PIL in Supreme Court challenges de facto ban on screening of Kamal Haasan's 'Thug Life' in Karnataka

The PIL by M Mahesh Reddy from Bengaluru filed through advocate A Valan sought a declaration that such a ban was illegal, unconstitutional, and void ab initio, being violative of Articles 14, 19(1)(a), 19(1)(g) and 21 of the Constitution.

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India Gazette

39 minutes ago

• India Gazette

Vice President Jagdeep Dhankar pays tribute to Syama Prasad Mookerjee on 91st birth anniversary

New Delhi [India], June 23 (ANI): Vice-President of India, Jagdeep Dhankhar on Monday paid homage to Syama Prasad Mukherjee, saying, 'It's a great day in the history of our nation. One of the finest sons of our soil, today, his Balidan Diwas is Shyama Prasad Mukherjee. Dhankhar further added, 'We suffered from Article 370 for too long. It bled us and the state of Jammu and Kashmir. Article 370 and the draconian Article 35A deprived people of their basic human rights and fundamental rights. We had a visionary Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, and a Home Minister in the shoes of Sardar Patel, Amit Shah. Article 370 does not exist now in our Constitution. It was abrogated on 5th August 2019, and the legal challenge to the Supreme Court failed on 11 December 2023. I, therefore, cannot be at a more befitting place than this to pay tribute to one of the finest sons of our soil. My tributes to him.' Addressing the inaugural session of the 99th Annual Meet and National Conference of Vice Chancellors (2024-2025), organised by the Association of Indian Universities (AIU), at Gautam Buddha Nagar, Uttar Pradesh, Dhankhar said, highlighting the National Education Policy, 'I must share with you something which happened after more than 3 decades, that has really changed the landscape of our education. I am referring to the 'National Education Policy' 2020. As governor of the State of West Bengal, I was associated with it. Some major inputs -- in the hands of thousands -- were taken into consideration for the evolution of this policy.' 'The policy resonates with our civilizational spirit, essence, and ethos. It is a bold reaffirmation of India's timeless belief that education is the awakening of the self, not just for the education of skills,' he added. 'I have firmly believed that education is a great equaliser. Education brings about equality as no other mechanism does. Education decimates inequities. As a matter of fact, education gives life to democracy,' he further stated. Congratulating the Government of Uttar Pradesh, he stated, 'My congratulations to the Government of Uttar Pradesh. The Chief Minister has done a great initiative. IT was given 'Industry Status'. That has a huge consequence for positive development. Another aspect for which UP is getting increasingly recognised is at the school education level. The transparency and accountability in administration is becoming a hallmark.' Applauding India's national progress, the Vice-President said, 'India has emerged as a land of opportunity, of entrepreneurship, of startups, of innovation, of unicorns. In every parameter where growth and development can be gauged, we are rising.' On the role of universities, the Vice-President emphasised, 'Our universities are not meant to just hand out degrees. The degrees must carry great weightage. Universities must be sanctuaries of ideas and ideation, crucibles of innovation. These places have to catalyse big change.' 'That responsibility lies on the Vice-Chancellors in particular and the academia in general. I appeal to you, there must be space for disagreement, debate, dialogue and discussion. That is how the mind cells are activated. Abhivyakti, Vaad Vivaad, Anant Vaad -- these are inalienable facets of our civilisation, of our democracy.' Highlighting India's potential to lead in knowledge domains, he said, 'When you look around the world, you'll understand its significance. The state of education defines not only the state of academics, but the state of the nation. We cannot remain perpetual students of Western innovation when our demographic dividend position says, as the world's knowledge epicenter.' 'And when we look back in our ancient history, we are reminded of our rich past. It is time Bharat must build world-class institutions, not just to teach, but to pioneer. These are not mere disciplines. These are levers of assurance of our sovereignty in all times to come.' Calling for equitable expansion of higher education, the Vice-President observed, 'A lot of our institutions have remained brown-field. Let us fall in line with the global groove -- let's go green. Greenfield institutions alone bring about equitable distribution. There is clusterization in metros and Tier 1 cities. Many regions remain untouched.' 'Let's go in for greenfield institutions in such areas. Vice Chancellors are not only the watchdogs, but also impregnable bulwarks against the commodification and commercialisation of education. One of our fundamental objectives is to ensure affordability, reach, and accessibility of quality education for ordinary people.' Concluding his address with a call to establish leadership in emerging domains, the Vice-President asserted, 'Establish institutions of uncompromising excellence in emerging domains -- artificial intelligence, climate change, climate technology, quantum science, digital ethics -- then Bharat will lead, others will follow. That's a challenge.' 'Education is not just for the public good. It is our most strategic national asset. It is integrally connected not only with our development journey in infrastructure or otherwise, it assures national security also.' 'Friends, I am before academicians and therefore I will reveal my thought process a little more critically for your analysis. Impossible choices define our character and strength. We must not take the easy route. Impossible choices define that we really have a great inheritance. Taking the easy path is getting into mediocrity, and then into irrelevance and insignificance.' 'Universities are crucibles to generate such choices. They prepare minds. They prepare people to be intrepid -- to go in for impossible choices.' Sunil Kumar Sharma, Minister for IT and Electronics, Government of Uttar Pradesh; Ashok K. Chauhan, Founder President, Amity Education and Research Group; Vinay Kumar Pathak, President, AIU; and Pankaj Mittal, Secretary General, AIU, and other dignitaries were also present. (ANI)

Hindustan Times

an hour ago

• Hindustan Times

SC terms plea on OBC certificates for children of single mothers ‘important,' says detailed hearing needed

