Criminal Law - Murder – Conviction under Section 302 IPC – Eyewitness Evidence Reliable – Conviction Upheld – Appellant was convicted for strangulating a 19-year-old boy named Magan—Prosecution case rested on the eyewitness account of PW-1 Gauri (sister of the deceased) and PW-2 Jagla—Both testified seeing Lal Singh strangulate the deceased with a rope inside th...
Rape and Murder – Conviction Restored – Acquittal by High Court Set Aside – The respondent was convicted by the Sessions Court for raping and murdering a 3-year-old child but acquitted by the High Court – Supreme Court reversed the acquittal, holding the child witness testimonies reliable and corroborated by strong circumstantial evidence – Held: High Court erred in d...
Criminal Law – Section 302 vs Section 304 Part-I IPC – Conviction Modified and Sentence Enhanced – The Supreme Court upheld the Madhya Pradesh High Court’s finding that the case did not fall under Section 302 IPC but under Section 304 Part-I IPC due to the existence of a free fight and sudden provocation – However, the Court found that the sentence of two years RI imp...
Criminal Law - Dowry Death – Conviction Under Section 304B IPC Set Aside – Acquittal Ordered – Appeal Allowed – The appellant was convicted under Section 304B IPC for the death of his wife, who committed suicide within seven years of marriage – Supreme Court held that while the victim was mentally disturbed by the appellant’s immoral conduct, there was no credib...
Criminal Law – Acquittal for Culpable Homicide – Right of Private Defence – Acquittal Upheld – Appellant challenged High Court’s decision acquitting accused under Sections 304 Part-II and 323 IPC—Incident arose from long-standing land dispute—High Court held accused had acted in self-defence and had not exceeded legal bounds—Supreme Court affirmed fi...
Quashing - Criminal Complaint – Violation of Factory Norms – Section 63 of Factories Act – Complaint Not Quashed – Appellant, Vice Chairman and ‘occupier’ of a factory, was prosecuted based on Inspector's visit alleging violation of prescribed working hours – Inspector found worker performing duties beyond stipulated shift without appropriate entry in ...
Criminal Law – Murder – Sections 302, 460, and 380 IPC - Circumstantial Evidence – Standard of Proof – Conviction Set Aside – Appellants were convicted of murder, house trespass, and theft based solely on circumstantial evidence—Supreme Court found key links in the prosecution chain—such as re-employment and recovery—either not proved or unreliable&m...
Land Acquisition – Discrimination in Exclusion of Land – Unequal Treatment of Similar Cases – Orders Quashed – Appellants challenged land acquisition under Section 6 of the Land Acquisition Act, 1894, alleging arbitrary and discriminatory exclusion of other similarly situated landowners whose properties had structures – Government excluded certain plots with 'A...
Criminal Law – Quashing - FIR, Investigation, Search and Seizure – CrPC Sections 154, 156, 157, 165 and PC Act Section 13 – Appeal Allowed – High Court erred in quashing G.D. Entry, FIR, investigation and directing return of seized articles – Held: G.D. Entry disclosed cognizable offence of demand and acceptance of ₹1 lakh bribe; it could be treated as FIR; sufficie...
NDPS Act – Conviction under Section 21 – Seizure of Buprenorphine – Conviction Upheld – The appellant was found in possession of 25 ampoules of 'Tidigestic' (Buprenorphine) and arrested on the spot – Trial Court acquitted the appellant citing discrepancies in prosecution evidence – High Court reversed the acquittal and convicted the appellant – Sup...