Important matters heard by Supreme Court on Jan 20

Important matters heard by the Supreme Court on Monday, Jan 20: * SC stayed trial court proceedings against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in a criminal defamation case filed against him for alleged defamatory remarks against Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

* SC asked the Centre to take a decision by March 18 on the mercy petition of death row convict Balwant Singh Rajoana, convicted in the 1995 assassination case of then Punjab chief minister Beant Singh.

* All such persons should be barred from contesting elections, SC remarked as it deferred to January 21 the hearing on a plea filed by former councillor and Delhi riots accused Tahir Hussain who has sought interim bail to campaign for the upcoming Delhi assembly polls.

* SC directed the registrar general of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court to ensure proper video-conferencing facilities at a Jammu special court hearing two cases against jailed JKLF chief Yasin Malik and others.

* SC said it was pained to see a man move the top court to bury his father as per Christian rites in a Chhattisgarh village after the authorities failed to resolve the issue.

* SC sought a report from UP Police after allegations, accusing Ashish Mishra of influencing witnesses in the Lakhimpur Kheri violence case, surfaced.

* In a significant order, SC directed 23 states and seven union territories to file compliance reports indicating implementation of the Motor Vehicle law's recent provisions besides rules on electronic monitoring and road safety measures.

* Widening the ambit of its hearing, SC sought responses from various authorities including MCD and DDA over the rise in vehicular pollution in the national capital region.

* SC posted after two weeks the hearing on the plea filed by a Bihar Police woman officer against a Patna High Court order that quashed the FIR against an IPS officer whom she accused of rape on the false promise of marriage.

* SC stayed the trial court proceedings against a former Army officer who sought quashing of a chargesheet against him in an alleged rape case.

* SC directed that 33 per cent seats will be reserved for women lawyers in the election of the National Green Tribunal.

* SC deferred to February 18 the bail hearing of alleged middleman Christian Michel James, accused in the Rs 3,600-crore AgustaWestland corruption case.

* Solicitor general of India Tushar Mehta raised in SC the issue of halal certification of non-meat products such as iron bars and cement, asking why should non-believers be made to pay higher cost for halal-certified products. PTI PKS HIG