The Supreme Court on Monday termed "important" the plea for amending rules to issue OBC certificates to children of single mothers from the same category. The Centre's counsel said various factors had to be considered following which guidelines would be formulated.(ANI) A bench of Justices K V Viswanathan and N Kotiswar Singh said the matter required a detailed hearing. "The present writ petition raises an important issue about issuance of OBC certificate to children of single mother wherein the mother belongs to the OBC," the bench said. The counsel representing the Centre said they had filed their counter affidavit on the plea. On January 31, the apex court issued notice and sought responses from the Centre and the Delhi government on the plea filed by a Delhi-based woman. "This has to be heard," the bench said on Monday, calling it an important issue. The bench referred to a 2012 judgement of the apex court which dealt with the question surrounding the status of a person, one of whose parents belongs to the Scheduled Castes or Scheduled Tribes and the other did not belong to either category. The Centre's counsel said the issue needed deliberation and all states were needed to be made party in the matter. He said the authorities would be needing guidelines from the apex court in this regard. The Centre's counsel said various factors had to be considered following which guidelines would be formulated. The petitioner said the Other Backward Class (OBC) certificate should be issued on the basis of the certificate held by the single mother. "Considering the importance of the matter, subject to the order of the Chief Justice of India, the matter be placed for final hearing on July 22," the bench said. The parties were directed to file their written submissions. The bench also asked the parties to examine a scenario where the single mother was in an inter-caste marriage. The plea said according to the guidelines issued by the respondent authorities, an OBC certificate couldn't be granted on the basis of an OBC certificate of a single mother and an applicant had to produce such a certificate from the paternal side only. The petitioner claimed such an action by the respondents was clearly against constitutional provisions. "The inaction on the part of respondents to issue OBC certificates to children of single mother on the basis of the Other Backward Class certificate of their single mother are also in contravention of the rights of the children who belong to the Other Backward Class," the plea said. The petition also called it violative of the provision of the Constitution as children of a single mother belonging to the SC or ST category were granted caste certificates on the basis of her certificate. Insisting on the father's OBC certificate or the paternal side by the authorities for issuing OBC certificates to children of single mothers was totally against the rights of children brought up by her, the plea said. It referred to the Delhi government's guidelines for issuing OBC certificates. According to the guidelines, any person residing in Delhi and wanting to apply for an OBC certificate, has to produce an OBC certificate of any paternal blood relative which includes father, grandfather or uncle. The plea said a single mother belonging to OBC category who wants to apply for such certificate for her adopted child on the basis of her own certificate was not allowed to apply for want of the husband's OBC certificate.

The Hindu

an hour ago

• The Hindu

Supreme Court's 3-year Bar experience rule for judge exam triggers concern among aspirants

Last month's Supreme Court's landmark ruling reinstating the requirement that candidates must have at least three years of litigation experience before they can sit for the judicial service examination for entry-level judgeships has prompted concerns over the challenges it may pose for recent graduates. The court's decision was rooted in the belief that judicial officers must have practical exposure to the courtroom before donning the robe. 'The judges from the very day on which they assume office have to deal with the questions of life, liberty, property and reputation of litigants,' the apex court said in the May 20 judgment. It observed that, 'neither knowledge derived from books nor pre-service training can be an adequate substitute for the first-hand experience of the working of the court system and the administration of justice. This is possible only when a candidate is exposed to the atmosphere in the court by assisting the seniors and observing how the lawyers and the judges function in the court'. Fundamental rights The ruling has triggered concerns among law graduates and aspirants. A review petition filed by Chandrasen Yadav, a young advocate enrolled with the Bar Council of Uttar Pradesh, argues that the mandatory three-year requirement infringes on his fundamental rights. Mr. Yadav submitted that the mandatory three-year practice rule should be implemented only from 2027 onwards to avoid unjust exclusion of recent graduates (2023–2025) who prepared under the previous eligibility criteria. 'Immediate enforcement causes retrospective hardship, violating principles of fairness, legitimate expectation, and equal opportunity under Article 14 of the Constitution,' he said. Another petitioner, Chandra Sharma, who comes from an Army background, highlighted the requirement to obtain a practice certificate from a lawyer with 10 years of standing. 'Lawyers I have worked with had 5–7 years of experience. The new norms will make it more difficult for me to get a certificate,' she said. Pawan, a first-generation lawyer, echoed similar frustrations. 'I started my career under a senior advocate, but I couldn't sustain myself financially. I joined a law firm. Now that experience won't count. Why should I be penalised for taking a corporate job to survive?' Robust training The review petition argues that the apex court has overlooked key aspects of the very report it cited — the Shetty Commission. While the 1999 report had recommended a three-year practice period, it also noted that due to practical court training being integrated into modern legal education, such a requirement may not be necessary if robust training is provided post-selection. It highlighted Clause 8.35 of the Shetty Commission's Recommendations, which explicitly stated that if young and meritorious law graduates are imparted intensive training, it may not be necessary to prescribe three years of practice at the Bar as a precondition for entry into judicial service. Additionally, the review petition contended that the court failed to cite any 'data, statistics, or studies which establish that fresh law graduates perform poorly as judges, or that three years of practice necessarily correlates with better judicial competence and that past recruitments from among freshers have resulted in any systemic inefficiencies or failures'. The review petition, filed through advocate Kunal Yadav, argued that, 'a candidate selected for judicial service is not 'raw,' but one who has undergone a rigorous and multi-tiered selection process comprising a comprehensive preliminary examination, mains examination testing knowledge of substantive and procedural laws, and a final viva-voce conducted by senior judges or experienced legal professionals'. The plea additionally argued that the three-year requirement may discourage women, first-generation lawyers, and economically weaker candidates who may not have the means to sustain an uncertain legal practice before securing a stable judicial post.