The Centre's Rs10,000-crore Green India Programme (GIP) for wildlife protection and afforestation suffered a major setback on Thursday when the Supreme Court (SC) stalled transfer of money raised by states to the national exchequer.

About Rs9,000 crore is lying with the ad hoc compensatory afforestation fund management and planning authority (Campa). A bench headed by chief justice KG Balakrishnan asked states to submit within four weeks site-specific schemes on utilising the money.

GIP involves locating at least one acre of degraded forest or other land for planting trees using money collected by states and union territories (UTs) and deposited with Campa under the ministry of environment and forest.

A special court in Kottayam sentenced on Thursday two medical students to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment for ragging and raping their junior in 2005.

Renjith Varghese, 24, and Sherin Shamsudeen, 25, the first and second accused, have also been imposed a fine of Rs20,000 each. The third accused, 24-year-old Shafeeq Yusuf, has been sentenced to three years in jail.

The court had acquitted six of the nine accused, including three former members of the School of Medical Education, Kottayam, on Wednesday.

The three accused — SME former principal KM Mariam, former director KN Muraleedharan Nair and former psychiatry HoD Saibunneesa Beevi — were charged with conspiracy and destruction of evidence.

A division bench of Gujarat high court comprising justice M S Shah and Justice Akil Kureshi has issued notice to the state government while admitting a petition challenging the constitutional validity of the Gujarat Freedom of Religion Act of 2003 and Rules of 2008.

The state government had enacted the act, which made prior permission of district magistrate mandatory before performing any ceremony of conversion or participating in such ceremony and requiring any person converted to give intimation to the district magistrate. The act came into force in 2008.

SC's refusal to stay the transfer of case to Godhra sessions court means they will be able to file for bail

The people accused in the 2002 Godhra carnage case see hope of securing their release on bail in view of the Supreme Court and Gujarat high court giving the nod to the recommendations of the Central Pota Review Committee to conduct the trial of the accused sans the charges under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (Pota).

The Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to extend the stay order on the transfer of the case papers of the Godhra carnage incident from the designated Pota court to the Godhra sessions court, issued by the Gujarat high court.

The agitating lawyers of Tamil Nadu rejected the SC decision. “The Supreme Court decision is an eyewash, transferring officers is routine. We will not call off our protest till stringent action is taken against police officers involved in the assault,” they said. 

Leaders of lawyers’ associations are away in Delhi, where an SC bench comprising chief justice KG Balakrishnan and justices P Sathasivam and JM Panchal heard their petition on constituting an inquiry committee headed by a sitting judge.

The Bombay high court on Thursday directed the state government to issue a notification for demarcation of silence zones in the city in a week.

As per the Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules 2000, areas within 100 metres of educational institutions, courts, hospitals and religious places have to be demarcated as silence zones.

The order was passed on a public interest litigation filed by Awaaz Foundation on non-implementation of noise pollution reduction measures. Nine years have passed but silence zones have not been demarcated, petitioner's lawyer DJ Khambata told the court.