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 Procedure – Proclamation under Section 82 Cr.P.C. – Non-Compliance with Mandatory Procedure – Held: The trial court declared the petitioner a proclaimed person without adhering to the procedural requirements of Section 82 Cr.P.C. – No prior issuance of summons or bailable warrants before resorting to proclamation – Failure to record satisfaction that the peti...

Criminal Law – Revisional Jurisdiction – Discharge order in a murder case - High Court’s Power to Stay Discharge Order – The High Court exercised its revisional jurisdiction to stay the order of discharge granted by the Sessions Court and directed the appellant to surrender – The Supreme Court held that an order staying the discharge is an extraordinary measure that s...

Bail – NDPS - Criminal Procedure – Jurisdiction of High Court under Section 439 CrPC – Scope Limited to Bail – The High Court, while deciding a bail application, awarded compensation to the respondent for wrongful confinement – The Supreme Court held that the High Court exceeded its jurisdiction under Section 439 CrPC, which is limited to granting or refusing bail &nd...

Criminal Law - Sections 302/148/149 IPC – Appeal against conviction - Eyewitness Testimony – Reliability of Sole Witness – Interested Witness – Acquittal Granted – The conviction of the appellants was based primarily on the testimony of PW-1, who was a close associate of the deceased and had criminal antecedents – His conduct was found to be unnatural, and he wa...

Negotiable Instruments – Power of Attorney Holder Conducting Case – Trial Court’s Rejection Not Justified – The petitioner, who had filed a complaint under Section 138 of the NI Act, left for the UK for studies and appointed her father as power of attorney holder to conduct the case – The Trial Court rejected the application on the ground that the complaint did not co...

Quashing of Cross-Case – Delay of 12 Years – Re-Investigation Held Unjustified – The petitioner sought quashing of a cross-case (DDR) filed in 2012, arguing that he was declared innocent in the original investigation and no fresh material warranted reopening the matter – The Trial Court had ordered re-investigation without assigning any cogent reasons – Held: Re-inves...

Criminal Writ – Maintainability of Writ for Registration of FIR – Availability of Alternative Remedies – Petitioner sought directions for registering an FIR against judicial officers and advocates, alleging collusion in land grabbing – Held: Writ petitions or petitions under Section 482 CrPC for FIR registration should not be entertained when statutory remedies under Sectio...

Criminal Law - Quashing of FIR – Section 505(2) IPC – No Prima Facie Case – Allegation of false news report against the petitioner, a media network editor, for airing misleading information – The petitioner neither hosted nor participated in the broadcast – Held: No ingredient of Section 505(2) IPC met – FIR quashed [Paras 8-12]. Freedom of Press – Medi...

Quashing of Proceedings – Criminal Intimidation – Insufficient Material – Petition to quash final report and proceedings under Section 482 of Cr.P.C. – Allegations under Sections 366, 354(D)(1), 354, and 506 read with Section 34 IPC – Threat by 2nd accused related to an earlier incident not linked to the primary crime – Threat insufficient to constitute criminal...

Negotiable Instruments Act – Section 138 – Conviction based on dishonour of cheque – Petitioner convicted and sentenced to rigorous imprisonment for two years and compensation of Rs. 5,50,000 – During revision, parties reached a compromise – Court directed statements to be recorded and verified the compromise – Genuineness confirmed, and proceedings quashed [Par...