Judges

Brace for changes in app store as punishment for monopoly: Judge to Google

A federal judge has indicated he will order major changes in Google's Android app store to punish the company for engineering a system that a jury declared an illegal monopoly that has hurt millions of consumers and app developers. Over the course of a three-hour hearing in San Francisco, US District Judge James Donato on Wednesday made it clear that the forthcoming shake-up he is contemplating will probably include a mandate requiring Google's Play Store for Android phones offer consumers a choice to download alternative app stores Donato has been weighing how to punish the Google since last December when a jury declared the Play Store a monopoly following a four-week trial. The verdict centred on Google's nearly exclusive control over distribution of apps designed for Android phones and the billing systems for the digital commerce occurring within them -- a system that generates billions of dollars in annual revenue for the company. In protesting the judge's potential requirements

Pak's law minister advocates for minority judges to join higher judiciary

Pakistan's Law Minister Azam Nazir Tarar has advocated for judges from minority communities to join Pakistan's higher judiciary. Speaking at the Justice A R Cornelius Conference held here on Saturday, Tarar emphasised the importance of religious freedom and minority rights in Pakistan and expressed his aspiration for judges from minority communities to join the country's higher judiciary, the Express Tribune newspaper reported on Sunday. The minister highlighted that Pakistan's Constitution guarantees complete religious freedom. At the same time, he lamented the decline in religious tolerance post-Afghan war. Tarar talked about the ongoing efforts to establish a Minority Rights Commission and proposed reserving quotas for minority law officers and legal advisors. Supreme Court Justice Mansoor Ali Shah echoed Tarar's sentiments and advocated for the appointment of minority judges to the higher judiciary. According to data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics in 2021, there

Former SC judge A M Khanwilkar appointed as the Lokpal chairperson

Former Supreme Court judge A M Khanwilkar was appointed as the Lokpal chairperson on Tuesday, according to the Rashtrapati Bhavan. Justice Khanwilkar retired from the Supreme Court in July 2022. According to a communique from the Rashtrapati Bhavan, the President also appointed former high court judges Lingappa Narayana Swamy, Sanjay Yadav and Ritu Raj Awasthi as judicial members of the Lokpal. Sushil Chandra, Pankaj Kumar and Ajay Tirkey were appointed as non-judicial members of the anti-corruption ombudsman.

Donald Trump asks US judge to dismiss charges over handling of documents

Trump pleaded not guilty to the charges and claims all the cases against him are part of a Democratic-led "witch hunt" to keep him from returning to office

Pak SC judge Sayyed Mazahar Ali Akbar resigns amid corruption allegations

A Pakistan Supreme Court judge who was facing allegations of corruption resigned on Wednesday, a day after the apex court's disciplinary committee refused to stay proceedings against him for his misconduct. In a letter to the Pakistan President Dr Arif Alvi, Justice Sayyed Mazahar Ali Akbar tendered his resignation and said that he couldn't carry forward his duties amidst the allegations and the way he was treated. "It was an honour to be appointed and to serve as a judge first of the Lahore High Court and then as the Supreme Court of Pakistan. In the circumstances which are a matter of public knowledge and to some extent public record, it is no longer possible for me to continue to serve as a judge of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, Justice Naqvi said. Considerations of due process also compel. I, therefore, effective today resign as judge of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, he added. On Tuesday, the Supreme Court rejected Justice Naqvi's request to stay proceedings against him in th

US Judge blocks law that would have banned carrying firearms in public

A federal judge on Wednesday temporarily blocked a California law that would have banned carrying firearms in most public places, ruling that it violates the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and deprives people of their ability to defend themselves and their loved ones. The law signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom in September was set to take effect Jan. 1. It would have banned people from carrying concealed guns in 26 places including public parks and playgrounds, churches, banks and zoos. It would apply whether the person has a permit to carry a concealed weapon or not. One exception would be for privately owned businesses that put up signs saying people are allowed to carry guns on their premises. U.S. District Judge Cormac Carney granted a preliminary injunction blocking the law, which he wrote was sweeping, repugnant to the Second Amendment, and openly defiant of the Supreme Court. The decision is a victory for the California Rifle and Pistol Association, which sued to block th

