Supreme Court Observer

☀️ Good Morning! 📖 Today, the Supreme Court will continue hearing arguments on the 5th day of the *challenge to abrogation of Article 370*. Yesterday, Sr. Adv. Gopal Subramanium argued that the Constituent Assembly of Jammu and Kashmir intended to retain Article 370 as permanent provision in the Indian Constitution. Read more: https://bit.ly/3Yq6dbv ⛓️ The Supreme Court will also hear arguments in the *challenge to the early release of convicts in the Bilkis Bano case.* Yesterday, Sr. Adv. Sidharth Luthra and Adv. Rishi Malhotra argued that third parties had no grounds to file PILs to challenge the remission granted to 11 convicts. Read more: https://bit.ly/3Ytu0ai 🛜 We will be *live tweeting* the Article 370 hearings. Follow scobserver on twitter for live updates! https://bit.ly/45e8Mzk Visit www.scobserver.in to watch the Constitution Bench hearings live!

🌅 Good Morning! 📖 Day 4 of hearings in the *challenge to the abrogation of Art. 370* will begin today, with Sr. Adv. Gopal Subramanium’s arguments. Yesterday, Sr. Adv. Kapil Sibal completed 3 days of arguments on why the Union had no power to repeal Article 370. Here's a report of the day: https://bit.ly/45hPiKi ⛓️ The Supreme Court will also resume hearings in the *challenge to the early release of convicts in the Bilkis Bano case.* Yesterday, Adv. Shobha Gupta argued that the process of their early release was ‘arbitrary’ and against public conscience. Yesterday's hearing report here: https://bit.ly/3s2OVF5 🛜 We will be *live tweeting* the Article 370 hearings. Follow scobserver on twitter for live updates! https://bit.ly/45e8Mzk Visit www.scobserver.in to watch the Constitution Bench hearings live!

☀️ Good Morning! 📖 The hearings in the *challenge to abrogation of Article 370* continue for a 3rd day today. The Court is hearing arguments against the removal of special status granted to Jammu and Kashmir. Visit www.scobserver.in to watch the hearings live! Read the case background here: https://bit.ly/3OtvLzG 🔍 Yesterday the Court set up independent oversight mechanisms to supervise the humanitarian crisis in Manipur. What is the Court’s plan for bringing the violence in Manipur under control? Read here: https://bit.ly/3DMbGjf ⚖️ After months of procedural delays the Court finally began to hear cases against the early release or remission of the convicts in the Bilkis Bano gang rape incident. What were the petitioner’s main arguments against early release? https://bit.ly/3OK2ceH ❕We will be live tweeting the Article 370 hearings. Follow scobserver on twitter for live updates now! https://bit.ly/45e8Mzk

☀️ Good Morning! 📰 Today, the Supreme Court will question the Director General of Police, Manipur on the investigation conducted by the Manipur Police of the ongoing violence in the State. Last week, the top court termed the investigation 'tardy and lethargic' More: https://bit.ly/3rWmbhf ⚖️ On Friday, the Supreme Court stayed Rahul Gandhi’s conviction for criminal defamation over the 'Modi surname' remark. A Trial Court had sentenced Gandhi with two years of imprisonment. This led to his disqualification from Parliament. Read the Court's reasons here: https://bit.ly/3YlRApy 🚨Last week, a Constitution Bench heard arguements for two days in the *Challenge to the Abrogation of Article 370*. With more arguments expected this week, catch up with everything that has happened so far with our comprehensive hearing reports. Day 1: https://bit.ly/3rY0oFZ Day 2: https://bit.ly/45idcWd

🌅 Good Morning! ⚖️ Today, a Bench led by Justice B.R. Gavai is expected to hear Rahul Gandhi's appeal against a Gujarat High Court judgement. The Gujarat HC refused to stay his conviction for defamation over the 'Modi surname' remark made in 2019. The story so far: https://bit.ly/3Dp70zx 📃 In Day 2 of the hearings on the abrogation of Article 370, Sr. Adv. Kapil Sibal argued that the work of a *constituent assembly* was a political exercise. A law making body such as a *legislative assembly* could never assume the powers of the former. By changing the meaning of a constituent assembly to mean legislative assembly in order to abrogate Article 370, the Union of India breached a constitutional framework, he argued. A comprehensive report of Day 2 here: https://bit.ly/45idcWd 📩 Did you know that SCO has weekly newsletters? Our Desk Briefs cuts through the clutter and tells the most important stories from the court in the simplest way. Subscribe now: bit.ly/429Yyye

