Custodial Interrogation Not Required For Police Inspector Accused Only Of Illegal Confinement Prior To Victim's Death: Karnataka High Court Divorced Wife Entitled To Maintenance; Mere Earning Capacity Not A Bar: Orissa High Court Mere Mass Transfer Of Officers By Election Commission Does Not Paralyse State Machinery: Calcutta High Court Dismisses PIL Right To Appeal Under Senior Citizens Act Belongs Exclusively To Parents, Children Cannot File Appeal: Orissa High Court Wife Is Absolute Owner Of Streedhan, Taking It Away Does Not Attract Criminal Breach Of Trust Under Section 406 IPC: Allahabad High Court Government Need Not Adjudicate If Employee Is 'Workman' Before Referring Dispute To Labour Court: Gujarat High Court Bidder Cannot Be Disqualified For Submitting Certificate From Unspecified Agency If Tender Document Is Silent: Delhi High Court No Presumption Of Joint Family Property Merely Because Joint Hindu Family Exists: Andhra Pradesh High Court Driver Clicking Selfies With Licensed Firearm Doesn't Make Owner Liable Under Arms Act: Punjab & Haryana High Court Quashes FIR High Court Imposes Blanket Ban On Tree Felling In Haryana, Cites Impending Ecological Catastrophe Due To Dismal Forest Cover

"CRIMINAL LAW" Digest

Criminal Law - Arms Act – Illegal Possession of Firearms – Recovery and Seizure Procedure – Conviction Set Aside – The petitioner was convicted under Section 25(1-B)(A) of the Arms Act for possession of two unlicensed pistols – Independent witnesses did not support the prosecution’s case, and they were declared hostile – The prosecution’s case relied...

Negotiable Instruments – Simultaneous Civil and Criminal Proceedings – Section 138 of the NI Act – Quashing Rejected – The petitioner sought to quash proceedings under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act on the grounds that a civil suit for recovery of the same amount was already pending – The respondent had filed a complaint due to dishonor of a cheque issu...

Criminal Law – Remission of Sentence – Conditions Imposed – The appellant was convicted under Section 302 read with Sections 147 and 148 of the IPC and sentenced to life imprisonment – The State Government of Gujarat remitted the appellant's remaining sentence under Section 432(1) of the CrPC – However, conditions were imposed including that the appellant must &qu...

Criminal Law – Murder Conviction – Acquittal – Witchcraft Allegation – Sections 302, 201 IPC – Sections 3/4 of Prevention of Witch (Daain) Practices Act – Appellant convicted for the murder of his sister-in-law, branded as a witch – Conviction based on circumstantial evidence and alleged confession – Trial court sentenced him to life imprisonment &nd...

Negotiable Instruments – Dishonor of Cheque – Presumption under Sections 138, 139, and 118(a) N.I. Act – Once the issuance of the cheque is admitted or established, a presumption arises that the cheque was issued for a legally enforceable debt or liability – The burden is on the drawer to rebut this presumption – The Supreme Court found that the respondent failed to a...

Pre-Arrest Bail – Alleged Sexual Intercourse on False Promise of Marriage – Petitioner accused of establishing a sexual relationship with the survivor on the false promise of marriage – Prosecution alleged that petitioner retracted his promise when the survivor became pregnant – Crime registered under Section 376(2)(n) IPC – Petitioner claimed the relationship was con...

Defamation – Section 482 Cr.P.C. – Quashing of Criminal Proceedings – The appellant sought quashing of the criminal proceedings under Section 482 Cr.P.C. for defamation after making statements against respondent No. 2, calling him a "sexual predator" – Supreme Court held: The appellant, realizing his mistake, tendered an unconditional apology and agreed to publish...

Criminal Law – Remand of Trial – Appeal against acquittal – Appellant challenged the order of the Allahabad High Court, which had remanded the case back to the Trial Court for retrial from the stage of testimony of PW 2 – The High Court found the trial process unfair due to the admission of prosecution documents without formal proof – Directed the retrial, allowing th...

Criminal Law – Bail – Custody of Elected Representative – Regular Bail Granted – The petitioner, a sitting MLA, was in custody for over one and a half years for using mobile phones to allegedly threaten witnesses and extort money while in jail – His bail was initially denied by the Special Judge and the High Court, citing his criminal history and the potential misuse ...

Criminal Law – Rash and Negligent Driving – Conviction Quashed – The applicant, a bus driver, was convicted under Sections 279 and 304-A of the IPC for causing the death of a pedestrian in a road accident – He was sentenced to three months of simple imprisonment and fined Rs.1,000 – Held: The conviction was not sustainable as there was no evidence of rash or negligent...