Kerry, Sushma to chair India-US Strategic Dialogue

July 31, 2014

New Delhi, July 31: US Secretary of State John Kerry, who has said that the US is prepared to work "hand in hand" with the Narendra Modi government, is to co-chair the fifth annual India-US Strategic Dialogue with External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj here Thursday.

Kerry, who arrived on a three-day visit Wednesday at the head of a high-power delegation, is meeting National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in the morning ahead of his meeting with Sushma Swaraj.

The US delegation comprises Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker as well as State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki. He will call on Prime Minister Modi Friday. On Wednesday evening, he met Indian business leaders ahead of his meeting with the top Indian officials.

This is the first cabinet-level meeting between the Barack Obama administration and the new Indian government that came to power on May 26.

Kerry, in a signed piece in the Economic Times Wednesday, said the long-standing partnership between the US and India is on the cusp of "an historic transformation" and that the US will work "hand in hand with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government" to power India's rise economically and strategically.

"India's rise will help the Indo-Pacific region become more stable, more prosperous and more free. The strategic choices India makes on how to grow its economy and promote regional security will directly impact Asia's growth and US interests," read the article.

"As President Barack Obama has observed, America's economy and security will increasingly be influenced by events in Asia. India's economic strength and business environment are, therefore, of strategic importance to both our countries."

"We are coming to India to deliver a single message: the US is prepared to be a full partner in this effort. We will work hand in hand with Modi and his government to promote open and liberal trade and investment, job training and closer strategic ties,a he said as he pushed for boosting economic and strategic ties with India", said the piece by Kerry and Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker.

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‘Pay the worker before his sweat dries’: Madras High Court cites Prophet Muhammad’s teaching while ordering settlement of dues

News Network

December 21,2025

Invoking the teachings of Prophet Muhammad—“pay the worker before his sweat dries”—the Madras High Court has directed a municipal corporation to settle long-pending legal dues owed to a former counsel. The court observed that this principle reflects basic fairness and applies equally to labour and service-related disputes.

Justice G. R. Swaminathan made the observation while hearing a petition filed by advocate P. Thirumalai, who claimed that the Madurai City Municipal Corporation failed to pay him legal fees amounting to ₹13.05 lakh. Earlier, the High Court had asked the corporation to consider his representation. However, a later order rejected a major portion of his claim, prompting the present petition.

The court allowed Thirumalai to approach the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA) and submit a list of cases in which he had appeared. It also directed the corporation to settle the verified fee bills within two months, without interest. The court noted that the petitioner had waited nearly 18 years before challenging the non-payment and that the corporation could not be fully blamed, as the fee bills were not submitted properly.

‘A Matter of Embarrassment’

Justice Swaminathan described it as a “matter of embarrassment” that the State has nearly a dozen Additional Advocate Generals. He observed that appointing too many law officers often leads to unnecessary allocation of work and frequent adjournments, as government counsel claim that senior officers are engaged elsewhere.

He expressed hope that such practices would end at least in the Madurai Bench of the High Court and added that Additional Advocate Generals should “turn a new leaf” from 2026 onwards.

‘Scandalously High Amounts’

While stating that the court cannot examine the exact fees paid to senior counsel or law officers, Justice Swaminathan stressed that good governance requires public funds to be used prudently. He expressed concern over the “scandalously high amounts” paid by government and quasi-government bodies to a few favoured law officers.

In contrast, the court noted that Thirumalai’s total claim was “a pittance” considering the large number of cases he had handled.

Background

Thirumalai served as the standing counsel for the Madurai City Municipal Corporation for more than 14 years, from 1992 to 2006. During this period, he represented the corporation in about 818 cases before the Madurai District Courts.

As the former counsel was unable to hire a clerk to obtain certified copies of judgments in all 818 cases, the court directed the District Legal Services Authority to collect the certified copies within two months. The court further ordered the corporation to bear the cost incurred by the DLSA and deduct that amount from the final settlement payable to the petitioner.

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