☀️ Good Morning! 📖 The hearings in the *challenge to abrogation of Article 370* began yesterday, with arguments from Sr. Adv. Kapil Sibal. His key contention was that Article 370 was a permanent provision of the Constitution which only the Constituent Assembly of Jammu and Kashmir could repeal. With the the dissolution of the Assembly in 1957, Art. 370 could no longer be removed—by parliament or any other institution. Watch SCO’s video explainer of the day here: https://youtu.be/4DCx3t8m86s 📜 Sibal further argued that the will of the people of Kashmir was always the core consideration of the constitution framers. Relying on historical documents, Sibal explained that the Maharaja of J&K agreed to accede to India with clear conditions that the aspirations of his people would also be taken into account. Read the report of the day here: https://bit.ly/3rY0oFZ 💬 SCO live tweeted the hearings with contextual background and resources. You can follow the live thread here! https://bit.ly/43RipTB ❕Make sure to follow scobserver on twitter for live updates on the hearing. Follow now! https://bit.ly/45e8Mzk

☀️ Good Morning! Today the Supreme Court will begin hearing the much awaited challenge to the *abrogation of Article 370*. 🏞️ The 5-Judge Constitution Bench will be led by CJI D.Y. Chandrachud with Justices S.K. Kaul, Sanjiv Khanna, B.R. Gavai and Surya Kant. They will decide the constitutionality of two presidential orders that stripped Jammu and Kashmir of its special status. Catch up with the story so far: https://bit.ly/3OF9JeP 📜 Article 370 was introduced in the Constitution after an agreement between the ruler of Jammu and Kashmir, Maharaja Hari Singh and the Government of India. SCO’s timeline tracks the sequence of events from 1947 to present day: https://bit.ly/3KmOcoA 📰 Yesterday, the Manipur Government submitted a status report stating that a total of 6,523 FIRs were registered in the State since the violence began. The report claimed that only 11 FIRs among these have to do with offences against women and children. The Court directed the Manipur Gov to provide details of all FIRs in a clear tabular format to get a realistic picture of all serious offences. Follow https://www.scobserver.in for updates!

🌅 Good Morning! 🗓️ After six weeks of summer vacation, the Supreme Court returned to a busy month in July. With the appointment of two new judges, the top Court commenced hearing many important cases and resumed Constitution Bench activity in full swing. Read the highlights of July, 2023 here: https://bit.ly/3Yi6LzO 📊 In the first six months of 2013, Constitution Benches assembled 55 times. The pendency of Constitution Benches also saw a drop. But, none of them were seven and nine-judge Benches. Read more here: https://bit.ly/45a00Tg 🏞️ Tomorrow, a Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court comprising five of its seniormost Judges will begin hearing the challenge to the abrogation of Art. 370. As the Court answers large constitutional questions, the will of the people of Jammu and Kashmir hangs in the balance. More: https://bit.ly/44OWY6V 🚨 Stay tuned to SCO for all the latest updates from the Article 370 hearings!

☀️ Good Morning! 🇮🇳 This week the Supreme Court will begin hearings in the much delayed and much awaited challenge to *the abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution*. Article 370 gave special status to Jammu & Kashmir. Read SCO’s explainer on the story so far: https://bit.ly/3rSVMkr 📄 Today the Supreme Court will hear the Union’s request to transfer the trial of the accused persons in the Manipur sexual assault case to another state. They will also request the Court to ensure that the trial is completed in 6 months. Follow https://www.scobserver.in for updates! 📧 Over the weekend, SCO sent out our newsletter explaining why the Supreme Court challenge on repeal of 370 matters to the people of Kashmir and India. Have you subscribed to SCO weekly newsletters yet? Subscribe now! https://bit.ly/46OXyTB

☀️ Good Morning! 🧑‍⚖️ Yesterday, a special bench of the Supreme Court extended ED Director Sanjay Kumar Mishra's tenure till September 15, 2023. This comes after the Union requested his extension in light of an upcoming review by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), a global money laundering watchdog. However, parties opposing his extension found the Union's request to be an abuse of the Court's process. More: https://bit.ly/3OaZspg 📜 On July 11th, the same bench pronounced a Judgement stating that repeated extensions to Sanjay Kumar Mishra’s tenure were illegal. The Union Government was granted time till July 31, 2023, to find a new Director of the ED. Read the judgement summary here: https://bit.ly/3OwwIbW 📉 In the past, the Supreme Court has seen a lack of Constitution Bench activity. Refreshingly, this year, the Court heard and decided several five-Judge Constitution Bench (CB) cases, leading to a drop in CB pendency by 10 cases. This may be the highest CB activity the top Court has seen in a decade. Read more: https://bit.ly/43H4sHY

