Advay Vora

The Bench will hear Kejriwal’s plea in the last week of April; Enforcement Directorate to file response a week before that

In March 2024, Division Benches of the top court passed crucial orders which impact governance, elections and free speech

Justice Bose's tenure spanned five years, slightly below the average tenure of sitting judges

Justice Bose authored 13 judgements a year, during his five-year long tenure at the Supreme Court

Justice Aniruddha Bose authored 67 judgements during a five-year tenure

Petitioners argue that the Gujarat High Court favoured the seniority of judicial officers, and not their merits

Transfer to prevent “contradictory judgments” on the IT Rules 2021 from various High Courts, says Supreme Court

The Supreme Court stated that the establishment of a fact check unit under the Rules raise “serious constitutional questions”

Watch the story of the nature of royalty paid by mine leaseholders case which was recently heard by a nine-judge bench of the Supreme Court

The matrix breaks down 8 days of arguments before nine judges on whether royalty paid by mine leaseholder is a tax and if states can levy it

The appellants argued that there is no adverse consequence if state governments tax mines and minerals

Respondents argued that “royalty” was in the nature of tax as it was a mandatory financial obligation

Sharply departing from the submissions of his fellow respondents, the SG said that royalty and tax are not synonymous

Senior Advocate Harish Salve argued that states are the delegate of the Union government under the Mines Act, 1957

Senior Advocate Harish Salve stated that the limited power of the state to collect tax was justified for the purpose of “mineral development

The Land and Development Office was directed to consider the Aam Aadmi Partie’s application for an alternate land within four weeks

Senior Advocate Harish Salve argued that “royalty is akin to tax” under the Mines and Minerals Act

Appellants argued that state governments are competent to collect tax based on mineral produce

The Supreme Court reserved judgement in a case determining the minority institution status of Aligarh Muslim University

Senior Advocate Rakesh Dwivedi argues that the Mines Act never considered “royalty” as a form of “tax”

Justice Kaul’s 6.75 year long tenure was more than the average tenure of sitting judges in the Supreme Court

We highlight four aspects that stood out to us in the Court’s ruling on the unconstitutionality of the Electoral Bonds Scheme

We summarise the key contentions in the Aligarh Muslim University minority status case

SCO’s judgement matrix covers the key points in the two opinions which unanimously struck down the Union’s Electoral Bond Scheme

Advocate K. Parameshwar pointed out that land allotted to the Delhi High Court was encroached by the political party in power in Delhi

In January, the Supreme Court had a Constitution Bench hearing, delivered a judgement in the Bilkis Bano remission case, & appointed a judge

SCO’s matrix covers eight days of arguments in the Aligarh Muslim University Minority status case.

In the AMU hearings, respondents audaciously argued there were no minorities in colonial India. Will the Court consider it?

Petitioners argued that AMU retained the right to administer the institution as per its discretion

Respondents argued that AMU never demanded reservation for minorities in over 55 years

Senior Advocate Rakesh Dwivedi argued that the Supreme Court has evaded from defining the actual meaning of “minority” under Article 30

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta submitted that there was no legal mandate for AMU to have a Muslim run administration

The Union argued that a minority institution can only be established if there is an enabling legislation to permit it

The Bench held that the reasons expressed by the convicts did not justify a postponement of surrender beyond two weeks

Supreme Court should start prosecuting personnel identified by a Court appointed committee, argue petitioners

The Supreme Court called out the convicts' abuse of process in the Bilkis Bano case

Petitioners argued that AMU facilitates dreams of education among minority children and women

A Division Bench unanimously ordered the 11 convicts in the Bilkis Bano gangrape case to return to prison within two weeks

Petitioners argue that Article 30 was an alternate mechanism to grant reservation to religious minorities outside of the caste hierarchy

The Supreme Court directed the 11 convicts to report back to jail authorities within two weeks

The Bench held that the remission was illegal as the Gujarat Government usurped jurisdiction and abused the rule of law

Barring the matters on Governor’s powers, the Court landed on the side of the ruling party in key cases including defection & demonetisation

The Court displayed a progressive approach in certain high-profile cases involving the right to life. We highlight three significant cases

Senior Advocate A.M. Singhvi argued that the top Court was dealing with a complex constitutional issue on passage of bills by Governor

SG Mehta submits updated data on citizenships and foreigners detected in Assam under Section 6A

The Union government asserted that the parliament is constitutionally empowered to make specific citizenship laws

Petitioners contended that the provision violates Article 14 by creating an unreasonable classification for Assam among states

The Court directed the Governor and the Chief Minister to engage in a discussion and find a workable solution

