Latest news with #Court
New Indian Express
an hour ago
- New Indian Express
Kochi NIA Court directs jail authorities to consider wage hike for Maoist leader
KOCHI: A Maoist accused lodged in Viyyur high-security prison has approached the NIA Court in Kochi, seeking a wage revision after claiming he was denied a hike despite completing the required days of prison work. Deepak alias Korsa Ramlu, a native of Bijapur, Chhattisgarh, who was arrested in a Maoist-related case in October 2021, has been serving as an inmate worker at the High-Security Prison in Viyyur since May 24, 2024. According to his petition, he was assigned prison work from May 16, 2024, following a direction from the NIA Court. Initially employed as a sweeper, he is currently working as a gatekeeper. He claims to have completed 330 working days and is still being paid Rs 63 per day. As per his submission, inmates are generally eligible for a wage increase to Rs 127 per day after completing 90 to 180 days of work. Despite repeated requests, prison authorities have not revised his wage. Following the petition, the court sought a report from the jail superintendent, who clarified that wages for inmate workers are paid in three categories: apprentice (Rs 63), basic (Rs 127), and skilled (Rs 152) per day. While the Kerala Prisons and Correctional Services (Management) Rules do not specify a fixed period for wage revision, inmates who complete a minimum of 180 working days are generally considered for a higher wage category based on their performance. According to the report, Deepak has completed the required 180 days but has not demonstrated the performance level necessary for a wage hike. His work is reviewed monthly, and a wage revision will be considered only after he attains the required standard.
Shafaq News
2 hours ago
- Politics
- Shafaq News
Mass judicial exodus threatens Iraqi elections
Shafaq News/ Iraq is heading toward a constitutional crisis just months before parliamentary elections on November 11, 2025, as the mass resignation of Federal Supreme Court judges threatens to derail the electoral timeline, a top legal expert warned on Friday. Hazem al-Rudaini, Deputy Head of Iraq's Strategic Center for Human Rights (SCHR), cautioned that the resignations jeopardize the legal foundation of the election. 'It is constitutionally impossible to hold parliamentary elections without the Federal Supreme Court,' he said, pointing to Article 93(7) of the 2005 Constitution, which grants the Court sole authority to ratify election results. Nine judges, including six principal members, resigned Thursday in protest over political pressure, reportedly linked to the Court's 2023 ruling that annulled the 2013 Khor Abdullah maritime agreement with Kuwait. A judicial source told Shafaq News that the fallout from that decision triggered their departure. Members of the Parliamentary Legal Committee expressed alarm. MP Mohammed al-Khafaji described the resignations as 'deeply troubling,' while MP Raed al-Maliki accused political factions of hijacking the judiciary. 'The government and certain parties want to turn the Federal Court into a tool, all while claiming to protect national sovereignty,' he asserted. Al-Maliki criticized the broader 'failure' of Iraq's Shiite leadership to insulate institutions from political interference, warning that the situation sets a dangerous precedent and confirming that parliament is holding emergency consultations to safeguard judicial independence. The crisis stems from a September 2023 ruling in which the Court nullified Law No. 42 of 2013, invalidating Iraq's navigation agreement with Kuwait over the Khor Abdullah waterway. The Court ruled the law unconstitutional, claiming it lacked the two-thirds majority required under Article 61(4). In April 2025, Iraq's president and prime minister appealed the ruling, arguing the agreement covered maritime coordination—not border demarcation—and should fall under Iraq's obligations under the 1966 Vienna Convention.
IOL News
2 hours ago
- Politics
- IOL News
Ramaphosa hails Constitutional Court as pillar of South African democracy
President Ramaphosa has hailed the Constitutional Court as a living monument to justice, celebrating 30 years of defending democracy, dignity, and equality from the historic grounds of Constitution Hill.. President Cyril Ramaphosa on Friday paid tribute to South Africa's Constitutional Court, calling it 'a national treasure' and 'a living monument to justice' as it marked its 30th anniversary on the historic grounds of Constitution Hill. Speaking from the steps of the former prison where freedom fighters were once jailed, and where the apex court now stands, Ramaphosa hailed the Court as the soul of the nation's constitutional democracy. He was speaking at the 30th anniversary celebration of the Constitutional Court in Braamfontein, Johannesburg, on Friday. 'Built on the ruins of oppression,' he said, 'this Court rose as a guardian of dignity, equality, and justice. It has not only interpreted the Constitution—it has given it life.' Reflecting on the adoption of the Constitution in 1996, which he helped usher in as Chairperson of the Constitutional Assembly, Ramaphosa described the ConCourt's legacy as 'one of courage, clarity and conscience.' 'The Constitutional Court has not bowed to power. It has defended the powerless. From abolishing the death penalty to upholding the rights of the poor, the marginalised, and the forgotten—its judgments have changed lives,' he said.
