Tushar Mehta News

Supreme Court of India on Tuesday indicated that it would consider a petition filed by Ranveer Allahbadia, a popular YouTuber and entrepreneur, seeking the release of his passport. The top court, however, added that it would take up the matter after two weeks, in light of the ongoing investigation into the case. Allahbadia had approached the Supreme Court requesting a modification of the condition imposed on him, which required him to deposit his passport with authorities. His legal team argued that the condition was affecting his livelihood and professional commitments, as he frequently travels for business and work-related purposes. In response to Allahbadia’s plea, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta informed the apex court that the investigation in the case involving Allahbadia was likely to be completed within two weeks. He further stated that the authorities were actively working on the case, which has raised several concerns in the media.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.NEW DELHI: Next week, the Supreme Court headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant will start hearing arguments for and against India’s first-ever data privacy law. After five separate public interest litigation petitions filed in February challenged the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act, these hearings starting 13 May could determine the future of what companies and government bodies can do with the personal data of 1.4 billion people.Both the Centre and the litigators have deployed batteries of top lawyers.

A bench of justices BR Gavai and Augustine George Masih had taken suo motu cognisance of the Allahabad HC ruling on Tuesday. «We are at pains to state that it shows total lack of sensitivity on part of the author of the judgement. It (the order by high court) was not even at the spur of the moment and was delivered four months after reserving the same. Thus, there was application of mind,» the bench verbally remarked. The bench further orally observed: «We are usually hesitant to grant stay at this stage. But since observations in paragraphs 21, 24 and 26 is unknown to canons of law and show an inhuman approach, we stay the observations in said paras.» Solicitor general Tushar Mehta said there are enough reasons to stay the order. «Some judgements contain reasons for staying them. It has the same,» Mehta added.

tax dues on mineral rights and mineral-bearing lands between it and several mineral-rich states. The top court meanwhile deferred to April 24 the hearing on subsequent pleas of several mineral-rich states like Jharkhand seeking to recover royalty and tax dues on mineral rights and mineral-bearing lands worth thousands of crore of rupees from the Centre and the mining firms. A special three-judge bench comprising Justices Abhay S Oka and MM Sundresh and Ujjal Bhuyan said it will decide on the sequence in which the pleas of several mineral-rich states would be heard. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, said efforts were on to find a settlement of the issue and the pleas may be listed in the first week of May.

CBI to transfer trial against jailed JKLF chief Yasin Malik and other co-accused in two cases from Jammu and Kashmir to Delhi. A bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan deferred the matter as Solicitor General Tushar Mehta was not available. During the hearing, Malik appeared before the court through video-conferencing. He requested the court to post the matter after Ramzan to which the bench agreed.

Expressing concern: The Supreme Court on Wednesday expressed concern over ego clashes between IAS and IPS/IFS (forest service) officers. Speaking from his experience as a government lawyer and a judge for over two decades, senior SC Judge BR Gavai shared with solicitor general Tushar Mehta that there has always been a «conflict» between them. Justice Gavai said that IAS officers always show their «supremacy» over IPS and IFS officers. The development took place during a hearing pertaining to the omnibus forest protection matter. Displeasure with High Court The Supreme Court has recorded its displeasure with the way certain orders are passed by the Allahabad High Court. A bench headed by justice Abhay Oka on Wednesday disapproved of the way a revision appeal was decided by the high court. Remanding the case back to the Lucknow bench of HC for reconsideration, the top court directed the high court to call for the trial court record before deciding the matter. In January, another bench headed by justice Surya Kant had observed that the functioning of Allahabad High Court has been «worrisome». The bench had also observed that the filing and listing of cases in the Allahabad HC had «collapsed».

Uttarakhand High Court has asked the state government whether it can invite suggestions afresh on the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) and consider making amendments wherever necessary. A division bench of the high court comprising senior Justices Manoj Tiwari and Ashish Naithani posed the query on Thursday to Solicitor General Tushar Mehta while hearing two new petitions challenging the UCC's provisions regarding live-in relationships.

AIIMS New Delhi, to regularise the unauthorised absence of doctors who were part of protests against the rape and murder of a doctor at RG Kar Hospital, Kolkata. A bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar took note of the submissions of a doctors' body that some hospitals had regularised the absence of the doctors following its August 22, 2024 order but a few others, including AIIMS Delhi, decided to treat the period as leave of absence.

The Supreme Court on Monday scheduled a hearing for March 25 to consider a set of petitions challenging the acquittal of Surendra Koli, a key accused in the infamous Nithari killings that took place in 2005-06 in Noida, Uttar Pradesh.

National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) for late filing of an appeal, the Supreme Court on Friday asked the government to do some “introspection” and punish the erring officials.

Ajmal Kasab was given a fair trial in our country, the Supreme Court on Thursday remarked and indicated it may set up a courtroom inside Tihar Jail for the trial of Yasin Malik in a kidnapping case. A bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Augustine George Masih was hearing a CBI plea against the September 20, 2022 order of a Jammu trial court that directed Malik, serving life term in Tihar jail, to be produced before it physically to cross-examine the prosecution witnesses in the kidnapping case of Rubaiya Sayeed, daughter of politician Mufti Mohammad Sayeed. The bench, however, remarked, «How will cross-examination be done online? There is hardly any connectivity in Jammu… In our country, a fair trial was given even to Ajmal Kasab and legal assistance was given to him in the high court.» The bench told Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the CBI, to take instructions on the total number of witnesses in the case.

