After Admitting Lease, Defendant Cannot Turn Around and Call It Forged—Contradictory Stand at Advanced Trial Stage Impermissible: Punjab & Haryana High Court Dismisses Revision Against Rejection of Amendment Plea Dismissed Employee Has No Right to Leave Encashment Under Statutory Rules: Punjab and Haryana High Court Section 13 of Gambling Act Is Cognizable — Magistrate Can Take Cognizance on Police Report: Allahabad High Court Clarifies Surveyor’s Report Not Sacrosanct, Arbitral Tribunal Has Jurisdiction to Apply Mind Independently: Bombay High Court Dismisses Insurer’s Challenge to Award in Fire Damage Dispute Anti-Suit Injunction in Matrimonial Dispute Set Aside: Calcutta High Court Refuses to Stall UK Divorce Proceedings Filed by Wife Res Ipsa Loquitur Not a Substitute for Proof of Negligence: Delhi High Court Affirms Acquittal in Fatal Road Accident Case NSA Detention Doesn’t Bar Framing of Charges If Prima Facie Evidence Exists: Punjab & Haryana High Court Upholds Charges in Ajnala Police Station Violence Case Continued Contractual Service Despite Sanctioned Posts Is Unfair Labour Practice: Orissa High Court Orders Regularization Of ECG Technicians After 15 Years Will Duly Proved Even If Witnesses Forget Details After Eight Years: Madras High Court Validates Bequest, Sets Aside Partition Decree Writ Petition Not Maintainable Where Commercial Appeal Remedy Exists: Karnataka High Court Dismisses Petition, Permits Conversion Under Commercial Courts Act Circumstantial Evidence Must Be Cogent, But Caste-Based Offences Demand Specific Intent: Supreme Court Draws Line Between Heinous Crimes and Caste Atrocities Court Must Step into Testator’s Shoes, Not Substitute His Intent: Supreme Court Upholds Will Excluding One Daughter Production of Arbitration Clause is Enough - Not Conduct Mini-Trials on Capacity or Consortium Structure: Supreme Court Title to Property Must Be Proven by Evidence, Not Just Claimed by Deed: Supreme Court Strikes Down Injunction Order Rejecting Police Investigation Is Not Interlocutory Where It Affects Complainant’s Right to Fair Probe in Murder Case: Madhya Pradesh High Court Restores Revision in 156(3) Application Rejection Conviction Cannot Rest On Contradictions, Hostility And Conjecture: Supreme Court Acquits Seven Accused In 2010 Village Murder Power to Lower NEET Percentile Lies Only With Centre - States Can’t Dilute NEET by Administrative Letters: Supreme Court Imposed 10 Crore Cost On Private Dental College Identification Without TIP, Electronic Records Without 65B Certificate – Conviction Set Aside: Patna High Court Nothing Inflicts A Deeper Wound On Our Constitutional Culture Than A State Official Running Berserk Regardless Of Human Rights: Jharkhand High Court Orders ₹1.5 Lakh Interim Compensation Identification Vitiated, Diamonds Not Produced, Last Seen Theory Unreliable: Bombay High Court Acquits Two in 2011 Diamond Courier Murder Dishonour Due to ‘Account Blocked’ Not Attributable to Drawer—No Offence Under Section 138 NI Act: Delhi High Court Quashes Criminal Proceedings Presumption Under Section 139 NI Act Cannot Be Rebutted By Mere Assertions: Delhi High Court Affirms Conviction In 32-Year-Old Cheque Bounce Case Accused Cannot Demand Documents During Investigation Merely to Assist in Answering Queries: Delhi High Court Upholds Dismissal of S.91 CrPC Plea in Bank Fraud Probe Once a Person is a Major, They Are Free to Choose Their Partner – Absence of Marriage No Ground To Deny Protection: Allahabad High Court Connivance Can’t Be Washed Away by Exoneration: P&H High Court Upholds Penalty on Forest Guard Despite Enquiry Clean Chit 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 Signature Alone Doesn’t Prove Debt: Kerala High Court Upholds Acquittal in Cheque Bounce Case, Rejects Blanket Presumption Under Section 139 NI Act

"CRIMINAL LAW" Digest

Criminal Law – Murder – Conviction Based on Eyewitness Testimonies – Reliability Questioned – Conviction challenged on the grounds of delay in lodging FIR and inconsistencies in prosecution evidence – Held: Delay of eight hours in filing the complaint and further delay in dispatching FIR to the Magistrate cast significant doubt on the prosecution's case – Co...

Criminal Law – Quashing of FIR – Political Vengeance – Allegation of Favoritism in Tender Allotment – Petitioner challenged the FIR alleging corruption in tender allotment under the amended Punjab Foodgrains Labour & Cartage Policy 2020-21 – Held: FIR quashed as no cognizable offence was disclosed – Allegations against the petitioner were based on conjecture...

Criminal Law – Quashing - Abuse of Process – Multiple FIRs arising from the same incident – Quashing of Police Reports – Allegations of wrongful restraint, injury, and offenses under Sections 354, 354-B, 354-D IPC – FIR No. 20/2024 filed by Ajay Kumar Sareen against Rohit Krishan Bhat alleging assault – FIR No. 24/2024 filed by Ragini Rajput against Ajay Kumar S...

Criminal Law – Circumstantial Evidence – Acquittal – Accused convicted under Sections 363, 302, and 201 IPC for kidnapping and murder of a minor child and concealment of evidence – Prosecution case based entirely on circumstantial evidence – Last seen theory and recovery of skeleton on the accused’s pointing out were pivotal – Chain of evidence found incom...

Criminal Law – Quashing of Criminal Proceedings – Settlement Between Parties – FIR registered against appellants for offenses under Sections 409, 420, 120B IPC, and Section 13(2) r/w Section 13(1)(d) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 – Alleged fraud, cheating, and diversion of loan funds causing public exchequer losses – Settlement and closure of DRT proceedin...

Negotiable Instruments Act – Section 138 – Maintainability of Complaint – Complaint Filed by Power of Attorney Holder – Quashing of Summons and Complaint – Sole Proprietor Authorised Manager to File Complaint – Trial Court Issued Summons Based on Sufficient Evidence – High Court Quashed Complaint on Grounds of Lack of Explicit Averments Regarding Personal ...

Criminal Law – Bail under Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) – Appellant, a former Minister in Tamil Nadu, was arrested for alleged money laundering under Section 3 of the PMLA – Accused of collecting large sums by promising job opportunities in the Transport Department – Bail application rejected by the High Court – On appeal, the Supreme Court considered the ...

Anticipatory Bail – Conspiracy to Commit Murder – Role of Petitioner – The petitioner was implicated based on the disclosure statement of co-accused persons and alleged participation in a conspiracy at a farmhouse – No overt act attributed to the petitioner – Other similarly placed co-accused had already been granted bail – Held: Anticipatory bail granted as no ...

Criminal Law – Bail in Rape Case – Compromise with Victim’s Family – The petitioner sought bail in a case involving the rape of an 11-year-old girl, citing a compromise with the victim's family. The court rejected the bail application, emphasizing that in cases involving minors, any compromise lacks legal validity. The State has a duty to prosecute such offenses rigorou...

Criminal Law – Double Jeopardy – Acquittal and De Novo Investigation – High Court Order Quashed – The High Court ordered reinvestigation and subsequent prosecution despite appellant’s prior acquittal – Held: Such direction violates the constitutional protection under Article 20(2) and statutory safeguards under Section 300 Cr.P.C., which bar retrial for the same...