Supreme Court Observer

🌞 Good morning! 🕰️ The Supreme Court has heard 17 days of arguments in the challenge to the Bihar SIR. With the state elections now concluded under the revised roll and the exercise continuing in nine other states, the question is whether adjudication can keep pace with time-bound administrative steps: https://bit.ly/4rKeiWG 🗓️November saw the Court issue its opinion on a Presidential Reference and the beginning of CJI Surya Kant’s long tenure. Our monthly review: https://bit.ly/3KHo5Ml 🗂 The latest issue of SCO.LR is out — featuring key judgements on stamp duty exemptions, dying declarations, GST on residential buildings, the Muslim Women Act and disability rights: https://bit.ly/4iFI5e

🌞 Good morning! 🕰 The Supreme Court has heard 17 days of arguments in the challenge to the Bihar SIR. Meanwhile, the Bihar elections have concluded under the revised roll. As the exercise continues in 9 other states, we explore the gaps between adjudication and time-sensitive administrative action: https://bit.ly/4rKeiWG 🌿Advoate Gulnar A. Mistry reviews the Vanashakti judgement, analysing how the Court’s reasoning risks reducing binding statutory safeguards to optional directions: https://bit.ly/4iIexgR ⚖ Two weeks into CJI Surya Kant’s tenure, how is he setting the tone for his 14-month term? Read to find out: https://bit.ly/4pZokl7

🌞 Good morning 📕Reflecting on 75 years of India’s constitutional journey, V. Krishna Ananth’s book illuminates how State power, popular movements and institutional negotiations have reshaped the living document. Read the book review here: https://bit.ly/48v56fT 📑 Yesterday, the Bench of CJI Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi stressed on the State's role in easing hardships for Booth Level Officers involved in the SIR exercise. Hearing report: https://bit.ly/4pk3oW5 🚨This week, the Court adjourned the bail plea of Umar Khalid and others arrested in the 2020 Delhi Riots conspiracy case to 10 December. Khalid has been in prison for more than five years. We track the timeline of his bail applications: https://bit.ly/4iX4u7T

🌄 Good Morning! 🌳 In our latest commentary, Advocate Gulnar A. Mistry explains how the Court upended settled legal principles and effectively reversed the rule of precedents by upholding retrospective environmental clearances in the Vanashakti review: https://bit.ly/48P2oTM ⏪ The Supreme Court’s decision in Vanashakti reversed a ruling by another Bench. This raises an important question: is this an anomaly or part of a broader pattern? Our commentary examines similar reversals by coordinate benches over the past six months: https://bit.ly/44prRAX 👨🏻‍⚖ What has the Court itself said on this? A Bench of Justices Dipankar Datta and A.G. Masih recently observed that this emerging trend of overturning earlier verdicts poses a threat to the finality guaranteed under Article 141: https://bit.ly/3XrvdPP

🍀Good morning! 🗳️ In the challenge to the SIR in Bihar, the Supreme Court cautioned petitioners from making “sweeping assertions” against the Election Commission: https://bit.ly/44HrsJW ⚖️ Petitioners in the Delhi riots case argued yesterday that prolonged custody cannot rest on speeches alone, pointing to years of delay, multiple supplementary chargesheets, and the absence of any act tying them to the violence: https://bit.ly/4pjEWnC 📚 A deep dive into CJI Gavai’s final week shows a Court repeatedly revisiting its own judgments, raising questions about finality of a judicial verdict: https://bit.ly/44prRAX 🗂️ The latest issue of SCO.LR is out, covering judgements on arbitration, auction-sale objections, finality of decisions, cheque-dishonour and bail on parity: https://bit.ly/3Y7pJtG

🌱 Good Morning! ⌨️ The Supreme Court yesterday refused to extend the six-month deadline for registering Waqf Properties. More in our hearing report: https://bit.ly/4oqCsm4 🔍 The Court also sought compliance reports from States on filling of vacancies at the Central Information Commission: https://bit.ly/43ZLGOU ☁️ Yesterday, CJI Surya Kant asked the Union to file a report on the measures taken to tackle Delhi’s air pollution: https://bit.ly/48pSd6S ✨ New issue of SCO.LR with 5 important judgements from last week is out. Catch Volume 12 Issue 1 here: https://bit.ly/4ooap6L

🌻 Good Morning! 🔄 Last week, the Supreme Court delivered a Judgement that offered an unusually candid institutional reflection, noting a growing trend of benches overturning earlier verdicts of the Court. It warned that such instances undermine the finality of a verdict. More: https://bit.ly/3XrvdPP 📂 Today, the Court is expected to take up the case concerning the vacancies in Central and state information commissions. In the previous hearing, petitioners had warned that the delay in filling vacancies is effectively defeating the purpose of the RTI Act: https://bit.ly/43vlKKU ⏹ On Friday, the Court directed that the Maharashtra local body polls may continue elections as scheduled. It stated that any further election notifications should comply with the 50 percent ceiling on reservations: https://bit.ly/3K6T30l

