NEW DELHI: Former Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan‘s appeal challenging the probe by the Election Commission into the authenticity of his expenses during the 2009 state assembly polls allegedly involving paid news will be heard on 3 February.

The directive by Justices Altamas Kabir and S S Nijjar came when counsel Gopal Subramaniam and Abhishek Manu Singhvi said the matter should be heard early as written submissions in the case had already been filed by all the respondents.
 
On 3 November 2011, the apex court had stayed the probe by the Election Commission on Chavan‘s appeal against a Delhi High Court order of 30 September 2011 which had allowed the probe.

While staying the EC probe, the Supreme Court also issued notices to the Commission, the Maharashtra unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party and other complainants including BJP leaders Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, Kirit Somaiyya and Madhav Kinhalkar on whose plea the probe was launched.

The complainants include former state minister Madhav Kinhalkar who was defeated by Chavan from Nanded assembly constituency. The Commission had begun proceedings against Chavan on 2 April 2011 on the complaints which alleged he had claimed a poll expenditure of merely Rs 11,000 despite paying money to various newspapers for favourable coverage of his election campaign.

NEW DELHI: Justice Markandey Katju, retired judge of the Supreme Court, has been appointed chairman of the Press Council of India.

Katju succeeds Justice G N Ray, whose term has come to an end.

The appointment has been made under sub-section (2) of section 5 of the Press Council Act, 1978.

Justice Markandey Katju was born on 20 September 1946. He is son of the late Justice S.N. Katju who was a former judge of the Allahabad High Court, and grandson of Dr. Kailash Nath Katju one of India?s leading lawyers who participated in the country?s freedom movement. Dr. K N Katju later became the chief minister of Madhya Pradesh, the Governor of West Bengal and Orissa, as well as the Union Law, Home and Defence Minister at various times.

After practicising law in the Allahabad High Court, Justice Markandey Katju was appointed Judge of the Allahabad High Court in 1991. He became its acting chief justice in August 2004, and was the chief justice of Madras High Court in November 2004. He became the chief justice of Delhi High Court in October 2005. He was appointed Judge of the Supreme Court of India in April 2006 and retired on 19 September this year.

Justice Markandey Katju has written several books which include publications such as ?Law in the Scientific Era?, ?Interpretation of Taxing Statutes?, ?Mimansa Rules of Interpretation? and ?Domestic Enquiry?.
 

MUMBAI: The Supreme Court today dismissed former IPL chairman and commissioner Lalit Modi?s plea seeking reconstitution of the BCCI?s three member disciplinary panel that is conducting a hearing into financial irregularities done during his tenure.

Modi had moved the Supreme Court after the Bombay High Court had dismissed a similar plea back last year. The SC noted that there should be a "real danger of bias" and "not just an apprehension of bias".

A bench comprising Justices JM Panchal and H.L. Gokhale said that the three-member committee was validly constituted by the BCCI.

"Mere apprehension of biasness cannot be a ground to reconstitute the committee," the Bench said.