Baseless : Says SC on Plea to Probe Judge Loya's death

The Supreme Court today dismissed a batch of petitions seeking an independent probe into the alleged mysterious death of special CBI judge BH Loya.
A bench, headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra, said there is no reason to doubt the statements of judges accompanying Justice Loya that the death was due to a natural cause.
Holding that there was absolutely no merit in the petitions, the bench said, attempts were made to scandalize the judiciary by leveling serious allegations against judicial officers and judges of the Bombay High Court.
The court said, with these petitions, it is clear that a real attempt and a frontal attack was made on the independence of the judiciary.
It said, frivolous and motivated litigation has been filed to settle political rivalry. Justice Loya, who was hearing the Sohrabuddin Sheikh fake encounter case, had allegedly died of cardiac arrest in Nagpur on 1st December 2014 when he had gone to attend a wedding.

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Ayodhya Case Purely a Land Dispute Issue : SC

The Supreme Court has said the Ram Janambhoomi-Babri Masjid case was purely a "land dispute" and will be dealt with in normal course.

The apex court commenced its final hearings on the Ayodhya dispute yesterday. During the course of an hour-long hearing the court clarified that it was first inclined to hear those who were parties to the dispute in the Allahabad High Court.

It further said those who have tried to wade into the matter before it and seeking impleadment as parties will have to wait as the case before it was a "pure land dispute".

A special bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra was hearing the civil appeals, arising out of 2010 verdict of the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court, which in a 2 to1 majority ruling, had ordered that the disputed land be partitioned equally among three parties, the Sunni Waqf Board, the Nirmohi Akhara and Ram Lalla.

The bench also comprised Justices Ashok Bhushan and S A Nazeer. The court in its order asked the original parties of the title suits to file within two weeks the English translations of documents, exhibits and excerpts from vernacular books, which have been used in the high court.

The bench also expressed its reservation on hearing the matter on day-to-day basis and said, once the matter will start it will go on in normal course. 

The bench said it would hear the appeals in the case on the 14th of next month.

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SC Gives an Earful to Khaps

Taking a strong exception to the diktats passed by Khaps on matters of marriage, Supreme Court has come out strongly against honour killings. Apex court said that even if a young adults marry within the prohibited degree of relation there are courts and law to declare it null and void.

CJI Dipak Misra warned that Khaps should not become self-appointed conscience keepers when there is law and courts to deal with marriages prohibited by law. He said that irrespective of tradition, gotra, if there is illegality in marriage, its is for law and courts to deal with it and not Khaps.

The court said that a marriage between two adults was governed by the law. The Supreme Court bench said it would set up a high-level committee consisting of senior police officers to deal with issues relating to intervention in marriages by bodies such as khap panchayats.

The SC had in the past said if an adult man and woman marry, no khap, panchayat, individual or society can question them. In a democracy, if an adult girl or boy gets into marriage, no khap, no individual or no society can question them.

Khap panchayats or associations are notorious for attacking men and women opting for inter- caste marriage. Khaps are caste or community organisations in villages which at times act as quasi-judicial bodies and pronounce harsh punishments based on regressive and age-old customs and traditions.

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