Disciplinary Authority Cannot Override Enquiry Officer’s Clean Chit Without Hearing the Employee: Madhya Pradesh High Court Remands Termination for Procedural Lapse Appointment Secured by Misstating Marks Is Void Ab Initio; Human Error No Excuse Where Advantage Gained: Allahabad High Court Appeal Maintainable Despite Modified MACT Award — Kerala High Court Clarifies Scope of Appellate Review in Motor Accident Claims No Notice, No Blacklist: Calcutta High Court Quashes Debarment Over Breach of Natural Justice Prosecution Must Elevate Its Case From Realm Of ‘May Be True’ To Plane Of ‘Must Be True: Orissa High Court Strict Compliance Is the Rule, Not Exception: Himachal Pradesh High Court Dismisses Tenant's Plea for Late Deposit of Rent Arrears When Accused Neither Denies Signature Nor Rebuts Presumption, Conviction Must Follow Under Section 138 NI Act: Karnataka High Court A Guardian Who Violates, Forfeits Mercy: Kerala High Court Upholds Natural Life Sentence in Stepfather–POCSO Rape Case Married and Earning Sons Are Legal Representatives Entitled to Compensation: Punjab & Haryana High Court Enhances Motor Accident Award to ₹14.81 Lakh Driver Must Stop, Render Aid & Report Accident – Flight from Scene Is an Offence: Madras High Court Convicts Hit-And-Run Accused Under MV Act Delay May Shut the Door, But Justice Cannot Be Locked Out: Gauhati High Court Admits Union of India’s Arbitration Appeal Despite Time-Bar Under Section 30 PC Act | Mere Recovery of Money Is Not Enough—Demand and Acceptance Must Be Proved Beyond Reasonable Doubt: Delhi High Court Allahabad High Court Slams Bar Council of U.P. for Ex Parte 10-Year Suspension of Advocate Supreme Court Invokes Article 142 to End Discrimination Against Ad-Hoc Employees in Allahabad High Court: Orders Reinstatement and Regularizationi Supreme Court Declares CSR a Constitutional Duty to Protect Environment: Orders Undergrounding of Powerlines in Great Indian Bustard Habitat A Minor’s Sole Testimony, If Credible, Is Sufficient for Conviction: Supreme Court Upholds Child Trafficking Conviction Under IPC and ITPA You Can’t Invent Disqualifications After the Bid: Supreme Court Holds Joint Venture Experience Can’t Be Ignored in Tenders

"CRIMINAL LAW" Digest

Criminal Procedure – Interim Custody of Property – Sections 451, 457 CrPC – Gold Ornaments and Bonds Not Released – Petitioner sought interim custody of 105 gold ornaments, seized cash, and proceeds of matured bonds, claiming personal ownership and irrelevance to the criminal proceedings – The trial court rejected the application, noting that the seized assets were su...

Criminal Law – Murder Conviction – Reliability of Eyewitness Testimony – Appellants, a mother and son, were convicted under Section 302 IPC for allegedly murdering the deceased over a property dispute – The prosecution relied primarily on the testimony of the deceased’s son (PW2), who claimed to be an eyewitness – Held: PW2’s testimony was inconsistent, un...

Passports Act – Renewal of Passport – Pending Criminal Proceedings – Petitioner, an Indian citizen residing in the USA, sought renewal of his passport bearing No. M5407876, which was due to expire on 08.09.2025 – Renewal was denied by the Regional Passport Office, Bengaluru (Respondent No.2) due to pending criminal proceedings under Sections 354A, 354D, 504, and 420 IPC &nd...

Bail - Money Laundering – Large-Scale Illegal Betting Syndicate – Prima Facie Evidence Against Applicant – Bail Rejected – The ED alleged that the applicant was involved in handling and transferring illegal funds generated from Mahadev Online Book, an unlawful betting operation – ₹5.39 crores in cash was seized from his possession – The investigation revealed ...

Criminal Law - Juvenile Justice – Preliminary Assessment – Whether the Child in Conflict with Law (CCL) Should be Tried as an Adult – Petitioner challenged the order of the Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ), which upheld the Juvenile Justice Board’s (JJB) decision to not try CCL-SAH as an adult – JJB conducted a preliminary assessment under Section 15 of the Juvenile Ju...

Statutory Bail – Cancellation – Submission of Chargesheet After Court Hours – Legal Validity of Bail – Appellants were granted statutory bail as the chargesheet was not filed within 90 days from their arrest – Chargesheet was filed at the end of the 90th day but after court hours – The NIA Court later cancelled bail without an application for cancellation &ndash...

Bail Application – Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 – Prima Facie Case Against Accused – Rejection Upheld – The appellants, accused of recruiting individuals for a proscribed organization, filed for bail under UAPA – The trial court rejected their applications, citing the bar under Section 43-D(5) UAPA – Held: The prosecution presented credible materia...

Criminal Law – Rape Conviction – Appeal Against Conviction – Appellant convicted under Sections 376 and 323 IPC for committing rape on the prosecutrix – Trial Court sentenced him to 5 years rigorous imprisonment under Section 376 IPC and 6 months under Section 323 IPC – High Court upheld the conviction and sentence while acquitting him under Section 506 IPC – Ap...

Criminal Law – Protection of Public Servants – Sanction under Section 197 CrPC – Proceedings Partially Quashed - Petitioners were police officers accused of misconduct during their official duty at a public event – A private complaint was filed against them after they registered an FIR against the complainant’s husband – Trial court took cognizance of multiple o...

Dishonour of Cheque – Scope of Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act – Conviction Upheld – Sentence Remanded – The petitioner issued a cheque for Rs. 19,00,000 in favour of the respondent, which was dishonoured with the remark "Account Closed" – Legal notice was served, but payment was not made – The Trial Court convicted the petitioner under S...