Top Legal Headlines - 6th March, 2021

NATIONAL NEWS SUMMARIES

1. SC on Examining the Blood Donor Guidelines of Centre 

• The Supreme Court of India has agreed to examine the Central Government’s Blood Donor Guidelines that prohibit any donations by transgender and homosexual individuals.
• This has been done in response to a plea filed stating that the due to the guidelines the individuals of the transgender community could not get blood during the Covid-19 pandemic.
• This is the case of Thangjam Santa Singh v. UOI.

2. Recruitment of 13 transgender individuals as constables in Chhattisgarh

• 13 individuals from the transgender community have been recruitment as constables by the Chhattisgarh Police.
• This recruitment is one of its kind as earlier only 2 transgender individuals had been recruited in the police – one in Rajasthan & Tamil Nadu.

3. SC: OBC reservations can’t exceed 50%

• Section 12(2)(c) of Maharashra Zilla Parishad and Panchayat Samitis Act, 1961 has been read down by the Supreme Court of India.
• The Act provides for 27% reservation in Zilla Parishand & Panchayat Samitis.
• "Reservation in favour of OBCs in the concerned local bodies can be notified to the extent that it does not exceed aggregate 50 per cent of the total seats reserved in favor of SCs/STs/OBCs taken together," observed the Court.

4. Plea seeking inclusion of advocates as ‘Professionals’ in MSME Act dismissed by SC

• A plea had been filed before the Supreme Court which sought the inclusion of advocates under ‘Professionals’ under the MSMEs Act, 2006.
• The plea has been dismissed by the Supreme Court of India.

5. OTT rules don’t have teeth: SC

• Central Government.
• These regulations have been framed under the Information Technology Act to regulate the OTT platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime.
• "These OTT rules don’t have any teeth; they’re only just guidelines," observed the Supreme Court.