Supreme Court on Monday said it would consider the the mercy petition of death row convict Balwant Singh Rajoana, convicted in the 1995 assassination case of then Punjab chief minister Beant Singh, if the Centre does not decide on it «either way». A bench of Justices B R Gavai, P K Mishra and K V Viswanathan adjourned for two weeks the former Punjab Police constable's plea seeking commutation of his death sentence to life term due to an «inordinate delay» in deciding his mercy petition. «Decide it either way or we will consider it (Rajoana's plea),» the bench told Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, after he informed the court that Rajoana's mercy plea was pending with the president's house. Rajoana has been in continuous custody for 29 years, said his counsel, senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, while seeking his release till the mercy petition is decided.

RG Kar hospital rape-murder case said, there is still time to complete the investigation and CBI needs to be given adequate time. «They are not sleeping over,» said the court as per a report by Live Law. The court said, nobody can say that CBI destroyed anything related to crime scene or 27 minutes of CCTV footage. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta appearing for CBI told the Supreme Court that Wikipedia is still showing the name and photo of victim. To this CJI Chandrachud said, «We will pass an order, the name and photo cannot be there.»

Adani Power and Dickey Alternative Investment Trust approached the Supreme Court Wednesday, challenging the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal's (NCLAT) order asking the companies to maintain a status quo on implementation of the resolution plan for debt-laden Coastal Energen. A bench, led by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, posted the matter for hearing Thursday after Solicitor General Tushar Mehta and senior counsel Abhishek Manu Singhvi sought urgent hearing in the case. Observing that prima facie due process was not followed and members of the consortium should not be allowed to make any gains, the NCLAT on Friday directed that the erstwhile resolution professional would continue to run Coastal Energen's power plant in Thoothukudi, Tamil Nadu, until September 18, the next date of hearing. Any money generated in this period would be kept in an escrow account, it ruled.

Dickey Alternative Investment Trust and Adani Power Ltd on Wednesday moved the Supreme Court challenging the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal's order asking it to maintain status quo on implementation of the consortium's resolution plan for debt-laden Coastal Energen. A Bench led by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud posted the matter for hearing on Thursday after Solicitor General Tushar Mehta and senior counsel Abhishek Manu Singhvi sought urgent hearing in the case. While observing that prima facie due process was not followed and members of the consortium should not be allowed to make any gains, the NCLAT on Friday directed that the erstwhile resolution professional would continue to run Coastal Energen's power plant in Thootukudi, Tamil Nadu, until September 18, the next date of hearing. And any money generated during this period would be kept in an escrow account, it held.

Supreme Court on Wednesday said it will hear on September 17 the appeal of US-based creditor Glas Trust Company LLC against a judgment of the NCLAT, which had stayed insolvency proceedings against ed-tech firm BYJU's and approved its Rs 158.9 crore dues settlement with the BCCI. A bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra was urged by a battery of lawyers that the plea be heard urgently keeping in mind the subsequent developments in the case. The plea was mentioned by senior advocate NK Kaul, appearing for the ed-tech major, that the case needed to be heard at the earliest. The submission was supported by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the BCCI, and senior lawyer Abhishek Singhvi, also appearing for the ed-tech firm.

RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, a crucial document pertaining to her postmortem was found «unavailable» for the Supreme Court's perusal on Monday.

Supreme Court on Friday asked the Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (YEIDA), which has challenged a debt resolution proposal for Jaiprakash Associates' Jaypee Infratech unit, to file an affidavit indicating the steps it has taken to protect the interests of homebuyers in the projects of the bankrupt developer and others. Coming down heavily on YEIDA for its stand towards homebuyers in the residential projects, the court said: «You are not concerned with the homebuyers; that's where the problem lies.» Observing that the homebuyers are the «ultimate sufferers», a bench led by Justice Sanjiv Khanna told solicitor general Tushar Mehta that «you cannot say that I'm concerned with my dues and the homebuyers, who are the real sufferers, can bear the brunt».

Supreme Court on Thursday refused to pass an interim order to ensure that the committee of creditors (CoC) does not hold any meeting in pursuance of the insolvency proceedings against embattled ed-tech firm Byju's. A bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, however, said it will accord the final hearing in the matter on August 27. The bench said the developments, which may take place in the meantime, can be negated if it finds there was no merit in the appeal of the US-based creditor Glas Trust Company LLC against the judgment of the insolvency body — National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT). At the outset, senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, appearing for Byju's, and Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), said the CoC has been constituted in the meantime and 98 per cent stakes are with the US firm.

CBI alleged in the Supreme Court on Thursday that there was an attempt to cover up the rape and killing of a post-graduate medic at Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College and Hospital by the local police as the crime scene was altered by the time the federal agency took over the probe. Appearing in the court on behalf of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told a bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud that senior doctors of the hospital as well as the victim's colleagues had asked for videography, which means even they had felt that there was a cover-up. «We entered the probe on the fifth day. Before that, whatever was collected by the local police was given to us. The investigation itself was a challenge because the scene of offence was altered. The FIR was registered only after the (victim's) cremation at 11:45 pm. »First, the parents of the victim were informed by the deputy superintendent (of the hospital) that she was not well. When they reached the hospital, they were told that she had committed suicide… Fortunately, the colleagues of the deceased insisted for videography. This suggests that they were suspecting a cover-up," Mehta told the bench, also comprising Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra.