News Analysis India

Tag: Chief Justice

  • Justice Magrey sworn-in as Chief Justice of J-K and Ladakh High court

    By PTI

    SRINAGAR: ustice Ali Mohammad Magrey was on Thursday sworn in as the new Chief Justice of the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh here, officials said.

    Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha administered the oath of office to him at a ceremony attended by politicians and senior bureaucrats at SKICC, they said.

    The warrant of his appointment was read out by the high court’s registrar general.

    After taking oath, Justice Magrey had a virtual conference with judicial officers of both the Union territories, an official spokesman said.

    All principal district and sessions judges from the two Union territories briefed him about the functioning of courts in their respective districts and the infrastructural requirements at the courts among several other issues, he said.

    The spokesman said Justice Magrey asked all the judicial officers to work with zeal and dedication, and highlighted the use of technology in justice dispensation.

    He impressed upon them that the foremost duty of every judicial officer is to ensure timely justice to litigants.

    In order to bring down pendency, Justice Magrey issued a slew of directions to them to refer maximum cases for disposal in the upcoming Special Lok Adalat to be held on October 21.

    Pendency of a large number of cases is a huge challenge which can be met by resorting to alternative dispute resolutions, he said.

    Later, Justice Magrey held meetings with Bar associations of Srinagar, Jammu, and Pulwama.

    Besides reviewing the functioning of courts, he also took stock of various developmental projects that are currently being carried out in the court complexes.

    Earlier, on his arrival at the high court, Justice Magrey was given a ceremonial guard of honour.

    SRINAGAR: ustice Ali Mohammad Magrey was on Thursday sworn in as the new Chief Justice of the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh here, officials said.

    Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha administered the oath of office to him at a ceremony attended by politicians and senior bureaucrats at SKICC, they said.

    The warrant of his appointment was read out by the high court’s registrar general.

    After taking oath, Justice Magrey had a virtual conference with judicial officers of both the Union territories, an official spokesman said.

    All principal district and sessions judges from the two Union territories briefed him about the functioning of courts in their respective districts and the infrastructural requirements at the courts among several other issues, he said.

    The spokesman said Justice Magrey asked all the judicial officers to work with zeal and dedication, and highlighted the use of technology in justice dispensation.

    He impressed upon them that the foremost duty of every judicial officer is to ensure timely justice to litigants.

    In order to bring down pendency, Justice Magrey issued a slew of directions to them to refer maximum cases for disposal in the upcoming Special Lok Adalat to be held on October 21.

    Pendency of a large number of cases is a huge challenge which can be met by resorting to alternative dispute resolutions, he said.

    Later, Justice Magrey held meetings with Bar associations of Srinagar, Jammu, and Pulwama.

    Besides reviewing the functioning of courts, he also took stock of various developmental projects that are currently being carried out in the court complexes.

    Earlier, on his arrival at the high court, Justice Magrey was given a ceremonial guard of honour.

  • Potential first woman Chief Justice of India in elevation to Supreme Court

    By Express News Service

    NEW DELHI:  For the first time ever, three women judges were together recommended for elevation to the Supreme Court, one of whom could go on to become the first woman Chief Justice of India (CJI). They were part of the nine names cleared by the five-member Supreme Court collegium, whose decision was uploaded on Wednesday.

    The recommendations are subject to approval by the Centre. Justice B V Nagarathna, the senior-most judge of the Karnataka High Court, has the chance of becoming the first woman CJI in in September 2027.

    The other two women judges picked for elevation are Justice Hima Kohli, Chief Justice of the Telangana High Court and Justice Bela Trivedi, the fifth in seniority in the Gujarat High Court. Two other chief justices — Justice C T Ravikumar of the Kerala High Court and Justice M M Sundresh of the Madras High Court — were recommended for promotion by the collegium, which met on Tuesday.

    Besides, senior advocate P S Narasimha has been selected for appointment directly to the bench. If his name is cleared, Narasimha would become only the sixth lawyer in India to be elevated to the SC bench directly from the Bar. The last such elevation was of Justice Rohinton F Nariman, who retired last week.

    Narasimha is a former Additional Solicitor General. With the retirement of Justice Navin Sinha on Wednesday, the strength of judges in the top court came down to 24 as against a sanctioned strength of 34, including the CJI. No appointment has been made to the Supreme Court after CJI Ranjan Gogoi retired on March 19, 2019.

  • False narratives and misconception about judges need to be refuted: CJI

    The CJI said the most obvious sacrifice to become a judge is monetary of course but one must be moved by the spirit of public duty to take such a decision.

  • Prashant Kumar Mishra to assume charge as Chief Justice of Chhattisgarh High Court

    By ANI
    NEW DELHI: Justice Prashant Kumar Mishra will assume charge as the Chief Justice of Chhattisgarh High Court from June 1, said Ministry of Law and Justice on Monday.

    An official statement of the ministry said he is the senior-most Judge of Chhattisgarh High Court to perform the duties of the office of the Chief Justice.

