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 Divorced Wife Entitled To Maintenance; Mere Earning Capacity Not A Bar: Orissa High Court Limitation Period Starts From Date Of Knowledge Of Document, Not From When Certified Copy Is Obtained: Madras High Court Mere Mass Transfer Of Officers By Election Commission Does Not Paralyse State Machinery: Calcutta High Court Dismisses PIL Right To Appeal Under Senior Citizens Act Belongs Exclusively To Parents, Children Cannot File Appeal: Orissa High Court Acquittal Cannot Survive When Overt Acts Are Clearly Proved: Madras High Court Convicts Two Accused in Village Clash Killing Wife Is Absolute Owner Of Streedhan, Taking It Away Does Not Attract Criminal Breach Of Trust Under Section 406 IPC: Allahabad High Court Government Need Not Adjudicate If Employee Is 'Workman' Before Referring Dispute To Labour Court: Gujarat High Court Bidder Cannot Be Disqualified For Submitting Certificate From Unspecified Agency If Tender Document Is Silent: Delhi High Court No Presumption Of Joint Family Property Merely Because Joint Hindu Family Exists: Andhra Pradesh High Court Driver Clicking Selfies With Licensed Firearm Doesn't Make Owner Liable Under Arms Act: Punjab & Haryana High Court Quashes FIR High Court Imposes Blanket Ban On Tree Felling In Haryana, Cites Impending Ecological Catastrophe Due To Dismal Forest Cover

"CRIMINAL LAW" Digest

Criminal Law - Dowry Harassment – Conviction under Sections 306 and 498A IPC – Evidence Found Unreliable – Acquittal Ordered – Appellants were convicted of abetting suicide and subjecting deceased to cruelty over dowry and property demands – Prosecution relied primarily on testimonies of mother, brother and relatives of the deceased – Held: Evidence was either i...

Criminal Law – Appeal Against Acquittal – Multiple Murders – Family Dispute Over Property – Reversal of Conviction by High Court – Upheld – Allegation that respondents killed five relatives including mother, grandmother, sister and niece over inheritance issue – Trial court convicted three respondents and sentenced them to death based on testimony of two e...

Criminal Law - Dowry Death – Reversal of Acquittal Set Aside – Entire prosecution case based on circumstantial evidence in alleged murder of wife by husband and mother-in-law – High Court reversed acquittal based on inference that accused throttled the deceased and set her on fire to destroy evidence – Held: Circumstantial chain incomplete – Key links such as escape r...

Criminal Law – Quashing of Complaint – Section 197 CrPC – Protection to Public Servants – Sanction Mandatory – Acts Related to Discharge of Official Duty – Held: When public servants are accused of committing acts in purported discharge of their official duties, prosecution cannot be initiated without prior sanction under Section 197 – The search, seizure ...

Criminal Law - Appeal allowed – Conviction under Sections 302, 364, 323/34 IPC set aside – Courts below erred in relying on purported dying declaration which was unproved, unreliable and contradicted by medical evidence – Prosecution failed to establish kidnapping, murder or assault – Benefit of doubt extended to appellants – Accused Hamir Singh directed to be release...

Criminal Law – Conspiracy – Sections 120B/302/109 IPC – Substratum of Prosecution Case – Principal Alleged Conspirator Discharged – Respondent charged with conspiring with Dr. Sanjay Singh to murder Syed Modi; Dr. Sanjay Singh and Amita Kulkarni earlier discharged, their discharge affirmed up to Supreme Court – Held: With the alleged main conspirator discharged ...

Criminal Law – Murder Conviction under Section 302 IPC – Conviction Affirmed – The appellant challenged the concurrent findings of the Trial Court and High Court convicting him for murder on several grounds including contradictions in medical and ocular evidence, delay in FIR, defective investigation, non-examination of witnesses, and denial of alibi – The Supreme Court fou...

Criminal Law – Conviction under Section 302 read with Section 34 IPC – Appeal Dismissed – The appellant challenged his conviction for murder, asserting he had no active role in the incident and that the evidence of related witnesses was unreliable – The Supreme Court upheld concurrent findings of the Trial Court and the High Court, holding that the evidence of eyewitnesses ...

Criminal Law – Reversal of Acquittal – Conviction Restored – The Trial Court convicted the respondent under Section 302 IPC for murder based on consistent eyewitness testimony, post-mortem findings, and recovery of weapon – High Court reversed the conviction citing irregularities in the firing range test, ballistic report, and credibility of related witnesses – Held: ...

Company Law  – SFIO probe – Whistleblower sought copies of complaint & annexures – Special Court directed “Issue CC on usual terms” without reasons – High Court quashed – Held: Stranger not entitled to complaint/annexures; only investigation report permissible under Section 212(13) Companies Act – Orders unsustainable – Applications re...