Latest news with #AugustineGeorgeMasih
Time of India
20 hours ago
- General
- Time of India
Supreme Court seeks Telangana's response to petition on local quota in MBBS admissions
Hyderabad: The Supreme Court has directed the Telangana govt to file its response to a petition regarding the local quota in MBBS admissions in the state. The court issued these directions on Monday while hearing petitions filed by a few aspirants who urged to be accommodated in the counselling under the local quota. The matter was posted for further hearing in four weeks. The aspirants were challenging the state govt's orders amending the local quota provisions. A bench of Justices Prashanth Kumar Mishra and Augustine George Masih, while directing all parties to file their responses by the next date of hearing, also allowed the aspirants to mention their case during the partial court work during the vacation in case of any urgency. The bench provided this relaxation when the aspirants claimed that counselling for MBBS admissions would start immediately after the results are declared on June 14. During the hearing, the aspirants claimed that they were born in Telangana and that their parents were also born in the state. The petition challenges the Telangana Medical and Dental Colleges Admission (Admission into MBBS & BDS Courses) Rules, 2017, as amended in 2024. According to the amended rule, students seeking admission to Telangana medical colleges must have studied in the state for four consecutive years before taking their qualifying exam. The petitioners claimed that despite being born in Telangana and having completed most of their education in the state, the applicants became ineligible because they studied classes 11 and 12, or Intermediate, outside the state. They also claimed that the govt passed the amendment after the academic year had started, at a time when they had already been admitted to courses outside the state. When the Supreme Court advised applicants to approach the high court for redress, they argued that the high court could not rule on the matter as their case was now before the Supreme Court.
Hindustan Times
6 days ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
SC pulls up Haryana govt for inaction against mining mafia, errant officials
The Supreme Court on Thursday came down heavily on the Haryana government for not taking action against mining mafia and its errant officials accused of violating forest laws and facilitating illegal transportation of stones mined from the Aravallis in Nuh to Rajasthan. A bench comprising Chief Justice B R Gavai and Justice Augustine George Masih was very critical of the 'evasive' affidavit filed by the chief secretary of Haryana in the bench was considering a plea related to construction of an unauthorised 1.5-km road through protected Aravalli forest land by mining mafia 'in collusion with the state government officials' for facilitating illegal transportation of stones mined from the Aravallis in Nuh to Rajasthan. A report to this effect was filed by the apex court-appointed Central Empowered Committee. 'From the perusal of the affidavit (of the chief secretary) it is not reflected as to what actions have been taken against the erring officials and the mining mafia who are dishonestly dismantling the hills,' the CJI said. The bench said that the chief secretary was 'passing the buck' to the forest department officials by not making clear the actions taken against the officials and the CJI said the chief secretary is responsible for the functioning of the government and he cannot pick and choose his actions. 'It appears that mafia is strong enough to protect not only its members but also the officers of the state government who acted in collusion with them,' the CJI said. 'We have no hesitation in observing that the chief secretary and the deputy collector of Nuh have acted with laxity in matters pertaining to ecology and environment,' the bench said some actions have been apparently taken after the bench passed orders while taking note of the CEC report on the issue. 'We direct the chief secretary to take action against all erring officials and file a detailed affidavit by July 16,' the bench said, adding that any further laxity on the part of the government would invite punitive orders from it as permissible under the law. Now the matter will be taken up on July CEC report, submitted to the apex court on April 15, flagged serious breaches of the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980, and the Punjab Land Preservation Act, 1900, citing environmental degradation, destruction of wildlife habitat, and administrative inaction. The road, according to the report, was built using heavy machinery without legal clearances, slicing through notified forest and agricultural land. The construction, which began in October 2024 and ended in April 2025, disrupted decades-old Aravalli plantations and wildlife corridors, particularly those vital for leopard movement, the report committee further noted a 'non-cooperative attitude' from senior revenue officials, some of whom allegedly skipped multiple meetings on the issue. It also hinted at possible collusion with local 'political actors' and mining mafias, the report case stems from a petition filed by residents of Basai Meo village in November last year, alleging that a road illegally constructed through forest and agricultural land was facilitating the transportation of stones mined from the Aravallis in Nuh to Rajasthan via the border village of Biwan.
