Order Denying Permission for Peaceful Protest Rally Set Aside: Calcutta High Court Prolonged Custody Alone Cannot Justify Bail In Cases Involving Heinous Crimes: Delhi High Court Body Shaming and Sexually Colored Remarks Are Unacceptable In A Civilized Society: Kerala High Court No Mandatory Injunction Where Failure to Prove Ownership and Possession: Punjab and Haryana High Court Supreme Court Dismisses Article 32 Petition Seeking Declaration of Bombay High Court Judgment as Illegal Specific Relief Act | Power to Extend Time Under Section 28 Is Discretionary and Must Be Exercised Prudently: Supreme Court Failure To Comply With Statutory Mandate Under Order 39 Rule 3 CPC Renders Ex Parte Injunction Unsustainable: Karnataka High Court Bombay High Court Dismisses PIL Challenging Withdrawal of Cabinet's Recommendations for Legislative Council Nominations Supreme Court Reduces Murder Conviction to Culpable Homicide in Absence of Premeditation and Motive Desertion Means More Than Physical Separation, Includes Willful Neglect: Delhi High Court Director’s Liability Under Section 138 NI Act Ends with Resignation: Supreme Court Quashes Complaint Against Former Director in Cheque Dishonor Case

"CRIMINAL LAW" Digest

Criminal Procedure – Framing of Charges – Revision Petition – Petitioners challenged the order of the 5th Special Court at Calcutta framing charges under multiple sections of the Companies Act and SEBI Act, arguing that the charges were beyond the scope of the initial complaint and framed without proper judicial consideration – High Court observed that the trial court inclu...

Criminal Procedure – Quashing of FIR and Proceedings – Proceedings under Section 174-A IPC based on FIR quashed as being unsustainable under law – Held that Section 174-A IPC, though a cognizable offense, falls within the purview of Section 195(1)(a)(i) Cr.P.C. – FIR and police report for Section 174-A IPC cannot form the basis for cognizance unless accompanied by a complai...

Criminal Law – Quashing of Charges – Allegations of Criminal Conspiracy and Misappropriation of Coal Rejects – Supreme Court evaluated the genesis of the CBI investigation, highlighting that it was prompted by the CAG Audit Report, which lacked finality – The Court emphasized that the investigation into the case was unjustified, stemming from a civil dispute with no substan...

Anticipatory Bail – SC & ST Act – Prima Facie Case – Appeal Allowed – The appellant sought anticipatory bail after being accused of utterances and gestures of a sexual nature towards a journalist belonging to a Scheduled Caste, with offenses under Sections 74 and 79 of the BNS and Sections 3(1)(w)(ii) and 3(2)(va) of the SC & ST Act – The Court held that prima...

Criminal Law – Bail Application – Rape under POCSO Act – The applicant, aged 71 years, sought bail in a case involving gang rape and blackmail of a 12-year-old victim. The victim alleged that the applicant, along with a co-accused, had formed physical relations with her against her consent on multiple occasions, leading to her pregnancy, and blackmailed her with videos – He...

Dowry Death – Acquittal – Lack of Evidence of Unnatural Death – Appeal Dismissed – The trial court acquitted the accused of dowry death charges under Section 304-B IPC, as the prosecution failed to establish that the deceased’s death was unnatural – The High Court upheld the acquittal, noting that no post-mortem was conducted and there was no substantial evidenc...

Criminal Procedure – Acquittal – Victim's Right to Appeal – The petitioner, a de facto complainant, challenged the acquittal of the accused under various sections of the IPC, arguing that as a "victim" under Section 2(wa) of the CrPC, he had the right to appeal – The Sessions Judge dismissed the appeal on the ground that the petitioner could not be termed a &#...

Anticipatory Bail – Section 482 of Bhartiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 – Scope Expanded – The applicants filed for anticipatory bail under Section 482 of the BNSS, 2023, in connection with accusations under Sections 451, 394/34 of IPC – Held: The scope of anticipatory bail has been expanded compared to the earlier provision under Section 438 of the CrPC, 1973, removing g...

Bail Application – Prolonged Custody – Delay in Trial – Bail Granted – The Applicant sought release on bail in a murder conspiracy case, citing his custody since January 2020 and the slow progress of the trial, with over 70 witnesses yet to be examined. The trial was proceeding slowly due to limited availability of the Sessions Judge and the complexity of the case – H...

Criminal Law – Murder – Conviction Upheld - Dying Declaration – Admissibility and Evidentiary Value – The conviction was primarily based on the dying declaration of the deceased, Munish Kumar, implicating the appellant for stabbing him. The appellant questioned the reliability of the dying declaration on the grounds that the doctor who declared the deceased fit to make a st...