Bar & Bench

*BCI chairperson Manan Kumar Mishra issues apology to law students after NALSAR convocation row* The letter follows criticism from students at NALSAR University of Law at Hyderabad and NLSIU Bangalore over BCI's handling of the row surrounding CJI Surya Kant's participation in NALSAR's 2026 convocation https://www.barandbench.com/news/bci-chairperson-manan-kumar-mishra-issues-apology-to-law-students-after-nalsar-convocation-row

SAMA to host Roundtable on ‘Building the Next Generation of Dispute Resolution Professionals’ on August 20 The in-person roundtable is open to ADR professors and deans. Free registration, closing August 19. https://www.barandbench.com/news/sama-to-host-roundtable-on-building-the-next-generation-of-dispute-resolution-professionals-on-august-20

Pune Court rejects researcher's plea to intervene in Savarkar defamation case against Rahul Gandhi The magistrate also imposed costs of ₹20,000 on the intervenor for wasting the court's time. https://www.barandbench.com/news/pune-court-rejects-researchers-plea-to-intervene-in-savarkar-defamation-case-against-rahul-gandhi

Legal Notes by Arvind Datar: Tribunals Reforms Act, 2026 The five-year tenure retained under the Tribunal Reforms Act, 2026 could deter experienced lawyers from joining Tribunals and continue to affect their efficiency and reputation. https://www.barandbench.com/columns/legal-notes-by-arvind-datar-tribunals-reforms-act-2026

Lawyers' instinct to question authority not merely a legacy of freedom struggle, relevant even today: CJI Surya Kant He was delivering the chief guest's address at the Supreme Court Bar Association's Independence Day function on the Supreme Court lawns. https://www.barandbench.com/news/litigation/lawyers-instinct-to-question-authority-not-merely-a-legacy-of-freedom-struggle-relevant-even-today-cji-surya-kant

Madras High Court grants anti-piracy injunction in favour of Aamir Khan-produced Batwara 1947 The Court directed internet service providers to block websites hosting pirated copies of the film. https://www.barandbench.com/news/litigation/madras-high-court-grants-anti-piracy-injunction-in-favour-of-aamir-khan-produced-batwara-1947

NLSIU students oppose CJI Surya Kant, Manan Kumar Mishra at their convocation; demand BCI apology to NALSAR Over 700 NLSIU students and alumni said the BCI chairman does not represent the full Council and had no power to unilaterally bar NALSAR's 2026 batch from enrolment. https://www.barandbench.com/news/nlsiu-students-oppose-cji-surya-kant-manan-kumar-mishra-at-their-convocation-demand-bci-apology-to-nalsar

Introducing India’s first Court Downtime Tracker The Court Downtime Tracker, a product by TheProfesseer in collaboration with Bar & Bench, will host a live, ticking tracker that continually monitors and records court websites across forums. https://www.barandbench.com/news/introducing-indias-first-court-downtime-tracker

What the missing Arbitration Council reveals 6 years after parliament legislated the Arbitration Council of India, its absence has stopped looking like delay and started looking like a verdict on its design. https://www.barandbench.com/columns/what-the-missing-arbitration-council-reveals

Surveillance without statute: The constitutional void in India’s facial recognition policy If Europe believes that watching its own citizens in real time poses a threat to the free society, then India should not become the place where these rights are ignored based on discretion. https://www.barandbench.com/columns/surveillance-without-statute-the-constitutional-void-in-indias-facial-recognition-policy

No institution beyond scrutiny: NALSAR Student Bar Council condemns BCI circulars, demands apology "The current chairperson's actions are unbecoming of his post and the constitutional directives that he is expected to uphold," the statement reads. https://www.barandbench.com/Law-School/no-institution-beyond-scrutiny-nalsar-student-bar-council-condemns-bci-circulars-demands-apology

Police need not obtain court permission before freezing bank accounts: Karnataka High Court The Court said the accounts where a victim's money is transferred must be subjected to a debit freeze within seconds, if not minutes. https://www.barandbench.com/news/litigation/police-need-not-obtain-court-permission-before-freezing-bank-accounts-karnataka-high-court

Delhi HC asks Centre, CBFC, film producers to decide on adding accessibility features in cinema, OTT for disabled The Court directed the stakeholders to reach a workable solution on addition of accessibility features in movies. https://www.barandbench.com/news/litigation/delhi-hc-asks-centre-cbfc-film-producers-to-decide-on-addition-of-accessibility-features-in-cinema-ott-for-disabled

Should not be a proxy war: Bombay High Court on MVA government reopening case against Arnab Goswami Justice Milind Jadhav questioned the State's power to reopen a 2018 suicide abetment case despite the magistrate accepting the police closure report. https://www.barandbench.com/news/should-not-be-a-proxy-war-bombay-high-court-on-mva-government-reopening-case-against-arnab-goswami

Plea in Supreme Court seeks criminal action against social media platforms failing to report child porn The plea said social media intermediaries were not uniformly complying with the Court’s 2024 directions and sought a uniform SOP for mandatory reporting of child sex abuse material. https://www.barandbench.com/news/litigation/plea-in-supreme-court-seeks-criminal-action-against-social-media-platforms-failing-to-report-child-porn

Tribunals Reforms Act, 2026 gets President's assent The Bill was passed by the Lok Sabha on August 10 and by the Rajya Sabha on August 11. https://www.barandbench.com/news/tribunals-reforms-act-2026-gets-presidents-assent

Unlimited power, resources to litigate: Supreme Court slams Reliance for obstructing 20-year-old case; slaps ₹10 lakh costs The Court said Reliance Industries appeared to have unlimited power to litigate and obstruct the progress of the case. https://www.barandbench.com/news/litigation/unlimited-power-resources-to-litigate-supreme-court-slams-reliance-for-obstructing-20-year-old-case-slaps-10-lakh-costs

Commercial Courts Act 2015 applies to commercial suits filed before its enactment: Delhi High Court A three-judge Bench has ruled that earlier litigants cannot claim a broader right of appeal merely because their suits were filed before 2015. https://www.barandbench.com/news/litigation/commercial-courts-act-2015-applies-to-commercial-suits-filed-before-its-enactment-delhi-high-court

Stop asking whether arbitration is dead, start asking why it isn't delivering Should one begin to write an obituary for arbitration in India? That is the wrong question to ask. https://www.barandbench.com/columns/stop-asking-whether-arbitration-is-dead-start-asking-why-it-isnt-delivering

Karnataka High Court stays case against student booked for throwing eggs at BJP MLA amid protest Eggs were hurled last month at BJP MLA BP Harish after he arrived outside the KPCC office in connection with a protest. https://www.barandbench.com/news/litigation/karnataka-high-court-stays-case-against-student-booked-for-throwing-eggs-at-bjp-mla-amid-protest