Can’t assert right: Apex court on land allotment for lawyers’ chambers

IN THE COURTYARD

The Supreme Court on Thursday said the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) cannot assert a right to entirety of the land measuring 1.33 acres which was allotted by the Centre for housing apex court archives for converting it into a chamber block for lawyers.

A bench, headed by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud and comprising Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and PS Narasimha, said the apex court discharges both judicial and administrative functions and the discharge of its functions implicates diverse stakeholders including lawyers, litigants and the staff engaged in activities of the Supreme Court.

“A holistic view has to be taken on allocation of available resources by balancing the needs of stakeholders both for the present and the future. These are matters which cannot be resolved by the application of judicial standards and have to be taken up on the administrative side of the Supreme Court. Administrative functioning and decision-making, which the current issue

AI urination case: HC seeks appellate panel formation New Delhi:

The Delhi High Court on Thursday directed Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to constitute an appellate committee within two weeks to examine Shankar Mishra's appeal against Air India designating him an "unruly passenger" and banning him from flying for four months. Mishra accused of urinating on an elderly female co-passenger on a New YorkDelhi Air India flight, recently moved the High Court seeking constitution of an appellate committee to hear his appeal.

The court has asked the DGCA appellate committee to hold its first meeting on April 20 to hear Mishra's plea.

It also directed the petitioner Mishra to file an appeal in two weeks. During the hearing, a single-judge bench of Justice Prathiba M Singh remarked that considering the facts of the case, the authorities have taken a very empathetic view in the matter.

In the last hearing, the DGCA counsel had stated that the committee is already requires, cannot be moved to the judicial side,” it said.

The SCBA had moved the apex court seeking a direction to convert a land measuring 1.33 acres allotted to the top court for the construction of lawyers' chambers.

The top court declined to entertain the SCBA’s contention that directions should be passed to convert the entire area around Supreme Court as a Supreme Court block so that all buildings across the Supreme Court can be utilised for conversion to lawyers’ chambers

in place.

The court had then asked the DGCA counsel to place the constitution of the appellate committee before the court within a week's time.

Lawyers strike against HC order on disposal of old cases Jabalpur:

The Lawyers across Madhya Pradesh on Thursday launched a 3-day agitation by staying off work to protest a high court order directing the state's trial courts to shortlist 25 old cases and dispose them of in three months.

Bar Council of Madhya Pradesh vice-chairman RK Singh Saini said they want the order to be withdrawn as it will affect cases that need urgent attention. The high court administration recently issued directives regarding the disposal of old cases, he said. Saini said there are nearly 1.1 lakh lawyers in MP and all have struck work on the call of different advocates' bodies.

Saini said the lawyers are worried that the hurry to dispose of the old cases might come in the way of a fair trial. Besides, the hearing of old cases will put urgent matters like bail pleas on the back burner, he added.