New Delhi, Apr 23 - The Supreme Court today agreed to constitute a committee headed by an eminent jurist to finalise the draft rules for dealing with sexual harassment complaints of women, including lady lawyers, working at the apex court. A bench, headed by Chief Justice Altamas Kabir, said the name of the chairman of the Committee, which will also go into various other issues raised in the report prepared on its order, would be decided on Thursday.

New Delhi, Apr 23 - An anti-nuclear activist today approached the Supreme Court seeking to restrain the Centre from commissioning the Kudankulam nuclear plant alleging that sub-standard equipment have been used in the plant making it unsafe. The petitioner, on whose plea against the plant the apex court has reserved its verdict, filed an application alleging that new "revelation" has come to light which raises questions on the safety of the plant.

Ahmedabad, Apr 22 - Gujarat High Court today held that co-operative banks can not use `Securitisation and Reconstruction of Financial Assets and Enforcement of Security Interest Act, 2002' for the recovery of debts. Division bench of Chief Justice Bhaskar Bhattacharya and Justice J B Pardiwala also declared the Central government's notification of January 28, 2003 bringing cooperative societies/banks under the purview of the act as void.

New Delhi, Apr 22 - The Sahara group and its promoter Subrata Roy today faced a tough time in the Supreme Court which pulled them up for not refunding Rs 24,000 crore to its investors and accused them of "manipulating courts" by approaching different forums for relief. A bench comprising by Justices K S Radhakrishnan and J S Khehar slammed the group and its chief for not filing response on SEBI's contempt plea against them and also issued notice to them on the market regulator's plea to detain Roy and the two male directors --- Ashok Roy Choudhary and Ravi Shankar Dubey ---to get investors' money back from them.

New Delhi, Apr 22 - The Supreme Court today deferred the pronouncement of its order on the question of National Investigating Agency's (NIA) jurisdiction to probe the case against two Italian marines who allegedly killed Indian fishermen off the Kerala coast last year. The apex court, which had on April 16 posted the matter for order, said it will pass the order on Thursday.

The special court hearing the matter in additional 2G spectrum allocation case, in which Bharti Cellular CMD Sunil Mittal, Essar Group promoter Ravi Ruia and others have been summoned as accused, on Monday fixed April 29 for hearing the matter. Mittal, Ruia and former Telecom Secretary Shyamal Ghosh appeared before Special CBI Judge O P Saini and the court adjourned the matter in pursuance of the order passed by the Supreme Court on April 18. 

New Delhi, Apr 19 - Sustainable development is an integral part of fundamental rights conferred on citizens by the Constitution and cannot be allowed to be hampered by environmental degradation, the Supreme Court has said. "Inter-generational equity and sustainable development have come to be firmly embedded in our constitutional jurisprudence as an integral part of the fundamental rights conferred by Article 21(Right to Life) of the Constitution.

New Delhi, Apr 19 - With tribes being displaced due to industrialisation and mining, the Supreme Court has held that they have right to maintain relationship with their land which is their most important asset. The apex court said that social, political and cultural rights of indigenous people must be protected and any industrial venture cannot be established in their areas without approval of their Gram Sabha.

New Delhi, Apr 19 - A Delhi court has fixed April 30 for hearing arguments on framing of charges against sacked Uttarakhand minority panel chief S S Namdhari and 10 others chargesheeted for their alleged role in the killings of Ponty Chadha and his younger brother Hardeep at a farm house here. The Delhi Police Crime Branch has already supplied to the accused with all the remaining probe reports pertaining to their investigation.

Ahmedabad, Apr 18 - Gujarat High Court today granted two days temporary bail to Babu Bajrangi, sentenced to life imprisonment in the 2002 Naroda Patiya riot case, as his wife is undergoing a surgery. A division bench of Justices M R Shah and S H Vora allowed Bajrangi's plea, filed and argued by his son Viren Babubhai Patel. He would be out of jail on April 20 and 21.

New Delhi, Apr 18 - The Supreme Court today modified its order in which it had passed a slew of guidelines for the Centre and Jammu and Kasmir government to ensure proper healthcare and other amenities for Amarnath yatra pilgrims. Modifying the order, a bench headed by B S Chauhan said registration of yatris will be done only in Jammu and Srinagar while its earlier order had allowed registration also in Baltal and Panchtarni.

New Delhi, Apr 18 - In a curious development, Justice A R Dave of Supreme Court today became the second judge in four days to recuse himself from the bench hearing the petitions of Bharti Cellular Ltd CMD Sunil Bharti Mittal and Essar Group promoter Ravi Ruia in a graft case related to allocation of additional 2G spectrum in 2002. Without assigning any reason, Justice Dave, who was part of the bench headed by Chief Justice Altamas Kabir, opted out of hearing the pleas of Mittal and Ruia challenging the summons issued to them in the case.

New Delhi, Apr 18 - The Supreme Court today stalled Vedanta Group's bauxite mining project in Niyamgiri Hills of Odisha till gram sabhas of districts Rayagada and Kalahandi in the state give clearance to it. The apex court directed the gram sabhas of the two districts to decide in three months the issues arising out of the mining project, including that of the tribals residing in the area.

New Delhi, Jan 19 - The Supreme Court today turned down the plea of a December 16 gangrape accused to shift the trial outside Delhi but it agreed to hear his plea for moving him out of Tihar jail for allegedly being tortured there. "We are issuing notice on the limited prayer of shifting him to another jail," a bench headed by Chief Justice Altamas Kabir said.