Latest news with #PIL
The Hindu
7 hours ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
HC notices to government in PIL plea over Sigachi blast
Telangana High Court on Thursday issued notices to the State government and heads of different departments like Labour, Home, Industry along with the management of Sigachi Industries in a PIL petition seeking direction to constitute a Special Investigation Team to probe the blast in Sigachi Industrial unit at Banoor and pay full and final compensation to the victims' families. A bench of Chief Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh and Justice Gouse Meera Mohiuddin directed the respondents, including Chief Secretary, Special Home Secretary, Pollution Control Board, Sangareddy Collector and Sigachi management, to file detailed counter affidavits by August 27. The PIL petition was filed by septuagenarian retired scientist Kalapala Babu Rao seeking different reliefs including release of the Report of the High Powered Committee created on June 30 to fix accountability and culpability of the company. The petitioner wanted the HC to instruct different government wings to identify the danger posed by industrial dust accumulation, absence of hazard assessment system and align India's safety protocols with global standards like NFPA 652. The petitioner's counsel Vasudha Nagaraj said the government should take responsibility for payment of one crore rupees compensation to families of all the 54 persons who died in the fire accident on Sigachi factory triggered by a blast. The victims included eight missing workers of the factory. The CJ, seeking responses of the counsels for the State, said the government should not take the PIL plea as adversarial litigation. The State should make its best efforts to assist the families of the victims, he said. Directing the respondents to file comprehensive counter affidavits responding to different points raised by the petitioner, the bench noted that passage of time should not diminish the tragedy or be allowed to be forgotten. The bench sought to know the details of the First Information Report, the different sections of law invoked in the case and the progress of the investigation. The bench also asked the Government Pleader for Home if any arrests were made in the case. The GP replied that no person was arrested so far. The bench wanted the respondents to furnish precise details like how many workers were present at the site when the fire accident was reported, what statutes were invoked to make the company liable, the categories of workers and the compensation amounts paid in the counter affidavits. The Additional Advocate General T. Rajanikanth Reddy informed the bench that all the issues raised in the PIL petition were being delved into and actions were initiated. He sought four weeks of time to file counter affidavits, stating that the authorities were awaiting reports of the High Level Committee and Expert Committee on the incident.
Indian Express
11 hours ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
HC issues notice to Punjab Govt over failure to implement hybrid hearings in State Information Commission
The Punjab and Haryana High Court Thursday issued notice to the Punjab Government on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) alleging non-compliance with Supreme Court directives mandating hybrid hearings before the Punjab State Information Commission. The PIL, filed by 24-year-old RTI activist and advocate Nikhil Thamman, challenged the Commission's failure to provide virtual hearing options and related digital infrastructure as required under the apex court's 2023 ruling in Kishan Chand Jain v Union of India. Appearing in person, Thamman argued that the Commission's continued reliance on physical hearings effectively deprived citizens, especially those from remote and rural areas, of access to quasi-judicial proceedings under the Right to Information Act, 2005. The petitioner submitted that despite the Supreme Court's clear directions requiring all State Information Commissions to offer hybrid hearing options and include virtual hearing links in daily cause lists by December 31, 2023, Punjab had failed to implement even the most basic requirements. Citing a legal notice he had served on June 28, 2025, to the Punjab Government and the State Information Commission, Thamman stated that no corrective steps had been taken despite warnings of potential contempt proceedings. Thamman further pointed out that the commission had failed to establish an e-filing mechanism and electronic service of RTI documents — provisions that were central to both the Supreme Court's directives and the RTI Act's emphasis on accessibility and time-bound redressal. Justice Sheel Nagu and Justice Sanjiv Berry, before whom the matter was listed, issued notice to the State and posted the case for further hearing on September 15. The PIL, filed under Article 226 of the Constitution, raised two principal questions: whether the court should issue a writ of mandamus directing the Punjab State Information Commission to implement hybrid hearings across all proceedings, and whether virtual links should be mandatorily included in daily cause lists to ensure citizen participation through video conferencing. Thamman submitted that video conferencing facilities installed in District Administrative Complexes across Punjab remained largely non-functional, thereby defeating the purpose of decentralised justice. He contended that the commission's inaction amounted to a violation not only of the RTI Act but also of citizens' fundamental rights under Articles 14, 19(1)(a), and 21 of the Constitution. The PIL also drew attention to the real-life hardships imposed by the current system: many citizens from distant districts had to travel to Chandigarh merely to mark attendance or appear for brief hearings, often at considerable financial and logistical cost. In contrast, Thamman maintained that the widespread availability of smartphones and video conferencing applications made hybrid hearings both feasible and necessary. Thamman, a resident of Banur in SAS Nagar district, sought comprehensive relief from the High Court, including the implementation of hybrid hearings, inclusion of virtual hearing links in all cause lists, establishment of operational e-filing and e-service mechanisms, and any other directions the court deemed appropriate to secure effective enforcement of the RTI Act in Punjab.
