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A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) has been filed in the Bombay High Court challenging the legality of continued toll collection from heavy vehicles entering Mumbai through five key entry points. The petition argues that the ongoing toll collection violates constitutional and statutory provisions and imposes an arbitrary financial burden on vehicle owners. Details of the PIL and Parties Involved The PIL, filed by advocate Pravin Wategaonkar , names the Chief Secretary of Maharashtra and the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) as respondents. The MSRDC manages major arterial roads in Mumbai and collects toll through contractors. Currently, only heavy vehicles entering Mumbai through five major entry points — Dahisar, LBS Road (Mulund), Eastern Express Highway (Mulund), Airoli Creek Bridge, and Vashi — are required to pay toll tax. Earlier, even light motor vehicles paid tolls ranging from ₹45 to ₹75. However, they were exempted from toll ...

India’s rapid urbanization and vehicle growth have brought with them a troubling reality — pedestrian deaths are rising at an alarming rate . Despite strong legal frameworks and new road safety standards, implementation gaps, weak enforcement, and lack of dedicated funding continue to threaten lives on Indian roads. Pedestrian Fatalities on the Rise Official government data highlights a distressing trend: pedestrian deaths in India surged from 25,858 in 2019 to 35,221 in 2023 , marking an increase of nearly 36% in four years . This means that 96 pedestrians die every single day due to road accidents — a grim indicator of unsafe urban infrastructure. In response to this crisis, the Supreme Court of India intervened on October 7, 2025 , issuing a 35-point directive in a public interest litigation filed in 2012. The directive seeks to enforce safer road designs , pedestrian facilities , and stricter accountability for non-compliance with safety norms. Supreme Court’s Directive...

Introduction: Remembering a Titan of Indian Industry October 9, 2025, marks the first death anniversary of Ratan Naval Tata (1937–2024) , one of India’s most respected industrialists, philanthropists, and global business icons. His name stands synonymous with trust, ethics, and nation-building. As India pays tribute to the man who shaped its modern industrial landscape, it’s important to reflect on how his vision, leadership, and humanity transformed not just the Tata Group, but India’s global image. Who Was Ratan Tata? Born on December 28, 1937 , into the prominent Tata family, Ratan Tata was the son of Naval Tata and Soonoo Commissariat . He was raised by his grandmother, Lady Navajbai Tata , at the Tata Palace in Mumbai. Educated at Cornell University , where he earned a degree in Architecture and Structural Engineering, Ratan Tata later completed the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School. He joined the Tata Group in 1961, starting his career at Tata Steel in Ja...

Introduction: Strengthening the Shield of Liberty In a landmark judgment delivered in Vihaan Kumar v. State of Haryana (2025 INSC 162), the Supreme Court of India reaffirmed one of the most vital constitutional guarantees — the right of every person to be informed of the grounds of arrest . Authored by Justice Abhay S. Oka and Justice Nongmeikapam Kotiswar Singh, the judgment reinforces Article 22(1) of the Constitution and clarifies the procedural obligations of law enforcement agencies during arrest. Case Background The petitioner, Vihaan Kumar , challenged his arrest by the Haryana Police, alleging that he was not informed of the reasons for his detention. He argued that such omission violated his fundamental right under Article 22(1) of the Constitution and Section 50 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) , which together safeguard a person’s liberty during the process of arrest. The respondent State maintained that the arrest was legally conducted and that the petitio...

Supreme Court Judge Justice BV Nagarathna has voiced serious concern over the declining sex ratio in certain Indian states, warning that female infanticide and foeticide continue to threaten gender balance. Speaking at the National Annual Stakeholders Consultation on “Safeguarding the Girl Child: Towards a Safer and Enabling Environment for Her in India” , organized by the Juvenile Justice Committee (JJC) of the Supreme Court in collaboration with UNICEF India , she emphasized that girls must not only survive but thrive . Girls Deserve Equal Opportunity to Thrive Justice Nagarathna, addressing an audience that included Chief Justice of India BR Gavai , Union Minister for Women and Child Development Annapurna Devi , and other Supreme Court judges, highlighted that true equality is achieved only when girls have equal access to education, healthcare, nutrition, and opportunity . “A young girl in India can only be considered a truly equal citizen when she can freely aspire to ach...

In a significant development ahead of the Diwali festival, the Supreme Court of India indicated that it may temporarily lift the absolute ban on firecrackers in Delhi-NCR for five days. The move marks a potential shift in the Court’s stance on the issue, which has been at the center of debates over environmental protection, public health, and cultural practices. A bench of Chief Justice of India BR Gavai and Justice K. Vinod Chandran reserved its order on Friday, stating that it will decide soon on relaxing the restrictions that have been in place for several years due to concerns over air pollution. Background: The Ban and Its Implications The ban on the use and sale of firecrackers in Delhi-NCR has been a recurring measure during Diwali, primarily due to the severe air quality deterioration that occurs around this period. The situation is often exacerbated by stubble burning in neighboring states such as Punjab and Haryana, as well as stagnant weather conditions that trap ...

