• NATIONAL

High Court refuses permission to abort 26-week foetus

The Bombay High Court refused the permission to abort a 26-week foetus with a serious heart defect after rejecting the mother's plea to terminate the pregnancy on ground that medical experts did not express any "categorical opinion that if the child is born it would suffer from serious handicaps." The couple had sought an amendment to the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act so that pregnancy can be terminated even after 20 weeks if doctors believe that the child, if born, will have serious abnormalities, so as to render it handicapped. The court felt that the existing laws did not permit the mother to abort a child after 20 weeks unless there was a fatal risk to the mother.

L&T moves court over dividends for Grasim

The country's largest engineering company L& T has moved the Bombay High Court seeking permission for depositing dividends payable to Grasim in an escrow account. Both the parties had raised disputes over the price at which Grasim has to sell its shareholding in L&T to L&T Employees Welfare Trust.

Court notice to Delhi University over OBC reservation

The Delhi High Court has issued notices to Delhi University over its alleged failure to implement reservation for the Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in some medical colleges of the capital. The court was hearing a petition filed by a group of medical aspirants who alleged that colleges run by Delhi University refused to grant reservation to them on the ground that they have not been allowed to increase the number of seats. The students alleged that despite the apex court upholding the government's policy of providing 27 percent reservation for OBC candidates, the university refused to implement it.

Court asks minority colleges to admit OBC students

The Delhi High Court directed a group of colleges of Delhi University (DU), which claim to be run by minority institutions, to reserve seats for Other Backward Classes (OBC) in the current academic year. The colleges run by the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) had approached the court, seeking exemption from the stipulated 27 percent reservation for OBCs in institutions of higher learning. The colleges said in their petition that the Apex Court had held that the Minority Educational institutions (MEI), whether they were aided or unaided, were exempted from OBC reservation. The court said that these colleges would have to provide reservation until they are declared minority institutions.

Citing traffic jams, lawyers say no to longer court hours

The Delhi High Court lawyers have cited traffic snarls as the reason for nixing a proposal to increase the working hours of the high court. The communiqué came in response to one from Delhi High Court Chief Justice Ajit Prakash Shah seeking its views on a unanimous recommendation three months ago by the chief justices of the high courts that working hours be increased in a bid to cut down their staggering backlogs.

Lawyers can advertise on Internet, BCI tells Supreme Court

The Bar Council of India informed the Supreme Court that lawyers, like other professionals, are now free to advertise their services on Internet and that it has relaxed its rules on the issue in view of the changing global scenario. For this purpose it has amended Rule 36, Section IV of the BCI, which earlier prohibited the legal fraternity from advertising their services. Under the amended rule, advocates can mention in their chosen websites, their names, telephone numbers, e-mail ID, professional qualification and areas of specialisation. However, the BCI submitted that such advertisements can be issued only within the parameters fixed by it under the amended regulations, and any breach of the same would invite disciplinary action.

Court reserves judgments on Vedanta mining

Britain's Vedanta Resources Plc agreed to pay compensation to tribal people displaced by a planned bauxite mine in eastern India, as the Supreme Court concluded hearings and reserved judgement. Action Aid, which has been campaigning against the mine, said the court was now expected to issue a written report on the "modalities and conditions" under which mining could proceed. The court had earlier asked Vedanta's Indian subsidiary Sterlite Industries to draw up a decent rehabilitation and environmental protection package before giving the green light to the $800 mn project.

• INTERNATIONAL

UK court scraps ban on sham marriages by immigrants

Immigrants, legal or illegal, can use sham marriages to continue to stay in Britain. A court has ruled against the blanket ban on such marriages and an appeals court has upheld that ruling. It says the ban breaches human rights. The ban came into force in 2004 following the government's concerns about thousands of bogus marriages by immigrants to stay in Britain. It was declared illegal by the high court in April 2006 following an appeal by three couples whose marriages were banned. The Law Lords upheld the ruling.

Great Wall says Fiat claim dismissed by China court

Chinese Car Maker, Great Wall Motor Co Ltd, said that a Chinese court had dismissed a claim by Fiat Auto S.P.A. alleging infringement of Fiat's patent by the Chinese car maker. The Shijiazhuang Intermediate People's Court had dismissed the claim by Fiat, which alleged Great Wall's GWPeri model was an infringement of its patent, and ordered Fiat to pay the court fees in the amount of 8,800 yuan ($1,291).

Court official: Trial off in Comair crash

A US Federal judge called off a trial to hear lawsuits stemming from a 2006 plane crash that killed 49 people in Kentucky after family members and the airline reached settlements in most of the cases. The lawsuits claimed Comair was negligent because its pilots steered the plane in the pre-dawn darkness to the wrong runway, one that was too short for a proper takeoff. The jet hit trees and a perimeter fence before crashing in a farm next to Lexington's Blue Grass Airport

Judge may shutter Web site selling Olympics tickets

The US Olympic Committee asked a federal judge for the second time to shut down a Web site it alleges is fraudulently selling tickets to the Beijing Games. Lawyers for the USOC want the judge to permanently disable beijingticketing.com, which they contend has scammed numerous US residents out of thousands of dollars by falsely promising to deliver tickets to the games. The site was apparently disabled by its operators, but the lawyers want the court order to make the takedown permanent. A USOC lawyer said company managers notified customers via e-mail that the promised tickets would not be delivered. The e-mail advised patrons to contact their credit card companies.