Supreme Court Observer

🌆 Good Evening! Today, we bring you *Volume 5, Issue 2* of the Supreme Court Observer Law Reports (SCO.LR) with five key Judgements from 8-14 May. Are employees absorbed into another organisation after a merger entitled to pension benefits? Is direct evidence necessary to establish a conspiracy in terror cases? Can courts direct media organisations to take down content relating to sub judice matters? This week’s SCO.LR judgements answer all these questions and more. Read it here: https://www.scobserver.in/journal/scolr-supreme-court-observer-law-reports-volume-5-issue-2/

🌅 Good Morning! ⚖️ CJI B.R. Gavai was sworn in by the President yesterday. He will serve a six-month tenure as India's 52nd Chief Justice. What are the opportunities and challenges he faces? We explore: https://bit.ly/4j7voYW 🕌 An early test of his tenure will happen today. Listed before his bench are challenges to the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025. What are the petitioner's concerns and the Union's responses? Read here: https://bit.ly/3YkKmDs 📊 From CJI Sanjiv Khanna, CJI Gavai inherits a Court acutely conscious of its public image. In our latest commentary, lawyers Balaji Srinivasan and Rohan Dewan assess some of the former Chief's administrative decisions aimed at tackling pendency and increasing institutional transparency: https://bit.ly/43m9wDv

🌅 Good Morning! 👨🏻‍⚖️Today, Justice B.R. Gavai will take oath as the 52nd Chief Justice of India. He will be in office for six months before retiring in November. He makes history as the first Buddhist and second Dalit CJI of India. Read more about his life and career: https://bit.ly/43uR5gY 👋🏻 Yesterday, a special Ceremonial Bench assembled to bid farewell to CJI Sanjiv Khanna. Members of the Bar spoke fondly of his time at the Court and their interactions with him. More here: https://bit.ly/42TQAwK 🔍 In the only Constitution Bench case heard by him, CJI Khanna authored a majority opinion upholding a court's limited power to modify arbitral awards. Here's a practitioner's perspective on the decision: https://bit.ly/3F8Pxjk

🌕 Good Morning! 👨‍⚖️ CJI Sanjiv Khanna retires today after serving as India's 51st Chief Justice. In our latest article, we list 10 key judgements from his six-year tenure at the Supreme Court bench: https://bit.ly/4jUU8oC 🗓️ In our weekend newsletter, we looked back at several highlights from his term. These include his handling of a cash controversy involving a HC judge and overseeing one of the most significant data disclosures by the Supreme Court in recent times: https://bit.ly/3EO9nAv 📖 We examined whether the data released under the Court’s latest transparency initiative reveals information that isn't already in the public domain: https://bit.ly/4mbn4dv

🌟 Good Morning! 👨🏻‍⚖️ CJI Sanjiv Khanna retires tomorrow after serving as India's 51st Chief Justice. In our latest newsletter, we look back at some highlights of his six-month tenure: https://bit.ly/3EO9nAv 🔍 Last week, CJI Khanna oversaw one of the most significant data disclosures by the Supreme Court in recent times. The Court released: - Documents detailing the Collegium’s procedure for recommending judges - A tabular list containing the names of every judge proposed by the Chandrachud and Khanna Collegiums for High Court elevation; and - Asset declarations of 21 sitting judges. ❓How much of this information is new? And what does it say about judicial accountability? We explore: https://bit.ly/4mbn4dv

🪴Good Morning! 🏛️ Here's *Volume 5, Issue 1* of the Supreme Court Observer Law Reports (SCO.LR) which covers five key decisions from 1–7 May. These judgements cover topics like access to medical education for persons with disabilities, corruption by public servants and contempt of court. Read now: https://bit.ly/4m85hUl ➕ We've published a back issue for the last week of January (Vol. 1, Issue 4), featuring decisions on reservation in medical courses and whether “filthy language” amounts to outraging modesty: https://bit.ly/4iXMd8t 📑 Next week, a new Bench is set to hear the challenges to the Waqf Amendment Act. Our latest commentary explores how the new law tilts towards political and bureaucratic control: https://bit.ly/3GyVir8

Good Evening! Here's Issue 1 of Volume 5 of the Supreme Court Observer Law Reports. This issue covers the week from 1 May to 7 May: https://www.scobserver.in/journal/scolr-supreme-court-observer-law-reports-volume-5-issue-1/ We’re also releasing the back issue for the last week of January (Vol 1, Issue 4), where we cover cases on reservation in medical courses and whether “filthy language” amounts to outraging modesty: https://www.scobserver.in/journal/scolr-supreme-court-observer-law-reports-volume-1-issue-4/ If you’ve been using SCO.LR in your research, we’d love to hear from you! Write to us at admin@scoberver.in.

☕ Good Morning! 👨🏻‍⚖👨🏻‍⚖ Some have argued that the recent Tamil Nadu Governor judgement involved a "substantial question of law" and therefore should have been settled by a Constitution Bench. In our latest newsletter, we explore why the case wasn't referred to a larger bench: https://bit.ly/3Z3vFos 🏛 Yesterday, the Court listed petitions seeking a review of the judgement which upheld the wide power granted to the ED under the PMLA for 6 August. Here's a summary of the matter: https://bit.ly/3YzK1gY 📜 The latest Issue of the the Supreme Court Observer Law Reports (SCO.LR) covering five important judgements from the first week of May will drop this evening. Stay tuned! Catch up on our other issues here: https://bit.ly/4keWGxH

🌱 Good Morning! 📥 Yesterday, the Kerala government sought to withdraw its petition which challenged the delay in the Governor assenting to bills: https://bit.ly/44rEADR 📃 Kerala’s petition is one among several filed by Opposition-ruled states raising concerns over inaction on state legislation. Last month, the SC ruled on Tamil Nadu’s petition, declaring Governor R.N. Ravi’s decisions to withhold assent to bills as “illegal and erroneous.” We summarised that Judgement here: https://bitly.cx/ciC3K ❔ The Tamil Nadu ruling was criticized by members of the ruling party. Our weekend newsletter takes a closer look at a key question: why wasn’t the case referred to a Constitution Bench? Read here: https://bit.ly/3Z3vFos

🏡 Good Morning! 🏛️ The 'cash-in-house' controversy around former Delhi HC judge Yashwant Varma sparked debate around the transparency of judge appointments. 📜 The Supreme Court has now published a 41-page document detailing the process of appointing judges to HCs. 👨🏻‍⚖️ The Court has also published details of the assets owned by 21 sitting judges. This is following a full-court resolution adopted on 1 April. But will this address wider accountability issues? https://bitly.cx/1FKu ⚖️ Yesterday, it was reported that the in-house inquiry committee formed by CJI Sanjiv Khanna to investigate the Justice Varma incident has submitted its report. We had explored the CJI's power to initiate in-house proceedings here: https://bit.ly/4jtrs5x

🌳Good Morning! 🏛️ Today, a Bench led by CJI Sanjiv Khanna will resume hearing challenges to the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025. Here's a round-up of 10 key objections of the petitioners and the Union’s response to them: https://bit.ly/3YkKmDs 🗃️Our case background has the hearing reports, petitioner documents and the Union’s counter affidavit: https://bit.ly/4lOhEFc ❓Here’s everything that's happened so far: https://bit.ly/4cGlcVR 1️⃣ Day 1: https://bit.ly/3RhXEwC 2️⃣ Day 2: https://bitly.cx/TsvKY 📝 In our latest commentary, Rutba Peerzada and Muhammad Mutahhar Amin argue that the amendments tilt heavily towards political and bureaucratic control of waqfs: https://bit.ly/3GyVir8

☕ Good Morning! ❓Unable to keep up with the many judgements delivered by the Court? Don't worry, we've got you covered! 🗃️ Since 2017, SCO has developed a comprehensive Case Archive of all cases of public importance: https://bit.ly/3U8L2tE 🚨 In addition to our Archive, we now have the Supreme Court Observer Law Reports (SCO.LR). 🖐🏻 In SCO.LR, we select, summarise and present easily accessible versions of five significant judgements delivered each week. 📜Our latest edition summarises five key judgements from the last week of April. Read here: https://bit.ly/4d1mMBM 📩 Stay up-to-date! Receive the SCO.LRs and other briefs covering news from the SC straight in your inbox. Sign up here: https://bit.ly/3Yr3WOe

⛈️ Good Morning! ⚖️ Yesterday, a 5-judge Bench led by CJI Sanjiv Khanna upheld a court's power to modify an arbitral award under Section 34 of the Arbitration Act in a 4:1 majority. Justice K.V. Viswanathan dissented, holding that modification is not permitted unless expressly allowed by the Act: https://bit.ly/3Gu6ipt 📜 We also released the latest Issue of the Supreme Court Observer Law Reports (SCO.LR). This edition covers five significant cases from 21-30 April. Read it here: https://bit.ly/4d1mMBM 🙏🏻Thank you for reading us and supporting our work. Our endeavour is to make news from the Supreme Court accessible and interesting to you. We'd love to hear your thoughts, feedback and suggestions. Write to us at admin@scobserver.in

🌻 Good Morning! ⚖️ Today, a 5-judge Bench will deliver judgement on whether courts can modify an arbitral award under Section 34 of the Arbitration Act, 1996. Our matrix summarises the arguments: https://bit.ly/41u2LzB 👨‍⚖️ The judgement comes two weeks before the retirement of Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna. Meanwhile, the Union has confirmed Justice B.R. Gavai as the 52nd Chief Justice of India. He will assume office on 14 May 2025 and serve a six-month term until his retirement in November: https://bit.ly/4lRxYF2 📝 On 27 April, DMK leader V. Senthil Balaji resigned from his ministerial post—a day before the SC was scheduled to hear a plea seeking cancellation of his bail in a PMLA case. Report: https://bit.ly/42BXVAU

