Our Bureau
New Delhi
In a relief to Gujarat Minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasama, the Supreme Court on Friday stayed the Gujarat HC order unseating him from the State assembly holding void his election from Dholka assembly constituency in December 2017.
Staying HC’s May 12 order nullifying Chudasama’s election to state assembly, a bench comprising Justices Mohan M Shantanagoudar and R Subhash Reddy issued notice to Ashwin Kamsubhai Rathod of Congress who had lost the election and had approached HC challenging the election of Chudasama of the BJP.
“We stay orders like this all the time. We have done it in many cases,” Justice Shantanagoudar said as senior counsel Kapil Sibal appearing for Rathod objected to the interim stay of the HC order unseating Chudasama and asked, “When have your lordships stayed matters like this involving corrupt practices?”
Summer vacation scrapped, work till June 19
The SC on Friday decided to cancel its summer vacation of 45 days that usually begins from May 15 and decided to work at least till June 19 to clear the backlog due to the loss in the working hours due to the COVID-19 Lockdown. Five Benches of three judges each will hear the pending and fresh matters, including the urgent cases, via video conferencing from May 18 till June 19. The decision was taken by CJI Sharad Arvind Bobde with the concurrence of the judges. Many HCs have already cancelled their summer vacations.
Migrants: Notices to Centre, Maha, UP
SC sought responses from the Centre and govts of UP and Maharashtra on a plea seeking directions to provide safe and secure means of transportation to migrants travelling from Mumbai to their native places.
E-filing paving way for virtual courts, no going back: CJI
CJI SA Bobde said the pandemic forced rethinking on the functioning of SC, which paved the way for virtual courts. He stressed the step will not be reversed. “We went for video conferencing to reduce the footfall in court premises. We’ve to change according to needs of the times. We’ve to accept the present situation. There is a need for change of mindset. Now, there is no going back,” he said.
HC order asking TN govt to close liquor shops stayed
The SC on Friday stayed the Madras HC order, which had asked the Tamil Nadu govt to close state-run liquor vends on the ground there was violation of guidelines meant to contain the virus. Following the stay on the high court order by the apex court the state-owned liquor shops may reopen in the state. A bench stayed the May 8 order of the HC after taking note of the appeal of government firm Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation, which sells alcoholic beverages in the state.
