Criminal Law
No Contact With Wife For Over 5 Months Before Suicide: Allahabad High Court Acquits Husband; Says Giving Dowry Is Also An Offence
The Allahabad High Court recently acquitted a husband who had been convicted of subjecting his wife to cruelty, abetting her suicide and offences under the Dowry Prohibition Act, observing that when the trial court itself found that the husband had no contact or communication with his wife for more than 5 months before she died by suicide, it could not be said that he had abetted the...
Gujarat High Court Refuses To Quash FIR Against Female Health Worker Accused Of Forcing ASHA Workers To Convert To Christianity
The Gujarat High Court refused to quash an FIR against a female health worker accused of attempting to convert Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) workers to Christianity, noting that the allegations prima facie disclosed commission of the offence. [2026 LiveLaw (Guj) 217]The applicant had sought quashing of an FIR and chargesheet under Sections 4(1), 4(2) and 4C of Gujarat Freedom...
Loan Default After SARFAESI Notice Cannot Be Turned Into Criminal Case: Patna High Court Quashes Cheating, Breach Of Trust Proceedings
The Patna High Court has quashed criminal proceedings arising out of a housing loan dispute, holding that the complainant's remedy lay before the Debt Recovery Tribunal and not through criminal prosecution. The Court observed that the complaint was filed only after a SARFAESI demand notice was issued and described it as a “classical case of conversion of civil dispute into...
Advocates Cannot Prevent Police From Producing Arrested Lawyers In Court : Madras High Court
The Madras High Court recently held that though advocates can raise objections with respect to police excess in the arrest of other lawyers, they cannot prevent the police from producing such accused lawyers in the court. [2026 LiveLaw (Mad) 371] Justice Bharatha Chakravarthy was hearing a plea by 10 lawyers to quash the criminal case registered against them for preventing the police...
Irrespective Of Rank, Police Officials Cannot Order Further Investigation During Trial Without Court's Permission: Allahabad High Court
The Allahabad High Court has held that no police officer, irrespective of rank, can direct further investigation in a criminal case during the pendency of trial without first obtaining the permission of the court trying the case.A bench of Justice JJ Munir and Justice Tarun Saxena noted that this was a settled position of the law under Section 173(8) CrPC, however, now it has been...
Telangana High Court Restrains 'Defamatory' Content Against Two Developers Over Alleged Encroachment On Govt Land
The Telangana High Court has passed interim orders restraining publication of allegedly defamatory content against two developers–Prestige Acres Private Limited and Vaishnaoi Developers (India) Private Limited, by YouTube channels and social media accounts over allegation of encroaching upon graveyard and endowment lands. The court passed the order after prima facie finding that...
Keeping Person In Police Custody Under Guise Of 'Voluntary Cooperation' Violates Article 22: Chhattisgarh High Court
The Chhattisgarh High Court has held that investigating agencies cannot keep a person in their custody under the guise of "voluntary cooperation" to circumvent the constitutional safeguards against arrest, observing that such a course would violate Article 22 of the Constitution. The Court ruled that a mere endorsement on a notice stating that a person is voluntarily accompanying the...
Chhattisgarh High Court Refuses To Quash SC/ST Act Case Against Woman Over Instagram Remarks On Dr. B.R. Ambedkar
The Chhattisgarh High Court has refused to quash criminal proceedings against a woman accused of posting objectionable remarks against Dr. B.R. Ambedkar on Instagram, holding that the allegations in the charge-sheet, if taken at their face value, prima facie disclose the commission of cognizable offences. The Court further held that disputed questions relating to the alleged remarks,...
Patna High Court Quashes Cruelty Case Against Husband After Woman Declared Dead By Family Was Found Alive
The Patna High Court has quashed criminal proceedings against a man accused of cruelty under Section 498A IPC after noting that the complainant's family had mistakenly identified an unidentified woman's body as hers, while she was in fact alive in Mumbai.Justice Praveen Kumar passed the order in a petition challenging the Magistrate's decision taking cognisance of the offence.According to...
PC Act | Strong Suspicion, Not Proof Of Guilt, Is Required At Stage Of Framing Charges: Allahabad High Court Refuses Relief To Ex-GST Officer
Refusing relief to a former GST Official in a Corruption case, the Allahabad High Court on Wednesday observed that at the stage of framing charges, the court is only concerned with a "strong suspicion" that the accused has committed an offence and the final test of proof of guilt is not to be applied."…at the stage of consideration of question of discharge of the accused/ revisionist a...
Rajasthan High Court Takes Suo Motu Cognizance After Woman Prisoner Dies Post Denial Of Medical Parole
Rajasthan High Court took suo moto cognisance of a matter in which parole was denied to a woman-prisoner who was suffering from chronic comorbidities, heart failure, and cardiac & pulmonary disorders, which ultimately led to her demise. The bench of Acting Chief Justice Sanjeev Prakash Sharma and Justice Sanjeet Purohit took note of the fact that the interpretation of the Rajasthan...