🌅 Good Morning! ⚖️ Contempt Plea: Advocates have sought contempt proceedings against the Vice President and a BJP MP for remarks on the SC. In our newsletter, we show why the Court has both reason and precedent to shrug off such criticism: https://bit.ly/4ixCXrt 🛂 Allahbadia Passport Case: The Court has permitted the release of YouTuber Ranveer Allahbadia’s passport, clearing the way for his international travel. This relief comes nearly two months after the Court allowed him to resume his YouTube show. Full report: https://bit.ly/3YVlqCD 📜 Waqf Amendment: On 25 April, the Union filed its counter-affidavit in response to the petitions challenging the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025. We list 10 key issues in the case: https://bit.ly/3YkKmDs

🌟 Good Morning! 📜The Union recently filed a 1000-odd page response to the petitions challenging the Waqf Amendment Act. We combed through the documents to identify 10 key objections and the Union's responses: https://bit.ly/3YkKmDs 🏛️ In a case concerning the timelines of the Competition Act and the Insolvency Code, the Court held that obtaining CCI clearance before presenting a resolution plan to creditors was mandatory, not directory. Read AoR Hima Lawrence's analysis: https://bit.ly/4dapaX7 ⚖️ The Court was asked to initiate contempt proceedings against the Vice President and a BJP MP for their comments on the TN Governor Judgement. In our latest newsletter, we look at the Court's contempt powers: https://bit.ly/4ixCXrt

🌄 Good Morning! ⚖️ Earlier this week, the Supreme Court heard a plea by the Kerala government seeking assent for eight bills passed by its legislature. The state relied on the recent judgement where the Court held that Tamil Nadu Governor R.N. Ravi’s delay in assenting to 10 bills was “erroneous and illegal”: https://bitly.cx/VqwK7 📄 Notably, Kerala had filed its plea around the same time as Tamil Nadu. The Union government suggests that the Tamil Nadu ruling doesn’t apply in the Kerala case. Read our judgement summary to see what the Court held in the TN case: https://bitly.cx/ciC3K 📊 We’ve also broken down the TN verdict (which was 415 pages!) in a matrix that captures the key arguments and decisions at a glance: https://bit.ly/3EmKxHK

🌅 Good Morning! 📜 The latest edition of the Supreme Court Observer Law Reports (SCO.LR) is here. This edition summarises five crucial judgements delivered by the Supreme Court between 14-20 April. Read them here: https://www.scobserver.in/journal/sco-lr-2025-volume-4-issue-3/ 🔎 This week, we experimented with AI-generated mind maps and also published back issues of SCO.LR for the first two weeks of January 2025. We'll gradually be adding the remaining back issues to complete the docket. Read SCO.LR here: https://www.scobserver.in/tag/sco-lr/ 📹 In our latest video, we break down the top court's monitoring of the Delhi Pollution Crisis and and what's at stake. Watch here: https://youtu.be/-26t8mBbRDg?si=Fu2-MPlqqsRpjHNR

Good Evening! Here’s Volume 4, Issue 3 of SCO.LR, which covers five key judgments from 14–20 April 2025: https://www.scobserver.in/journal/sco-lr-2025-volume-4-issue-3/ SCO.LR or Supreme Court Observer Law Reports (pronounced ‘scholar’) curates, summarises and presents five significant judgements each week. This week we’ve experimented with AI-generated mind maps (reviewed by us, of course) for each judgement. Our mind maps will break down the key issues, legal principles and the Court’s decision. Also, this week: two back issues of SCO.LR covering cases from the first two weeks of January to make our SCO.LR docket more comprehensive. SCO.LR, our newest content offering, is a work in progress, so we’d love to hear from you about how we can make it the best archive of Supreme Court decisions.

🗞️ Good Morning! 💨 Today, the Supreme Court will continue monitoring the Delhi pollution case. A Bench led by Justice A.S. Oka has been monitoring the crisis since November last year. But has it doubled down on enforcement? https://bit.ly/3Y2ax1x 🏛️ While initial hearings focused on air quality management, the Court eventually shifted to addressing long-term solutions. Our coverage: https://bit.ly/3YpiP3y ⚖️ In the last hearing, it pushed for mass awareness on solid waste management and reviewed compliance with colour-coded stickers: https://bit.ly/4cyCNz2 📧 Yesterday, counsel for the Kerala Governor argued that the Court's Tamil Nadu Governor judgement would not apply to the case concerning pending bills in Kerala: https://bitly.cx/VqwK7