Some witnesses had earlier refused to appear in court, fearing threat to their lives. PFI workers had allegedly hacked to death a former PMK district secretary in Thanjavur.
She retired as chief justice of J&K High Court in December 2020. Since then, she has been called on by the Supreme Court in at least two matters, and made head of several committees.
Under present definition, only a witness deposing in a criminal case is treated as 'vulnerable'. In order issued 8 April, SC allowed use of Vulnerable Witness Deposition Centres for other jurisdictions too.
While Maharashtra has highest number of vulnerable witness deposition centres, UP, West Bengal, Kerala, Himachal Pradesh and some other states are yet to set up even one.
The recent resignations of its seniormost judges are among the most pointed institutional protests Pakistan has witnessed since the lawyers’ movement of the late 2000s.
Without a Congress revival, there can be no challenge to the BJP pan-nationally. Modi’s party is growing, and almost entirely at the cost of the Congress.
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