Daily Bulletin

The Supreme Court has held that the new Industrial Relations Code, 2020, will govern the interpretation of the term "industry," not the landmark 1978 Bangalore Water Supply judgment. In State of U.P. v. Jai Bir Singh, the Court noted that the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947, under which the previous precedent was set, has been repealed and replaced by the new code, which came into force on November 21, 2025.

In a significant ruling on temple properties, the Supreme Court held that a State Government is only a custodian, not the owner, of temple lands and cannot accept them as a gift. A bench of Justice PS Narasimha and Justice Alok Aradhe voided a 2017 gift deed transferring land from a temple in Erode, Tamil Nadu, to the state, citing a violation of the Tamil Nadu HR&CE Act, 1959. The Court ordered the state to pay a revised monthly rent of ₹31,000 retrospectively from March 2019 and costs of ₹1 lakh to the temple.

The Supreme Court has declared that the right to access and use the internet is a fundamental right for every individual, including children, under Article 21 and Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution. A bench of Justice JB Pardiwala and Justice K Vinod Chandran, while rejecting blanket bans, advocated for proportionate safeguards such as parental consent and dedicated 'child modes' to ensure online safety.

A debate over judicial recusal standards has emerged in the Supreme Court following differing responses from judges to perceived partiality. Justice P.V. Sanjay Kumar recused himself from a case involving a Tamil Nadu minister after his courtroom remarks were misrepresented, while Chief Justice of India Surya Kant has continued hearing a case involving the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), whose name originated from his own comments, prompting calls for a consistent institutional standard.

The Supreme Court has ruled that the termination of a confirmed government employee without a departmental enquiry is a violation of Article 311(2) of the Constitution. In Debashish Mohapatra v. District and Session Judge, Jagatsinghpur, the Court held that confirmation in service confers a substantive status and security of tenure that cannot be bypassed through a simple administrative order, even if the initial appointment was allegedly irregular.

The Supreme Court has clarified that the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) has a recommendatory and advisory role and does not possess adjudicatory powers like a court. In Mumbai Port Authority v. National Commission For Scheduled Caste, the Court ruled that the NCSC's powers as a civil court under Article 338 are limited to procedural matters for conducting investigations, not for issuing binding orders or granting service benefits.

Talks between the Union Ministry of Home Affairs and leaders from Ladakh have stalled over the Centre's proposal for constitutional safeguards. According to Ladakh Chief Secretary Ashish Kundra, discussions broke down over the name and powers of a proposed elected body. The Centre has offered a unique model under a new Article 371K but has ruled out granting statehood or a Union Territory with a legislature.

The recently enacted new criminal laws have introduced significant changes to police powers concerning arrest, detention, and the right to protest. The Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), through provisions like Section 172, now explicitly empowers police to detain individuals who disregard lawful directions, a power not present in the old CrPC. While Article 22 of the Constitution provides safeguards for ordinary arrests, these do not extend to preventive detention, which has been employed against figures like activist Abhijeet Dipke and student leader Neha Bora, highlighting the expanded legal framework available to authorities to manage public order.