☀ Good morning! 🗳 Yesterday, petitioners challenging the Bihar SIR argued that the ECI sought documents that are beyond statutory requirements: https://bit.ly/4ioQlQf 📺 In the aftermath of the Ranveer Allahabadia controversy, the Union government informed the Court yesterday that it is drafting guidelines for regulating user-generated content on the Internet: https://bit.ly/43SuquU 📚 What happens now when a Governor sits on a state bill? In our commentary, Pranav Verma, Assistant Professor (Law) at NLSIU, writes that the Court’s advisory opinion steps back from the Tamil Nadu judgement and leaves broad discretion with the Governors: https://bit.ly/4ipl93y

🌻 Good Morning! 📖 As India marks 76 years of the Constitution, V. Krishna Ananth asks us to look beyond the legal text and reflect on the idea of India embedded within its pages. Read the excerpt: https://bit.ly/4iodO4h 🪑 With CJI Surya Kant taking charge, the Supreme Court Collegium has been reconstituted. Here’s what stands out in the new lineup: https://bit.ly/4ijX9i5 ⚖️ On Monday, a two-judge Bench took up the challenge to the 50% reservation cap in Maharashtra’s local bodies polls. Our report on the hearing: https://bit.ly/43Q8IHU

🪴 Good morning! ⚖️ Today marks 76 years of the adoption of India’s Constitution. Here's an excerpt of Dr Ambedkar's speech in the Constituent Assembly on 25 November 1949: https://bit.ly/3K7vGUn 👥 The SC Collegium has been reconstituted following CJI Gavai’s retirement. CJI Surya Kant now heads a five-member Collegium comprising Justices Nath, Maheshwari, Nagarathna and Sundresh. Our article on the new Collegium and the changes expected over the next two years: https://bit.ly/4ijX9i5 🗂️ Yesterday, the Court questioned breaches of the 50% reservation cap in Maharashtra’s local bodies polls. A two-judge Bench was informed that 57 of 288 notified bodies exceed the 50% ceiling. Read: https://bit.ly/43Q8IHU

🌅 Good Morning 🧑🏻‍⚖️ B.R. Gavai's tenure as CJI ended yesterday. Read our desk brief about his administrative moves: https://bit.ly/4ijt7uT 📑 His tenure saw pendency crossing the 90,000 mark. The how, what, why: https://bit.ly/4p3zZPu 💼 Waqf Amendment, Bulldozer Justice, and Presidential Reference were among his most notable verdicts: https://bit.ly/3K3ChPE 👥 A detailed assessment of Collegium activity during the tenure: https://bit.ly/4pniF80 🧮 How many benches? How many verdicts authored? His tenure in numbers: https://bit.ly/4odMLdd ✨ A report on the ceremonial bench for his farewell: https://bit.ly/47X2FE3

🪴 Good morning! 🗂️ Today is CJI Gavai’s last working day in the Court. In the first of our articles reviewing his CJI tenure, we take a look at pendency: https://bit.ly/4p3zZPu 📃 On his penultimate working day, a CJI Gavai-led Bench delivered an advisory opinion in a Presidential Reference concerning the powers of the Governor and President. Our summary of the 111-page opinion: https://bit.ly/4pp79sR ✏️ Our judgement matrix lists the findings at a glance: https://bit.ly/3MdBJqR 2️⃣ On Wednesday, benches led by CJI Gavai delivered decisions on the reservations for civil judges (https://bit.ly/3X2bo1r) and the validity of the Tribunals Reforms Act, 2021. (https://bit.ly/3KdJpZJ) 🔍 Keep an eye on our website for more stories on CJI Gavai's tenure!

🌼 Good morning! 👩🏽‍⚖️ Today, the Supreme Court will deliver its judgement in the Presidential Reference which sought the Court’s opinion on the extent of discretion exercised by the Governor and the President while granting assent to state bills: https://bit.ly/483NffU ❎ Yesterday, a Division Bench struck down provisions of the Tribunals Reforms Act, 2021 stating that the Union reintroduced provisions that were previously struck down by the Court. Judgement summary: https://bit.ly/3KdJpZJ 📌 A Constitution Bench of the Court held that appointees in the Higher Judiciary Services should follow a uniform national roster. Our summary: https://bit.ly/3X2bo1r 📊 Matrix: https://bit.ly/43BRgHc

Hello everyone, and thank you for being part of our SCO community here on Telegram. Many of you have been receiving our updates here and have shared valuable feedback with us. A frequent request has been to make our morning broadcast more easily accessible on WhatsApp. We’re happy to share that the SCO Morning Broadcast is now available on our new WhatsApp Channel! If you’d like to receive the updates on WhatsApp every morning over chai, just click the link below and hit Follow: 🔗 https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vb71GytJUM2hI6G7Sl3e Thank you for your continued support — we look forward to seeing you there!

