Supreme Court Weekly Updates [July 28 - August 2, 2025]

1. [Bihar SIR] The Supreme Court while refusing to stay the process, has said that it will closely monitor the ongoing revision of the Bihar Electoral Rolls. Addressing allegations of mass exclusion of voters in Bihar and court has said that it is imperative for inclusion of as many voters as possible to subsist.
Case Title: Association for Democratic Reforms & Ors vs. Election Commission of India & Anr.

Bench: Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi
Click here to read more

2. [Presidential Reference on Bill Assents Timelines] Supreme Court will hear the parties first on maintainability of the special reference case taken up over the opinion sought by President Droupadi Murmu on imposition of timelines for the exercise of discretion by the Governor and the President to decide on bills. Notably, Tamil Nadu and Kerala have filed applications before the Supreme Court seeking a direction to return the Presidential Reference as unanswered.
Case Title: In Re: Assent, Withholding or Reservation of Bills by the Governor and the President of India
Bench: CJI BR Gavai, Justices Surya Kant, Vikram Nath, PS Narasimha and AS Chandurkar
Click here to read more

3. [West Bengal OBC List] Supreme Court has stayed the operation of a Calcutta High Court order that had halted the West Bengal government’s decision to finalise a fresh list of Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in the state. Court has observed that the Calcutta High Court’s order was “prima facie erroneous” and interfered with a matter that lies within the domain of executive powers.
Case Title: State of West Bengal v. Purabi Das
Bench: Chief Justice B R Gavai, Justice K Vinod Chandran, and Justice N V Anjaria
Click here to read more

4. [BIS Rule for Imports] Steel Ministry has approached the Supreme Court against a Madras High Court stay on its June 2025 notification mandating BIS certification for imported raw materials like stainless steel slabs, HR coils, and CR coils. High Court order is stated to have been passed, without consideration of factors for granting an interim relief i.e. of balance of convenience, irreparable injury and public interest.
Case Title: Union of India vs. Shree Ramdev Metalex LLP & Ors.
Click here to read more

5. [Nithari Killings] Supreme Court has upheld the acquittal of Surendra Koli in the 2006 Nithari serial killings case, dismissing 14 appeals filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Uttar Pradesh government. Court has found "no perversity" in the Allahabad High Court’s 2023 judgment which had overturned Koli’s conviction.
Case Title: Pappu Lal v. Surendra Koli & Ors. and connected matters
Bench: CJI BR Gavai, Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice K Vinod Chandran
Click here to read more

6. [Cash Discovery Row] Supreme Court while reserving its verdict on Justice Yashwant Varma’s plea challenging the findings of an in-house inquiry committee against him over the discovery of burnt cash at his official residence observed that his conduct “does not inspire confidence” and asked why he had appeared before the in-house panel without contesting its jurisdiction or procedure at the outset.
Case Title: XXX v. Union of India
Bench: Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice AG Masih
Click here to read more

7. [Cash-for-jobs scam-Senthil Balaji] Supreme Court slammed the Tamil Nadu government over the handling of the multi-accused trial in the alleged cash-for-jobs scam involving former minister V. Senthil Balaji, likening the proceedings to a “rudderless ship” and observing that a cricket stadium would be needed just to mark the presence of over 2,000 accused. Court has directed the State to submit a definite plan and explain how it intended to complete a trial involving such a large number of people and over 500 witnesses.
Case Title: Y. Balaji v. The State & Anr.
Bench: Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi
Click here to read more

8. [Rohingyas] Supreme Court has decided to take up the matters pertaining to Rohingya infiltrators and has formulated 4 broad issues to deice if they are illegal entrants or refugees. The issues to be considered include: a. Whether Rohingyas are to be declared as Refugees? If so, what protection emanates from that right? b. If Rohingyas are illegal entrants, is Government of India and the state governments obligated to deport them? c. If Rohingyas are illegal entrants, can they be detained indefinitely or are they entitled to be released on bail? d. Are Rohingyas in refugee camps provided with basic amenities like sanitation, drinking water, education etc.?
Case Title: Jaffar Ullah & Anr Vs Union of India & Ors
Bench: Justices Kant, Datta and NK Singh
Click here to read more

9. [JSW Steel-BPSL case] Supreme Court has admitted review petitions challenging its recent judgment that set aside JSW Steel’s resolution plan for Bhushan Power and Steel Ltd (BPSL), observing prima facie that the verdict failed to align with settled law and warranted reconsideration. Court has said the impugned judgment appeared inconsistent with a “catena of prior decisions” on the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC).
Case Title: Punjab National Bank & Anr. v. Kalyani Transco & Ors
Bench: Chief Justice of India B R Gavai and Justice Satish Chandra Sharma
Click here to read more

10. [BRS MLA disqualification] Supreme Court has directed the Telangana Legislative Assembly Speaker to decide within three months the disqualification petitions pending against 10 BRS MLAs who allegedly defected to the ruling Congress party in March 2024. Court criticised the delay by the Speaker in deciding petitions filed way back in March and April 2024 and questioned whether the mechanism of entrusting disqualification decisions to the Speaker continues to serve its intended purpose.
Case Title: Padi Kaushik Reddy & Ors. v. State of Telangana & Ors.
Bench: Chief Justice B.R. Gavai and Justice Augustine George Masih
Click here to read more