State Can’t Block SARFAESI Sale by Late Revenue Entries: Secured Creditor’s Charge Prevails Over Tax Dues: Punjab & Haryana High Court Slams Sub-Registrar’s Refusal Providing SIM Card Without Knowledge of Its Criminal Use Does Not Imply Criminal Conspiracy: P&H High Court Grants Bail in UAPA & Murder Case Importer Who Accepts Enhanced Valuation Cannot Later Contest Confiscation and Penalty for Undervaluation: Madras High Court Upholds Strict Liability under Customs Act "Allegations Are Not Proof: Madras High Court Refuses Divorce Without Substantiated Cruelty or Desertion" When FIR Is Filed After Consulting Political Leaders, the Possibility of Coloured Version Cannot Be Ruled Out: Kerala High Court Mere Allegations of Antecedents Without Conviction Can't Defeat Right to Anticipatory Bail: Kerala High Court Section 106 Of Evidence Act Cannot Be Invoked In Vacuum – Prosecution Must First Lay Foundational Facts: Karnataka High Court Acquits Wife And Co-Accused In Husband’s Murder Case Parity Cannot Be Claimed When Roles Are Different: Karnataka High Court Refuses Bail to Youth Accused of Brutal Killing Injured Wife Would Not Falsely Implicate Her Husband: Gauhati High Court Upholds Conviction in Domestic Stabbing Case Disputed Bids, Missing Evidence and No Prejudice: Delhi High Court Refuses to Intervene in Tender Challenge under Article 226 Marriage Cannot Be Perpetuated on Paper When Cohabitation Has Ceased for Decades: Supreme Court Invokes Article 142 to Grant Divorce Despite Wife’s Opposition Ownership of Trucks Does Not Mean Windfall Compensation: Supreme Court Slashes Inflated Motor Accident Award in Absence of Documentary Proof Concealment of Mortgage Is Fraud, Not a Technical Omission: Supreme Court Restores Refund Decree, Slams High Court’s Remand State Reorganization Does Not Automatically Convert Cooperative Societies into Multi-State Entities: Supreme Court Rejects Blanket Interpretation of Section 103 Indian Courts Cannot Invalidate Foreign Arbitral Awards Passed Under Foreign Law: Madhya Pradesh High Court Enforces Texas-Based Award Despite Commercial Court’s Contrary Decree Sudden Quarrel over Mound of Earth — Not Murder but Culpable Homicide: Allahabad High Court Eligibility Flows from Birth, Not a Certificate Date: Delhi High Court Strikes Down Rule Fixing Arbitrary Cut-Off for OBC-NCL Certificates in CAPF (AC) Recruitment Bar Under Order II Rule 2 CPC Cannot Be Invoked Where Specific Performance Was Legally Premature Due To Statutory Impediments: P&H High Court Once a Court Declares a Department an Industry Under Section 2(j), State Cannot Raise the Same Objection Again: Gujarat High Court Slams Repetitive Litigation by Irrigation Department “How Could Cheques Issued in 2020 Be Mentioned in a 2019 Contract?”: Delhi High Court Grants Injunction in Forged MOA Case, Slams Prima Facie Fabrication

"CRIMINAL LAW" Digest

Negotiable Instruments Act – Section 138 – Acquittal – Appeal – The appellant's appeal against the judgment of acquittal was based on a statement made by the respondent agreeing to pay the disputed amount. Held: Such a statement cannot be considered a confession as it might have been made under duress or for other reasons. The appellant failed to provide evidence of goo...

  Criminal Law - Identification Parade - Rash and Negligent Driving - Acquittal - Benefit of Doubt-Test Identification Parade - Necessity in Criminal Cases – Criminal appeal challenging acquittal under Sections 337, 338, 427, and 304-A IPC – Held: In cases where the accused is not previously known to the witnesses, a test identification parade is necessary to strengthen the tru...

Criminal Procedure – Quashing of Kalendra – Initiation of Proceedings – Petition challenging the initiation of proceedings by SHO for offences under Section 211 IPC. Held: The initiation by SHO violates mandatory provisions of Sections 195 and 340 Cr.P.C., rendering the prosecution and consequent proceedings void. Presentation of Kalendra barred by limitation under Section 468 Cr...

Criminal Law – Conviction and Sentencing – Appellants challenged the conviction under Sections 307, 324, 34 RPC, and Section 4/25 Arms Act – Conviction under Section 307 RPC reduced from seven years to three years, other sentences upheld – Conviction under Section 4/25 Arms Act set aside due to lack of evidence regarding weapon dimensions – Appellants directed to surr...

Criminal Law – Kidnapping and Sexual Assault – Appellant convicted for kidnapping and sexually assaulting a minor girl – Conviction under Sections 363, 366 IPC and Section 4 of POCSO Act by the trial court – High Court partially upholds and partially overturns the conviction – Insufficient evidence for Section 4 of POCSO Act and Section 366 IPC – Conviction unde...

Criminal Law – Quashing – False Promise of Marriage and Consent under IPC – Case involving allegations against the accused of sexual intercourse based on false promise of marriage, leading to charges under sections 417, 376, and 313 of the IPC – Petitioner's argument for quashing the proceedings on the basis of the voluntary nature of the cohabitation and the absence of...

Criminal Law – Conviction under Section 302 read with Section 149, 148, and 147 IPC – Acquittal - Appeal against judgment by Additional Sessions Judge – Appellants convicted for murder and unlawful assembly, sentenced to life imprisonment – Appellants challenged conviction, claiming false implication and reliance on weak prosecution evidence – Dying declaration only m...

Criminal Law - Conviction - Murder - Circumstantial Evidence - Last Seen Theory - Admissibility of Confession Conviction of Main Accused - Murder - Circumstantial Evidence – Criminal appeal against conviction under Sections 302 and 201 IPC – Held: The trial court rightly convicted Simarjit Singh @ Tinku for the murder of his wife based on circumstantial evidence, including his confe...

Criminal Procedure - Release of Seized Vehicle - Sapurdari - Bank Guarantee - Surety Bonds - Release of Seized Vehicle - Idle Parking and Deterioration – Petition under Section 482 Cr.P.C. seeking release of a vehicle seized with illegal liquor – Held: Neither the State nor the owner benefits from the idle parking of seized vehicles. Unattended vehicles deteriorate, and their valuable ...

Criminal Procedure - Anticipatory Bail - Second Application - Change in Circumstance- Change in Fact-Situation – Petition under Section 438 Cr.P.C. for anticipatory bail – Held: A second anticipatory bail application can be filed only if there is a change in fact-situation or law which requires the earlier view being interfered with, or where the earlier finding has become obsolete. Me...