Three Singapore apex court judges share ceremonial benches at Bombay High Court
Mumbai, Sep 6: In a first, three judges from Singapore's Supreme Court, including its Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon, were part of Bombay High Court benches on Friday.
Chief Justice Menon of Singapore's Supreme Court shared a Ceremonial Bench with Bombay HC's Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya as well as Justices GS Kulkarni and Firdosh Pooniwalla in the historic central courtroom.
The bench briefly heard petitions challenging reservation granted to the Maratha community in Maharashtra.
Justice Ramesh Kannan of Singapore's apex court shared the bench with Justices Nitin Jamdar and MM Sathaye, while Justice Andre Francis Maniam from that nation shared the Ceremonial Bench with HC Justices KR Shriram and Jitendra Jain.
Welcoming Singapore's Chief Justice Menon before the court began proceedings, CJ Upadhyaya said, "I am very glad and happy to announce that amongst us today is the CJ of Singapore Supreme Court. He was here in Bombay in 2015. I welcome him once again."
Advocate General Birendra Saraf, appearing for the Maharashtra government, informed that the bench was assembled in a courtroom where the trial against freedom fighter Bal Gangadhar Tilak was held and where he was convicted.
"Chief Justice Menon shares ideas similar to our own Chief Justice of India (D Y Chandrachud) regarding collaboration of ideas between Singapore and India," Saraf said.
Senior counsel Pradeep Sancheti, appearing for the petitioners in the Maratha reservation issue, said the reservation decision was arbitrary and illegal.
The bench heard the matter briefly. Before leaving, CJ Menon bowed and thanked everyone present in court.
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Kerala polls: ‘People rejected 10 years of misrule’, says AICC gen secy
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): AICC General Secretary K C Venugopal on Monday said the Congress-led UDF’s sweeping victory in the Kerala Assembly polls was a clear verdict against the “arrogance”, corruption, and nepotism of the CPI(M)-led LDF government headed by CM Pinarayi Vijayan.
Addressing a press conference as counting of votes for all 140 Assembly constituencies neared completion, Venugopal said the outcome reflected public anger against what he termed “10 years of misrule” by the Left government.
He claimed that Vijayan’s victory in his home constituency, Dharmadam, was “only technical”, alleging that the CM trailed the UDF candidate in the initial rounds of counting and failed to secure a majority in his own village.
“He just escaped. He suffered a setback even in his home turf. He was the only person who did not realise the people’s mood in this election,” Venugopal said.
Alleging that the CPI(M) and the LDF had resorted to “communal and opportunistic politics”, he further claimed that the ruling front had entered into a “secret understanding” with the BJP in a bid to retain power for a third consecutive term.
He said that when a government driven by power and arrogance attempts to align with anyone to stay in office, even its own cadre turns against it.
Referring to the results, Venugopal said that while the UDF expected rebel CPI(M) leaders, including K Kunhikrishnan in Payyannur, to impact the vote share, their victories came as a surprise.
Describing the UDF’s performance as a “historic victory”, he attributed it to coordinated teamwork, grassroots mobilisation, and the dedication of party workers, adding that the alliance accepted the mandate “with humility”.
Venugopal also credited Rahul Gandhi’s campaign guarantees, calling them a “trump card” that helped voters focus on real issues and reject what he described as the LDF’s “false narratives”.
He claimed that the Congress witnessed one of its lowest levels of rebellion in this election, which contributed to the alliance’s strong performance.
The senior Congress leader further alleged that the BJP managed to win two seats with the help of the CPI(M), and asserted that forces attempting to divide society on communal lines should “learn a lesson” from Kerala’s verdict.
“This is the real Kerala story,” he said.
On the question of the next Chief Minister, Venugopal said the party leadership would decide at the earliest after due consultations.
The counting of votes began on Monday morning for all 140 Assembly constituencies in Kerala, where the Congress-led UDF secured a decisive majority, defeating the CPI(M)-led LDF, which was seeking an unprecedented third consecutive term in office.
Congress MP Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) posts, "Thank you to my brothers and sisters in Keralam for a truly decisive mandate. Congratulations to every UDF leader and worker for a hard-fought, well-run campaign. As I said before, Keralam has the talent, Keralam has the potential… pic.twitter.com/6T4IZbEmp4
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) May 4, 2026
