Criminal Law
Orissa High Court Orders ₹30,000 Compensation For Man's Prima Facie Illegal Arrest Through Forged NBW
The Orissa High Court has ordered payment of ₹30,000 as compensation to a 63-year-old man after finding that he was prima facie illegally arrested and detained on the basis of a counterfeit non-bailable warrant (NBW). [2026 LiveLaw (Ori) 87]The Court also directed separate enquiries by the Sub-Divisional Judicial Magistrate (SDJM), Bhubaneswar and the Deputy Commissioner of Police...
Karnataka High Court Directs Trial Court To Consider Prajwal Revanna's Objections To Pendrive Evidence In Rape Case
The Karnataka High Court on Friday (July 31) directed the trial court to consider the objections raised by former MP and expelled Janata Dal (Secular) leader Prajwal Revanna to the marking of a pen drive as evidence, in a rape case filed against him.Justice M Nagaprasanna disposed of Revanna's petition after recording the State's submission that it had no objection to the trial court...
Pressuring Spouse To Sign Divorce & Child Custody Papers Doesn't Constitute 'Cruelty': Patna High Court
The Patna High Court has held that merely pressuring a spouse to sign divorce and child custody papers during matrimonial negotiations does not constitute the offence of cruelty under Section 85 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023. The Court observed that such conduct neither amounts to harassment for an unlawful demand of property nor to wilful conduct likely to drive a woman to suicide...
OTT Fame Shalini Passi Moves Orissa High Court To Quash Criminal Case For Posting Jagannath Temple's Inner Premise Photo
Reality television personality and art collector Shalini Passi has filed a petition before the Orissa High Court seeking to quash the cognizance order and the impending criminal proceeding registered against her for capturing photo of Lord Jagannath temple's inner premise and posting the same through her Instagram handle.As per the prosecution allegations, an FIR was registered under Section...
Relief For Ex-Congress MLA Vinay Kulkarni: Karnataka High Court Stays Conviction In 2016 Yogesh Goudar Murder Case, Grants Bail
The Karnataka High Court on Friday (July 31) stayed the conviction of former Congress MLA Vinay Kulkarni for the murder of BJP Zilla Panchayat member Yogesh Goudar in 2016, until his appeal challenging the conviction is disposed of.The court also suspended his life sentence and directed he be released subject to certain conditions. Kulkarni had challenged the conviction in an appeal; he had...
Externment Of Gang Member Under Police Act Requires Satisfaction About Gang's Activities, Not Individual Alone: Bombay High Court
The Bombay High Court has held that the "subjective satisfaction" required for passing an externment order under Section 55 of the Maharashtra Police Act, 1951 against a gang or body of persons is fundamentally different from the satisfaction required under Section 56 for externment of an individual. The Court observed that while Section 55 requires the authority to be satisfied about...
POCSO | Putting Vibrating Machine On Victim's Vaginal Opening Amounts To Penetrative Sexual Assault & Rape: Kerala High Court
The Kerala High Court recently clarified that putting a vibrating machine on the victim's vaginal opening amounts to 'penetrative sexual assault' punishable under the POCSO Act as well as rape punishable under the Indian Penal Code. [2026 LiveLaw (Ker) 416]Justice A. Badharudeen referred to Section 3 of the POCSO Act [Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act], which defines...
'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...
PC Act | Decision To Refuse Prosecution Sanction Can't Be Reviewed On Same Materials : Supreme Court
The Supreme Court recently observed that an order denying sanction to prosecute a public servant under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 cannot be reviewed by the appropriate authority unless fresh material emerges which was not available at the earlier instance. "A mere change of opinion per se on the same materials cannot be a ground for review or reconsideration of an earlier...
Patna High Court Quashes FIR Against GATE AIR 45 Holder, Says Student Protest Was In 'Youthful Exuberance'
The Patna High Court has quashed an FIR lodged against an engineering student accused of vandalism and assault during a protest over internal assessment marks, observing that the incident was merely “an act of protest undertaken by a number of students in youthful exuberance” and that continuation of the proceedings would unfairly jeopardise the petitioner's future.A Single Judge Bench...
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...