Calcutta High Court allows lawyers before senior citizens tribunal

The Calcutta High Court has declared Section 17 of the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007, ultra vires Section 30 of the Advocates Act, 1961, thereby lifting the ban on advocates appearing before tribunals under the Senior Citizens Act. The judgment came in the case of Kripal Singh Khurana vs State of West Bengal, cited as 2026 LiveLaw (Cal) 322.

In other orders from the same High Court, it permitted Jamiat-e-Ulama to hold a protest rally against removal of loudspeakers from mosques, capping attendance at 750. The court also ordered demolition of the 'Aqua Golf Villa' housing project in Rajarhat, calling it illegal, and held that adult victims of trafficking cannot be forced by SLSA to deposit 75% of compensation in a bank for 10 years.

The court ruled that NEET-UG 2026 candidates cannot claim EWS reservation after results, and that West Bengal Medical Education Service members cannot seek voluntary retirement. The Karnataka High Court, in a separate matter reported by LiveLaw, held that a sole proprietor who personally does hazardous work qualifies as a 'workman' under the Employees' Compensation Act.