India Gazette
6 days ago
- Politics
- India Gazette
SC notice to DoE on parents' plea against order allowing private schools on Govt land to hike tuition fee without prior nod
ANI 29 May 2025, 15:42 GMT+10 New Delhi [India], May 29 (ANI): The Supreme Court on Thursday issued notice to Directorate of Education, Delhi government and Action Committee of Unaided Recognised Private Schools on a plea challenging the Delhi High Court orders which allowed private schools on government land to increase tuition fees without prior approval of DoE. A vacation bench of Chief Justice of India BR Gavai and Justice Augustine George Masih sought a response from DoE and a school body while hearing a plea filed by Naya Samaj Parents Association. The petition challenged two orders of the High Court passed in April 2024, by which it allowed private schools on government land to increase tuition fees without prior approval. The parents' association alleged that now private unaided schools in Delhi have also increased fees multifold, mostly by up to 100 per cent and taken penal actions against students, causing confusion and panic in the Delhi education system. The petitioner sought to set aside the paragraph of the order by which it said private schools situated on government land are not bound to take prior permission from the DoE before hiking tuition fees. The plea said the April 2024 orders of the High Court are against the previous directions of the division bench of the High Court and the Supreme Court. 'By setting aside this paragraph, clarity and consistency may be maintained in the application of fee hike regulations for schools on government land,' the petition stated. The petition also sought a stay of the High Court orders. (ANI)
India Gazette
6 days ago
- Politics
- India Gazette
SC to hear next week plea against demolition of properties in Batla House
New Delhi [India], May 29 (ANI): The Supreme Court on Thursday agreed to hear next week a plea filed against demolition notices of properties at Batla House in Jamia Nagar here. A vacation bench of Chief Justice of India BR Gavai and Justice Augustine George Masih agreed to post the matter next week after lawyer mentioned the matter for early hearing. The petition filed by Sultana Shaheen and 39 others who own properties in Batla House, said that a 15-day eviction/demolition notice was pasted on their properties on May 27. This was done after the Supreme Court's order of May 7, directing the Delhi government and the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) to demolish illegal properties in the Batla House area, said the petition filed through advocate Adeel Ahmed. They said the action is wrong because they were never made a party to that case and were denied the opportunity to present their case. 'They are genuine residents and property owners of Khasra Nos. 271 and 279, Batla House, who have now received 15 day eviction/demolition notices on May 27, 2025 pursuant to the Court's order on May 7, 2025 without being made parties to the writ petition or being granted an opportunity of being heard,' the plea added. The petition said that any blanket demolition drive initiated without affording affected residents an adequate and meaningful opportunity of being heard would amount to a gross infraction of the principles of natural justice and a direct violation of fundamental rights enshrined under Articles 14, 19(1)(e), and 21 of the Constitution. The petition further stated that 'the group of affected residents whose homes fall within the area now sought to be demolished on the purported ground of being outside the PM-UDAY. Scheme coverage, despite having valid title documents, proof of continuous possession before 2014, and eligibility under the Recognition of Property Rights Act, 2019.' PM-UDAY is a scheme aimed at conferring or recognising property rights to residents of notified unauthorised colonies in Delhi. Seeking stay on demolition order, the petitioners challenged the assertion that these properties are encroachments on public land. 'The authorities have failed to distinguish between unregularised encroachments and bona fide allottees, GPA holders, or regularisation applicants, thus resulting in gross arbitrariness,' submitted the petition. The petitioners further sought direction to restrain the authorities from taking any coercive steps, including sealing, demolition or disconnection of utilities, against their properties without verifying their eligibility under PM-UDAY or without complying with principles of natural justice. (ANI)
Hans India
28-05-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
SC notice to Centre on validity of 1995 Waqf Act
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday sought responses from the Centre and others on a petition challenging the constitutional validity of certain provisions of the Waqf Act, 1995. A bench of Chief Justice B R Gavai and Justice Augustine George Masih issued notices to the Centre and others, seeking their responses on the plea, and tagged it with pending petitions that have raised a similar issue. Advocate Ashwini Upadhyay, who appeared in the court on behalf of petitioner Nikhil Upadhyay, told the bench that the plea challenges the provisions of the Waqf Act, 1995. He referred to the apex court's April 17 order relating to challenges to the validity of the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025. Upadhyay said in that order, the court had said petitions challenging the 1995 law and the amendments made therein in 2013 shall be separately shown on the cause list.
