Karnataka HC extends stay on ED order freezing Xiaomi India assets
Bengaluru, May 23: The Karnataka High Court on Monday extended the stay on the Enforcement Directorate's (ED) order of freezing Rs 5,551 crore in the bank accounts of Xiaomi India.
Justice S G Pandit extended the stay till June 1, with the hearing of the case posted to that day.
The ED froze Xiaomi's accounts on April 29 alleging that it has violated the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) by illegally transferring money abroad to three companies under the guise of royalty payments.
In an interim order on May 5, a vacation bench of the High Court stayed this order.
"Operation of the order is stayed subject to the condition that petitioners will operate the bank accounts which are seized only for the purpose of meeting the expenses for carrying out the day-to-day activities of the company," the HC said in its interim order on May 5.
Subsequently on May 12, the HC modified its interim order and allowed the company to draw overdraft from the banks to meet these expenses. However, on both the occasions, the company was expressly barred from using the money to pay royalty to companies outside India.
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SC will share cause lists, info about filing and listing of cases through WhatsApp: CJI
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court will start sharing information relating to cause lists, and filing and listing of cases to advocates through WhatsApp messages, Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud announced on Thursday.
The announcement was made by the CJI before a nine-judge bench headed by him commenced the hearing on a vexed legal question arising from the petitions whether private properties can be considered "material resources of the community" under Article 39(b) of the Constitution, which is a part of the Directive Principles of State Policy (DPSP).
"In the 75th year, the Supreme Court launches an initiative to strengthen access to justice by integration of WhatsApp messages with the IT services of the Supreme Court," the CJI said.
Now, the advocates will receive automated messages about filing the cases, he said, adding that the members of the bar will also get the cause lists, as and when they are published, on mobile phones.
A cause list features the cases to be heard by a court on a given day.
"This is another revolutionary step...," Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said.
The CJI also shared the top court's official WhatsApp number and said it will not be receiving any messages and calls.
"This will bring a significant change in our working habits and will go a long way in saving papers," Justice Chandrachud said.
The top court under the leadership of CJI Chandrachud has been taking steps to digitise the functioning of the judiciary.
He said the Centre has sanctioned Rs 7,000 crore for the e-court project.
The solicitor general shared the views of the central government and said it was committed to the digitisation of the judiciary to enhance the access for common litigants and lawyers.
