India Briefs

SC move on child marriage

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday suggested that the Centre enact a law making registration of all marriages compulsory, reports our legal correspondent.A division bench of Chief Justice V.N. Khare and Justice S.B. Sinha asked the government to respond in writing within six weeks on whether such a law was possible so that child marriages, prevalent in many parts of the country, could be curtailed.The suggestion came following a petition by Forum, Fact Finding Documentation and Advocacy, which sought a directive to the government to ban the practice.

Lawyers' strike

NEW DELHI (PTI): Thousands of lawyers went on strike at Tis Hazari courts here on Monday against Delhi High Court's move to post civil judges at Karkardooma courts. Nearly 7,000 advocates stayed away from the proceedings of approximately 200 courts at Tis Hazari, terming the decision of the high court as "arbitrary and against litigants' interest".

Sachin Ferrari

KOCHI (PTI): The PIL challenging the Rs 1.13-crore duty exemption to Sachin Tendulkar for the Ferrari gifted to him by Fiat was on Monday adjourned by a division bench of Kerala High Court after the petitioner submitted that he was approaching the Supreme Court. The counsel for the NRI petitioner, Sanu Joe Mathew, submitted that he would be approaching the apex court under Article 129 (a) of the Constitution. The article stipulates that in cases involving the same or substantially same question of law, pending before the Supreme Court or one or more high courts, if the apex court was satisfied, it could withdraw the cases pending before various high courts and dispose them by itself.

Salman row

JAIPUR (PTI): Rajasthan forest minister Beena Kak came under attack in the Assembly on Monday from BJP members for officially hosting actor Salman Khan, against whom the ministry had registered a case of poaching protected wild animals. "The minister attended functions with the Bollywood actor and praised him despite the fact that he is an accused in criminal cases being tried in Jodhpur courts," BJP member Madan Dilawar said.

Actor dies

MUMBAI (PTI): Film and television artist Ajit Vachani died at a hospital here on Monday following prolonged illness. He was 52. Refusing to elaborate on the nature of his illness, Vachani's family members said he had been in a critical condition for a long time. Vachani had acted in over 50 Hindi films, besides three Sindhi movies. One of his latest television serials was Ek Mahal Ho Sapno Ka, sources said.