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Supreme Court Stays Eviction of Forest Dwellers
The Supreme Court has stayed its own order of 13th own order of evicting lakhs of dwellers living on encroached forest land. It has come as a huge relief for the people living in the forests for many generations. Around the world, as communities expand, and natural places are reduced, people and wildlife are increasingly…
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Clinching Evidence is Must for Conviction
Mens rea (intention) and actus rues (action) are the two constituents of any crime as opposed to the mental state of the accused. The Supreme Court has, however, made it abundantly clear in some of the decisions that if the clinching circumstantial evidences are available to establish the intention of the accused to have committed…
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SC Reiterates Fundamental Rights cannot be Compromised
Parmanand Pandey It is cliché to say that nursing is a noble profession because the nurse must care for people in their darkest hours, often taking unfair blame and criticism from their patients. They provide care to their patients because they are called to do so. Gone are the days of the Florence Nightingale, who…
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Let Sohrabuddin Case be an Eye-Opener for the CBI
Parmanand Pandey A high-profile criminal case that has been bedevilling the career of many politicians and police personnel have been finally decided by a CBI court in Mumbai, which has acquitted all accused persons. Although the title of the case is ‘Central Bureau of Investigation versus Dahyaji Goharji Vanjara and others’, yet it has been…
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S.C. Puts Rafale Controversy to Rest
Parmanand Pandey Rafale Fighter Jets deal case, decided by the Supreme Court, on 14th December, the last working day before it was closed for the winter vacation has actually brought a sort of political tremor in the country. While on the one hand, the people of the country, by and large, and the Indian Air…
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CBI Must Restore its Credibility
Parmanand Pandey Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has been in the thick of controversy right from its inception in 1963 because it was not formed under the act of Parliament but by insertion of a provision under Delhi Special Police Establishment Act. However, in due course of time, it became a premier investigation agency. Since…
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Court Cannot Resolve the Ayodhya Tangle
All Courts, right from the lower court to the Apex Court, have been dithering in pronouncing any judgement on Ayodhya and, in a way that is the correct approach also. In this context, it’s relevant to recall the obiter dicta of the former Chief Justice of India JS Khehar, who had suggested during one of…
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Ominous flouting of Apex Court Order on Fire Crackers
‘Diwali gets noisier; more polluted despite SC curbs’ screams the newspaper headline. The most auspicious Hindu festival of Deepawali or Diwali is celebrated all over the country. On this day Laxmi and Ganesha are worshipped for bringing prosperity and happiness. The other reason is that people rejoice the return of Lord Rama to Ayodhya after…
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L’affaire Tanvi Seth: MEA Must Come Clean
Caesar’s wife must be above board but what would you say when the judge pronounces the judgement without hearing the arguments? This is what has happened L’affaire Tanvi Seth. By releasing the report of the so-called enquiry after fifteen days after the incident, the External Affairs Ministry has not inspired any confidence in the public.…
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‘Infidel’stresses Islam to come out of mental cage
By and large, all religions are repressive. Some religions, however, provide more space and freedom for agreements or disagreements and debates and discussions but Islam is the one such religion that does not yield even an inch of disagreement. There is no room for any debate or discussion in it. You must blindly follow what…