Recap: SC Adjourns Karnataka OBC Muslims Case, Resumes Marriage Equality Hearing

Catch the top highlights from Indian courts on Tuesday.

(Photo: Altered byThe Quint)

While the top court continued hearing petitions seeking legal recognition of same-sex marriages, a PIL in the Bombay High Court has sought investigation into the deaths caused by heatstroke last week in Maharashtra.

Here's what happened in our courts on Tuesday, 25 April:

PIL Against Heatstroke Deaths In Maharashtra

Remember the 14 deaths that happened due to heatstroke at an event in Maharashtra's Khargar?

A lawyer, in a PIL before the Bombay High Court, has pointed out that as a result of poor planning, and despite spending over Rs 14 crores, people who attended the event were compelled to sit for 7-8 hours in the sun.

She has sought an investigation onto the deaths.

Same-Sex Marriage Hearing Resumes In SC

The five-judge Constitution bench of the Supreme Court, headed by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, continued hearing the marriage equality petitions on Tuesday, 25 April.

The petitioners' lawyers discussed three crucial points:

1) They brought up the example of a same-sex couple where one person was an Indian and the other wasn’t and while they had gotten married in the US and had a daughter as well, their marriage wasn’t recognised in India under the Foreign Marriage Act

2) The lawyers also said that while there have been demands asking the govt to enact a law recognising same-sex marriages instead of bothering the judiciary with it, this argument is unacceptable

3) One of the lawyers, representing a transgender person pointed out that this case is in-fact not just about same-sex couples but marriage equality for all.

Actor-Activist Chetan Kumar Gets Interim Protection From Deportation

The Karnataka High Court recently granted interim protection from deportation to actor and social activist Chetan Kumar while asking the government to not cancel his Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card till the next date of hearing.

Recently Chetan Kumar Ahimsa's Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card was cancelled after he tweeted against Hindutva. Days after he was arrested and released on bail for allegedly tweeting against Hindutva, on 14 April, his OCI (Overseas Citizen of India) card was cancelled by the Centre. He had received a letter from the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) directing him to return his OCI card within 15 days.

'Unstamped Arbitration Agreements Invalid': SC

A Constitution Bench of the top court has ruled that unstamped arbitration agreements are not valid in law. 

A bench of Justices KM Joseph, Ajay Rastogi, Aniruddha Bose, Hrishikesh Roy and CT Ravikumar delivered the verdict by a 3:2 majority.

SC Adjourns Hearing In Karnataka OBC Muslims Reservations Case But...

Meanwhile, the apex court adjourned the hearing of a plea challenging Karnataka Government's Order (GO) scraping off the nearly three-decade-old 4% OBC reservations provided to OBC Muslims.

But the bench noted Solicitor General Tushar Mehta's assurance where he said that the older regime relating to the Muslim quota would continue to ‘hold the field’ till the next date of hearing.