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SC Collegium Recommends Transfer Of Justice Muralidhar To Madras HC

The judge is currently the chief justice of the Orissa high court and will be transferred to the Madras high court in the same capacity.

New Delhi: The Supreme Court Collegium headed by Chief Justice Uday Umesh Lalit is learnt to have recommended to the Union government the transfer of Chief Justice (CJ) of the Orissa high court, Justice S. Muralidhar, as the CJ of the Madras high court, sources said on Thursday.

The collegium, which also comprised Justices D.Y. Chandrachud and Sanjay Kishan Kaul, met on Wednesday to deliberate upon issues including the transfer of high court judges, the sources told PTI.

In the meeting, the collegiums resolved to transfer Justice Muralidhar in the same capacity to the Madras high court.

The apex court collegium is likely to come up with a statement on it, they said.

Justice Muralidhar was initially appointed as a judge of the Delhi high court in May 2006 and later was transferred to the Punjab and Haryana high court on March 6, 2020.

He took oath as the Chief Justice of the Orissa high court on January 4, 2021.

Prior to this, the apex court collegium recommended the elevation of the chief justice of the Bombay high court, Justice Dipankar Datta, as a judge of the apex court.

On September 12, the CJI Lalit-led collegium approved the appointment of 20 judges to the high courts of Punjab and Haryana, Bombay and Karnataka.

(PTI)

Owners Of About 500 Shops Near The Taj Mahal Fear Closure After SC Order

The Supreme Court on Monday directed the Agra Development Authority (ADA) to prohibit commercial activities within the 500-meter periphery of the Taj Mahal.

Agra: With the Supreme Court’s order to immediately stop all commercial activities within the 500-meter periphery of the Taj Mahal, the shop owners in this area are uncertain about the future of their businesses.

There are about 500 odd restaurants, emporiums, budget hotels, cafes and other business outlets in the area that might be affected by the court order.

The Supreme Court on Monday directed the Agra Development Authority (ADA) to prohibit commercial activities within the 500-meter periphery of the Taj Mahal.

Talking to PTI, Charchit Gaur, vice chairman of ADA said, “We have begun the survey processing of the businesses and after the completion of the survey we will identify the businesses and act accordingly to the order of the Supreme Court.”

The apex court’s order was in response to the application by the 71 shopkeepers, who had alleged that they were removed from near the western gate in the year 1993, whereas other commercial activities continued.

On Wednesday, locals and business owners organised a meeting to chalk out further plans.

Haji Tahir Uddin Tahir, a resident at the South Gate told PTI that around 40,000 to 50,000 people will be affected due to the order of the apex court as the workers of the shops, factories, and hotels in the Tajganj area will lose their jobs.

We will look for legal options available and unitedly fight for these people, he said.

Tahir added these shops have been running for many decades and have been set during the time of the Taj Mahal.

A shopkeeper, who runs his shop at Western Gate at Taj Mahal said we somehow managed to overcome the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and began trying to run our businesses.

Now since Monday, we are not able to understand what to do. In my shop, there is a staff of seven people and we all would become unemployed as we would not have any other options to run our houses, the shopkeeper said.

Sunil Shrivastava, a shopkeeper whose store is located at the East Gate of the Taj Mahal said this order would affect the livelihoods of about 40,000 to 50,000 people who are dependent on these commercial activities.

“They would become unemployed and have no other option to run their houses,” he said.

(PTI)

SC Seeks Response From Union Govt on Plea Over Shortage of HIV Drugs

The NGO Indian Network for People living with HIV/AIDS had moved SC alleging that there is a shortage of antiretroviral drugs in the country.

New Delhi: The Supreme Court has sought response from the Union government and others on a plea alleging shortage of antiretroviral drugs for treating HIV patients in the country.

A bench of Justices D.Y. Chandrachud and Hima Kohli issued notice to the Ministry of Health, National AIDS Control Organisation and others on a plea filed by an NGO.

“The petitioners have submitted that there are shortages in the procurement of ART drugs in the country and the tender for 2021-22, which was due in August 2021, was issued in December 2021 and eventually failed. Issue notice, returnable in two weeks,” the bench said.

Antiretroviral therapy (ART) is treatment of people infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) using anti-HIV drugs.

The top court was hearing a plea filed by NGO Indian Network for People living with HIV/AIDS alleging shortage of antiretroviral drugs in the country.

The plea contended that non-availability of drugs at the Anti Retro Viral Therapy Centres of the National AIDS Control Organisation results in hampering ARV treatment of the people living with HIV/AIDS.

(PTI)