whopping 1.3 million Euros from the estate of his dead wife, despite serving prison terms for killing his wife in Dublin.
US: US Justice Department Sues California Government Over passage Of Net Neutrality Law
Hours after the California Governor, Jerry Brown signed the state’s net neutrality law, the President Donald Trump administration through the Justice Department has filed a lawsuit against the state government. The move by the federal government is seen by industry watchers as a plot to ease out access to the Internet. Recall that last year Federal Communications Commission had slashed Internet access in the country.
Canada: Cosmetic Cruelty Law: A Bill To Prohibit Practice Underway
The Canadian government is proposing to introduce a bill which stops the practice of using animals to test the potency of cosmetic products. The government gave the indication on Tuesday following a hashtag campaign #BeCrueltyFree trending on various social media platforms. The campaign was initiated by the Animal Alliance of Canada and the Humane Society International in June.