News18
4 hours ago
- News18
'Act Was Brutal But...': MP HC Commutes Death Sentence Of Man Who Raped 4-Year-Old
Last Updated: The court held that while the convict's actions were horrifying, they were not executed with a degree of cruelty or depravity that would justify the death penalty. The Madhya Pradesh High Court on Thursday commuted the death sentence of a 20-year-old tribal man convicted of raping a 4-year-old child, converting the punishment to rigorous imprisonment for 25 years. The Court acknowledged the 'barbaric" nature of the act but found that it did not rise to the level of 'brutality" necessary to warrant capital punishment. The Division Bench of Justice Vivek Agarwal and Justice Devnarayan Mishra held that while the convict's actions were horrifying, they were not executed with a degree of cruelty or depravity that would justify the death penalty. 'In this case, no doubt that appellant's act was brutal as he has committed rape upon the victim of four years and three months of age and after committing rape also throttled her treating her dead and thrown the victim in such a place where she could not be searched and left the spot but it is also clear that he has not committed brutality," the Court observed, distinguishing between the two concepts while citing Supreme Court precedents. Background of the Case The convict, a 20-year-old from a Scheduled Tribe, was sentenced to death by a trial court for abducting and raping a 4-year-old girl and leaving her for dead in a mango orchard. The trial court had noted that the victim suffered permanent disability as a result of the assault. The incident occurred after the convict allegedly entered the complainant's hut under the pretext of requesting a cot and later abducted the minor victim from a nearby house during the night. He was later arrested and charged under Sections 450, 363, 376(a), 376AB, 307, and 201 of the IPC and Sections 5 and 6 of the POCSO Act. Advocate Samar Singh Rajpoot, appearing for the Appellant, argued that the case rested entirely on circumstantial evidence, with no eyewitness testimony or conclusive proof linking the convict to the crime. He contended that the post-mortem report did not conclusively support the trial court's finding of permanent disability and that the evidence had likely been fabricated post-arrest. He further urged the Court to consider mitigating factors including the convict's age, clean record, illiteracy, tribal background, and the fact that he had been working in a roadside eatery after leaving home at a young age. State's Response Opposing the appeal, Deputy Advocate General Yash Soni argued that the gravity of the offence, committed against a 4-year-old and followed by the child being left to die, warranted no leniency. He asserted that the prosecution had proved the case beyond reasonable doubt. High Court's Observations The Court rejected the defence argument that the child had suffered permanent disability, noting that the only medical testimony, by Dr. Rakesh Shukla, did not provide clear evidence or specify the nature or extent of injury that could establish lifelong disability. However, it upheld the conviction under all relevant sections, including aggravated rape under the POCSO Act, while commuting the sentence on the ground that the act, though 'barbaric," did not involve 'brutality" in the legal sense established by the Supreme Court in Manoharan v. State, Bhaggi v. State of MP, and Dhananjoy Chatterjee v. State of West Bengal. 'There is no report that he has previously committed any such type of offence… He is not properly educated," the Court noted. Final Sentence The High Court affirmed the convictions but converted the death penalty to 25 years of rigorous imprisonment without remission, along with a fine of Rs.10,000 under Section 6 of the POCSO Act. In default of payment, the convict will undergo an additional year of rigorous imprisonment.
The Hindu
4 hours ago
- The Hindu
Bombay High Court raises alarm over commuter deaths on Mumbai local network, calls for preventive steps
The Bombay High Court on Friday (June 20, 2025) expressed concern over deaths of commuters on Mumbai local trains, describing the situation as 'alarming', an observation coming days after five people lost their lives post-falling off a packed suburban service. The Court suggested installing automatic door-closing mechanisms in Mumbai local trains to prevent commuters from falling off but insisted this was advice purely from a 'layman' perspective and railway expert views were needed on the issue. Also read: Railways mulls non-AC trains with automated door closure facility A division bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Aradhe and Justice Sandeep Marne urged authorities to take measures to ensure tragic incidents don't occur on the Mumbai suburban network in the future. Citing an affidavit filed by the Railways, the Court noted that in 2024 alone over 3,588 fatalities happened on local trains (due to various accidents on the suburban network), which means on an average ten Mumbaikars die everyday. 'This is an alarming situation. Though you have projected that there was a reduction (in casualties) of 49% (compared to previous years),' the Court added. The division bench made the observations while hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) related to deaths of commuters in accidents on Mumbai's suburban network, considered the city's lifeline. Taking note of the June 9 incident where five passengers died and eight others sustained injuries after falling off a crowded local train near Mumbra station in adjoining Thane district, the Court observed measures taken by authorities to stop such untoward incidents were not sufficient. Editorial | Maximum Mumbai: On the city, its transportation needs The Court suggested they (trains) should be equipped with automatic doors (currently they have open doors). The Bench, however, was quick to add that it was a 'layman' suggestion and they were not an expert on railway safety. The Railways informed the Bench that they have set up a multi-disciplinary committee to examine the cause of the Mumbra incident and are waiting for its report. The panel will give recommendations and suggestions for avoiding such untoward incidents in the future. The Court directed the Railways to place on record suggestions made by the committee, along with a timeline for their implementation. The committee should be open to including the suggestions made by the petitioner (a commuter) for avoiding the recurrence of such incidents. Besides the disciplinary panel, a high-level monitoring committee has been set up separately and it is working towards a 'zero death mission'. Based on its suggestions, a number of steps has already been taken, the Railways told the Court. One of the steps included building walls and fences between Rail tracks to stop commuters from crossing over. Also, stalls have been shifted from some platforms on suburban stations to avoid overcrowding, it said. The matter will be next heard on July 14, 2025.
