Delhi High Court Frames Criminal Contempt Charges Against Advocate For Scandalizing Judge On LinkedIn After Cyber Cell Traces IP Logs Testimony Of Partially Hostile Witnesses Can Be Relied Upon If Corroborated: Delhi High Court Upholds Police Officer's Conviction Subordinate Engineers Entitled To Non-Functional Upgradation Even If Level 8 Reached Via MACP: Supreme Court FEMA Adjudicating Authority Cannot Overrule Competent Authority's Refusal To Confirm Asset Seizure: Supreme Court Candidate Cannot Claim Lower Preference Post After Securing First Choice Under Merit-Cum-Preference System: Madhya Pradesh High Court Official Cannot Escape Corruption Trial Merely Because 90% Payment Was Made Prior To His Joining: Calcutta High Court Employee Who Evades Cross-Examining Witnesses Cannot Later Claim 'No Evidence' In Departmental Enquiry: Andhra Pradesh High Court Fictitious Or Non-Genuine Revenue Entries Cannot Confer Adhivasi Rights Under UP Zamindari Abolition Act: Allahabad High Court Calcutta High Court Quashes Termination Of Compassionate Appointee Over Age Dispute, Says Such Claims Cannot Be Kept Pending Indefinitely Alleged Custodial Torture Does Not Automatically Attract Contempt Under 'D.K. Basu' Unless Specific Arrest Guidelines Are Violated: Gujarat High Court Authority Cannot Act As 'Judge In Own Cause'; Himachal Pradesh High Court Quashes Distillery License Cancellation Over Procedural Impropriety Financial Corporations Have Absolute Power To Fix Employee Pay, Prior State Govt Approval Not Required: Jharkhand High Court Custodial Interrogation Not Required For Police Inspector Accused Only Of Illegal Confinement Prior To Victim's Death: Karnataka High Court Rescission Of Contract Without Hearing Is Illegal; Courts Cannot Interfere In Second Appeal If Findings Rest On Unrebutted Evidence: Gauhati High Court RTI Penalty Proceedings Are Between Commission and SPIO Alone — Complainant Has No Right To Be Heard: Kerala High Court Catastrophic To Allow Law To Take Its Own Course: MP High Court Quashes POCSO, BNS FIR After Victim And Accused Marry No Presumption Under Section 20 PC Act Without Proof Of Demand And Acceptance: Telangana High Court Quashes Case Against Sub-Inspector Attack On Judicial Officers Is Criminal Contempt; Supreme Court Orders CBI/NIA Probe Into West Bengal Incident Prolonged Physical Relationship By Educated Woman Amounts To 'Promiscuity', Not Rape Induced By Misconception Of Fact: Punjab & Haryana High Court Father Cannot Escape Duty To Maintain Minor Children Merely Because Mother Earns Substantial Income: Uttarakhand High Court Divorced Wife Entitled To Maintenance; Mere Earning Capacity Not A Bar: Orissa High Court

"CRIMINAL LAW" Digest

Criminal Procedure – Discharge Application – Rejection – Accused, Gurendra @ Golu, sought discharge on the grounds of alibi, claiming presence at the High Court Photo Identification Centre, Allahabad, on the day of the incident – Trial court rejected the discharge application, which was challenged through revision – Held: Trial court’s decision was justified as ...

Criminal Procedure – Condonation of Delay – Filing of Criminal Appeals – Delay of 390 days in filing Appeals under Section 21(5) of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) Act, 2008 – Petition by appellant/accused No. 2 seeking condonation of delay in filing the Appeals – Delay caused in filing the Criminal Appeals against orders dated 27.02.2023 passed by the Special...

Criminal Law – Quashing of FIR – Allegations of Rape – Petitioners sought quashment of the FIR and charge sheet on the grounds that the prosecutrix is a consenting adult and the case has been amicably settled – Held: Offenses under Section 376 IPC (rape) are serious in nature and cannot be quashed on the basis of compromise, as they have a profound impact on society –...

Criminal Law – Murder – Circumstantial Evidence – The appellant was convicted for the murder of his neighbor following an altercation over a disputed will – The prosecution relied on circumstantial evidence and a dying declaration made by the deceased – The trial court convicted the appellant, despite acquitting the co-accused on the same evidence – Held: The co...

Criminal Law – Murder Conviction – Intentional Killing – Appellant convicted under Section 302 IPC for killing the deceased with an axe – Prosecution’s case was based on the eyewitness testimonies of P.W.1 (wife of the deceased) and P.W.2 (son of the deceased) – Held: The appellant, after an initial altercation, went to his house, returned with an axe, and infli...

Discharge Petition – Prima Facie Case – Sections 420 and 120B IPC – Charges Framed – The petitioners sought discharge from charges relating to financial irregularities and fraudulent loan disbursals under criminal conspiracy. The court held that prima facie evidence showed the petitioners' involvement as members of the Gram Sewa Sehkari Sabha Samiti. – Held: The t...

Criminal Law - Confiscation of Vehicle – Lack of Hearing Opportunity – The petitioner, the owner of the confiscated vehicle, challenged the SDM's confiscation order, asserting that he was not granted a reasonable opportunity to be heard, as required by Section 17(2) of the Haryana Gauvansh Sanrakshan and Gausamvardhan Act, 2015 – Held: The SDM failed to comply with the statut...

Criminal Law - Further Investigation – Scope of Section 173(8) Cr.P.C. – High Court’s Jurisdiction to Direct Further Investigation Post-Trial – Application of Legal Principles – The Supreme Court examined whether the High Court's direction for further investigation was legally justified, especially after the trial court had already rejected an application for summ...

Criminal Law - Cruelty and Abetment of Suicide – Section 498A and 306 IPC – Conviction Set-aside -  The appellants were convicted of harassing the deceased (Amrita Hazra) and abetting her suicide by administering poison – Held: The sister-in-law and her husband (appellants in CRA No. 17 of 2023) were visitors to the matrimonial home with no proven role in the alleged cruelty...

Criminal Law - Section 210 CrPC – Clubbing of Complaint and Police Case – The petitioners sought quashing of orders, arguing that Section 210 CrPC mandates the clubbing of a complaint case with a police report where both pertain to the same offence – Held: Section 210 CrPC requires the Magistrate to stay the complaint proceedings when an FIR has been registered regarding the same...