Adele Hutchinson

 The Delhi High Court recently said that even though former Union Minister Subramanian Swamy made allegations against Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) Chief Madhabi Puri Buch in relation to the Axis-Max Life deal, she is not even a party in his public interest litigation (PIL). A Division Bench of Acting Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela made the observation while disposing of Swamy’s plea alleging a scam of nearly ₹5,100 crore in the deal. Swamy had filed an affidavit in the Court on March 13, 2024 alleging that Buch was an additional director and director in Max Healthcare Institute Limited from February 4, 2015 to April 3, 2017, and it is because of this past association that the SEBI is not investigating the allegations with promptitude. However, the Court said that even though personal allegations had been made against Buch, Swamy had not amended his petition or made her a party to the PIL. "This Court is of the view that even if the Chairperso...

 The Centre on Tuesday wrote a letter to Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) and asked it to withdraw advertisement for lateral entry recruitments. "While most of the major lateral entries before 2014 were made in an ad-hoc manner, including cases of alleged favoritism, efforts of our government have been to make the process institutionally driven, transparent and open," Union minister Jitendra Singh said in his letter to UPSC chairperson Preeti Sudan. In his letter minister of state for personnel Jitendra Singh said Prime Minister Narendra Modi believes that lateral entry should be in line with "principles of equity and social justice," particularly regarding "provisions of reservation." "For Prime Minister, reservation in public employment is a cornerstone of our social justice framework, aimed at addressing historical injustices and promoting inclusivity," he added. The minister also pointed out that previous governments had appointed indiv...

  After a Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) advertisement for filling up 45 posts through “lateral entry” triggered a political controversy, the Central Government on Tuesday asked the UPSC to cancel it. In a letter to UPSC Chairperson Preeti Sudan, Minister for Department of Personnel and Training Jitendra Singh said, “It is important that the constitutional mandate towards social justice is upheld so that deserving candidates from marginalized communities get their rightful representation in the government services.” “Since these positions have been treated as specialized and designated as single-cadre posts, there has been no provision for reservation in these appointments,” he said in the letter. Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw wrote on X, “Hon’ble PM @narendramodi Ji has always firmly believed in social justice. His programmes have advanced welfare of the weakest sections of our society. The decision to align lateral entry with principles of reservation shows PM Shri @nar...

 The Supreme Court is hearing the suo motu case registered by it in connection with the rape and murder of a 31-year-old resident doctor in Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. The matter is being heard by a Bench of Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud with Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra. Various associations and bodies of medical professionals have filed intervention applications before the apex court seeking hearing in the matter. The junior doctor was found dead at a seminar hall of the college on August 9. An autopsy confirmed that she was raped and murdered. The incident has sparked nationwide outrage and protests with doctors in various parts of the country going on strike demanding stricter laws and policing to ensure the safety of medical professionals. Notably, the matter is already under consideration by the Calcutta High Court and it has already transferred the probe to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) which is currently probing the matt...

 Taking suo motu cognisance of the rape and murder of a trainee doctor at Kolkata's RG Kar college, the Supreme Court on Tuesday came down heavily on the West Bengal government and police as it raised serious concerns over the handling of the matter. The top court rapped the Mamata Banerjee-led state government over several aspects of the case, saying it could not "comprehend" how certain events unfolded in the wake of the ghastly crime that has "shocked the conscience" of the nation. The Supreme Court raised five big questions on the West Bengal government in the backdrop of the case that included filing of an FIR, action taken against college principal, vandalism in the proximity to the crime scene, the initial suicide angle and delay in allowing the parents to see the body. On delay in FIR The Supreme Court questioned Bengal government over delay in filing FIR in the case and asked what were hospital authorities doing. "We don't understa...