Delhi High Court Frames Criminal Contempt Charges Against Advocate For Scandalizing Judge On LinkedIn After Cyber Cell Traces IP Logs Testimony Of Partially Hostile Witnesses Can Be Relied Upon If Corroborated: Delhi High Court Upholds Police Officer's Conviction Subordinate Engineers Entitled To Non-Functional Upgradation Even If Level 8 Reached Via MACP: Supreme Court FEMA Adjudicating Authority Cannot Overrule Competent Authority's Refusal To Confirm Asset Seizure: Supreme Court Candidate Cannot Claim Lower Preference Post After Securing First Choice Under Merit-Cum-Preference System: Madhya Pradesh High Court Official Cannot Escape Corruption Trial Merely Because 90% Payment Was Made Prior To His Joining: Calcutta High Court Employee Who Evades Cross-Examining Witnesses Cannot Later Claim 'No Evidence' In Departmental Enquiry: Andhra Pradesh High Court Fictitious Or Non-Genuine Revenue Entries Cannot Confer Adhivasi Rights Under UP Zamindari Abolition Act: Allahabad High Court Calcutta High Court Quashes Termination Of Compassionate Appointee Over Age Dispute, Says Such Claims Cannot Be Kept Pending Indefinitely Alleged Custodial Torture Does Not Automatically Attract Contempt Under 'D.K. Basu' Unless Specific Arrest Guidelines Are Violated: Gujarat High Court Authority Cannot Act As 'Judge In Own Cause'; Himachal Pradesh High Court Quashes Distillery License Cancellation Over Procedural Impropriety Financial Corporations Have Absolute Power To Fix Employee Pay, Prior State Govt Approval Not Required: Jharkhand High Court Custodial Interrogation Not Required For Police Inspector Accused Only Of Illegal Confinement Prior To Victim's Death: Karnataka High Court Rescission Of Contract Without Hearing Is Illegal; Courts Cannot Interfere In Second Appeal If Findings Rest On Unrebutted Evidence: Gauhati High Court RTI Penalty Proceedings Are Between Commission and SPIO Alone — Complainant Has No Right To Be Heard: Kerala High Court Catastrophic To Allow Law To Take Its Own Course: MP High Court Quashes POCSO, BNS FIR After Victim And Accused Marry No Presumption Under Section 20 PC Act Without Proof Of Demand And Acceptance: Telangana High Court Quashes Case Against Sub-Inspector Attack On Judicial Officers Is Criminal Contempt; Supreme Court Orders CBI/NIA Probe Into West Bengal Incident Prolonged Physical Relationship By Educated Woman Amounts To 'Promiscuity', Not Rape Induced By Misconception Of Fact: Punjab & Haryana High Court Father Cannot Escape Duty To Maintain Minor Children Merely Because Mother Earns Substantial Income: Uttarakhand High Court Divorced Wife Entitled To Maintenance; Mere Earning Capacity Not A Bar: Orissa High Court

"CRIMINAL LAW" Digest

Criminal Law – Quashing - Bank Loan Fraud – Diversion of Loan Funds – Further Investigation – Accused company (HCCPL) and its directors alleged to have diverted Rs.15 crore project loan from erstwhile SBT (now SBI) by selling mortgaged properties without bank's consent – CBI initially excluded bank officials from prosecution citing lack of mens rea – Special...

Criminal Procedure – Pre-Arrest Bail – Concurrent Jurisdiction – Requirement to Approach Sessions Court First – Petitioner sought anticipatory bail under Section 482 BNSS directly before the High Court without approaching Sessions Court — Held: Though High Court and Sessions Court have concurrent jurisdiction, party must ordinarily approach Sessions Court first &mdash...

Maintenance – Section 125 CrPC – Wife Residing Separately – Sufficient Cause Established – Wife ousted from matrimonial home due to cruelty and dowry harassment – Trial Court erred in holding she left without cause – Allegations substantiated by her continued attempts at reconciliation and absence of effort by husband to resume cohabitation – Held: Finding...

Criminal Law – Rape and POCSO – Acquittal – Appellant convicted under Section 376 IPC and Section 6 POCSO Act for having “physical relations” with the minor prosecutrix on pretext of marriage – Prosecution relied solely on oral testimony of victim without clarifying meaning or nature of “physical relations” – No supporting medical or forensic e...

Domestic Violence – Delay in Proceedings – Pendency of Case Since 2018 – Petitioner-wife filed complaint under Section 12 of the DV Act on 06.11.2018 – Despite service of notice on 28.05.2019, respondent failed to appear – Trial proceeded ex parte – Respondent appeared only in January 2021 – Interim maintenance of ₹15,000/month awarded but reduced to ₹...

Criminal Law – Murder – Rape – House Trespass – Robbery – Circumstantial Evidence – Accused No.1 sentenced to death and Accused No.2 to life imprisonment by trial court for brutal murder of husband and vegetative-state causing injuries to wife following home invasion – Both accused allegedly fled with valuables – Death sentence reference made for con...

Negotiable Instruments Act – Acquittal in Cheque Bounce Case – Appeal Dismissed – Failure to Prove Legally Enforceable Debt – Presumption under Section 139 Not Attracted – Cheque Dishonour – Alleged Liability – Appellant-complainant filed complaint under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act alleging dishonour of cheque for ₹24,00,000 issued b...

Preventive Detention – Subjective Satisfaction – Validity – Detention order passed under Section 3(2) of MPDA Act against petitioner for causing public disorder and terror – Petitioner challenged order on grounds that prior offences were stale and relied upon improperly – Held: Detention based solely on two recent FIRs and two in-camera statements demonstrating habitu...

Criminal Writ – Premature Release – Policy Implementation – Life convict Ramji’s claim for premature release rejected by Government of Punjab despite eligibility under 1991 Policy – Rejection order dated 17.12.2024 found cryptic, unreasoned, and mechanically based on opinion of Presiding Judge and Committee – Held: Rejection order unsustainable for being non-spe...

NDPS Act – Bail – Commercial Quantity – Section 37 Bar – Petitioner arrested with 150 bottles of Codeine-based syrup and found in possession of multiple contrabands at co-accused’s premises – Statement under Section 67 NDPS Act reveals trafficking and delivery role – Trial court framed charges under Sections 8, 8-A, 21(c), 22, 27-A, 29 NDPS Act – Pet...