Election Commissioners to retain status at par with SC judges; bill in RS

The new bill seeks to nullify the Supreme Court judgement, which stated that a committee comprising the PM, LoP in Lok Sabha, and the Chief Justice of India must pick the CEC and ECs

75.69% of judges appointed between 2018 and 2023 belong to general category

13.8% women sitting judges in higher judiciary: Law Ministry

TMS Ep578: Pre-election rally, JSW, Reliance & Tata e-commerce, My Lord

Will Assembly poll outcome trigger a pre-election market rally? What's behind JSW's entry in auto sector? Why're Reliance & Tata struggling in e-commerce? Why are judges called 'My Lord'? Answers here

Brother of judge who ordered video survey of Gyanvapi provided security

Security has been provided to Civil Judge Dinesh Kumar Diwakar whose brother Judge Ravi Kumar Diwakar heard the Shringar Gauri-Gyanvapi case in Varanasi on his request, police said on Sunday. According to Superintendent of Police Ashok Kumar Meena, Judge Dinesh Kumar Diwakar in a letter to him said that his elder brother Judge Ravi Kumar Diwakar had passed an order to conduct videography survey of Varanasi's Gyanvapi complex in 2022. After the order was passed, Judge Ravi Kumar Diwakar had received a hand-written threat letter in June, following which nine police personnel were deployed for his security. The High Court had earlier issued orders for ensuring security for his entire family, Judge Dinesh Kumar Diwakar said in his letter to the SP. He said a Popular Front of India (PFI) agent was arrested near his residence in Lucknow a few days ago, adding that he needed immediate security here. The SP said police security has been provided to Judge Dinesh Kumar Diwakar at his reside

Retired judges keeping country's arbitral system in tight fist grip: VP

Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Saturday lamented that retired judges have kept the arbitral system of the country in a "tight fist grip", denying chance to other qualified minds. He suggested that the time has come when we need to introspect and move forward by bringing about necessary changes, including, if required, by legislation. "Nowhere on the planet, in no other country, in no other system, there is such tight fist grip on the arbitral system by retired judges. In our country, this is at large," he said. He also lauded the "bold" remarks of Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud -- a person, he said, is changing the landscape of judiciary in the country -- on the arbitral system in India. Dhankhar said the CJI reflected on the lack of diversity in appointing arbitrators. Chandrachud, Dhankhar quoted, had said retired judges dominate the field. "He goes on to add, and I salute him for this, he said while other qualified candidates are overlooked, he implied this reflects

Trump defiant at New York fraud trial, judge threatens to cut off testimony

One witness, his former lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen, testified that Trump directed him to doctor financial statements to boost his net worth

Judges must retire to enable successors rejig old legal principles: CJI

Judges must retire so the succeeding generations point out errors of the past and rejig legal principles for society to evolve, Chief Justice DY Chandrachud said on Saturday. Sharing his perspective on the retirement age of judges at the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit here, Chandrachud said while the American constitution has no age of retirement for judges, in India, judges retire after a particular age. The CJI said it would be "too much of a responsibility" cast on human beings in terms of their own infallibility by postulating that they should not retire from office. "We have followed a model where judges retire. But as someone who has been in the system for 23 years as a judge, I have a different take. In a sense, it is important that judges must retire because its too much of a responsibility to cast on a human being in terms of their own infallibility by postulating that they should not retire from their office. "Judges are human beings prone to errors and societies evolv

SC to pass common order in several nine-judge, seven-judge bench matters

The Supreme Court on Thursday said it will pass a common order in several nine-judge and seven-judge bench matters, including those relating to money bills and the speaker's power to disqualify MLAs, to get them ready for hearing. A seven-judge bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud took up six seven-judge and four nine-judges matters for consideration. One of the seven-judge bench matters pertains to the correctness of the 2016 Nabam Rebia verdict relating to the speaker's power on disqualification of MLAs. It was pronounced by a five-judge Constitution bench. "... The idea is to get these matters ready for hearing. We will pass a common order in all these matters in terms of the circular of August 22, 2023 that the compilation of pleadings, documents and precedents that must be all filed within say... we will give three weeks to everyone," the CJI said. "We will appoint nodal counsel in every matter who will then prepare a common compilation," said the bench, also compris

