Legal Updates: June

1. To facilitate businesses by India Inc., the government has set up an eight member panel to address issues related to the new companies law and recommend necessary changes.

2.       The High court of Kerala stayed the sentences awarded by a NIA special court on two persons convicted for harbouring the accused in the sensational palm-chopping case. A Division bench comprising of Justice V K Mohanan and Justice V Raja Vijayaraghavan stayed the sentences when the appeals filed by 25th accused Abdul Latheef of Kadungalloor and 34th accused Anwar Sadhik of Eloorkara near Aluva came up for admission.

3.       Delhi’s premier medical centre, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) moved the Delhi High Court seeking its approval to replace its forensic department head Sudhir Kumar Gupta, who had alleged discrimination by the institute following his self-confessed refusal to act unprofessionally in the autopsy of Sunanda Pushkar, wife of Congress leader and former Union Minister Shashi Tharoor MP.

4.       In what can be called as a respite to senior journalist Rajdeep Sardesai, the Supreme Court stayed criminal defamation proceedings in a case for allegedly making false implication against a senior Hyderabad police officer in connection with the 2007 Sohrabuddin encounter case. A bench of Justices Prafulla C Pant and Amitava Roy heard this petition, filed along with seven others associated with the case with other matters, in which constitutional validity of sections 499 (defamation) and 500 (punishment for defamation) of the IPC has been challenged.

5.       Lawyers practising at the Madurai bench of the Madras High Court staged a protest in Madurai demanding an immediate revocation of the de-recognition of the Ambedkar Periyar Study Circle (APSC) by IIT Madras.

6.       After a lot of speculations finally Karnataka Government is all set to start a new round of legal battle against the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa by deciding to appeal against her acquittal in the disproportionate asset case.

7.       The Ministry of Corporate Affairs has notified the date of commencement of Companies (Amendment) Act, 2015. “May 29, 2015″ has been selected the date of enforcement from which provisions of sections 1 to 12 and 15 to 23 of Companies (Amendment) Act, 2015 shall come into force.

8.       An under trial from Tihar jail has been granted three – day interim bail on an application made before Special CBI Court, Delhi. The order was made on the application by Nirvikar Singh, who wishes to appear for the entrance test of Delhi University, Faculty of law, which is to be held on June 5 to June 7.

9.       The Delhi High court has quashed a criminal proceeding against Sahara Group chief Subrata Roy, and his wife Swapna Roy in a six year-old cheating and fraud case.

10.   The Supreme Court resumed hearing arguments on the constitutional validity of the National Judicial Appointment Commission (NJAC) Act, notwithstanding the ongoing summer vacation.