🌞 Good Morning! 📉 In the past, the Supreme Court has seen a lack of Constitution Bench activity. Refreshingly, this year, the Court heard and decided several five-Judge Constitution Bench (CB) cases, leading to a drop in CB pendency by 10 cases. This may be the highest CB activity the top Court has seen in a decade. Read more: https://bit.ly/43H4sHY 👮‍♂️Today, the Supreme Court is expected to hear an application by the Union seeking to extend the tenure of the incumbent ED Director Mr. Sanjay Mishra. A recent judgement of the Court stated that repeated extensions of Mishra’s tenure were illegal. The Court had directed that he may continue till July 31, 2023, to give the Union time to find an appropriate replacement. Read the judgement summary here: https://bit.ly/3OwwIbW ⚖️ Last week, the Supreme Court referred the challenge to an Ordinance—which seized control of 'services' from the Delhi Gov—to a 5-Judge Bench. The Bench referred the question of whether the Union, while making laws supplementary to the special provisions that govern the NCT, can indirectly amend the Constitution. More: https://bit.ly/3NYMdHS

☀️Good Morning! Big stories are expected from the Supreme Court in the coming days, as challenge to Abrogation of Article 370, defamation case against Rahul Gandhi and more key cases are being scheduled to be heard. Make sure to stay informed on the most crucial stories from the Supreme Court. Here’s what you can do! 💬 Big on Twitter (or should we say X)? Follow us now! We will be live reporting the Abrogation of Art. 370 case! https://bit.ly/3dXuuCU 📸 We’re also on Instagram, where we upload a video on the biggest story of the day and week. We tell you what happened at the Court and why it matters. Follow now! https://bit.ly/3Rnjzjr 📹 Our videos are also on YouTube! Subscribe to our channel, for updates and explainers! https://bit.ly/3RkL39u 📧 If you enjoy sitting back on a Sunday morning and reading a crisp newsletter on the highlight of the week, SCO’s Desk Briefs are for you. This weekly newsletter cuts through the clutter and tells our 12k subscribers the full story in the simplest way. bit.ly/429Yyye 🙏🏽 Thank you for following our daily updates, and for being an engaged, interested community of readers. Tell us what you would like to read/watch/listen to on the SC. Write to us at admin@scobserver.in. Hear from you soon!

🌞 Good Morning! 🪖The Supreme Court recently refused to direct deployment of the Indian Army or Paramilitary forces in Manipur. CJI D.Y. Chandrachud said that the Court had not 'given directions' to the armed forces in 70 years. Interestingly, precedents indicate that the top Court has directed the deployment of security forces to maintain law and order in the past. Read more: https://bit.ly/3KeSPAX 🤚Last week, the Supreme Court heard Rahul Gandhi's appeal against a Gujarat High Court judgement which refused to stay his conviction for defamation over the 'Modi surname' remark in 2019. The Supreme Court will hear the case on merits on August 4, 2023. Read more: https://bit.ly/3Dp70zx ⛓️Last week, a Bench led by Justice B.R. Gavai granted bail to journalist Teesta Setalvad. The top Court quashed a Gujarat High Court judgement which rejected her bail and observed that the High Court's reasonings were perverse. Read more: https://bit.ly/3NU2RbM

☀️ Good morning! 🧑🏾‍⚖️ Yesterday, the Supreme Court granted bail to activist Teesta Setalvad who was accused of fabricating evidence to implicate top politicians in the 2002 Gujarat Riots, including the incumbent Prime Minister. The Bench described the Gujarat High Court Judgement which rejected Setalvad’s bail plea as 'perverse'. Read more: https://bit.ly/3NU2RbM 🚛 Today, the 5-Judge Constitution Bench led by CJI D.Y. Chandrachud will continue hearings to decide what the valid licence required to drive a ‘Transport Vehicle of Light Motor Vehicle Class’ is. More: https://bit.ly/3pNzksq 📊The Supreme Court of India hears arguments for 190 days a year, a significantly higher activity compared to its counterparts in countries like the USA, the UK and more. Where does the top Court stand? Read more: https://bit.ly/3Ol4wIF

🌅 Good Morning! 🚛 Today, a 5-Judge Constitution Bench led by CJI D.Y. Chandrachud will continue to hear arguments on the valid licence required to drive a ‘Transport Vehicle of Light Motor Vehicle Class’. More: https://bit.ly/3pNzksq ⚖️ Yesterday, the CJI-led Constitution Bench concluded hearings and reserved judgement in the challenge to altering the rules of a selection process for a public post after the process has begun. During the hearing, the Bench heard proposals from lawyers on how to ensure that rules are not altered arbitrarily. More: https://bit.ly/3DhVBBJ ✍️Thank you for following our daily updates. We'd love to hear from you on what you would like to cover next on the SC. Write to us at admin@scobserver.in.