Time of India
2 days ago
- General
- Time of India
Environmentalists demand demolition of illegal changing room near Godavari in Nashik
Nashik: Environmentalists on Tuesday asked municipal commissioner Manisha Khatri to ensure the demolition of the vastrantar gruha, a structure used as a changing room by devotees on the banks of the Godavari river near Ramkund. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The demand arose during a meeting of the Nashik Municipal Corporation's committee on Godavari pollution. Environmentalists said the building is illegal as it is constructed within the blue line of the river. They emphasised the need to remove the structure, considering the upcoming Kumbh Mela, as lakhs of sadhus and devotees take a holy dip in Ramkund during the religious conglomerate. Rajesh Pandit, the petitioner of the PIL on Godavari river pollution in the Bombay high court, said that the vastrantar gruha building is illegal as it was built by the NMC in the blue line of the river. In fact, no construction is allowed within the blue line of the river. Nishikant Pagare, another petitioner of the PIL on Godavari pollution, also reiterated the same, demanding the demolition of the vastrantar gruha building. During the meeting, NMC commissioner Manisha Khatri assured them that she would look into the issue. When contacted, Khatri told TOI that the issue about the demolition of the vastrantar gruha was raised by the environmentalists during the meeting on Godavari river pollution, but no decision has been taken yet. The vastrantar gruha building was constructed during the Kumbh Mela in 1991-92. Earlier, the issue of vastrantar gruha demolition came up during the Kumbh Mela held in 2015. It comes in the way of sadhus going for the royal bath to Ramkund during the mela. But the structure was not demolished at that time following the protest by Nashik Purohit Sangh, an association of priests performing rituals, and women from various parts of the country. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Later, in 2022, the proposal for the demolition of the structure was tabled at the board meeting of the Nashik Municipal Smart City Development Corporation Ltd (NMSCDCL). The board had set up a three-member committee, comprising the NMC commissioner, district collector, and the smart city CEO, to decide on the issue. But no decision was taken as both the then NMC commissioner and the district collector were transferred thereafter. Meanwhile, during the meeting on Godavari river pollution, NMC commissioner Khatri also instructed officials to issue notices to all govt offices in the city to ensure they have installed rainwater harvesting systems at their office buildings.
Time of India
5 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
HC halts stone crusher operation near residential area
Dehradun: Uttarakhand high court's division bench of Justices Ravindra Maithani and Alok Mahra issued notices to M/s Sai Kripa Stone Crusher during a PIL hearing on environmental concerns over its construction in Dehradun. The court directed the state to act within a week and submit a counter-affidavit in four weeks. Petitioner Skand Kumar Sing, a social activist, highlighted that the crusher is just 200m from a densely populated area, including residential houses, schools, and an anganwadi centre. The petitioner also submitted maps showing the location of the crusher. He sought the suspension of both construction and operations during the petition's pendency. A college principal also repeatedly notified authorities about the stone crusher's construction, disrupting educational activities in the school. The counsel representing the Uttarakhand Environment Protection and Pollution Control Board (UEPPCB) said that, as per Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) policy, stone crushers are permitted to operate only in designated zones and must be at least 300m from residential areas. These operations release significant fugitive dust, causing environmental pollution and health risks to workers and nearby residents. The court allowed respondents to file objections to the interim relief application. "In the meanwhile, the stone crusher unit shall not carry out construction or operation of the stone crusher. The district magistrate, Dehradun, shall ensure it," the court said on Friday, scheduling the next hearing for Oct 8.
Time of India
6 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Karnataka high court notice to state, Centre on plea against tourism project at Roerich estate
Bengaluru: Karnataka high court on Friday issued notices to the state and Union govts over a PIL plea challenging the approval granted for an eco-tourism and cultural hub at Roerich and Devika Rani Roerich estate near Bengaluru. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The plea, filed by RR Nagar Care Trust, argues that the project — cleared through a govt notification dated Dec 24, 2024 — poses a threat to the ecologically sensitive area, which borders the Bannerughatta forest range and falls within an elephant corridor in south Bengaluru. A division bench comprising Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru and Justice CM Joshi directed the issuance of notice to the Svetoslav Roerich and Devika Rani Estate Board, which oversees the management of the estate. According to the petitioner, the planned infrastructure, including accommodation facilities and a 450-car parking lot, violates the area's master plan and central guidelines on eco-tourism. The trust contends that any construction in the zone would disturb local wildlife and breach environmental safeguards. The Centre, in its preliminary response, told the court that the project is in compliance with a land-use scheme formulated under the Roerich and Devika Rani Estate (Acquisition and Transfer) Act. The matter will be heard further after responses are filed and the court has posted the next hearing to Sept 24.
