Important matters heard by Supreme Court on December 12

Important matters heard by the Supreme Court on Thursday, December 12: * In an important development, the Supreme Court on Thursday restrained till further directions the courts in the country from entertaining fresh lawsuits and passing any effective interim or final orders in pending ones seeking to reclaim religious places, especially mosques and dargahs (a muslim shrine).

* Displeased over the repeated absence of the Centre's advocates in several cases, the Supreme Court on Thursday said it did not take pleasure in summoning government officers before it.

* The SC said it would consider whether to cancel the entire selection process to invalidate the appointment of 25,753 teachers and non-teaching staff in government and aided schools in West Bengal or confine it to specific cases of wrongful employment.

* The UP government on Thursday informed the Supreme Court that it might revisit existing criminal cases where its stringent anti-gangsters law was invoked and new guidelines were being formulated on how to apply its provisions.

* The SC said its direction of allowing the Commission for Air Quality Management to relax the stringent GRAP-4 curbs to stage 2 to deal with air pollution will continue till further orders. PTI SJK HIG