Rise in number of women judges nation-wide trend: CJI Chandrachud

Chief Justice of India (CJI) D Y Chandrachud on Friday referred to the significant increase in the number of women judicial officers and said it was a countrywide trend. At the outset of the proceedings, the CJI said, "We wish to share some happy news. Here in the back row (in the courtroom), we have 75 judges from the civil judge junior division from Maharashtra. Out of a batch of 75 judges, 42 are women and 33 men." "This is a trend happening across the country. There are more women judges in numbers," the CJI, who was sitting on a bench with Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, said. Justice Chandrachud said he would meet the judicial officers, including the women judges, during the lunch hour. Some lawyers, including senior advocate Dushyant Dave, asked the CJI to take steps to raise the number of women judges in the apex court. "The appointments made today are a reflection of the bar 15 years ago," the CJI said. Recently, former Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) presid

Judge rejects bid to free FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried during his trial

A judge on Thursday closed the door on FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried's hopes to be free during his trial, although he extended the hours that the cryptocurrency peddler can meet with his lawyers in a federal courthouse. At a hearing, Judge Lewis A. Kaplan rejected a request by Bankman-Fried's lawyers to free their client so he could better prepare his defence against charges that he defrauded cryptocurrency investors. Bankman-Fried, 31, faces the start of his trial Tuesday in Manhattan. He has pleaded not guilty. His lawyer, Mark Cohen, told Kaplan that he cannot meaningfully confer with his client as long as Bankman-Fried is jailed at the Metropolitan Detention Centre in Brooklyn. And he insisted that there was no risk that Bankman-Fried would flee, prompting Kaplan to interrupt him. The closer we get to trial, the more I'm wondering about that, Kaplan said. "Your client, if there is conviction, could be looking at a very long sentence. If things begin to look bleak maybe he fee

SC raises issue of pendency of 70 Collegium recommendations with Centre

With 70 collegium recommendations still stuck with the government, the Supreme Court on Tuesday expressed its dismay over the "delay" in the appointment of judges and asked the attorney general to use his office to resolve the issue. After a bench of justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Sudhanshu Dhulia raised the matter, Attorney General R Venkataramani sought a week's time to come back with instructions on the pending recommendations for judges' appointment to the high court. "Today, I am quiet because the attorney general has sought a very short time, next time I will not be quiet. Use your good office to see these issues are resolved," Justice Kaul told Venkataramani during the hearing. The bench said, "There were 80 recommendations pending until last week when 10 names were cleared. Now, the figure is 70, of which 26 recommendations are of transfer of judges, seven are reiterations, nine are pending without being returned to the collegium and one case is of appointment of the Chief

Parliament panel seeks review of judges' post-retirement assignments

Also questions the 'colonial legacy' of collective judicial holidays

Judge sets trial date for next May in Trump's classified documents case

A federal judge in Florida has set a trial date for next May for former President Donald Trump in a case charging him with illegally retaining hundreds of classified documents. The May 20, 2024, trial date is a compromise between a request from prosecutors to set the trial for this December and a request from defense lawyers to schedule it after the 2024 presidential election.

HC directs district judges to list out priority cases for digitisation

The Delhi High Court has directed principal district and sessions judges here to chalk out a list of the nature of cases or records of district courts that need to be prioritised for digitalisation. The high court clarified that before weeding out old records, it is not mandatory to digitalise each and every petty case. "The Principal District and Sessions Judge (Headquarter) in consultation with all the other Principal District and Sessions Judges and Officers In-charge (OICs) record rooms shall determine the category of cases which require digitisation and 'petty cases' which do not require digitisation," Justice Dinesh Kumar Sharma said in an order which was passed on June 1 and signed on July 11. The order came on an application filed by the registry of the court seeking certain clarifications in its January 2017 order. In its January 2017 order, the high court had directed that "before the trial court record is destroyed under the Delhi High Court Rules, all information should