    “In exercise of the powers conferred by Article 223 of the Constitution of India, the President is pleased to appoint Justice Prashant Kumar Mishra, senior-most Judge of Chhattisgarh High Court, to perform the duties of the office of the Chief Justice of that High Court with effect from June 1, 2021, consequent upon the retirement of Justice Parappillil Ramakrishnan Nair Ramachandra Merlon, Chief Justice, Chhattisgarh High Court,” the statement said. 

  • Will new collegium pave the way for first woman CJI?

    Express News Service
    NEW DELHI:  All eyes will now be on a collegium headed by the designated Chief Justice of India, N V Ramana, when he takes over from the present CJI S A Bobde on April 24, as to whether he will end the gender disparity visible in the top court along with the high courts and trial courts across the country.

    After CJI Bobde recently made remarks that women lawyers are turning down judgeship citing family responsibilities, many women lawyers associations have come forward and said they are willing to take the responsibility if offered. Under these circumstances, the decision made by the new collegium is crucial to fix the gender imbalance in the judiciary.

    Since Independence, the country never had a woman CJI and only eight women judges have reached the Supreme Court. At present, Justice Indira Banerjee is the lone women judge in the top court. Across 26 high courts, there are only 82 women judges out of 1,079 judges. Madras tops the list with 13, followed by Punjab and Haryana High Court that has 11 women judges.

    Delhi and Bombay High Courts have eight women judges each, while there is one each in Gauhati, Himachal Pradesh, J&K, Jharkhand, Rajasthan and Sikkim. Sources said the collegium is already considering the names of a few women judges. Name of senior Judge B V Nagarathna from the Karnataka High Court is doing the rounds and if she is elevated now, she will be in line to become the first woman CJI in 2027.

    Similarly, Telangana HC Justice Hima Kohli’s name is also being discussed. If appointed now she would have a tenure till 2024 or else she will retire in September this year. Though there are no fixed rules for the appointment of a judge to the top court, seniority and regional representation are usually the major criteria.

  • Shocker as SC asks alleged rapist if he’ll marry victim

    By Express News Service
    NEW DELHI: In a shocking statement, Chief Justice of India S A Bobde on Monday asked a 23-year-old government servant whether he was ready to marry the woman who has accused him of rape.The observation came while the court was hearing a case against Mohit Subhash Chavan, a technician in the Maharashtra State Electric Production Company Ltd, who was accused of raping a minor girl in 2014-15.

    He was allegedly 17-18-years-old then, and the girl was his distant relative and a student of Class 9 at the time.Last month, the Bombay High Court had cancelled the anticipatory bail granted to Chavan by a lower court, on an application filed by the girl. He had then challenged this order in the Supreme Court. During the hearing, CJI Bobde asked Chavan’s lawyer, “Will you marry her?”

    “You should have thought before seducing and raping the young girl. You knew you are a government servant. We are not forcing you to marry. Let us know if you will, otherwise you will say we are forcing you to marry her,” the CJI said. The lawyer consulted Chavan and then told the court that he initially wanted to marry her but the girl refused. “Now I cannot as I am already married.” 

    The bench granted him interim protection from arrest for four weeks, allowing him time to file for regular bail.According to the FIR, the girl was in Class 9 when the accused started following her home from school and then one day he forcibly entered her house and raped her. In her complaint, the girl also alleged that he threatened to throw acid on her and kill her brother if she did not consent to a sexual relationship with him.

    “Any violation of the directions will be viewed very seriously, and this court may be forced to initiate contempt proceedings,” the court added.The judge observed that if an officer thinks he can use his power and connections to escape after committing any act, the court would not be a mute spectator but would step in and ensure the rule of law is preserved.

    Stating that the incident left the court “deeply saddened”, Justice Venkatesh added, “There is a faulty gene in men which sometimes makes them think a woman is subordinate and that at times she can even be treated like a chattel. History, time and again, shows that it is after a very long struggle, and only in the last 25 years have women somehow managed to get to top levels at workplaces, including public service. That, by itself, does not place them in a secure position as they are continued to be seen with patriarchal eyes.”

    The judge said that whosoever may be the person involved and whatever position he holds should never come in the way of the law taking its own course, more particularly when it comes to cases of sexual harassment. The judge directed the registry to place the order before the Chief Justice and obtain necessary orders and directions to list the matter.

    Reneged on agreement to marry the victim When her family found out about the relationship, the accused’s mother offered to get the two married once she turned 18. The families also signed an agreement. However, when the girl turned 18, the accused refused to marry her

  • SC to hear on November 13 pleas challenging its Sabarimala verdict

    The Supreme Court Tuesday said that it would hear on November 13 the petitions challenging its Sabarimala verdict allowing women of all age groups entry into the temple.

    A bench comprising Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice S K Kaul told lawyer Mathews J Nedumpara that it has already passed an order with regard to listing of petitions on November 13.

    Earlier the court had noted that there were 19 review petitions pending in the matter, filed by National Ayyappa Devotees Association and others seeking a review of its verdict.

    A five-judge constitution bench by a ratio of 4:1 had held that women of all age groups should be allowed entry into Kerala’s Sabarimala Temple.