Supreme Court Strikes Down Expulsion of Bihar MLC as Disproportionate, Orders Immediate Reinstatement Private Banks Not Subject to Writ Jurisdiction Under Article 226: Punjab & Haryana High Court Mere Allegation of Forgery is Not Enough: Madhya Pradesh High Court Dismisses Second Appeal in Partition Dispute When a Case is Made Out for Bail, Courts Should Not Hesitate: Kerala High Court Allows Bail Despite Commercial Quantity of Drugs Seized Retailers Cannot Be Prosecuted for Manufacturer’s Fault" – Karnataka High Court Quashes Case Against Pesticide Dealers Mere Issuance of a Cheque Does Not Prove Legally Enforceable Debt": Delhi High Court Upholds Acquittal in Cheque Dishonor Case Courts Cannot Ignore Urgent Repairs When Public Safety is at Stake: Calcutta High Court Upholds Trial Court's Order Mutation Entries Do Not Confer Ownership: Bombay High Court Rejects Premature Dismissal of Partition Suit No Substantial Question of Law – High Court Cannot Re-Appreciate Evidence Under Section 100 CPC: Andhra Pradesh High Court Injunction Cannot Be Granted Without Proof of Possession: Allahabad High Court Quashes Relief in Land Dispute Section 197 CrPC | Sanction for Prosecution is a Shield, Not a Sword: Supreme Court Quashes Criminal Case Against BIS Officer Landlord is the Best Judge of His Needs: Supreme Court Orders Eviction in Favor of Landowner Vijaya Bank TT Scam | Supreme Court Acquits Jeweller in ₹6.7 Crore Vijaya Bank Fraud Case, Orders Return of 205 Gold Bars Procurement Preference for Small Enterprises is a Legal Mandate, Not a Mere Policy: Supreme Court Rules in Favor of MSMEs Revisional Jurisdiction Cannot Be Invoked Against Interlocutory Orders of Commercial Courts: Orissa High Court Declares Section 8 Bar Absolute Victim’s Testimony Must Be of Sterling Quality to Be Sole Basis of Conviction: Kerala High Court Reduces Sentence of Pastor Convicted for Repeated Rape of Minor Providing Set-Top Boxes to Subscribers Constitutes Sale”: Karnataka High Court Upholds VAT on Tata Play Limited Mere Registration of FIR Cannot Justify Denial of Passport Renewal: Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh High Court

"CRIMINAL LAW" Digest

Criminal Law - Criminal Conspiracy – Banking Fraud – Telegraphic Transfer Scam – Sections 120B, 403, 409, 420 IPC – Acquittal of Bank Officials – Conviction of Accused No. 3 Set Aside – The case involved fraudulent remittance of Rs. 6.7 crores through fake TTs and subsequent withdrawals – Accused No. 1 (Branch Manager) and Accused No. 2 (Officer) were init...

Negotiable Instruments Act – Dishonor of Cheques – Rebuttal of Presumption – Sections 118(a) & 139 NI Act – Accused Successfully Discharged Burden – Petitioner Failed to Prove Legally Enforceable Debt – Held: The respondent rebutted the presumption under Sections 118(a) & 139 of the NI Act by establishing that the cheques in question were not issued for ...

POCSO Act - Sexual Assault And Rape – Reliability of Victim’s Testimony – Conviction Upheld – The victim’s testimony was found credible, consistent, and supported by medical and circumstantial evidence – The victim confided in her teacher, leading to a police investigation – The court observed that minor inconsistencies do not undermine the core truth of t...

Criminal Law - Criminal Proceedings – Quashing of Summoning Order – Section 482 CrPC – Lack of Sanction for Prosecution – The appellant, a government officer, was accused of wrongful representation and intimidation in a workplace sexual harassment case – She was neither named in the initial FIR nor part of the original complaint – Sanction for prosecution was so...

Criminal Law – Quashing - Insecticides Act – Retail Sellers Not Liable for Manufacturer’s Defects – Proceedings Quashed – The petitioners, who were retail sellers, stocked insecticides manufactured by a third-party company – The prosecution failed to establish that the petitioners had knowledge of the substandard quality or control over the manufacturing process...

Criminal Courts – No Inherent Power of Review – Exceptions Exist to Prevent Miscarriage of Justice – The petitioner contended that a criminal court lacks inherent power to review or recall its own orders, except in cases of clerical, typographical, or mathematical errors – The High Court reaffirmed this principle but held that exceptions exist where an order is passed due t...

Criminal Law - Sections 366(A), 302, 201, 34 IPC – Appeal against conviction - Circumstantial Evidence – Incomplete Chain of Circumstances – Conviction Set Aside – The case was based purely on circumstantial evidence – The High Court discarded extra-judicial confession but convicted the appellant based on last seen theory and leading to discovery – The Supreme C...

Jurisdiction of Sessions Court – Power to Order Re-Investigation – Distinction between Further Investigation and Re-Investigation – The petitioner-hospital challenged the order passed by the Additional District & Sessions Judge-II/Special Judge (SC/ST Act), Gautam Buddha Nagar, directing re-investigation into its role while granting anticipatory bail to an accused doctor &nda...

Criminal Law – Possession of Contraband – Section 21 NDPS Act – Conviction Based on Official Witnesses – The appellant was convicted for possessing 10 grams of smack based on testimony of police officials – Held: Conviction under Section 21 NDPS Act is sustainable even in the absence of independent witnesses, provided the official witnesses are consistent and reliable...

Criminal Law – Robbery and Murder – Sections 394, 397 IPC – Conviction and sentence upheld – The appellant was convicted for armed robbery and murder along with co-accused – The prosecution relied on the testimony of three eyewitnesses, including an injured witness – The defense argued that the witnesses were interested parties and that the investigation was def...