TRAI Issuing Directions To Enforce Regulations Is Not 'Adjudication' Of Dispute, Does Not Usurp TDSAT's Jurisdiction: Supreme Court Candidate Can Challenge Selection Process After Participating If Arbitrariness Is Writ Large Or Rules Changed Mid-Way: Supreme Court Selection Committee Cannot Superimpose Additional Cut-Off Marks Not Prescribed In Rules: Supreme Court Litigants Must Ordinarily Approach High Court First For Quashing FIRs, Article 32 Is For Exceptional Circumstances: Supreme Court Supreme Court Refuses To Club Multiple FIRs In Cyber Fraud Case, Says Similar Modus Operandi Does Not Constitute 'Same Transaction' Layman Borrowers Not Liable For Forgery If Even Bank's Legal Experts Failed To Detect Fabrication In Title Deeds: Allahabad High Court Kerala High Court Orders Travancore Devaswom Board To Digitise Sabarimala Asset Inventory, Says Current Records Resemble 'Betel Shop' Ledger Second Husband In Void Marriage Cannot Be Prosecuted For Dowry Death Under Section 80 BNS: Allahabad High Court Cohabitation Of Barely 3 Months Insufficient To Trigger Presumption Of Live-In Relationship For Maintenance: Bombay High Court SC/ST Act Case Filed By Suspended Head Constable To 'Wreck Vengeance' Against Investigating Officers Quashed: Andhra Pradesh High Court Non-Compliance With Order For Production Of Documents Under O.11 R.14 CPC Cannot Warrant Striking Off Defence: Calcutta High Court Omission To Put Dying Declaration To Accused Under Section 313 CrPC Makes It Inadmissible, But Doesn't Demolish Entire Prosecution Case: Delhi High Court Victim's Appeal Against Magistrate's Acquittal Order Lies Before Sessions Court Under Section 413 BNSS: Gujarat High Court 'Fraud And Justice Cannot Dwell Together': Karnataka High Court Quashes 30-Year-Old Land Acquisition After Records Of Compensation Go Missing Electricity Authorities Cannot Determine Civil Liability For Energy Theft Under Section 135; Only Special Court Empowered: Madhya Pradesh High Court State Cannot Exploit Employees By Keeping Them On Part-Time Basis For Decades To Deny Old Pension Scheme: Punjab & Haryana HC

"CRIMINAL LAW" Digest

Criminal Conspiracy – Adulterous Relationship – Murder – Evidence – Prosecution proved beyond doubt that the first accused, Nino Mathew, committed the murders of Omana and Swasthika and attempted to murder PW1 in furtherance of a criminal conspiracy with the second accused, Anu Shanthi, with whom he had an adulterous relationship – Evidence included testimony of PW1 i...

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...

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...

Criminal Law - Murder Trial – Appeal against conviction under Section 302 IPC - Circumstantial Evidence – Guilt Not Proved Beyond Reasonable Doubt – Acquittal Ordered – The appellant was convicted for the murder of his wife based on a dying declaration recorded by the Magistrate – The prosecution alleged that the appellant poured kerosene oil on the deceased and set h...