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

Criminal Procedure – Bail Application – Petitioners filed third bail applications under Section 439 Cr.P.C. – Previously rejected twice – Argument that no prima facie case against petitioners based solely on co-accused’s confessional statement during police custody – Confession not falling within the ambit of Section 27 of Indian Evidence Act as no discovery of ...

Criminal Procedure – Registration of FIR – Complaint Handling Post Cognizance – Petitioner challenged the order directing registration of FIR under Section 156(3) Cr.P.C. after the Magistrate recorded the complainant’s statement under Section 200 Cr.P.C. – Held that once cognizance was taken by recording the statement, the Magistrate could not issue directions for FIR...

Bail – Criminal Law – Bail Jurisprudence – Petitioners accused of offences under Sections 420, 406, and 120-B IPC, sought bail under Section 439 Cr.P.C. Contended that offences are triable by a Court of Magistrate, no case made out against them, and their incarceration is unwarranted. Argued that co-accused had already been granted bail and petitioners' cases are not distingu...

Domestic Violence – Proceedings under Section 12 of D.V. Act challenged – Petitioner claims respondent already receiving maintenance from salary and under Section 125 Cr.P.C – Magistrate issued notice for response, no interim monetary compensation ordered – Legal position on scope of notice under Section 12 clarified by Supreme Court – Petition dismissed, premature ch...

Seized Vehicles – Return Pending Trial – Petitioner, the registered owner of the vehicle No. WB 32J-4623, challenged the rejection of his request for the vehicle’s return, seized for allegedly transporting commercial quantities of ganja – High Court examined precedents and legal provisions regarding interim custody of seized vehicles – Held that seized vehicles may be...

Negotiable Instruments Act – Compounding of Offence – Petitioners sought to compound the offence under Section 138 of the N.I. Act – Application dismissed by the appellate court due to lack of consent from the complainant – Court emphasized that consent of the complainant is essential for compounding under Section 147 of the N.I. Act – Distinguished from the Supreme C...

Mental Health – Competence to Stand Trial – Petitioner, suffering from paranoid schizophrenia with 95% mental disability, found unfit to stand trial – Multiple medical reports and testimonies confirm severe mental disorder – Court directs postponement of trial against the petitioner and continuation against co-accused – Emphasis on provisions under Sections 328, 329, ...

Bail in NDPS Cases – Prolonged Pre-Trial Detention – The court addressed the issue of prolonged pre-trial detention for the petitioners, emphasizing that they had been in custody for more than three years (or approximately two and a half years for some) without significant progress in their trials. The court highlighted that such extended detention, without the completion of trial, vio...

Bail Application – Regular Bail – Appellants accused of drug smuggling and financing terrorism – Held in custody for nearly four years – High Court granted bail emphasizing the constitutional right to speedy trial and personal liberty – Bail granted with strict conditions despite stringent provisions under UAPA and NDPS Act [Paras 1-29].   Constitutional La...

Criminal Law – Quashing of Proceedings – Petitioner Biplab Jana @ Rohit sought quashing of proceedings in Marishda Police Station Case No. 148 of 2015, charged under Sections 306/34 IPC for abetment of suicide – Allegations included continuous harassment and attempted molestation leading to the victim’s suicide – The petitioner claimed he was falsely implicated due to...