The apex court left open the option of an election petition before the High Court as the Congress intensified its protest over the rejection of Natarajan's candidature.
The Supreme Court on Thursday issued detailed guidelines for courts dealing with cases involving the custody of a child who is an alleged victim under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, emphasising that the child’s welfare, dignity, emotional security and psychological well-being must remain the paramount consideration at all stages of the proceedings.
The Bench noted that the calculation of compensation based on historically low notional income figures "grossly undervalue" the role of homemakers.
However, the apex court clarified that the relief was being granted in the peculiar facts and circumstances of the case and would not serve as a precedent.
The Supreme Court has said that arbitration in India has not failed, but that judicial interference, and at times the conduct of governments, has undermined the efficacy of the arbitral process.
Democracy rests on four essential pillars ~ the executive, the legislature, the judiciary, and the media. While the first three are required to operate within structured constitutional frameworks, the fourth pillar is expected to function independently, as the voice of the people and the conscience of the nation.
Appearing for one of the petitioners, the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), advocate Prashant Bhushan argued, “Elections are imminent now, and this Court can't do much to change the list, but at least the list and deletions should be published.”
“This cannot go unaddressed. The person has shown no remorse. Consent from the Attorney General has already been obtained. Social media has gone berserk,” Singh said, urging an immediate hearing.
The petition, filed by 91-year-old Pushkaraj Sabharwal along with the Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP), calls for the constitution of a court-monitored committee, headed by a retired Supreme Court judge, comprising independent aviation experts, to ensure a fair, transparent, and technically sound inquiry into the incident.
In a brief hearing, a bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi remarked that the poll body is aware of its statutory responsibility to disclose details of additions and deletions made to the voters’ list.
