During the last 10 days two land acquisition notifications have been set aside. The Punjab and Haryana High Court (HC) has quashed a Haryana government’s 2002 notification for inappropriately releasing land to private developers. Similarly, the Allahabad High Court has repealed a UP government’s notification under which land was acquired for a private project in 2005. Both notifications have been cancelled on account of procedural lapses. However, these rulings highlight...

Year 2010 could go down in history as a watershed for undertrial prisoners, who for long have been the silent victims of apathy of the police, prosecuting agencies, prison authorities and judiciary. The UPA government is setting a six-month deadline, starting January 26, for the release of 1.25 lakh of the 1.7 lakh undertrials languishing in jail though booked for petty offences and despite having served a major part of...

The Supreme Court has struck a blow against a menace “as old as human civilisation”, saying Courts cannot sanction encroachments even if the land-grabbers are poor. In a ruling last week in a case that went back over 40 years, a two-judge bench said it was “necessary to remember” that no amount of vigil could stop unauthorised occupation of public land by “unscrupulous” elements who “act like vultures”. Justices G.S. Singhvi and...

Women’s groups have demanded a comprehensive legislation to address rape and sexual assault. A delegation that met Union Law Minister Veerappa Moily earlier this week, said there was a need to incorporate various substantive and procedural sections in the Indian Penal Code, Criminal Procedure Code and the Indian Evidence Act to deal with child sexual assault and sexual assault against women. Archaic definition In a memorandum to the Minister, the...

Substantial questions of law are involved  The issues of applicability of the Right to Information Act to the office of the Chief Justice of India should be finally decided by the Supreme Court as substantial questions of law and general importance were involved, Attorney-General G.E. Vahanvati said on Friday. Speaking to The Hindu, Mr. Vahanvati, who appeared on behalf of the Secretary-General of the Supreme Court, said: “Various people have publicly...