Conviction For Sexual Assault Can Be Based Solely On Reliable Testimony Of Victim Without Corroboration: Allahabad High Court Marriage Dead For All Practical Purposes Can Be Nullified Under Article 142: Supreme Court Grants Divorce Citing Irretrievable Breakdown Senior Officers Accountable For Subordinates' Negligence; State Must Adopt Doctrine Of 'Superior Responsibility' To Combat Corruption: Allahabad High Court Constitutional Principles Of Article 21 Must Override Statutory Embargo Of Section 37 NDPS Act In Prolonged Incarceration: Punjab & Haryana High Court Recording Leasehold Land As 'Pattadar' Instead Of 'Sthitiban' Turns Back The Clock; Violates Right To Property: Orissa High Court Naib Tahsildar Performing Quasi-Judicial Functions Is A 'Judge' Under 1985 Act, Entitled To Protection Against Pension Cuts For Errors Of Judgment: MP High Court Demand Notice Under Section 138 NI Act Must Specifically State Cheque Amount; Failure To Do So Vitiates Prosecution: Kerala High Court Revisional Jurisdiction Under Land Revenue Act Must Be Exercised Within Reasonable Time, Cannot Reopen 20-Year-Old Mutation: J&K&L High Court Specific Performance: Plaintiff Must Prove Financial Capacity; Low Income & Dishonoured Cheques Negate Readiness and Willingness: Karnataka High Court Delay In Pronouncing Reserved Judgments Violates Article 21; Must Be Delivered Within 3 Months: Supreme Court Issues Binding Guidelines For High Courts Professional Independence Does Not Grant License To Abandon Matrimonial Obligations: Supreme Court Dissolves 18-Year Marriage Between Doctors Persistent Denial Of Sexual Intimacy Constitute Mental Cruelty; Supreme Court Dissolves 'Dead' Marriage Invoking Article 142 NDPS Act | High Court Cannot Ignore Mandatory Twin Conditions Under Section 37 While Granting Bail For Commercial Quantity: Supreme Court Contractual Royalty Rates Must Yield To Statutory Amendments; Royalty Payable At Rate Prevailing During Dispatch: Supreme Court Power To Punish For Contempt Must Be Exercised With Restraint But Should Act As Deterrent Against Levity: Supreme Court Public Functionaries Cannot Treat Supreme Court Orders As Matters To Be Addressed At Their Leisure: SC Warns Rajasthan Authorities High Court Can't Reassess Facts Or Substitute Its Interpretation Of Pleadings In Revisional Jurisdiction: Supreme Court Order 12 Rule 6 CPC | Decree On Admission Requires Categorical & Unequivocal Admission; Pleadings Cannot Be Read In Piecemeal: Supreme Court

"NDPS" Digest

Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances – Acquittal – Appellant convicted under Section 22(c) of the NDPS Act for alleged possession of 174 ampules of Lupigesic and 24 unlabelled ampules – Trial court sentenced appellant to 13 years of rigorous imprisonment with fine – Appellant challenged conviction citing procedural lapses including delay in production of contraband an...

NDPS – Bail – Commercial Quantity – MDMA 70 gms – FSL positive – Twin conditions – Bail refused – Accused No.3 sought bail under Sec. 483 BNSS/439 CrPC for offences under Secs. 8(c), 21(c) & 22(c) NDPS – Court held seizure of 70 gms MDMA from petitioner established prima facie by mahazar and FSL report – Quantity is commercial – No gr...

NDPS Act – Appeal Against Acquittal – Acquittal Upheld – Prosecution case based on recovery of 1 kg 50 grams charas from each accused – Trial court acquitted accused due to contradictions in evidence – High Court found inconsistencies in timing of arrest, packing and sealing procedure, and absence of independent witnesses – Held: Prosecution failed to establish ...

NDPS Act – Confiscation of Vehicle – Interim Release – Jurisdiction of Special Court – Rules of 2022 do not divest the Special Court of power to order interim custody of a seized conveyance – Subordinate legislation cannot override parent statute – Power under Sections 451 & 457 CrPC [497 & 503 BNSS] remains intact – High Court’s contrary vie...

NDPS Act – Bail – Commercial Quantity – Section 37 Bar – Petitioner arrested with 150 bottles of Codeine-based syrup and found in possession of multiple contrabands at co-accused’s premises – Statement under Section 67 NDPS Act reveals trafficking and delivery role – Trial court framed charges under Sections 8, 8-A, 21(c), 22, 27-A, 29 NDPS Act – Pet...

NDPS Act – Bail – Commercial Quantity – Section 37 – Rejection of Bail – 500 grams of Mephedrone recovered from applicant’s conscious possession – Seizure made in presence of panch witnesses after informing accused of rights under Section 50 – Contraband verified and certified by Magistrate under Section 52A – Chemical Analyzer’s report c...

NDPS Act – Search and Seizure – Section 50 – Applicability limited to “personal search” – Search of a bag carried by accused does not attract Section 50 – Expression “search of person” excludes baggage, briefcase, or container – Constitution Bench ruling in State of Punjab v. Baldev Singh and subsequent cases (Madan Lal v. State of Himach...

NDPS Act – Possession – Conscious Possession – Sections 18, 35 & 54 – Recovery of 65 kg of opium from the dicky of a car driven by appellant Dharampal Singh with co-accused Major Singh as occupant – Once possession of contraband is established, the burden shifts to the accused to prove lack of conscious possession, being a fact within their special knowledge &ndas...

NDPS Act – Charas Recovery – Conscious Possession – Conviction Upheld – Accused persons found in a private car with 27.8 kg of Charas concealed in door panels – Both appellants identified and apprehended during routine check based on prior information – Presence in private vehicle, not public transport, raised presumption of conscious possession – No expla...

NDPS Act – Search and Seizure – Compliance with Mandatory Provisions – Violation of Sections 42(2) and 50(4) – Police officers of Kapurthala conducting raid in Amritsar district without informing local police – Female accused personally searched by male officers – Non-compliance with statutory safeguards renders search illegal and recovery unreliable – Hel...