-The Indian Express   A day after Rajya Sabha members cutting across party lines attacked the higher judiciary’s collegium system of appointment, an indignant Supreme Court found its voice in the farewell speech of a retiring Justice. Justice VS Sirpurkar, whom Chief Justice of India SH Kapadia referred to as a “jolly good fellow” in his address, said the sight on TV was “not at all digestible”. “The country is at crossroads. It was...

Facing an impeachment motion, Calcutta High Court judge Soumitra Sen, who appeared before the Rajya Sabha today, claimed that he was being made the “sacrificial lamb to cleanse the judiciary”, and that the allegations of misconduct and misappropriation of funds against him were part of a predetermined move to remove him. Pointing a finger at former Chief Justice of India K G Balakrishnan for recommending his impeachment, Sen said: “The real...

Laws dealing with land and property have led to a maximum number of constitutional amendments and litigation in the Supreme Court over the decades. Even after these, the law and its interpretation are hazy. Some of the Supreme Court’s judgments are awaiting reconsideration by larger Benches — one was in the files for nearly 15 years and another for six years. Successive chief justices have avoided opening the chamber of...

The Supreme Court has converted a high-powered committee of the Government of India, on the issue of black money, into an SIT under its own direction. This is an expression of no-confidence in the executive. The government’s intention in tackling either the problem of black economy or bringing back the black savings stashed abroad is suspect. According to reports, the money stashed abroad by the corrupt businessmen, politicians and others...

-Express News Service   The Supreme Court on Wednesday quashed the invocation of emergency clause by the Mayawati government to acquire private land for the construction of a district jail without hearing objections raised by the aggrieved land owners. “The series of events shows lethargy and lackadaisical attitude of the state government,” a bench of Justices G S Singhvi and H L Dattu observed against the manner in which the state government...