Holding the Bihar Government and a stone-block bidder equally responsible for a nine-year delay in executing a mining lease in Sheikhpura, a Division Bench of the Patna High Court set aside forfeiture of the bidder’s Rs 2.90 crore deposit, ordered its refund with 12% interest, and laid down binding timelines for future mining tenders.
A Division Bench of the Patna High Court held that a 2018 notification appointing Divisional Commissioners as arbitrators under the National Highways Act operates prospectively and does not affect pending arbitrations, but set aside an award on Gaya land acquired for NH-82 and ordered compensation reassessed with solatium and interest under the 1894 Act.
A Division Bench of the Gujarat High Court has dismissed Arvind Kejriwal’s appeal against Rs 25,000 costs in the PM Modi degree case, refusing to expunge the Single Judge’s remarks and adding that a political leader cannot use statutory proceedings for political motives, and has held on merits that the CIC’s 2016 direction to disclose the Prime Minister’s degrees was outside the RTI Act and hit by Sections 8(1)(e) and (j).
A Division Bench of the Patna High Court has held that Rule 52(5) of the Bihar Minor Mineral Concession Rules, 1972 permits 24 per cent simple interest on a delayed instalment only up to two months, after which the Rule contemplates cancellation, and quashed the Mines and Geology Department’s demands for further interest on three Rajouli stone blocks in Nawadah.
The Gujarat High Court has dismissed Arvind Kejriwal’s appeal against a March 2023 single judge order that quashed the CIC’s 2016 direction on disclosure of information about Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s degrees and imposed costs of Rs 25,000 on him, saying it found no error in the judgment, and has also dismissed the stay application.
Madras High Court Justice GR Swaminathan G.R. Swaminathan criticised Madurai authorities for failing to light the Karthigai Deepam atop Thiruparankundram Hillock despite clear court directions issued. He said he respects court orders unlike those officials, stressing accountability within the Madras High Court system today.
![[LS Election 2024] SC Refuses to Entertain Independent Candidate's Plea against Rejection of Nomination](https://i0.wp.com/lawchakra.in/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/MicrosoftTeams-image-35-4.png?resize=447%2C367&ssl=1)
The Supreme Court refused to entertain an independent candidate’s plea against the rejection of his nomination for the upcoming elections. The candidate was advised to pursue alternative legal remedies, as the Court stated that such matters should be challenged through an election petition rather than at a pre-poll stage. The petition was ultimately dismissed.
