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 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...

Criminal Law – Prevention of Corruption Act – Demand and Acceptance of Illegal Gratification – The appellant, State of Gujarat, challenged the acquittal of the respondent, a Clerk in the SRP Group, who was accused of demanding and accepting ₹200 for fixing the pay and leave salary of the complainant – The trial court acquitted the respondent on the grounds of insufficient...

Criminal Law – Conviction Based on Circumstantial Evidence – Appeal Allowed – Appellant, Raj Kumari, challenged her conviction for murder and robbery, arguing that the prosecution's case relied entirely on circumstantial evidence, which failed to establish an unbroken chain of events leading to her guilt – Held: The prosecution failed to prove the 'last seen' th...

Criminal Law – Kidnapping for Ransom – Procedural Lapses – Conviction of appellants under Sections 364A, 392, and 120B IPC for kidnapping a minor for ransom and subsequent recovery of ransom money challenged. Supreme Court noted significant procedural lapses, inconsistencies in witness statements, and failure to follow proper identification procedures. The delayed filing of FIR a...

Suo Motu Criminal Revision – High Court Powers Under Section 397 CrPC – The petitioner challenges the Madras High Court’s decision, which invoked its suo motu criminal revision powers under Section 397 of the CrPC, to interfere with a final closure report filed by the DVAC – Held: The High Court overstepped by effectively directing the framing of charges, a power that lies ...

Criminal Law – Sections 279, 337, 338, and 304(A) of IPC – Conviction and Sentence – Modified – The appellant was convicted of causing death by rash and negligent driving under Sections 279, 337, 338, and 304(A) of the IPC, related to a road accident resulting in the death of a pillion rider – The trial court sentenced him to simple imprisonment and fines for each off...

Criminal Procedure – Section 311 of CrPC – Recall of Witnesses – Judicial Discretion – The petitioners sought to recall and re-examine several prosecution witnesses, claiming that their previous lawyer had not conducted a proper cross-examination – The trial court rejected this application, and the High Court affirmed the decision – The Supreme Court held that t...

Family Law – Divorce by Mutual Consent – Mediation and Settlement – Dissolution of Marriage – The petitioner sought transfer of the divorce petition initiated by the respondent from Vadodara to Pune – During the proceedings, the parties were referred to the Supreme Court Mediation Centre, where they reached a settlement – The terms of settlement included dissolu...

Criminal Law – Murder – Section 302 IPC – Conviction Upheld – The appellant was convicted for murdering a 7-year-old boy by inflicting multiple dao blows on his neck and head – The appellant confessed to the crime under Section 164 CrPC – Two eye witnesses, aged around the same as the deceased, testified to the incident – The appellant claimed the act was ...

Criminal Law – Quashing of Proceedings – West Bengal Shops & Establishments Act, 1963 – Petitions filed for quashing criminal proceedings related to alleged violations under the West Bengal Shops & Establishments Act, 1963, including failure to display registration certificates, maintain overtime records, and comply with inspection orders – Petitioner argued that co...