IL Feature

Nearly three decades ago, a gossip columnist named E Jean Carroll was sexually assaulted in an upscale New York department store dressing room by a playboy real estate tycoon. Recently, nine jurors in a federal court civil case in Manhattan unanimously agreed that Donald Trump, the ex-president was a sexual predator. Carroll was awarded a total of $5 million dollars in her assault and defamation case against Trump, who is running again in 2024 to be president of the US. This verdict finally may have consequences for someone who has escaped legal accountability

Attempts by the state to conduct a caste-based census came to naught after the Patna High Court ordered a stay. The power to carry it out is vested with the Parliament which enacted Census Act, 1948.

One visible result of the economic liberalisation of 1991 was the opening of malls which have become a runaway hit across the country. Now the courts have offered their definition of a mall and the activities permitted, apart from just shopping, with the help of dictionaries.

It has become a regular front page feature in almost every newspaper—the photograph of some of the country’s top medal-winning wrestlers staging a protest at Jantar Mantar in Delhi against BJP MP and Wrestling Federation of India president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh for sexual offenses. The matter has  now reached the Supreme Court and the question of who wins the legal bout hangs in the balance.

India’s wildlife habitats have always faced problems of illegal construction as well as villages, roads and highways piercing through sanctuaries, and other infrastructure deemed necessary. Now, the Supreme court has taken the debate further in modifying its earlier order ensuring there are inbuilt safeguards for preventing rampant construction and abuse of process.

As the conflict between governors and state governments rise to a higher decibel, the spotlight is not only on constitutional morality, but also on the constitutional provision regarding the discretionary powers of governors. A report.

SCBA vice president and senior advocate Pradeep Rai’s initiatives on mediation bore fruit with the appointment of 250 members as mediators.

The apex court came down on the Gujarat government for its decision to allow the release of 11 life convicts in the case. The Court said that the judicial order required convicts to be in jail for the rest of their natural life, but they were released by an executive order. It observed, “today it is this lady (Bilkis). Tomorrow, it can be you or me. There must be objective standards”.

While the legal profession can benefit from AI and convert it into a perk, especially for research-based activities, it will also eliminate some jobs just as the personal computer and internet did.

The Central Consumer Protection Authority established under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, has issued guidelines to prevent unfair trade practices and protect consumer interest with regard to levy of service charge in hotels and restaurants. Now, the courts are examining the confusion over the issue.