'1.45 Lakh Cases Pending Without Closure Report Despite Completed Investigation': Chhattisgarh High Court Seeks DGP's Reply

The Chhattisgarh High Court has directed the Director General of Police to file an updated status report on cases in which investigations have been completed but closure reports have not yet been filed before the competent courts. The Court noted that despite a reduction in the backlog, over 1.45 lakh such cases remained pending.A Division Bench of Chief Justice Ramesh Sinha and Justice...

Maintenance Granted Under HAMA Can't Be Enhanced Under Section 127 CrPC: Orissa High Court

The Orissa High Court has held that a Family Court cannot exercise its jurisdiction under Section 127 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) to enhance maintenance amount when the original maintenance order was passed under the Hindu Adoption and Maintenance Act, 1956 (HAMA). [2026 LiveLaw (Ori) 86]While setting aside the impugned order which was passed on such jurisdictional error, the...

S.125 CrPC | Woman Can't Claim Maintenance As Live-In Partner Without Pleading Or Proving Such Relationship: Allahabad High Court

The Allahabad High Court has held that a woman seeking maintenance under Section 125 Cr.P.C. cannot invoke the protection extended to live-in partners where she has neither pleaded such a relationship nor established that a marriage took place. It held that this is all the more so where the man has categorically denied having any relationship with her.Justice Lakshmi Kant Shukla...

Supreme Court Upholds Constitutionality Of Sentences Of Imprisonment For Remainder Of Natural Life Without Remission

The Supreme Court has upheld the constitutional validity of sentences directing imprisonment for the remainder of a convict's natural life, dismissing a batch of writ petitions that challenged such punishments as unconstitutional and contrary to the statutory remission framework.A Bench of Justice Sanjay Karol and Justice Augustine George Masih rejected petitions filed by four sets of...

Madras High Court Issues Directions To State, Judiciary For Speedy Trial Of Rape & POCSO Cases

The Madras High Court has issued a slew of directions to the State Government and the State judiciary for speeding up the investigation and trial of cases of crimes against women and children. [2026 LiveLaw (Mad) 350] The bench of Chief Justice SA Dharmadhikari and Justice G Arul Murugan stressed the need to follow the time limit prescribed for completing trial and witness...

Cryptic Phone Calls, Wireless Messages To Police About Crime Don't By Themselves Constitute FIR: Madras High Court

The Madras High Court recently held that any information received by the police with respect to a crime would not automatically amount to a first information statement or a first information report unless such information meets the statutory requirements of Section 154 of CrPC. [2026 LiveLaw (Mad) 349] The bench of Justice Anand Venkatesh and Justice KK Ramakrishnan observed that in...

Medical Negligence Case Requires Prima Facie Proof Of Gross Negligence Supported By Medical Opinion: Patna High Court

The Patna High Court has held that criminal prosecution against a doctor for alleged medical negligence cannot continue in the absence of prima facie material disclosing gross negligence supported by competent medical opinion. The Court observed that permitting such prosecution would cause manifest injustice and undermine the distinction between civil liability and criminal culpability.A...

Giving Inadequate Grounds Doesn't Automatically Vitiate Arrest Unless Accused Is Prejudiced: Orissa High Court Cites 'Sonam Raghuvanshi' Case

The Orissa High Court has held that the police furnishing inadequate grounds of arrest to the arrestee may not always vitiate the arrest, and it is vitiated only when such communication of inadequate grounds causes prejudice to the arrestee. [2026 LiveLaw (Ori) 85]While explaining the difference between “non-communication of reasons of arrest” and “inadequate communication of reasons...

Bombay High Court Issues Notice On Raj Kundra's Plea Challenging Summons In ED's 'Bitcoins' Case

The Bombay High Court on Tuesday (July 28) issued notice to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on a plea filed by husband of Bollywood actor Shilpa Shetty and businessman Raj Kundra, who has challenged a special court's order taking cognisance of a supplementary chargesheet naming him in a Bitcoin-linked money laundering case. Single-judge Justice Ashwin Bhobe issued notice to the ED and...

Suspension Of Sentence Plea Needn't Get Preference If Parties Are Ready To Argue Appeal/ Revision On Merits: Allahabad High Court

The Allahabad High Court has held that where the parties are ready to argue the criminal appeal or the criminal revision on merits, the application for suspension of sentence may not be given preference over final disposal of the criminal appeal or the criminal revision."As per our considered opinion, endeavour of the Court should be to decide the criminal appeal at the earliest if parties...

Does Informing Live-In Partner's Father Fulfil Police Duty To Notify Family Of Arrest? Kerala High Court Answers

The Kerala High Court recently granted bail to an NDPS accused after finding that the legal requirement to inform his relative or friend about arrest was not satisfied in the case. [2026 LiveLaw (Ker) 407]Dr. Justice Kauser Edappagath noted that the grounds of arrest was communicated only to the father of the applicant's live-in partner, who is a co-accused (accused No. 2) in the case....

Kerala High Court Denies Anticipatory Bail To Man Booked For Hurling Bomb At Wrong House

The Kerala High Court recently denied anticipatory bail to a man, who is booked for hurling a bomb, albeit at the wrong house. [2026 LiveLaw (Ker) 405]Dr. Justice Kauser Edappagath dismissed the pre-arrest bail application filed by the man, who was arrayed by the Kannur Kuthuparamba police in a crime.The offences alleged were those under Section 109(1) [Attempt to murder] of the Bharatiya...