- Supreme Court Issues Notice on PIL Seeking Legal Education Commission to Review Law Course Duration
The Supreme Court issued notice on a Public Interest Litigation calling for the creation of a Legal Education Commission. The plea seeks a review of the curriculum and the duration of LL. B and LL.M programs in India. The petitioner contended that the current five-year integrated law course may be unnecessarily prolonged and structured with financial motives. The Court has sought responses, bringing focus to long-standing concerns over legal education reform in the country.
2. Supreme Court Questions Justice Yashwant Varma’s Challenge to In-House Committee After Participation
The Supreme Court questioned Justice Yashwant Varma for challenging the legality of the in-house committee only after its report was submitted. The bench asked why, if he believed the committee to be unconstitutional, he chose to appear before it and waited for the findings. The committee had indicted him following the recovery of a large sum of unaccounted cash from his official residence in Delhi. The Court is examining the procedural and constitutional implications of his conduct.
3. Supreme Court Seeks Answers from IIT Kharagpur on Student Suicides
The Supreme Court expressed concern over the recurring student suicides at IIT Kharagpur and questioned whether the institute has seriously addressed the issue. A Bench led by Justices JB Pardiwala and R Mahadevan took an unfavourable view of the situation and asked the institution to reflect on possible systemic issues contributing to student distress. The matter highlights the urgent need for mental health support and accountability within premier educational institutions.
4. Contractual Arbitration Clause Cannot Override Statutory Arbitration: Supreme Court
The Supreme Court ruled that a contractual arbitration clause cannot override a statutory arbitration mechanism when one is mandated by law. The Court emphasized that once a party submits to a statutory arbitral process, it cannot abandon it midway and initiate private arbitration for the same dispute. The judgment reinforces the binding nature of statutory arbitration and prevents parallel or successive proceedings under different frameworks for identical matters.
5. Supreme Court Directs Courts Not to Grant Bail Based Solely on Monetary Undertakings
The Supreme Court has directed all High Courts and trial courts to avoid granting regular or anticipatory bail merely on the basis of undertakings by accused persons or their families to deposit money. The Court observed that litigants often misuse such promises and later fail to comply, effectively taking the judicial system for a ride. The ruling reinforces the principle that bail decisions must rest on legal merit and not on financial assurances alone.
6. Supreme Court Upholds Acquittal of Pandher and Koli in Nithari Killings
The Supreme Court dismissed the CBI’s appeals challenging the acquittal of Moninder Singh Pandher and Surendra Koli in the Nithari killings case. In 2023, the Allahabad High Court had overturned the trial court’s conviction and death sentences, citing lack of evidence and procedural lapses. The Supreme Court upheld this verdict, effectively closing one of India’s most gruesome and high-profile murder cases from 2005–2006 in Noida.
7. Supreme Court Criticises Inaction on Thermal Power Reforms, Seeks Decarbonisation Plan
The Supreme Court directed the Ministry of Power to hold a joint meeting with key energy regulators to develop a roadmap for reducing carbon emissions from coal-based thermal power plants. Hearing the case Ridhima Pandey v. Union of India & Ors., the bench of Justices PS Narasimha and AS Chandurkar expressed concern over delays, warning that continued inaction could worsen air quality in the Delhi-NCR region. The Court emphasized the urgent need for coordinated regulatory efforts toward environmental sustainability.
8. Supreme Court: Lawyers Not Immune from Prosecution for Criminal Conduct
The Supreme Court held that lawyers cannot claim immunity from prosecution if there is material suggesting their involvement in criminal activity. Declining to quash proceedings against a lawyer accused of conspiring with the main accused, the Court observed that even phone call records can be sufficient to initiate criminal action. It reaffirmed that legal professionals are subject to the same standards of criminal accountability as any other citizen when credible evidence is presented.
9. Supreme Court Declines PIL Seeking Application of PoSH Act to Political Parties
The Supreme Court refused to entertain a petition seeking the enforcement of the PoSH Act, 2013, on political parties. The petitioner highlighted the failure of political parties to comply with the Act, especially in constituting Internal Complaints Committees. However, the Court held that the issue falls within the legislative domain of Parliament and not the judiciary, emphasizing the separation of powers and limitations on judicial intervention in matters of political regulation.
10. Supreme Court Questions BJP Leader’s Sensitivity in Defamation Case Against Shashi Tharoor
The Supreme Court questioned BJP leader Rajiv Babbar’s defamation case against Congress MP Shashi Tharoor for his remark comparing Prime Minister Narendra Modi to a scorpion. A Bench of Justices MM Sundresh and N Kotiswar Singh asked why individuals in public life should be so sensitive to such comments, suggesting the matter did not warrant criminal proceedings. The Court urged the petitioner to consider closing the case, highlighting the importance of tolerance in political discourse.
