• NATIONAL NEWS

Legal Appointments

I. Appointment of High Court Judges in Karnataka

President in exercise of the power conferred under Article 217 of the constitution of India appoints (i) Shri Justice Amblikal Narayana Gowda Venugopala Gowda and (ii) Shri Justice Lingappa Narayana Swamy, Additional Judges of the Karnataka High Court, to be Judges of the Karnataka High Court, in that order of seniority, with effect from the dates they assume charge of their respective offices.

II. Appointment of Delhi High Court Additional Judges

President in exercise of the power conferred under Article 217 of the constitution of India appoints (i) Shri Valmiki J.Mehta and (ii) Shri Neeraj Kishan Kaul to be Additional Judges of the Delhi High Court, in that order of seniority, for a period of two years with effect from the dates they assume charge of their respective offices.

III. Bombay High Court Judges appointed

President in exercise of the power conferred under Article 217 of the constitution of India appoints (i) Shri Justice Chandrakant Laxman Pangarkar and (ii) Shri JusticeAmjad Ahtesham Sayed, Additional Judges of the Bombay High Court, to be Judges of the Bombay High Court, in that order of seniority, with effect from the dates they assume charge of their respective offices.

PIL against approval to new courses in affiliated colleges with "unqualified teachers"

A PIL seeking to restrain from granting approval for new courses in affiliated colleges with "unqualified teachers" has been admitted by the Madurai Bench of the Madras High court. and Court has issued notice to UGC,Union Ministry of Human Resources and Development,Higher Education Department and Registrar of Madurai Kamaraj University and Manonmanian Sundaranar University. Justice S.K.Krishnan and Justice T.Raja directed the respondents to reply within two weeks.The said PIL was files by the T M Jeyaprakash, a retired professor, it is contended in the PIL that some Government aided colleges and many self financing colleges had been appointing teachers who lacked qualification or eligibility as prescribed by the UGC.

Delhi HC takes out the renting premises for business from the purview of service tax 

The Delhi High Court has ruled out that company renting premises to run their businesses cannot be subjected to service tax for the same and struck down the Centre's notification bringing in renting of immovable property for use in the course of business within the purview of service tax.

Recent ruling brings new face to Kasab's defence

Bombay HC judgment clears decks for private lawyer with higher fees

When special judge ML Tahilyani appointed a private lawyer, Abbas Kazmi, to defend Ajmal Amir Kasab, the lone gunman captured alive for the 26/11 attacks in Mumbai, he cited a recent Bombay High court judgment, by which a murder convict was set free by the court after it observed that no lawyer had represented him during the trial, not even one from the state legal aid panel.

The accused, Ramchandra Mullak (45), was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2004 and had spent over four years in prison until his appeal challenging the conviction came before the division bench of Justice FI Rebello and KU Chandiwal.

The court ruled that the sessions court order convicting Mullak was bad in law as he was unrepresented during the trial, thus denying him a right to free trial. It had conducted a trial without legal aid to the accused and flouted the basic principle of natural justice. It is the fundamental right of all accused to have access to free legal aid, the bench had said.

• INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Law firm fees under scrutiny

MEASURES to prevent legal firms overcharging and exploiting vulnerable clients will be discussed by professional legal bodies nationally over the next year.

In Canberra yesterday the standing committee of attorneys-general (SCAG) agreed unanimously to ask its national legal profession joint working party to consult the profession on five proposals aimed at greater transparency and accountability regarding legal fees.

The measures proposed by NSW for eventual adoption into the national model law on the regulation of the legal profession include a prohibition on law practices charging excessive costs, fines for any breaches of provisions adopted, and a new regulation under which the principals of law firms - not their solicitors or any other person - would approve bills.

CIA 'torture' interrogators exempt from legal consequences

PRESIDENT Barack Obama has vowed there will be no prosecutions of CIA agents who used harsh interrogation methods after the release of the former Bush Administration's so-called "torture memos" that authorised their use.

"In releasing these memos, it is our intention to assure those who carried out their duties relying in good faith upon legal advice from the Department of Justice that they will not be subject to prosecution," he said.

"This is a time for reflection, not retribution. I respect the strong views and emotions that these issues evoke.

"We have been through a dark and painful chapter in our history. But at a time of great challenges and disturbing disunity, nothing will be gained by spending our time and energy laying blame for the past."