Month: May 2025

[ad_1] NEW DELHI: Supreme Court on Monday termed as "very disturbing" the practice of certain high court judges "reserving judgments for eternity" in breach of litigants' fundamental right to speedy justice and asked registrars general of all 25 HCs to submit details of cases in which orders had been reserved before Jan 31 and verdicts were yet to be pronounced.The SC's move had a dramatic fallout as Jharkhand HC, according to a petitioner's lawyer, delivered verdicts later in the day in two appeals where it had reserved judgements since 2022 and acquitted the convicts. The HC has scheduled final orders for Tuesday in two other cases where it had reserved verdicts long ago.There are at least two judges, one each in Telangana HC and Gauhati HC, who have between them reserved judgments in hundreds of cases and are yet to […]

[ad_1] Now, Odisha threatens action against Bengal over 'Jagannath Dham' in Digha BHUBANESWAR/KOLKATA: Odisha government threatened on Monday legal action against Bengal for naming a newly inaugurated Jagannath temple in Digha as "Jagannath Dham", escalating an already bitter row that now spans religious tradition, regional pride, and political rivalry.Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee hit back, accusing BJP-governed Odisha of "jealousy" and of targeting Bengalis, while social media campaigns flared with hashtags like #BoycottPuri and #BoycottOdisha.Odisha law minister Prithiviraj Harichandan declared that "Dham" can only be associated with four sacred places - Badrinath, Dwarka, Rameswaram, and Jagannath Puri - and said using it for Digha has "created anguish among devotees everywhere".Will bring SOPs for Jagannath temples outside Puri: Odisha"We will also ask Bengal to stop referring to the beach near the Digha temple as Mahodadhi, a term found in scriptures describing […]

[ad_1] Selection panel 'differs', CBI chief may get 1-year extension NEW DELHI: CBI director Praveen Sood is likely to get one-year extension of service amid indications that there was lack of unanimity among the selection committee's members - PM Narendra Modi, CJI Sanjeev Khanna and LoP Rahul Gandhi - during a meeting on Monday. Sources said the Congress leader has not given consent to any of the names on the list of probable successors.Sood's two-year term ends next month. The 1986-batch IPS officer was director general of police (DGP) of Karnataka before his appointment as the agency's chief.By seniority, 3 1988-batch IPS officers among CBI chief probablesA panel of names of the senior-most IPS officers of the country, along with their performance records, is provided to the selection committee to help it decide.By seniority, the probables include 1988-batch IPS officers […]

[ad_1] A view of the Chenab River as the water level drops after the closure of Salal Dam, in Reasi on Monday. (Pic credit: ANI) SRINAGAR/JAMMU: Authorities have since Sunday restricted flows through Jammu’s Baglihar and Salal hydroelectric dams on the Chenab that runs on to Pakistan, causing such an unprecedented drop in water levels that residents in downstream areas were able to walk across the river for the first time in recent memory.The actions demonstrate India’s ability to regulate timing of water releases and comes after the Centre’s decision to suspend Indus Water Treaty (IWT) with Pakistan following the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people, mostly tourists. Under IWT, India would have had to inform Pakistan before regulating Chenab’s waters.Sources said the authorities had closed all five main gates of Baglihar Dam and those of Salal […]

[ad_1] J&K ex-CM and PDP president Mehbooba Mufti SRINAGAR: J&K ex-CM and PDP president Mehbooba Mufti criticised Monday government’s decision to shut down dozens of tourist destinations across Kashmir valley and expressed concern over “widespread” detention of locals in the security crackdown following the April 22 terrorist attack in Pahalgam that claimed 26 lives, mostly tourists.“Our tourists are coming here showcasing immense bravery and to send a message that we aren’t scared, but when they see destinations like Aru valley and Chandanwari closed, it doesn’t look good,” Mehbooba said during a visit to Pahalgam, where she met several tourists. “We have security, deploy them there.”Authorities have temporarily shut 48 of the 87 tourist resorts across Kashmir as a safety measure. Mehbooba accused the administration of deterring tourism instead of supporting it. “In these times when some tourists are visiting Pahalgam, […]