A Human Rights committee set up by the Supreme Court claims there are 175 dead bodies across mortuaries in Manipur

Panellists discussed various possibilities on the best way to regulate internet shutdowns, net neutrality and hate speech on social media

Panellists discussed the need for more empathetic approaches to indigenous people in the societal and legal realms

Senior Advocate A.M. Singhvi argued that the Vijay Madanlal judgement incorrectly upheld provisions which were declared unconstitutional

Senior Advocate Vijay Hansaria argued that the Supreme Court erred when it upheld electoral freebies in an older judgement

Prolonged appointments pending since July 2023 breached the timeline set by the Supreme Court for appointing judges

The Bench noted that there is a huge mismatch between parents who wish to adopt and children available for adoption

A Division Bench held that five provisions of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code do not violate principles of natural justice

Currently, there are 327 vacancies out of 1369 positions in the state of Tamil Nadu

A Division Bench directed the Attorney General to engage in a “fruitful discussion” with the Union Government over pending recommendations

What happened at the Supreme Court in October 2023? We recap all the notable developments.

Madhya Pradesh, Punjab & Haryana High Courts to submit timeline for the direct recruitment of district judges

Disqualification proceedings of Nationalist Congress Party members are to be concluded by 31 January 2024.

Four cases were in the forefront of the Article 370 Constitution Bench hearings. What was their relevance?

Justice S.R. Bhat’s four year tenure falls short of the average tenure of a Supreme Court judge.

Justice S. Ravindra Bhat wrote a little more judgements than his peers who served for four years at the Supreme Court

Justice Bhat retires after a four-year tenure with 142 judgements to his name

The Court directed the Union and state governments to ensure that queer persons are protected from violence and discrimination

SCO’s judgement matrix breaks down each judge’s opinion in the marriage equality judgement

A five-judge Constitution Bench held that there is no fundamental right to marry for sexual minorities in India

Petitioners highlight the ill intentioned and arbitrary nature of the remission granted to the convicts

Advocate Shobha Gupta also cited precedents to argue that the nature of crime and its impact on society must be considered in remission

Over two days, the bench heard arguments from ten lawyers on the correctness of the decision in Narasimha Rao v State

Senior Advocate Raju Ramachandran said that “it is not for the court to find perfect solutions for all moral dilemmas.”

The proceedings in the Bilkis Bano convict remission case have opened up some vital questions about subjectivity and standards

The CJI-led bench also directed the Manipur Bar Association to ensure that lawyers belonging to all communities can safely appear in courts

Our explainer distils the key issue and conclusions in four prominent Supreme Court precedents

In 2023, a Constitution Bench has assembled almost each month to tackle matters of public importance

‘If the victim cannot approach, then who can approach?’ asks Justice B.V. Nagarathna

Supreme Court raps Maharashtra Legislative Assembly Speaker for not acting on 34 disqualification petitions of 56 MLAs

The Court stayed proceedings under all First Information Reports filed against members of the guild.

Senior Advocate Siddharth Luthra argued that convicts must be allowed to “atone” for their offences

The Bench heard arguments for 60+ hours over 16 days. Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal argued the longest, followed by SG Mehta

Breakdown of 60+ hours of arguments in the challenge to the repeal of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status

The Court declined the Union’s request to “defer” hearings until the Parliament enacts a new penal code

The SC held that immunity against arrest does not extend to older pending cases after the provision granting immunity is struck down

DESK BRIEF: The Bilkis Bano Convict Remission case has exposed the gap between theory and practice in criminal justice administration

The Bench recorded that the fines were deposited without the approval of the Supreme Court.

SG Tushar Mehta argued that Jammu & Kashmir has seen rapid development since it was made a Union Territory.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta argued that removing Art. 370 was Union’s way to rectify the mistakes of the past.

The Supreme Court has seen a continuous stream of promising reforms under nine-months of Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud.

Supreme Court accepts SG Mehta’s contention that “security issues” in Manipur would make it difficult to conduct trials there

Court records confusion over whether opinion of the presiding judge of Maharashtra court was sought by the Gujarat government

22 petitioners, 17 counsel, nine days of hearing. SCO’s matrix will help you navigate who argued what

The Committee submitted three reports related to the reconstruction of lost documents, payment of compensation and appointment of experts

SCO curates five pieces that cast a critical eye on the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023

DESK BRIEF: The Supreme Court has seen a continuous stream of promising reforms within nine-months under Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud.

Senior Advocate C.S. Vaidyanathan also contended that the information sought raises privacy concerns and counters “contemporary views"

ASG S.V. Raju contended that the remission was based on a straightforward application of the 1992 Gujarat Policy.

