Kulbhushan Jadhav Latest News: Harish Salve Exposes Pakistani Military Courts at ICJ, Says “Judges Don’t Even Need Law Degree”
THE HAGUE: India on Monday tore through the opaque proceeding of Pakistani military courts which try civilians against that of the international norms, saying the judges, who tried Indian national Kulbhushan Jadhav, are not required to have judicial or even legal training. Currently, international standards require that military courts, like all courts, must remain independent, impartial and competent, and must respect minimum guarantees of fairness, Salve said. He also added that Pakistan uses military courts to try civilians following an amendment to the constitution.
‘Pakistan Using Kulbhushan Jadhav Case as Propaganda Tool,’ India Tells UN Court
India on Monday said its national was sentenced to death by a farcical trial by a Pakistan military court without giving him consular access to India in breach of international law and convention. Senior lawyer Harish Salve, appearing for India at the International Court of Justice that will hear the case for four days, said that Pakistan had no substantive defence for the case and hadn’t even divulged fundamental details of the so called offences for which Kulbhushan Jadhav had been convicted.
India Arbitration Reform Will Restrict Foreign Lawyers
A former attorney general and now partner at an international law firm has urged India’s government to delay controversial amendments to the country’s arbitration law, arguing that the proposals ‘appear to prohibit foreign lawyers’. In a speech in New Delhi, Lord Goldsmith QC said that changes contained in the Arbitration and Conciliation Bill 2018 could ‘set back the cause of India by many years, perhaps a generation’. According to him, “the idea that a government appointed body should regulate arbitration and arbitrators is anathema to the idea of free and autonomous arbitration”.
Supreme Court to Impart Urgent Hearing of PIL against Article 370
The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to consider an urgent hearing of a PIL challenging the constitutional validity of Article 370 of the Constitution, which grants special status to Jammu and Kashmir and also restrains the Parliament’s role in making laws for the state. A petition was filed by lawyer and BJP leader Ashwini Upadhyay before a bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi. Upadhyay submitted that his plea was of extreme national importance and it should be heard urgently.
SEBI Issues Circular for Alternative Investment Funds
AIF’s have been permitted to set up in the IFSC to invest in India through the foreign venture capital investment or foreign direct investment route in addition to the foreign portfolio investment route. The circular further provides that angel funds must invest in venture capital undertaking in India which have a turnover of less than US$3.75 million, in accordance with AIF regulations. In addition to these guidelines, all provisions of the AIF regulations and the guidelines and regulations under it, must apply to AIF’s in the IFSC.
ICGSE Acquires Standard Chartered Private Equity Portfolio
London-based special situations fund ICG Strategic Equity Advisors has acquired the private equity portfolio of Standard Chartered Private Equity in India. The deal was part of a global acquisition of SCPE’s private equity investments in 35 companies that are spread across India, Southeast Asia, China, South Korean, the Middle East and Africa. ICGSE is a unit of Intermediate Capital Group that specialises in secondary’s investments. SCPE’s investments in India include non-banking finance company Northern arc and engineering products maker Craftsman Automation.
Mirage-2000 Was Bound To Crash, Rues Supreme Court
The court was hearing a PIL for the setting up of a court-monitored committee to conduct a thorough inquiry into the February Mirage 1 crash. The crash of the trainer aircraft in Bengaluru on February 1 had killed both its pilots. “When everyone else is using 5th and 6th generation aircrafts, we are using 3rd and 4th generation, what else do you expect? It was bound to crash”, regretted Chief Justice of Indian Ranjan Gogoi, heading the bench.
Pre-Verification Process for Political Ads Being Put In Place: FB, Google Tell Bombay HC
Facebook, Google and YouTube told the Bombay High Court Monday that they are putting in place strict “pre-verification processes” for online advertisements in their platforms in India ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. The lawyers for Facebook, Google and YouTube also said that they can stop political advertisements from appearing on their sites 48 hours before polling begins if the ECI directs them to do so. The ECI must be directed to ensure stricter implementation of the notification not just by social media but also for political parties.
Arrested On Sedition Charges in Delhi, Police Take Student Leader to Manipur
Veewon Thokchom, a former student of Ambedkar University and advisor to the Manipur Students Union of Delhi has been arrested and charged with sedition for Facebook posts on the Citizenship Bill, reports said. And today, the Delhi High Court rejected a petition to stop Thokchom’s transit to Manipur. Thokchom was arrested on Friday by a joint team of the Delhi and Manipur Police and charged with sedition under 124A IPC for his Facebook posts on the Citizenship Bill for ‘inciting violence’ and demanding ‘Manipur’s right to self-determination’.
Delhi high court reserves verdict in National Herald eviction case
The Delhi High Court on Monday reserved verdict on a plea by National Herald publisher Associated Journal Ltd’s (AJL) challenging a single judge direction to vacate its premises here. A bench of Chief Justice Rajendra Menon and Justice V K Rao reserved the decision after AJL concluded its arguments. The court also asked AJL and the centre’s lawyers to file their written submissions in three days.
