• NATIONAL

Rule of Law Finally Prevails Over Rule of Raj

The Central Government's threat to invoke Article 355, a censure to the state, finally forced the State of Maharastra to arrest Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray for jeopardizing law and order situation in Mumbai. The Union home ministry had issued as many as three advisories to the state, advising it to maintain law and order.

Legal Blitz Launched

To evaluate the existing law and explore new areas where Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) can be applied, Amity Law School (ALS) organised a two-day annual national seminar on "Alternative Dispute Resolution in the Era of Globalisation". Apparently, ADR has emerged as one of the powerful instruments by which disputes can conclusively be resolved and is no more restricted to traditional areas. It is increasing its scope and ambit as well.

Booming Market Rings in Legal Disputes for Telecom JVs

With current and erstwhile joint venture partners of most telcos locked in legal battles, telecom seems to have become one of the most litigious sectors in India. And as operators expand beyond India, they need to spend more on legal due diligence. Combined with legislation that lends itself to multiple interpretation, legal expenses of operators are only moving northwards. There is so much money in the sector, adding over 9 million users every month, that disputes are the most likely fallout.

Govt to Move Impeachment Motion Against HC Judge Sen

With Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan recommending removal of Calcutta High Court judge Soumitra Sen on charges of financial misconduct, Union law minister H R Bhardwaj said the UPA government would soon move an impeachment motion against the judge in Parliament. The CJI had sent his recommendation to the Prime Minister last month after Justice Sen refused to step down despite being found guilty of misappropriating Rs. 32 lakh from the receiver's account to his personal account.

• INTERNATIONAL

EU launches legal action against states

The European Commission launched a series of legal actions against European Union states for what it called failures to abide by EU laws, ranging from awarding helicopter contracts in Italy to Estonian pensions. Legal proceedings were started against Italy for failing to abide by an ECJ ruling that it must tender helicopter procurement contracts rather than awarding them directly to Italian maker Agusta, part of state-owned Finmeccanica.

Google, Yahoo Talks with Justice Dept Extended: Google CEO

Google and Yahoo have extended their talks with US Department of Justice regulators examining their proposed search advertising deal. Department of Justice antitrust regulators had been expected to announce whether they would give the green light to the tie-up between Google and Yahoo, respectively number one and number two in the Internet ad market.

US Justice Dept Withdraws Motion Against Ranbaxy

The US Department of Justice (DoJ) has withdrawn its motion in a local court against Ranbaxy after the Indian drug maker handed over the documents sought by the authorities. DoJ had sought a week's extension to confirm whether the documents given by Ranbaxy were complete before withdrawing the motion.