Criminal Law – Summoning CDRs under Section 91 CrPC – Protection of Accused's Right to Fair Trial – Petition Allowed – Petitioner, a taxi driver accused in an NDPS case, filed for preservation of call detail records and tower location of his phone and that of the raiding party to establish his location and alleged illegal arrest – Trial Court dismissed the applica...
Criminal Law – PC Act – Appeal Against Conviction - Disproportionate Assets – Abetment by Spouse – Divergent Views – Acquittal by One Judge, Conviction Upheld by Another – Justice Ahsanuddin Amanullah held that mere possession of properties by the wife of a public servant, without direct evidence of knowledge or conspiracy, was insufficient for conviction under ...
Criminal Contempt – Forgery of High Court Orders – Contempt Established – The contemnors fabricated and submitted forged High Court orders to obstruct the execution of a civil decree—The forged orders, attributed to a Judge not assigned the CRP roster, were never actually filed – Held: Such conduct squarely falls within Section 2(c)(iii) of the Contempt of Courts Act,...
Criminal Law – Quashing of FIR – Commercial Dispute – FIR Quashed – Appellant, a Sri Lanka-based importer, was accused by an Indian seller of cheating and criminal breach of trust for non-payment of ₹34.71 lakhs for sarees exported through a third-party exporter (M/s Oswal Overseas) – Supreme Court held that the transaction was a commercial one with no direct entrus...
Discharge Application – Absence of Sanction – Cognizance Invalid – Prosecution Barred – Petitioner, a retired official, was prosecuted without obtaining sanction under Section 197 CrPC for IPC offences – Court held cognizance taken without required sanction is procedurally defective and unsustainable – Impugned order rejecting discharge application set aside [Pa...
NDPS Bail – Section 37 NDPS Act – Twin Conditions Not Satisfied – Bail Denied - The petitioners sought regular bail in FIR involving seizure of over 3 crore tablets and capsules of psychotropic substances, drug money, vehicles, and mobile phones – Petitioners included directors of pharmaceutical firms, chemists, and transporters – Charges framed, 54 out of 160 prosecu...
Criminal Procedure Code – Quashing of FIR – Exercise of Power under Section 482 Cr.P.C. – FIR challenged relating to contract between parties and alleged suppression of restrictive covenant – Held: Allegations, even taken at face value, disclose purely civil dispute regarding payment of money and not criminal offence – No dishonest intention at inception shown –...
Criminal Law - Section 319 CrPC – Scope and Threshold – Prima-facie Evidence – Invocation Justified – Appellant challenged High Court's quashing of Trial Court order summoning Respondent No. 2 based on direct eyewitness testimony during trial – Held: Once sworn evidence implicates an individual not initially arraigned, and such evidence is stronger than mere sus...
Criminal Law - Corruption Allegation – Demand and Acceptance – Sole Witness Not Wholly Reliable – Conviction Set Aside - Prosecution case hinged on solitary testimony of complainant (PW1), who had a chequered criminal history and inconsistencies in his account of bribe demands – Held: His evidence lacked corroboration, was not wholly reliable, and recovery of tainted money ...
Criminal Law - Murder – Appeal Against Acquittal - Appreciation of Evidence – Eye-Witness and Medical Testimony – Conviction Restored - The Trial Court acquitted all accused in a murder case citing contradictions and unreliable witness testimony – The High Court reversed the acquittal of Accused No.1, holding that minor contradictions did not discredit consistent and corrob...