The Rajasthan government has passed the Rajasthan Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Bill, 2025 to curb forced religious conversions.

The law prescribes stringent penalties, including life imprisonment and fines of up to ₹1 crore for conversions through force, fraud, or coercion. It also empowers authorities to confiscate and demolish properties used for mass conversions.

Further, marriages entered into solely for conversion will be declared void by the court.

The Bill classifies such offences as cognisable, non-bailable, and triable exclusively by sessions courts.

The Supreme Court Collegium has recommended appointments of new Chief Justices for three High Courts. 

Justice PB Bajanthri, currently Acting Chief Justice of Karnataka High Court, has been proposed as Chief Justice of Patna High Court.

Justice Soumen Sen of Calcutta High Court has been recommended for Chief Justice of Meghalaya High Court, while Justice M. Sunder of Madras High Court has been suggested for Chief Justice of Manipur High Court.

The recommendations, once cleared by the Centre, will fill key leadership positions in these High Courts.

The Government of Madhya Pradesh has made plans to outsource crime scene investigation to licensed private organisations. This decision comes in light of the shortage of forensic experts.

This shortage has been delaying investigations ever since the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita mandated forensic investigation of all crime scenes where offences with a punishment of seven or more years have been committed.

A team of experts have  now travelled to Mumbai in order to assess the viability of outsourcing, as Maharashtra has already implemented such a program.

The Delhi High Court has questioned the decision of the Lieutenant Governor to designate police stations as places for recording statements of police officials during a criminal trial.

The Court expressed its concern while stating that such actions compromise the fairness of trials. The petition before the Court also stated that such provisions heighten the risk of fabrication of evidence and coercion.

This provision came through a notification in August, which was met with severe resistance, leading to the suspension of its implementation and a subsequent clarification by the Delhi Police that its officers would have to appear in person before courts to present evidence.

[Raj Gaurav v. Union of India and Ors].

The Delhi High Court has asked the Delhi Government to explain why the salary hike for law researchers, approved by the Chief Justice with effect from October 1, 2022, will only apply from September 2, 2025.

A bench of Justices Prathiba M. Singh and Rajneesh Kumar Gupta noted that earlier revisions were implemented retrospectively and questioned the inconsistency.

The government’s counsel cited objections from the Finance Department. Referring to Article 229 of the Constitution, the court directed the Additional Chief Secretary (Finance) to file an affidavit.

The petition, filed by 13 law researchers, seeks enforcement of the approved hike and arrears from October 2022. The court lists further proceedings for October 10.

{Rushant Malhotra & Ors. V The Government of NCT of Delhi}

The Delhi government approves a pay hike for law researchers attached to Delhi High Court judges, increasing their remuneration from ₹65,000 to ₹80,000 per month. The raise is set to take effect from September 2, 2025. 

Previously, the High Court had directed that the hike should apply retrospectively from October 2022. However, the government responded that it would implement the increase only prospectively due to objections raised by the Finance Department. 

The High Court has sought a formal response from the Finance Department’s Additional Chief Secretary regarding the non-retrospective implementation. Proceedings in the matter continue.

The Securities and Exchange Board of India has issued the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Share Based Employee Benefits and Sweat Equity) (Amendment) Regulations, 2025.

Under these regulations, employees who are promoters or belong to the promoter group in the draft offer of an initial public offering (IPO) will be permitted to continue holding or exercising stock appreciation rights and other benefits.

Introduced as an amendment to the SEBI Act,1992 and certain provisions of the Companies Act, 2013, these regulations provide a clear picture of the employee stock benefits for individuals who are identified as promoters in accordance with the previously availed benefits, as well as the present regulations.

The Supreme Court judges have collectively decided to contribute ₹25,000 each to the PM’s National Relief Fund to support victims of recent floods across India.

The move, initiated by the Chief Justice of India, aimed to provide immediate financial aid for relief and rehabilitation efforts. 

Several parts of the country, including Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh, have been affected by floods and other natural calamities.

Chandrapuram Ponnusamy (C.P.) Radhakrishnan, the National Democratic Alliance’s candidate and Governor of Maharashtra, has been elected as India’s 15th Vice President.

He secured 452 first-preference votes, defeating opposition nominee Justice B. Sudarshan Reddy, who received 300 votes, with 15 votes declared invalid.

Radhakrishnan, a veteran BJP leader with roots in the RSS and former MP from Coimbatore, will now succeed Jagdeep Dhankhar. He represented Coimbatore twice in the Lok Sabha and has held several key organisational roles in the party. Known for his close association with the Sangh, he was appointed Governor of Jharkhand in 2023 before moving to Maharashtra in 2024.

The results were formally announced by the Rajya Sabha Secretary-General, who acted as the Returning Officer.

The Ministry of Environment has approved the creation of an independent cadre of environment auditors under the Environment Audit Rules, 2025.

These auditors will support State Pollution Control Boards in verifying whether upcoming projects comply with environmental laws.

The move follows concerns over manpower shortages, limited capacity, and inadequate infrastructure that hinder effective monitoring of a growing number of projects.

The scheme aims to improve regulatory oversight by ensuring transparency, accountability, and stricter compliance, while strengthening environmental governance across states.

The Nepal government has blocked 26 social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, YouTube, X, Reddit, LinkedIn, and Snapchat, for failing to register with the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology as directed by the Supreme Court.

Platforms like TikTok, Viber, WeTalk, Nimbuzz, and Poppo Live remain accessible, having complied with the mandate.

Officials said the step was necessary to curb cybercrime, misinformation, hate speech, and fake IDs while ensuring accountability through local grievance redressal.

Rights groups and youth activists have criticised the move, warning it could stifle free expression and restrict citizens’ access to information.

The Central Government notifies the appointment of two advocates as judges of the Allahabad High Court.

The names cleared are Amitabh Kumar Rai and Rajiv Lochan Shukla, recommended by the Collegium on March 25.

The Allahabad High Court currently has 85 judges, including Chief Justice Arun Bhansali, against a sanctioned strength of 160. The shortage continues to be a concern for the court’s heavy caseload.

Recently, the Collegium recommended 26 names for appointment to the High Court, including 14 judicial officers and 12 advocates, among them 4 women.

Lawyers in Delhi will resume an indefinite strike from September 8 in all district courts, protesting an “arbitrary and illegal” police circular that allows police witnesses to be examined via video conferencing from police stations.

The Coordination Committee of District Court Bar Associations condemned the circular, stating it contradicts an assurance by the Union Home Minister that such deposition would not occur from police stations.

The Committee calls the move anti-public and a violation of the accused's rights, arguing that categorising witnesses for virtual or physical appearance undermines fair trial principles.

The committee warns that agitation will intensify unless the circular is withdrawn.

The National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) Bar Association highlighted an urgent crisis to the Ministry of Corporate Affairs after courtrooms IV, V, and VI of the Tribunal’s New Delhi Bench were declared unsafe and shut due to severe water leakage and risk of collapse.

With operations now restricted to half-day sessions in alternate rooms, vital judicial functioning has nearly halted.

The Bar Association, led by President UK Chaudhary, described the scenario as a “complete obstruction of justice,” stressed the absence of basic facilities, and urged swift government intervention.

Copies of their plea were marked to top judicial and government officials, warning of further action if repairs are delayed.