Legal News of the Day: 05 Jan 2020

Supreme Court registers suo motu case based on open letter from Punjab University students

• The Supreme Court of India has registered a suo motu case to examine alleged attacks by police and paramilitary forces on farmers who are protesting against the newly introduced Farm Laws at the Delhi borders.
• The case was initiated based on an open letter written by students of Centre for Human Rights and Duties, Panjab University highlighting the plight of the farmers and requesting the top court’s intervention.
• The letter said that the farmers were forced to march to Delhi after nearly two months of peaceful protests in their home states did not yield any results. However, they were thrashed by police at the Delhi borders.
• The government and biased media outlets, instead of addressing the problems of farmers, are painting the protestors as separatists, the students claim.

Madras High Court’s newly sworn in Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee

• A Chief Justice is only the first among equals, newly elevated Chief Justice of the Madras High Court, Justice Sanjib Banerjee chose to highlight as he took charge of his office this morning.
• After he was administered the oath of office at Raj Bhavan, a welcome ceremony was organised at the Madras High Court for Justice Banerjee with addresses by the leaders of the Bar.

Include Lawyers, Judges in list for getting COVID-19 vaccine on priority

• The Tamil Nadu Advocates’ Association (TNAA) has addressed a representation to government authorities as well as the Supreme Court and Madras High Court Chief Justices urging that lawyers and judges must be included in the priority list of persons eligible to receive COVID-19 vaccinations in the first stage/ first phase.
• A letter signed off by TNAA Chairman S Prabakaran noted that the government had tentatively prepared a list of priority segments in India who would get vaccinated in the first phase of the COVID-19 vaccinations that is likely to start in the next few weeks.
• This list, TNAA said, included health workers, defence, police personnel, aged persons and those with co-morbidities but did not include lawyers and judges.

Kerala HC vacates bail granted to one accused of Maoist links

• The Kerala High Court has partially reversed an NIA Special Court’s order concerning bail for two youth, Allan Shuaib and Thwaha Fasal who were accused of having links to banned Maoist terror outfit, Communist Party of India (Maoist). (Union of India v. Allan Shuaib; Union of India v. Thwaha Fasal)
• The High Court today upheld the bail granted to Shuaib, while reversing the grant of bail to Fasal. In doing so, it has also expressed disapproval over the drafting of the NIA Court judgment, remarking that it has been prepared as if it is a court of record “which was unnecessary.”

Supreme Court to deliver judgment in challenge to Central Vista redevelopment

• The Supreme Court will deliver its judgment tomorrow in a batch of petitions challenging the redevelopment of New Delhi’s Central Vista area.
• The judgment will be rendered by a three-judge Bench of Justices AM Khanwilkar, Dinesh Maheshwari and Sanjiv Khanna.
• As per the details available on the Supreme Court website, there will be two separate opinions, one by Justice Khanwilkar and the other by Justice Khanna.