India: Give Birth To A Third Child And Stand Disqualified From Contesting Panchayat Polls, Supreme Court Rules

The Supreme Court bench consisting of the CJI, Ranjan Gogoi and Justices KM Joseph and SK Kaul on Wednesday ruled that any candidate seeking an elective position in the Panchayat polls would stand qualified if he/she gives birth to three ‘live birth’. The court gave this ruling after hearing a petition filed by Mina Singh Majhi challenging the decision of an Orissa High Court to bar him from holding a post in Panchayat on the grounds that his wife gave birth to a third child in August 2002, after he was elected sarpanch in February of the same year.

India: Complete The Investigation Of CBI Director Within Two Weeks, Supreme Court Orders CVC

The Supreme Court on Thursday ordered the Central Vigilance Commission to complete the investigation of the CBI Director, Alok Verma within two weeks. The court further ordered the CBI to ensure that the probe is conducted under the direct supervision of a former and retired Supreme Court Judge, AK Patnaik. Recall that the Central government had ordered the CBI Director and his deputy to proceed on leave indefinitely in order to give room for a full-blown investigation. Verma had approached a court to reverse the order of the government.

New Zealand: Law Commission Proposes Three New Legal Models On Abortion

The Law Commission on Thursday proposed three new legal models which would solve the inherent challenges fraughting the current abortion laws. According to the Commission, the present laws on abortion are obsolete because it delays women seeking abortion services. Recall that Minister of Justice, Andrew Little had earlier proposed that abortion-related cases should be treated as health issues instead of criminal cases.

India: INX Media Case: Delhi HC Extends Interim Protection To A Former Union Minister

The Delhi High Court on Thursday ordered that the interim protection offered to a former Union Minister, P Chidambaram should be extended till November 29 in the INX Media case. The court gave the court after hearing a bail application filed by Chidambaram’s lawyers seeking to bar Enforcement Directorate from arresting him. Earlier, the court had ordered that the suspected Congress leader should not be arrested till October 25.

India: Bombay HC Hears Affidavits Filed By Sexual Harassment Victim Against Vikas Bahl

The Bombay High Court bench presided over by Justice SJ Kathawalla on Thursday expressed readiness to hear a sexual harassment case filed against Phantom Films Director, Vikas Bahl and others involved in the case. The country decided to hear the full details of the case on Thursday. As of the time of filing this report, the court has not passed any order. Recall that Bahl had filed a defamation suit in the same court against his partners and some media houses. Bahl had sought Rs 10 crore damages.

China: We’ll Give Priority To The New Law On FDI, Ministry Of Commerce Assures

The Chinese Ministry of Commerce on Thursday assured the international community that it would give priority to the new laws on foreign direct investment with a view to boosting investment liberalization. The assurance was given to the International Community by the Ministry’s Spokesperson, Gao Feng. Feng boasted that the new law will combine the nation’s three laws on a foreign direct investment in order to boost inflow of investment to the country.

India: Anti-defection Law: Madras HC Okays Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker’s Disqualification Of 18 AIADMK Lawmakers

The Madras high court in a ruling by a bench presided over by Justice M Sathyanarayanan on Thursday approved the decision of the Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker, P Dhanapal, which expelled about 18 rebel members of the house leveraging the anti-defection law. The order of the court means that AIADMK government is still safe with 107 votes in the event of a trust vote. The ruling government is considering an appeal at the apex court.

India: We Have Inspected Over 630 Idols Seized By The Police, ASI Tells Madras HC

The Archaeological Survey of India on Thursday told the bench of the Madras High Court presided over by Justice R Mahadevan that the organization has inspected over 630 idols which were seized by the idol wing of the police. The Regional Director of the organization informed the court through the Assistant Solicitor General, G Karthikeyan. Karthikeyan submitted a copy of the inspection report before the honorable court. Recall that the court had ordered the ASI to carry out the inspection on or before the 24th of October, 2018.

UAE: Australian Tourists Could Be Jailed For Not Declaring Prescription Drugs, Health Ministry Warns

The Health Ministry of UAE on Thursday warned that Australian tourists could be jailed if they failed to declare prescription drugs in their possession before arriving at the country’s airport. The warning was issued by the Ministry’s Spokesperson on Thursday. The Spokesperson advised all traveling tourists to abide by the new law by completing an online form to declare all the medications in their custody before boarding an Airplane to the UAE.

India: Illegal Telephone Exchange Case: Madras HC Reserves Judgement On A Suit Filed By Maran Brothers

The Madras High Court bench presided over by Justice AD Jagadish Chandira on Thursday reserved judgment on a suit instituted by the Maran brothers which sought to dismiss the charges brought upon them by a CBI Court. The CBI Court had press charges on the Maran brothers with respect to the alleged illegal telephone exchange case. The CBI Court had contended that the Maran brothers and others had established an illegal telephone exchange to favor their brother’s Sun TV Network.

India: DBA Launches Ambulance Services At The Court Complex

History was made on Thursday as the District Bar Association (DBA) launched unique ambulance services at the District Court complex. The ambulance services were launched by district Judge, Gurbir Singh. Other personalities that graced the occasion are the CP of police, Dr. Sukhchain Singh Gill, MD of Avon Cycles Limited, Onkar Singh Pahwa, and Deputy Development Commissioner, Dr. Shena Aggarwal, among others.

US: Pentagon To deploy Over 800 Troops To The US-Mexico Border Ahead Of The Midterm Election

In a bid to confront migrant caravan, the President Donald Trump administration on Thursday expressed readiness to deploy over 800 troops to the US-Mexico Border with less than two weeks to the midterm elections. This was revealed by the Defense Secretary, Jim Mattis on Thursday after a strategic meeting to brainstorm on how to curtail migrant caravan ahead of the schedule midterm polls.

US: No New Bomb-like Devices Found After The Ten Packages, FBI Says After Investigation

The Federal Bureau of Investigation on Thursday asserted that no new bomb-like devices were found apart from the 10 packages which it has investigated. The FBI also warned that members of the public should be on red alert for suspicious packages which may still be inherent in the mail. Recall that letter bombs were recently targeted at high-profile individuals, including Obama and Clinton.

Ireland: Law Firm To Sponsor Best Property Management Company Awards

A law firm based in Belfast, Keystone NI on Thursday expressed readiness to host the yearly  Belfast Telegraph Property Awards which is dubbed “Property Management Company awards”. According to a statement issued by the management of Keystone NI, the firm is hundred percent ready to sponsor the awards. The teams behind the law firm are Danny McKay, solicitor Jonny Mullan, and Jim Houston.

UK: Labor Identifies Loopholes In The Country’s Banking System

Labor on Thursday identified loopholes on how the country’s banking sector is being regulated by the Banking Royal Commission. Labor said the regulator lacked interrogative moral to defend bank customers in view of how the banks were using the legal system to crush bank customers. Labor made this known after a meeting it held with aggrieved bank customers.

Ireland: Offense Of Blasphemy: Irish Voters To Vote On Constitutional Review Today

In a bid to reposition the country into a diverse and secular society, voters in Ireland are set to decide today whether the offence of blasphemy should remain in the nation’s constitution or not. The referendum would be held to decide whether to expunge the word “blasphemy” from Article 40 of the country’s Constitution or not. Coincidentally, the referendum comes at a time voters will elect a new president.