Selling Non-E20 Compliant Car Without Disclosure Amounts To Unfair Trade Practice: Consumer Court Directs Maruti Suzuki To Replace Vehicle Or Refund Cost Punjab & Haryana High Court Appoints Independent Observer, Orders Videography To Ensure Fair Mayoral Polls In MC Abohar Railways Cannot Be Held Liable For Shortage Of Goods Booked At 'Owner's Risk' Unless Negligence Is Proved: Supreme Court High Court Cannot Re-Appreciate Evidence In Writ Jurisdiction To Interfere With Fact-Finding By Civil Courts: Supreme Court Supreme Court Directs All States To Formulate Premature Release Policy For Terminally Ill & Elderly Prisoners Within 3 Months Employer Cannot Deny Compassionate Appointment Citing Age Limit Crossed Due To Its Own Delay In Processing Medical Retirement: Supreme Court Remission Applications Of Life Convicts Must Be Decided Within 3 Months; Long Incarceration Merits Interim Bail: Supreme Court Arbitration Clause Or Civil Remedy No Bar To Criminal Prosecution If Offence Prima Facie Disclosed: Allahabad High Court No Ground For Repeated Enquiries On Overlapping Allegations Without Fresh Material: Andhra Pradesh High Court Dismisses PIL Against MedTech Park Officials District Council Court Is A 'Civil Court', Barred From Deciding Nokma Succession Disputes Under Garo Hills Social Customs Act: Meghalaya High Court Fundamental Rights Can't Be Bartered Away On US Embassy's Complaint": Karnataka HC Awards Rs 5 Lakhs For Illegal Arrest Of Homestay Owner Non-Compliance With Section 42 NDPS Act During Night Search Of Private Vehicle Vitiates Proceedings, Rigour Of Section 37 Won't Apply: Kerala High Court Employer Has Sole Right To Prescribe Qualifications; Courts Cannot Substitute Views Of Academic Experts: Madhya Pradesh High Court Suppression Of Criminal Antecedents Disentitles Accused To Discretionary Relief Of Bail: Orissa High Court Non-Communication Of Grounds Of Arrest In Writing & Denying Legal Aid During First Remand Vitiates Detention: Punjab & Haryana High Court Dispute Over Authenticity Of Will Falls Within Domain Of Civil Court: Telangana High Court Grants Anticipatory Bail In Forgery Case State Cannot Arbitrarily Retain Premium Paid For Unutilized FSI; Denial Of Refund To Residential Projects Violates Article 14: Supreme Court Courts Cannot Rewrite Commercial Contracts; No Interest On Security Deposit Unless Refund Delayed Beyond Agreed Period: Supreme Court State's Failure To Challenge Bail Of Co-Convict Entitles Identically Situated Accused To Parity: Supreme Court Kerala High Court Discharges Kumbakudi Sudhakaran In Criminal Contempt After Unconditional Apology For Remarks Against Judges 12-Day Delay In Filing Appeal Against Section 138 Conviction Minimal, Courts Shouldn't Adopt Hyper-Technical Approach: Madhya Pradesh High Court Complaint Barred By Limitation If Drug Is Only 'Not Of Standard Quality' And Not Spurious: Punjab & Haryana High Court Quashes Prosecution Proclaimed Offender Not Entitled To Anticipatory Bail, Especially When Evading Investigation: Allahabad High Court Trial Court Cannot Disregard Evidence Of Witness Proving Will If Attesting Witnesses Are Deceased: Andhra Pradesh High Court Oral Waiver Of Right To Be Searched Under Section 50 NDPS Act Must Be Reduced To Writing: Bombay High Court Grants Bail Specific Allegation Of Fund Mismatch In Show Cause Notice Sufficient Due Process For Fraud Classification: Calcutta High Court Failure To Provide Written Grounds Of Arrest A 'Curable Defect' If No Prejudice Caused To Accused: Delhi High Court

"CRIMINAL LAW" Digest

Family Law – Mediated Settlement Agreement – Resilement – DV Proceedings Quashed – Parties married in 2000 entered into a Settlement Agreement dated 16.05.2024 through mediation, agreeing to dissolve marriage by mutual consent under Section 13B of the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955 – Appellant-Husband performed his obligations including payment of ₹75,00,000/-, ₹14,00,0...

Voyeurism — Section 354-C IPC — Essential Ingredients — Quashing of FIR — Applicant accused of staring at complainant's chest and insulting her during office meetings — FIR registered under Section 354-C IPC — Held: Section 354-C is a specific provision penalising watching or capturing the image of a woman engaged in a "private act" in circumstance...

Bail — Espionage — Official Secrets Act, 1923 — BNS, Section 152 — Petitioner accused of transmitting sensitive defence information to Pakistani intelligence operatives — FIR registered on basis of disclosure statement made during custody in a prior Arms Act case — Petitioner had visited Pakistan in November 2024 on a religious trip to Kartarpur Sahib and Nankan...

Criminal Law – Limitation for Taking Cognizance – Section 468, Cr.PC – Relevant Date for Computing Limitation – Cross-FIRs – FIR No. 121 of 2011 registered against Respondent No. 2 for offences under Sections 323 and 341 read with Section 34, IPC arising out of an altercation on 09.05.2011 – Charge-sheet filed on 29.05.2012, i.e., one year and twenty days after ...

Criminal Law – Suspension of Sentence – Section 389 CrPC – Murder Conviction – Respondent No. 2 convicted under Sections 302/34 IPC and Section 27(3) of the Arms Act and sentenced to life imprisonment after full trial, based on consistent ocular evidence of three eyewitnesses – High Court suspended sentence during pendency of appeal relying on specific role attributed...

Criminal Law – Interim Custody of Property – Freezing and Defreezing of Bank Accounts – Sections 451, 457 and 102 Cr.P.C. – The complainant transferred Rs. 1.17 crores, including amounts to the petitioner's account, for the procurement of a fluid which was never supplied – The Investigating Officer froze the petitioner's bank account containing Rs. 1,12,15,884...

Dowry Death — Section 304B IPC — Presumption under Section 113B Evidence Act — Foundational Facts — Prosecution failed to prove that the deceased was subjected to cruelty or harassment in connection with demand of dowry soon before her death — Seven out of eighteen prosecution witnesses, including mahazar witnesses (PW5, PW6), confession and recovery witnesses (PW10, ...

Kidnapping — Section 363 IPC — Lawful Guardianship — Acquittal — The appellant was convicted by the learned Additional District and Sessions Judge, Fast Track Court No. 7, Calcutta under Section 363 IPC and sentenced to rigorous imprisonment for four years — The conviction arose from an incident dated 03.11.2003 in which the appellant allegedly took a minor girl from ...

Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013 – Section 20(3) – Direction for CBI Investigation – Exoneration in Preliminary Inquiry – Mandatory Reasons – Petitioner, Senior Intelligence Officer, DRI, Delhi Zonal Unit, was part of the investigation team against Respondent No. 5, who had been issued multiple show-cause notices proposing confiscation and raising demands of several hu...

Kidnapping – Section 363 and 366 IPC – Criminal Conspiracy – Section 120-B IPC – Victim a Minor – Conviction Partly Upheld – Accused Sanjeev Kumar @ Sanju instigated the minor victim (aged 16 years) to leave her home by threatening her about public knowledge of their relationship, paying her ₹800/- and promising to marry her – Accused Kanchan Kumar accom...