In a transformative decision set to reshape India’s judicial recruitment framework, the Supreme Court of India has ruled that serving judicial officers with at least seven years of prior practice as advocates are eligible to apply for district judge posts under the quota reserved for the Bar. The judgment, hailed as a milestone, emphasizes inclusivity, merit, and efficiency in the district judiciary — the foundational tier of India’s judicial system. Five-Judge Bench Delivers Constitutionally Significant Ruling A five-judge Constitution Bench , led by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Bhushan R. Gavai , and comprising Justices M.M. Sundresh, Aravind Kumar, Satish Chandra Sharma, and K. Vinod Chandran , delivered the verdict on Thursday. The court held that excluding serving judges who previously practiced law for seven years from the pool of candidates for direct recruitment would be “discriminatory” and detrimental to judicial efficiency . The bench clarified that such officers ca...

As the Right to Information (RTI) Act completes 20 years on October 12, 2025 , its promise of transparency, accountability, and citizen empowerment appears to be under severe strain. A new report by Satark Nagrik Sangathan (SNS) has revealed that several Information Commissions (ICs) — the institutions responsible for ensuring citizens’ access to information — are either defunct or operating without leadership , resulting in massive delays and weakened implementation. The Current State of Information Commissions According to the SNS report, two states — Jharkhand and Himachal Pradesh — have completely defunct Information Commissions , while three others , including the Central Information Commission (CIC) , and the commissions in Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh , are functioning without a Chief Information Commissioner . The situation is alarming at the central level, where the CIC — which handles appeals related to the Union Government and Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) ...

 The Bombay High Court on Wednesday directed Bollywood actor Shilpa Shetty and her businessman husband Raj Kundra to deposit ₹60 crore with the court registry if they wanted their plea to travel abroad to be considered. The direction came during the hearing of a petition filed by the couple challenging the look-out circulars (LOCs) issued against them by the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Mumbai Police. EOW’s Look-Out Circular and the ₹60.48-Crore Cheating Case The case stems from a ₹60.48-crore cheating complaint linked to the couple’s now-defunct online retail venture, Best Deal TV Pvt. Ltd. The EOW had issued look-out circulars on September 5, 2025 , preventing Shetty and Kundra from leaving India while the investigation was ongoing. The LOCs were based on a complaint filed by Deepak Kothari , a city-based businessman and director of Lotus Capital Financial Services , who alleged that Shetty and Kundra had diverted investor funds for personal use between 2015 an...

 The Supreme Court of India has underscored the need to introduce sexuality education at an earlier age , calling it a crucial step toward ensuring adolescent awareness, safety, and emotional maturity. The apex court observed that children must be made aware of the physical and psychological changes that occur after puberty and the precautions required to handle those transitions responsibly. Supreme Court’s Observations A Bench comprising Justices Sanjay Kumar and Alok Aradhe made this observation while confirming the bail granted to a 15-year-old boy accused of raping a minor girl. The court noted that both the accused and the victim were adolescents and stressed that lack of early awareness often leads to uninformed, impulsive behavior. While reviewing the education curriculum in Uttar Pradesh , the court pointed out that sex education currently begins in Class IX . It held that this approach was insufficient and recommended that such education start much earlier. The Bench...

Nearly two decades after one of India’s most horrifying crime sprees shocked the nation, the families of the Nithari victims have once again been gripped by despair. As the Supreme Court reserved its verdict in the last pending case against Surendra Koli , one of the two main accused, its remarks suggesting that upholding his conviction would be a “travesty of justice” have reignited old wounds in Noida’s Nithari village . Families React: ‘We Have Lost All Hope’ For the families who lost their children in the 2006 Nithari killings , the recent court developments have reopened painful memories. A 63-year-old father , whose 10-year-old daughter’s remains were recovered from the now-infamous D-5 bungalow in Sector 31 , said: “My daughter went missing while returning from school. Since then, I fought for justice, selling everything I had. But now, we have lost all faith. Only God can punish the killers of my child.” His wife added that she had foreseen the collapse of the case wh...

 In a significant ruling, the Supreme Court of India has held that artificial lakes or man-made waterbodies do not enjoy statutory protection under the Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2017 , but emphasized that governments must safeguard them under the Doctrine of Public Trust to promote ecological balance and sustainable development. The Futala Lake Case: Background The verdict came in connection with Futala Lake (Telangkhedi Tank) in Nagpur , a historical waterbody built in 1799 by the ruler of Nagpur to serve irrigation needs. The lake spans a catchment area of approximately 200 hectares and has long been a prominent urban landmark. A non-profit organization, Swacch Association Nagpur , had approached the Supreme Court challenging construction activities around the lake—such as the creation of a plaza, floating restaurant, musical fountain, and viewers’ gallery —arguing that these developments violated the Wetlands Rules, 2017 . The Bombay High Court’s N...