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Weekly Round-Up of Major Decisions of the Courts in India as also Legal Policy Developments

The story around Judge B.H. Loya’s death on 1st December, 2014, which was highly suspicious, refuses to die. After the Supreme Court refused order an independent investigation into the mysterious death of Judge Loya in April, 2018, the hope for the truth coming out was low. Now a new petition has been filed in the Bombay High Court by Advocate Satish Uke shockingly claiming that Judge Loya’s death was caused by radioactive isotope poisoning. He has also claimed that there are serious threats to his life, as two attempts had already been made in 2016 and on 31st July, 2018.

The hurried dissolution of Jammu & Kashmir assembly, already in suspension since June this year when the BJP walked out of the Mehbooba Mufti led PDP–BJP coalition government, by Governor Satyapal Malik has once again shown that New Delhi is not identical with the ground realities of the state. No doubt, this decision was taken by the governor at the behest of the Centre.

BHOPAL: As voters head for the booths on November 28, both the BJP and Congress can have the satisfaction of having fought the battle with all their might. In the overall assessment, however, BJP appeared to be far ahead of Congress both in resources and getting their all India leaders to lend their weight to the campaign. By undertaking whirlwind tours Shivraj Singh Chouhan proved that he has plenty of energy. Perhaps the BJP realised that it is better to seek votes in the name of Chouhan instead of the party and also in the name of Prime Minister Modi. The slogan ‘ghar ghar Modi’ is totally forgotten. Instead the party has coined the slogan ‘maaf karo maharaj hamara neta Shivraj’.

Even the limited signs of the revival of the Congress in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh have revived the old apprehensions about the 133-year-old party’s penchant for dominance in the years immediately after independence.

The United States announces a $5 million reward for information leading to the arrest or conviction in any country of any individual who committed, conspired, aided or abetted the 26/11 Mumbai attacks and Prime Minister Narendra Modi says at an election rally in Rajasthan four and a half years into his rule, six months to the next general elections, that his government will “not rest” till the perpetrators of 26/11 are brought to book.

Justice (retd) Markandey Katju wants a statue of LK Advani at the centre of Connaught Place in New Delhi “with this line from the Ramcharitmanas inscribed on it in gold ‘Taat Laat Ravan Mohe Maar.” Katju says this on his Facebook page. But he spells “statue” as “statute” and then implies in replies to comments that the “laat” Advani gets is that of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Theresa May and her close accomplices in the European Union have laid bare the tactics they will deploy to bludgeon MPs into approving her EU withdrawal in name only. May backed EU Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker after he asserted: "This is the best deal possible for Britain, this is the best deal possible for Europe. This is the only deal possible.”

A concerted effort is being made by various farmers and peasant organisations to float a new movement, different in character and dynamics from the one in seventies, when the peasants agitation and farmers movement were two different streams. While the peasants movement symbolised the aspirations and needs of the poor and middle peasantry, the farmers’ movement reflected the demands of the rich and well off farmers’, represented by organisations like Shetkari Sanghathana.

BHOPAL: A visit by chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan to the RSS headquarters in Bhopal past midnight gave rise to the speculation that alarm signals are coming about the critical position of party candidates. Before the chief minister’s visit party president Amit Shah too held mid-night consultations with the local boss of the Sangh. Chouhan probably did not expect his visit to catch media’s attention, but one enterprising photo-journalist photographed the CM entering “Samidha”, as the RSS headquarters is known. The picture was published on the front page of a newspaper.