☀️ Good Morning! 🖋️ Today the Supreme Court will continue to hear the challenge to appoint processes of various High Courts. Particularly, the Court is answering the question—can a public employer change the rules of eligibility or hiring, _during_ or _after_ the appointment process. More about the Case: https://bit.ly/43p24oP 🏛️ In the previous hearings, the Court heard arguments against the rules of each High Court separately and cleared the cases. The SC will hear arguments on the core constitutional question today. SCO’s Hearing Report: https://bit.ly/43qUDgU 📃 Yesterday the SC issued notice to the Union government in the challenge to the Ordinance that seized power from the elected Delhi government over services in Delhi. The Ordinance vests the power of administration of Delhi squarely in the Union government’s hands. https://bit.ly/3K4xIkG 🪑 According to the Court the case involves questions on the scope of Article 239AA, which may require a 5-Judge Bench to hear the case. Specifically, the Court will discuss—can the Parliament indirectly amend the Constitution using Article 239AA(7)? https://bit.ly/3DlBzpX

☀️ Good morning! ⚖️ On Friday, two new judges were sworn into the Supreme Court—Justice Ujjal Bhuyan and Justice S.V. Bhatti. With this, the sitting strength has increased to 32 judges. Profiles of all Judges at the SC here: https://bit.ly/43GPjGU 👨‍⚖️Justice Ujjal Bhuyan was a Judge of the Guwahati High Court between 2011 to 2019. He was transferred to the Bombay High Court in 2019 then to the Telangana High Courtin 2021. In June 2022, he was elevated as the Chief Justice of the Telangana High Court. More: https://bit.ly/3NXwadq 👨‍⚖️Justice S.V. Bhatti was appointed to the High Court of Andhra Pradesh in 2013. In June 2014, as Andhra Pradesh bifurcated, he served at the common High Court for the State of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. In 2019, he became a Judge of the newly formed Andhra Pradesh High Court. Read more: https://bit.ly/3XRrL0h

☀️ Good Morning! 🖋️ Yesterday a 5-Judge Constitution Bench continued to hear a series of challenges against the rules introduced by various High Courts on appointment processes for public posts. Particularly, the Court is answering the question—can a public employer change the rules of eligibility or hiring, _during_ or _after_ the appointment process. https://bit.ly/43p24oP 📃 In Yesterday’s hearing, the Court heard arguments against the rules of each High Court separately and cleared the cases. Read SCO’s Report on the hearing here: https://bit.ly/43qUDgU 📧 The weekend is approaching, which means that it’s time for SCO’s weekly newsletter! Subscribe now to read highlights of the latest updates and the best stories from the Supreme Court, delivered straight to your inbox! https://bit.ly/46OXyTB

☕ Good Morning! 👨‍⚖️👨‍⚖️ Last night, the Union government notified the appointments of Chief Justice Ujjal Bhuyan (Telangana HC) and Chief Justice S. Venkatanarayana Bhatti (Kerala HC) as judges to the Supreme Court. With these appointments, the total strength of the Supreme Court has increased to 32. ⚖️ Today, a 5-Judge Bench led by CJI Chandrachud will continue to hear petitions on whether the rules of appointments to public posts can be altered after the selection processes are initiated. Yesterday, the Bench decided to hear the petitions State-wise and finished hearings for the state of Kerala and Manipur. 📍The Court held that the Kerala High Court's Administrative Committee was wrong to change the rules in the appointment process for district judges in 2017. Find out why: https://bit.ly/44Ko131 🧾 The Bench reverted the case challenging the Manipur High Court’s 2015 resolution altering the selection process for district judge appointments to a 3-Judge Bench. Read more: https://bit.ly/3DaCppn 🗓️ Yesterday, the same Constitution Bench also postponed the hearings on the petition to decide if a person who is ineligible to be an arbitrator should be allowed to appoint one, to September 2023.

☀️ Good Morning! 🧑🏻‍⚖️ Today a new Constitution bench of the Court will begin hearing four cases. The cases address concerns about the appointment of arbitrators, the process of appointments in public posts, and road safety. SCO explains all the cases in brief: https://bit.ly/3COpjhi 👮🏽‍♂️ The Supreme Court upheld two of the Union's 2021 Amendments which permitted tenure extensions of CBI and ED Directors. The Petitioners argued that allowing the Union to interfere in these tenures would weaken the independence of these critical investigative agencies. What reasoning did the Court give for its decision? More here: https://bit.ly/3O8uFJN 📃 On Monday, the Manipur Government filed a status report on the law and order situation in the state. It outlined over 5000 incidents of arson and over 54,000 people seeking refuge in relief camps. However, the Manipur Government claimed that the state is ‘slowly returning to normalcy’. Report summary: https://bit.ly/3XPbitw