🌻 Good Morning! 🗳️ Yesterday, the Supreme Court issued notice in petitions challenging the revision of rolls by the Election Commission across multiple states. The Bench asked High Courts to defer similar cases while it examines legality: https://bit.ly/4hUyqkr ⚖️ In the challenge to the Tribunals Reforms Act, petitioners argued that Parliament has retained provisions previously struck down by the Court: https://bit.ly/3LxQNQ0 📉 In October 2025, pending cases crossed 90,000, the highest in recent years: https://bit.ly/4p73Hmx 💸 A Bench said it would pass “harsh and stringent orders to strengthen the hands of agencies” probing cyber scams. But should it also be looking at banks?: https://bit.ly/43kOUwc

🌻 Good Morning! 🗞️The Constitution Bench judgement on reservations for Civil Judges in promotions for the post of Principal District Judge is due anytime now. Our newsletter takes a closer look at each model of progression: https://bit.ly/495hgOB 🪜The Bench had reserved Judgement after three days of final hearings. A snapshot of the key contentions: https://bit.ly/3Jtqiut ⏪ In October, the Court delivered a Constitution Bench judgement and took up matters concerning the rights of transgender persons, the special intensive revision of electoral rolls in Bihar and vacancies at information commissions. Our monthly review: http://bit.ly/3Jtqo5n ‼️ SCO.LR Volume 11, Issue 2 is here! Last week the Supreme Court decided matters on conditions of public tenders, grounds of arrest, disqualification from elections and more: https://bit.ly/4hUlniW

🌻 Good Morning! 🗣 Last week, a five-judge Bench reserved judgement in a case to determine the suitability of reservations for Civil Judges in promotions to the post of Principal District Judge. Our arguments matrix covers the key contentions: https://bit.ly/3Jtqiut 📧 The verdict in the case is expected this month, as the Bench was led by CJI Gavai who will retire on 23 November. In our newsletter, we wrote about how the decision could shape HC appointments: https://bit.ly/495hgOB 🌳 In October, the Court ordered the Jharkhand government to declare the Saranda forest a sanctuary. We look at how the Bench has attempted to walk the tightrope between preservation and progress: http://bit.ly/47uccRh

🍀 Good Morning! ⚖️ Petitioners challenging the Tribunals Reforms Act, 2021 argued that it reproduces provisions earlier struck down and that the selection process lacks transparency: https://bit.ly/47spWNN 📊 A dataset on bail under the UAPA and PMLA (2024–25) reveals a constitutional paradox: while the Court reiterates “bail is the rule, jail the exception,” decisions reveal divergences across benches: https://bit.ly/4nM5X1B 🧑‍⚖️ Yesterday in the Delhi Riots bail hearing, lawyer Siddharth Luthra questioned the prosecution’s case, asking "when protest turns into conspiracy?": https://bit.ly/4oVsaLt 🎞️ Prof Vijay K. Tiwari revisits the Speluncean Explorers dilemma, reflecting on how identity shapes judicial reasoning: https://bit.ly/4hNk3y1

🌻 Good morning! 👩‍⚖ On Tuesday, the Court reserved judgement on reservations in the post of Principal District Judge. It considered arguments on seniority, mode of entry and promotion: https://bit.ly/4hIe25P 🤳 On Monday, the Supreme Court modified its order on the AGR dues of Vodafone Idea. Our desk brief provides the background: https://bit.ly/49zdMUE 🚨 Recently, the Court held that advocate-client privilege does not extend to in-house counsel. We summarise the Judgement: https://bit.ly/43cPBrl 🎞️ Prof Vijay K. Tiwari revisits the 'Speluncean Explorers' dilemma in light of 'Dhadak-2'. His analysis of the Court's approach to caste: https://bit.ly/4oSLysj

🌼 Good morning! 📚 Inspired by a scene in 'Dhadak-2', Prof Vijay K. Tiwari reimagines ‘The Case of the Speluncean Explorers’, taught in jurisprudence classroms around the world, through the Indian caste experience. Read: https://bit.ly/4oSLysj 👩🏽‍⚖️ Yesterday, the Court reserved judgement in the case concerning reservation in appointments to Principal District Judge posts. The key question was whether statewise differences in recruitment age and entry streams distort career progression. Our report: https://bit.ly/4hIe25P ⚖️ In a recently delivered judgement, the Court held that investigating agencies cannot summon advocates to seek case details. Our judgement summary: https://bit.ly/43cPBrl