SCO examines the major differences between key provisions of the Delhi Service Ordinance and the Delhi Service Bill.

Petitioner lawyers argued in favour of the maintainability of PILs and against the legality of remission granted to the convicts.

Senior Advocate Sidharth Luthra and Adv. Rishi Malhotra argued that third parties could not interfere in criminal proceedings.

Adv. Shobha Gupta argued that the decision to release the convicts was ‘arbitrary’.

The Court appointed a committee of retired High Court judges and an independent former IPS Officer to oversee multiple issues in Manipur

Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal argued that the process of abrogating Article 370 was a political ploy.

The Supreme Court directed the Manipur government to give a detailed breakdown of 6,523 FIRs filed in the violence.

SCO tracks the evolution of Article 370 from 1947.

SC upheld Amendments allowing the Union to extend tenures of CBI and ED Directors. The extension granted to Mr. S.K Mishra was held illegal.

Precedents indicate that the Supreme Court has frequently directed the deployment of paramilitary forces to maintain law and order.

The top court of India hears cases for 190 days a year, a significantly higher workload compared to its counterparts worldwide.

The Supreme Court quashed the Gujarat High Court’s rejection of bail to Teesta Setalvad, calling its reasoning perverse.

The report contains details of security and relief measures including restoration of internet access and relaxed curfew hours.

The Supreme Court directed the Manipur Government to consider suggestions made by the petitioners within 3 days.

A Division Bench ordered the petitioners to scrutinise the status report filed by the Manipur Govt. and revert with suggestions on Tuesday.

Justice Krishna Murari authored 64 judgements during his 3.75 year long tenure.

Justice Krishna Murari retired on July 8th, 2023 with an overall authorship rate of 21%

Justice Krishna Murari authored 64 judgements, at a rate of 17 judgements per year.

Petitioners expressed their intention to intervene in the pending challenge to the internet shutdown before the Manipur High Court.

SCO recaps the Supreme Court's activity in June where we saw new Constitution Benches and the retirement of three judges.

A 3-Judge Bench directed the State of Manipur to file a fresh status report detailing the present situation of Manipur on Monday.

June saw the formation of a new Constitution Bench and the retirement of three judges.

Justice Ramasubramanian authored 102 judgements during his tenure at the Supreme Court, and was a part of leading Constitution Benches.

If the seniority principle is followed, these 8 Judges will lead the Supreme Court of India as Chief Justice till 2031.

A Judge elevated from the Bar serves longer than the expected average tenure of a Supreme Court Judge.

Comedian Kunal Kamra argues that the Rules will lead to censorship and overregulation of online content.

The Bench held that public officials' Freedom of Speech cannot be restricted by other fundamental rights claims.

The Supreme Court will decide the constitutional validity of the Internet shutdown in Manipur.

Curative Petitions are the final remedy where the SC can reconsider a dismissed review petition. SCO tracks notable Curative petitions.

Justice Rastogi authored judgements in 31.5% of the benches that he was a part of.

Justice Ajay Rastogi was the fourth highest judgement contributor at the SC.

In his 4.5 year tenure, Justice Rastogi was the 4th most prolific judgement author amongst his peers.

Justice Joseph, among the most prolific judgement writers at the SC, wrote 4 Constitution Bench Judgements in 2023 alone.

The decline in half-year pendency numbers is a hopeful sign that pendency may drop further in 2023.

SCO recaps the Supreme Court's activity in May.

May saw the most Constitution Bench Judgements this year, and saw the retirement and appointments of two judges.

Citing National Security, the 279th Law Commission report recommended increased punishment and wider application of Sedition Law

SCO recaps the institutional developments from March to May 2023.

What key cases were heard during the Supreme Court's summer session? SCO reviews.

With SC on summer vacation, SCO recaps the notable judgements of the summer session of 2023.

A 5-Judge Bench upheld the practice of Jallikattu, Kambala and Bailgada Sharyat

A Constitution Bench clarified its powers to grant divorce under Article 142 of the Indian Constitution

By a 4:1 majority, the Supreme Court upheld the validity of the Union's 2016 Demonetisation Scheme. SCO breaks down the Judgement.

SC Judgments in the challenge to the Hijab Ban and on abortion laws for married women were important milestones in equality for women.

The post-summer session of the Court saw pendency drop by almost 2,500 cases. Will this trend continue?

Prof. Sandeep Shukla from IIT Kanpur warned about the insidious and dangerous way in which the Pegasus spyware operates.

Mr. Paranjoy Guha Thakurta expressed concern regarding the effect of Pegasus on Freedom of Speech and criticised the Union's stance.