• NATIONAL

Balaji drags Star TV to court over termination of saas-bahu saga

One of the longest and popular running television soaps "Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi" was served with termination notice by the channel STAR TV citing fall in TRPs due to "viewer fatigue". Producers, "Balaji Telefilms" sought suspension of the October 10 termination notice that they received from STAR TV. According to STAR, its agreement with Balaji clearly said that if TRP fell by 20% of its June 2008 figures in any three months, the channel was entitled to terminate the show.

Maaza War: Coke takes Bisleri to court

The Coca-Cola Company (TCCC) has filed a case in the Delhi High Court asking the court to restrain Bisleri International from infringing on the Maaza trademark in India. TCCC has also sought to restrain Bisleri and its sister concerns from disclosing the know-how, formulation and other intellectual property used in the preparation of Maaza.

India may throw open doors to UK law firms

The law ministry may allow UK-based law firms to practice in India provided the UK government also allows Indian lawyers to work there. The Bar Council of India (BCI), which was averse to allowing market access in legal sector, has backed the proposal stating that it may consider the matter on a country-specific basis, provided there is a quid-pro-quo arrangement.

CIC to Delhi HC: Information on judicial exam candidates

In a ruling, which may set a precedent for examinations conducted by Delhi High Court, the Central Information Commission has allowed an RTI plea of a candidate seeking personal information of successful candidates. CIC, Wajahat Habibullah asked HC to furnish information sought by an RTI applicant, Rashmi Bansal. She demanded to know not just marks and names of those who cleared Delhi Higher Judicial Service Examination (DHJS) 2006 but also "the addresses of those selected for interview'' and "names/designations of their parents/guardians.''

FIR lodged by HDFC bank against PNB for bungling Rs 7.90 crore

The Patna HDFC Bank has lodged an FIR against the Punjab National Bank for bungling with an amount of Rs 7.90 crore. HDFC bank had deposited Rs 4.70 crore on September 19 and Rs 4.90 crore on October 21 in PNB's Exhibition Road branch but was given a receipt for only Rs 1.70 crore, as said by deputy superintendent of police while citing the complaint. 

Under HC's Green Scanner: The 2010 Games village near Yamuna

The Delhi High Court declined to stay the construction of over 1,100 flats for Commonwealth Games village near the Yamuna. It also made it clear that if there was any adverse impact on the environment, "proper" directions will be given on the building activity. To carry out an assessment of the impact on environment due to the on-going construction, the court appointed a four-member committee, headed by environmental scientist R K Pachauri. The court's direction is a result of petitions filed by environmental activists, alleging the on-going construction on Yamuna river-bed that would disturb the ecological balance and environmental regeneration.

SC : Conviction on basis of extra-judicial confession

The Supreme Court said that an accused could be convicted on the basis of reliable extra-judicial confessions. It is not open to the court to presume such confessions as weak evidence while deciding the cases, said apex court.

A bench comprising Justice Arijit Pasayat and Justice P Sathasivam said, "Such a confession (extra-judicial confessions) can be relied upon and conviction can be founded thereon if the evidence about the confession comes from the mouth of witnesses who appear to be unbiased, not even remotely inimical to the accused, and in respect of whom nothing is brought out which may tend to indicate that he may have a motive of attributing an untruthful statement to the accused, the words spoken to by the witness are clear, unambiguous and unmistakably convey that the accused is the perpetrator of the crime and nothing is omitted by the witness which may militate against it".

Delhi HC to cops: Press conferences hamper probe

The Delhi High Court criticizes the practice among top cops to address a press conference after every major crime came in and also questioned the current method of police-press information sharing. 

A division bench comprising Chief Justice A P Shah and Justice S Muralidhar decried this habit of press conferences by policemen, saying it hampered probe and affected rights of the accused. HC also issued notices to Delhi Police, the Union government and a news magazine for publishing a "confession" of an accused in the blast case, something, which prompted HC's observations on press conferences.

Bombay HC raps health dept on bio-medical waste disposal issue

The Bombay High Court today took the Maharashtra government to task over an affidavit of its health department regarding implementation of bio-medical waste disposal in hospitals across the state.

A division bench of Chief Justice Swatanter Kumar and Justice Dhananjay Chandrachud also appointed two lawyers, Uday Warunjikar and Shiraz Rustomji, as court commissioners to inspect 10 hospitals each within Mumbai. The order came during the hearing of a PIL filed by city-based Consumer Welfare Association, which complained that a majority of hospitals in the state did not dispose of biomedical waste in the way prescribed by Biomedical Waste Disposal Waste Rules, 1998.

SC : Implementing new pay scale prerogative of employer

The Supreme Court said that it is the prerogative of the government to implement revised pay scale for employees. There is no legal right vested in employees to claim implementation of revised pay scale.

A bench comprising Justice S B Sinha and Justice Cyriac Joseph said, "The question as to whether the scale of pay would be revised or not is a matter of policy decision for the state. No legal right exists in a person to get a revised pay scale implemented. It may be recommended by a body but ultimately it has to be accepted by the employer or by the state that bears the financial burden."

  • INTERNATIONAL

EU court upholds Dutch appeal on diesel emissions

Europe's highest court upheld an appeal filed by the Netherlands for its diesel cars to be exempt from EU pollution limits due to the country's highly concentrated population and infrastructure. The case has dragged on for three years, and began when the Netherlands informed the European Commission, the EU executive, that it planned to adopt a decree exempting its new diesel vehicles from EU-wide limits on exhaust particle emissions. Netherlands said it was unable to comply with the limits since they were already exceeded in certain parts of the country due to a high concentration of population and infrastructure, and large amounts of pollution coming from neighbouring states.

US court reinstates Bhopal water pollution case

A lawsuit contending that thousands of people in India were exposed to polluted drinking water after the 1984 Union Carbide toxic-gas disaster in Bhopal was reinstated by a US appeals court, which said a lower court improperly threw out the case. The US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in New York sent the lawsuit back to a Manhattan federal court judge for further proceedings. A three-judge panel of the appeals court found that the lower court had erred by granting the defendants' request for summary judgment in the case before giving the plaintiffs the opportunity to gain access to certain pretrial documents and other information they had sought.

Zydus drags Teva to court for antitrust violations

Zydus Cadila, an Ahmedabad-based pharmaceutical company, has taken Teva Pharmaceuticals, the world's largest generic drug maker, to court in the US seeking damages for Teva's antitrust violations and unfair trade practices relating to a drug called risperidone. The drug is widely used for treating schizophrenia.

US taxpayers may pay legal bills of mortgage executives

When the US government took over mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, taxpayers inherited more than bad debts. They also potentially are responsible for tens of millions of dollars in legal fees for the executives at the center of the housing market's collapse. With the Justice Department investigating companies involved in the mortgage and financial meltdown, executives around the country are hiring high-powered defense lawyers. Like many large companies, Fannie and Freddie had contracts promising to cover legal bills for their executives.