Important cases heard in Supreme Court On Wednesday, February 22:
* In a jolt to Uddhav Thackeray camp, SC refused to stay the Election Commission order recognising Maharashtra Chief Eknath Shinde-led bloc as the real Shiv Sena and ordering allotment of the party’s original ‘bow and arrow’ poll symbol to it.
* SC said it will take a call on listing a plea for allowing Muslim girl students to sit for examinations in Karnataka government schools while wearing the hijab.
*SC said the court cannot assume the role of Speaker of a House in disqualification matters as it will have “very wide and serious ramifications”.
* SC granted independent Assam MLA Akhil Gogoi protection from arrest in connection with a case related to anti-CAA protests and suspected Maoist links, and sought response from the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on his plea.
* SC directed the Centre and state governments to comply within a month with its directions on mandatory installation of CCTV cameras in police stations and offices of investigation agencies.
* Responding to a grievance against its registry for allegedly not following the rules on listing of cases, SC said it is “easy to be irresponsible” in making such allegations and its judges follow discipline in such matters.
* SC committee, constituted to ensure that differently-abled persons have equal access to the apex court of the country, sought feedback from the stakeholders, including lawyers, activists and litigants, on this aspect by releasing two questionnaires.
