India: Top 5 judgements of the Supreme Court in 2019

Ayodhya: In a unanimous verdict, the Supreme Court on November 9 ruled that the entire 2.77 acres disputed land in Ayodhya should be granted for the construction of Ram Mandir, as the Muslim parties failed to prove exclusive possession to the site. However, the apex court, by invoking powers under Article 142 of the Constitution, allocated an alternate plot of five acres to the Sunni Central Waqf Board for the construction of a mosque in Ayodhya, after holding the placing of idols in the structure and its razing to be illegal acts.

Adjusted Gross Revenue (AGR) from telecom companies: The Supreme Court, on October 24, ordered telecom carriers, including sector majors Bharti Airtel Ltd and Vodafone Idea Ltd, to pay the government as much as Rs 92,000 crore ($13 billion) in past dues, which includes penalties and interest. A bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra said telcom companies will have to shell out the dues as estimated by the Department of Telecom (DoT).

Is RTI applicable to the Chief Justice of India's office: The Supreme Court, on November 13, answered the question put to it, as to "how transparent is transparent enough", under the Right to Information Act (RTI) Act, by pronouncing the office of Chief Justice of India is a public authority under the law's ambit.

Sabarimala: The Supreme Court, on November 14, kept the final decision on the Sabarimala review and writ petitions under a temporary suspension till a larger bench of seven judges settles the exact role of the court in deciding whether a particular practice is essential or integral to a religion. "The subject review petitions as well as the writ petitions may, accordingly, remain pending until determination of the questions indicated by a larger bench as may be constituted by the Chief Justice of India," said a majority bench headed by then Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi.

Aadhaar Judgement: The Supreme Court, on November 13, while referring the case on the Finance Act 2017 being passed as Money Bill to a larger bench, said the larger bench should also look into the correctness of the Aadhaar judgment as the Aadhaar Act was also passed as a Money Bill. A five-judge bench headed by then Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi said: "The issue and question of Money Bill, as defined under Article 110(1) of the Constitution, and certification accorded by the Speaker of the Lok Sabha in respect of Part-XIV of the Finance Act, 2017 is referred to a larger Bench." Therefore, it is apparent that a larger judge bench may look into the Aadhaar judgment.