Legal Updates for April 2017 Month: Important CLAT, AILET & Law Entrance Exams

1. Parliament has passed Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Bill, 2016. Maternity leave available to working women has been increased from 12 weeks to 26 weeks for the first two children. The Act is applicable to all establishments employing 10 or more person.

2. GST is the new indirect tax regime, where one commodity have same rate across India. It is a destination based tax and is applicable to all Good and Services except alcohol for human consumption.

3. For the first time in the history, Supreme Court has issued a bailable warrant to sitting Judge of Calcutta High Court, Justice Karnan, as he failed to appear before the court.

4. The Supreme Court in a landmark judgment has held that only those vehicles which complies with the BS-IV standards shall be manufactured, sold and register across the countries from 1^st of April, 2017.

5.  A divison bench of Justice Sikri and Justice Bhusan, while hearing an appeal filed by Himachal Pradesh government has ruled that the concept of Criminal Justice is not synonyms to Social justice and lesser punishment cannot be awarded just because the accused is a women.

6. Vanaja N. Sarna has been appointed as the new chairman of Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC).

7. In Surain Singh v. State of Punjab, hon’ble Supreme Court has explained the difference between two exceptions of Murder, i.e., Sudden and Grave Provocation and Sudden fight.

8. The Supreme Court bench of justices Madan B.Lokur and Prafulla C Pant, has  directed the Centre to notify the Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2016 on or before June 30, 2017. A wetland is land covered by water. Wetlands include marshes, ponds, the edge of lakes, oceans, delta at the mouth of a river, and low-lying areas that frequently flood. Wetlands play an important role in maintaining ecological balance.

9. The Supreme Court on Friday held that negligence, unless gross on part of an advocate, would not amount to professional misconduct. The division bench was considering a plea filed by a Kerala lawyer against the order passed by the disciplinary committee.

10. A three-judge bench of the Supreme Court has  rejected a plea to frame a national policy to promote and propagate the national song and national flag in spirit of the Article 51A to achieve the great golden goals, as set out in the Preamble of the Constitution.