Pulwama Terror Attack: Minerva Punjab Move Delhi High Court, Skip Real Kashmir Match In Srinagar Amid Security Concerns
Sticking to their guns, I-League holders Minerva Punjab did not turn up for their match against Real Kashmir in Srinagar after failing to receive an assurance from the Union Home Ministry regarding the safety of the match and their players. Following the Pulwama Terror Attack, Minerva Punjab first asked the All India Football Federation if the match could be moved out of Srinagar. When the AIFF made it clear that relocation would be the last resort, the Minerva director sought permission and security clearance from the Ministry of Home Affairs for his players to travel to Srinagar.
Child Abduction and Murder: Gujarat HC Commutes Death Penalty to Minimum 30-Year Jail Term
Gujarat High Court on Monday commuted death sentence to a minimum 30-year imprisonment for two persons for the abduction and murder of a five-year-old boy in Visnagat town in North Gujarat in March 2012. On March 17, 2016, trial court at Visnagar imposed capital punishment on Akshay Patel and Kuldeep Panchal after holding them guilty of murdering Maharsh alias Bholu, son of local businessmen Pratik Patel. The duo was accused of kidnapping the boy from outside of his house is Visnagar and killing him on March 17, 2012.
Gujarat: Court Rejects Push For Stiff Punishment in Boozing Case
A city sessions court on Thursday upheld the fine of RS 200 for drinking alcohol, a case in which the state government was pushing for a year’s jail term as mandated by the amendments of 2017 in the Gujarat prohibition act. A magisterial court has imposed the fine and ordered the offender to sit in the court for a day. The trail court relied on a 2005 High Court Order which had ruled that when the accused pleads guilty for petty offences, the court can disregard minimum sentencing and only impose a fine.
Florida Student, 11, Arrested After Refusing Pledge of Allegiance
An 11-year-old student in Florida is facing charges after refusing to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance and creating a disturbance in the classroom, police said. He was not arrested for refusing to participate in the pledge, even though students have the right to do so by Florida law and district policy. In response, the teacher said she asked the student why not go to another place to live it it was “so bad here”. She said he then answered, “They brought me here”.
New York City to Ban Discrimination Based on Hair
New guidelines out this week give legal recourse to individuals who have been harassed, punished or fired because of the style of their hair. The change in law applies to anyone in New York City but is aimed at remedying the disparate treatment of black people; the guidelines specifically mention the right of New Yorkers to maintain their “Natural hair, treated or untreated hairstyles such as locs, cornrows, twists, braids, Bantu knots, fades, afros and/or the right to keep hair in an uncut or untrimmed state.
Montrealer’s argue for right to assisted dying in pivotal court challenge
Closing arguments are underway in the case of Jean Truchon, 51, and Nicole Gladu, 73. Gladu is one of two Quebecers challenging Quebec’s and Canada’s medical aid in dying laws. They want the right to access a doctor’s help to die, even if they are not yet close to the end of their natural lives. Canada’s law requires that a person seeking the right to medical aid in dying must be at the point where their death is foreseeable. Quebec’s is even more restrictive, requiring that they must be at the “end of life”.
Facebook Labelled ‘Digital Gangsters’ By Fake News Report
Facebook deliberately broke privacy and competition law and should be urgently subject to statutory regulation, according to a devastating parliamentary report denouncing the company and its executives as ‘Digital Gangsters’. “Facebook continues to choose profit over data security, taking risks in order to prioritise their aim of making money from user data”, the report states, accusing the company of covering up leaks of user data. The report also warns that Facebook is using its market dominance to crush rivals, shutting them out of its system to prevent competition.
UK Law Society Group reveals 9% gender pay gap for 2018
The Law Society Group, which is made up of the independently operating Law Society of England and Wales and the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA), admitted there is a “continued imbalance” between men and women in senior roles in the group. The group also said that more women agree to salary sacrifice arrangements, which create artificially lower rates of pay. It did note that the 9% pay gap is lower than the current median gender pay gap of 17.9% but up from the 8.7% figure reported in 2017.
FATF Group to Review Pakistan’s Performance Today
The Asia-Pacific Group, an associate firm of the Paris-based FATF, will present Pakistan’s report and responses to five specific queries it was asked last month to the International Country Risk Guide – Political Risk Services group. Officials said that Pakistan had responded to five questions provided to it in the Sydney meeting of the FATF on the insistence of India. An official said that Pakistan had made satisfactory progress on all 27 actions required under the FATF and had fully complied with the five specific questions.
Australia outlines support for defence trade law update
The Australian government has outlined its support for a series of proposals to update the country’s defence trade legislation, which regulates the supply of military and dual-use technology overseas. According to the Department of Defence, the review considered whether the legislation provides “appropriate levels of regulation for defence technology, while also ensuring there are no unintended consequences arising from the Act, such as unnecessary regulatory burden.
