The Supreme Court is all set to reopen on Monday after a 42-day summer break and will take up a batch of pleas related to the strife in Manipur and a petition by the sister of slain gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmad and Ashraf seeking constitution of a commission to inquire into their "extra judicial deaths".
Several vacation benches in the summer break took up for hearing over 2,000 cases, including bail plea of social activist Teesta Setalvad, and disposed of over 700 cases, according to sources.
In a special late-night hearing on Saturday, a rarity on holidays and during vacations, a top court bench of three judges headed by Justice Gavai protected Setalvad from arrest and stayed for a week the Gujarat High Court order rejecting her plea for regular bail and asking her to surrender immediately in a case of alleged fabrication of evidence to frame innocent people in 2002 post-Godhra riot cases.
The three-judge bench heard the matter in a special sitting after a two-judge ...
