India: Flying Drones To Be Legal In India From December 1
The Central government on Monday announced that flying of drones will from December 1st become legal. This was made known by the Ministry of Civil Aviation. The ministry has finalized a national drone policy and has fixed parameters – including height – for drone flights. Owners and pilots will have to be registered, and permission will be required for each flight. Users will need to apply for permission on an app and digital permits will be given instantly through an automated process. During daytime flights, drones can be flown to a height of up to 400 ft. The use of drones by civilians is currently restricted by the Directorate General of Civilian Aviation.
India: Simultaneous Polls: Law Panel To Recommend Framework This Week
The Law Commission has concluded plans to recommend a tough legal framework this week, which includes changes in the Constitution and election law, to hold Lok Sabha and assembly polls together, highly placed sources on the panel said today. The commission would recommend amendments to the Constitution and the Representation of the People Act to ensure simultaneous polls, they said, adding that without these changes the mammoth exercise cannot be held. The recommendations of the commission are not binding on the government, but the report will allow an informed debate among political parties and stakeholders.
India: High Court Quashes Five-Year Extension Given To Law Varsity V-C
A High Court sitting in Chhattisgarh on Monday quashed the five-year extension given to the Vice Chancellor of Hidayatullah National University of Law (HNLU), Dr Sukh Pal Singh, who is serving a five-year extension that began in March 2016. The Court Maintained that the recommendation for extension was granted based on a statute that had not come into effect. The verdict from the bench of Justices Goutam Bhaduri and Sanjay Agrawal came on a writ appeal filed by Dr. Avinash Samal, an assistant professor at HNLU and member of the varsity’s executive council.
India: Bankruptcy Law: 70 Companies, Loans Worth Rs 3.6 Lakh Crore Under Scanner
The deadline set by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to restructure an estimated Rs 3.6 lakh crore of stressed loans may push dozens of more companies into bankruptcy. The RBI in February introduced new rules and a 180-day timeline for banks to recast loans once payments are missed, scrapping previous methods that could take an indefinite amount of time. Companies that were delinquent when the norms came into force will run out of time Monday, after which lenders must start moving the court to admit the cases under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC).
India: Proposed Law Reforms How India Treats Human Trafficking Victims, Gives Them Care
A proposed law frames a comprehensive framework for rehabilitating victims of human trafficking. At present, India has no mechanism to monitor the well-being and safety of a minor. “For the first time, the proposed law provides for a comprehensive framework for rehabilitating trafficked victims. The victims will be able to claim compensation from the state as their right. A rehabilitation fund will be set up, which will be maintained and monitored by a high-level National Anti-Trafficking Relief and Rehabilitation committee,” said Amod K Kanth, general secretary of the NGO Prayas JAC (juvenile aid centre) Society. Where a minor is involved, the bill provides for monitoring by the district anti-human trafficking unit to ensure her safety.
India: India Companies Allowed To Count Disaster Relief As Corporate Social Responsibilities
Companies in India that are spending on relief material for floods-hit Kerala will be allowed to count this toward their mandatory 2% spending on corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives under the Companies Act, 2013.
Disaster relief doesn’t come under Schedule 7, Section 135 of the Companies Act that outlines CSR guidelines and the areas where expenditure could be made. However, companies can club relief material under heads such as medical aid, sanitation and providing housing and shelter, a top corporate affairs ministry official said. In the last few weeks, several corporate houses and industry chambers have made representations to the government, seeking to know if the money spent on rebuilding basic services in Kerala would be treated as CSR.
India: Khasi Women To Lose Their Privileges For Marrying Outside
Inter-caste and inter-faith marriages have cost lives in India. Now, Meghalaya is on the boil over indigenous Khasi women marrying non-Khasis. A move is on to amend a key law so that Khasi women who wed outside their race will lose their privileges due to them, in one of the world’s last matrilineal societies. The collision has been sparked by the chief executive member of the Khasi Hill Autonomous District Council (KHADC). HS Shylla, a member of the ruling National Peoples’ Party, is trying to push through an amendment bill to the Khasi Lineage Act so that Khasi women lose their right to land, property and the clan name if they marry outsiders.
India: Article 35A: Supreme Court To Hear A Fresh Petition
The Supreme Court is set to hear a fresh petition seeking the scrapping of Article 35A in the state of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) today, three weeks after the case was adjourned. The Supreme Court will be hearing only a fresh petition that has been filed by a BJP leader. The main case will be heard later this week. The government of J&K had moved an application and sought to defer the hearing of the case, citing upcoming panchayat and urban local body elections.
Canada: Universities In Canada To Release Details Of Their Cannabis Policies
Students looking to legally light up joints or relax with a pot brownie after mid-terms this year might be in for a surprise. Universities are just starting to release details of their cannabis policies, and some plan to ban the smoking of marijuana and the consumption of edible cannabis even after it becomes legal on October 17. University of Guelph vice-president, Don O’Leary, tells CTV Kitchener that in Ontario, consumption of cannabis will only be allowed in private residences — not public spaces or workplaces. Considering that the residences on Guelph’s campus don’t allow smoking of any kind, that means inhaling recreational weed will be effectively banned.
UK: Electric Shock Collars For Pets To Be Banned
Electric shock collars for cats and dogs will be banned in England, the government has announced. The training devices deliver up to 6,000 volts of electricity or spray noxious chemicals to control animals’ behavior. Environment secretary, Michael Gove, said this causes unacceptable “harm and suffering”. Wales and Scotland have already taken steps to prevent the use of electric collars. Animal charities, many of which had campaigned for the change in the law, welcomed the move.
UK: Students And Why They Don’t Pay Council Tax – The Law In Full
This issue has been raised times without numbers – whether students should contribute to public life by paying council tax. With another rise in bills on the cards for Plymouth households next year, the argument has once again reared its head. Some feel students must abide by the rules like everyone else – given they too rely on similar services, such as waste bin collections, and can tap into council resources should they need help or support.
UK: Revealed: Immigration Rules In UK More Than Double In Length
Home Office officials have made more than 5,700 changes to the immigration rules since 2010, a media report has revealed, making the visa system nearly impossible to navigate, according to senior judges and lawyers.
The rules have more than doubled in length to almost 375,000 words, resulting in a complex system which has been called “something of a disgrace” by Lord Justice Irwin and prompting a radical overhaul. In 2010 the immigration rules had 145,000 words. Each block represents 100 words. The rules have more than doubled in length since 2010, with 230,000 words added.
USA: The US Vows To Fight Iran Lawsuit In International Court
The United States on Monday vowed to fight Iran before the International Court of Justice (ICJ), calling Tehran’s move to question the legality of recently reimposed sanctions an attempt to interfere with its national security.
US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, issued the statement on Monday as legal proceedings began before the court in The Hague. Pompoe added that Iran’s filing with the ICJ is an attempt to interfere with the sovereign rights of the United States to take lawful actions, including reimposition of sanctions, which are necessary to protect our national security. The proceedings instituted by Iran are a misuse of the court.
Australia: Is It Legal To Transport Asylum Seekers To Australia?
A people smuggling vessel arrive in North Queensland today. According to Home Affairs Minister, Peter Dutton, this is the first in over 1400 days although this claim cannot be verified as the government has given scarce information on these matters since 2013.
Asylum seekers are classified as ‘unlawful non-citizens’ under Australian law but international law dictates that they cannot be punished for their mode of entry. However, these asylum seekers have been placed on indefinite off-shore detention in Manus Island and Nauru with no likely opportunities for resettlement. People smugglers who take payments from these asylum seekers and attempt to transport them across international borders are in breach of Section 73 of the Criminal Code Act 1995.
