Foreign/International
Uber Drivers Are 'Workers'; Not Independent Contractors : United Kingdom Supreme Court
The United Kingdom Supreme Court held on Friday that Uber drivers are "workers" for the purposes of employment legislation which gives "workers" rights to be paid at least the national minimum wage, to receive annual paid leave and to benefit from certain other protectionsThe seven judges of the Supreme Court unanimously dismissed the argument of Uber company that the drivers should...
Surveillance Of Private Communications Limits Right To Privacy: South Africa Constitutional Court Holds Its Surveillance Law Unconstitutional
Surveillance of private communications limits the right to privacy, the Constitutional Court of South Africa observed while holding that the Regulation of Interception of Communications and Provision of Communication-Related Information Act, 2002 RICA) is unconstitutional.The Court upheld declaration of unconstitutionality by the High Court to the extent that the RICA fails to— (a) provide...
Daniel Pearl Kidnap & Murder: Pakistan Supreme Court Acquits Accused; Orders Their Release
The Supreme Court of Pakistan has acquitted the accused in Daniel Pearl Kidnap and Murder case and ordered their release.The majority of 2 to 1 upheld the Sindh High Court order acquitting the accused and also allowed the appeal filed by Ahmed Omer Shaikh against his conviction under section 362 of Pakistan Penal Code. Justice Mushir Alam authored the Majority order in which it is stated that...
US Executes 52 Year Old Lisa Montgomery, First Female Death Row Convict In Over 70 Years
Lisa Montgomery, a 52 year old woman, was executed on Wednesday by lethal injection after the US Supreme Court denied the application of stay of execution. Montgomery, the only woman on the death row, was the first woman to be executed by the US government in over 7 decades. It is however pertinent to note that the she was one of the three death row convicts who were scheduled to...
Two Finger Test On Rape Victims Unconstitutional,Violates Personal Dignity Of Woman, Holds Lahore High Court, Quotes Indian Precedents
The Lahore High Court has held that two finger test and the hymen test carried out for the purposes of ascertaining the virginity of a female victim of rape or sexual abuse is unconstitutional.The court held that such tests are unscientific having no medical basis and also offends the personal dignity of the female victim.Justice Ayesha A. Malik held that such tests are discriminatory and...
Argentina Legalizes Abortion In A Move Towards Securing Reproductive Rights
Argentina passed a law permitting abortions until the 14th week of pregnancy after several years of pro-choice advocates demanding for legalization of abortion. The move faced strong opposition of the Catholic Church. The voting on the Bill saw large numbers of people on the streets from both sides of the debate despite the pandemic. The government of Argentina supplemented the move...
'Discriminatory': Austria Constitutional Court Holds 'Headscarf' Ban In Elementary Schools Unconstitutional
The Constitutional Court of Austria has held that headscarf ban in elementary schools is unconstitutional.The Court held that the regulation violates the principle of equality in connection with the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion.The School Education Act prohibited pupil from wearing ideologically or religious clothing that involves covering their heads until the end of...
Vagrancy Laws are Reflection Of An Outdated And Largely Colonial Perception: African Rights Court
The African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights in an advisory opinion dated 4th December 2020 declared the national vagrancy laws criminalizing the homeless, poor, unemployed person having no means of subsistence to be incompatible with the provisions of African Children's Rights Charter and the Women's Rights Protocol. The Court comprising of 12 Members (9 judges, President, Vice...
US Supreme Court Rejects Trump-Backed Texas State's Suit To Invalidate Results In Favor Of Joe Biden
In a major set back to Donald Trump's bid to overturn the election results against him, the Supreme Court of the United States of America rejected a legal challenge attempted by the State of Texas backed by Trump to undo the election results in favour of Joe Biden in four states.The suit sought to invalidate the election results in the states of Michigan, Georgia, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.In...
While Three US Supreme Court Judges Dissenting, Execution Of Brandon Bernard Was Carried Out After 21 Years Of Crime
The federal government of the United States of America carried out the execution of 40-year old Brandon Bernard via lethal injection on Thursday, December 10 2020 despite wide spread call for commutation of the death sentence from human rights activists, celebrities, and a large social media campaign. Notably, five of the nine surviving jurors who originally found Bernard guilty as well...