LiveLaw Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh High Court Weekly Roundup July 6 - July 12, 2026

Madhu Bakshi & Ors. v. Anti-Corruption Bureau & Anr. (Connected Matters) 2026 LiveLaw (JKL) 287

Anwar Jan (Choudhhary) v. UT of J&K & Ors.L 2026 LiveLaw (JKL) 288

Junaid Javid v. Union of India & Anr 2026 LiveLaw (JKL) 289

Mohammad Ishaq Najar & Ors. v. Union Territory of J&K & Ors 2026 LiveLaw (JKL) 290

Anjum Rafiq v. Union Territory of J&K & Anr 2026 LiveLaw (JKL) 291

Fayaz Ahmad Lone v. UT of J&K & Ors 2026 LiveLaw (JKL) 292

Vishnu Kant Sharma & Ors. v. Union Territory of J&K & Anr 2026 LiveLaw (JKL) 293

Mohammad Yaseen Khan v. State of Jammu & Kashmir (now UT) & Ors 2026 LiveLaw (JKL) 294

Ruksana Bano & Anr. v. Union Territory of J&K & Ors 2026 LiveLaw (JKL) 295

Judgments/Orders:

One-Time Settlement Does Not Wipe Out Criminal Liability: J&K&L High Court Refuses To Quash ₹289 Crore Bank Loan Fraud Case

Case Title: Madhu Bakshi & Ors. v. Anti-Corruption Bureau & Anr. (Connected Matters)

Citation: 2026 LiveLaw (JKL) 287

The Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh High Court refused to quash criminal proceedings against Ambience Group promoter Raj Singh Gehlot, his family members, associated companies and other accused in the alleged ₹289.28-crore Jammu & Kashmir Bank loan fraud.

Mere Pendency Of Criminal Cases Does Not Bar Preventive Detention If Material Indicates Threat To Public Order: J&K&L High Court

Case Title: Anwar Jan (Choudhhary) v. UT of J&K & Ors.

Citation: 2026 LiveLaw (JKL) 288

The Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh High Court held that merely because a person is facing prosecution in several criminal cases does not denude the competent authority of its power to invoke preventive detention under the Jammu and Kashmir Public Safety Act, 1978.

J&K&L High Court Declines To Fix 45-Day Timeline For Disposal Of RTI Appeals, Directs CIC To Improve Mechanism For Clearing Pendency

Case Title: Junaid Javid v. Union of India & Anr.

Citation: 2026 LiveLaw (JKL) 289

The Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh High Court declined to issue a writ of mandamus directing the Central Information Commission (CIC) to decide second appeals arising from the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir within a fixed period of 45 days, holding that the Right to Information Act, 2005 does not prescribe any statutory timeline for disposal of such appeals.

Govt Cannot Keep Disaster Restoration Workers Waiting Indefinitely For Admitted Dues Over Inter-Departmental Delays: J&K&L High Court

Case Title: Mohammad Ishaq Najar & Ors. v. Union Territory of J&K & Ors.

Citation: 2026 LiveLaw (JKL) 290

The Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh High Court held that the State cannot indefinitely withhold payment of admitted dues to persons who executed restoration works during a natural disaster merely because of pending inter-departmental formalities or non-release of funds under the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF).

Vehicle Cannot Be Kept In Police Custody Throughout NDPS Trial Merely Because It May Be Confiscated: J&K&L High Court

Case Title: Anjum Rafiq v. Union Territory of J&K & Anr.

Citation: 2026 LiveLaw (JKL) 291

The Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh High Court held that the mere fact that a vehicle is liable to confiscation under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985, does not justify its continued detention in police custody during the pendency of the trial.

"Personal Liberty Not A Plaything For District Police And District Magistracy": J&K&L High Court Quashes Preventive Detention

Case Title: Fayaz Ahmad Lone v. UT of J&K & Ors

Citation: 2026 LiveLaw (JKL) 292

In a strongly worded judgment reaffirming the constitutional primacy of personal liberty, the High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh quashed a preventive detention order passed under the Jammu & Kashmir Public Safety Act, 1978, holding that preventive detention cannot be founded upon a police dossier bereft of recent factual material and mechanically reproduced by the District Magistrate.

Magistrate Cannot Order Further Investigation On Protest Petition Without Explaining Why Police Investigation Was Deficient: J&K&L High Court

Case Title: Vishnu Kant Sharma & Ors. v. Union Territory of J&K & Anr.

Citation: 2026 LiveLaw (JKL) 293

The Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh High Court held that a Magistrate cannot mechanically reject a police closure report and direct further investigation merely on the basis of allegations contained in a protest petition without first recording cogent reasons demonstrating why the investigation was deficient or why the material collected by the investigating agency was unreliable.

Long Stagnation In Small Cadres Doesn't Create Right To Promotion Or Cadre Expansion: J&K&L High Court

Case Title: Mohammad Yaseen Khan v. State of Jammu & Kashmir (now UT) & Ors.

Citation: 2026 LiveLaw (JKL) 294

Shedding light on service law and cadre restructuring, the High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh upheld the constitutional validity of the note appended to Rule 1 of SRO 28 of 1996, holding that government employees cannot seek court directions for promotion merely because they have remained stagnated in a small cadre for a long time.

Victim's Denial Of Abduction Does Not Warrant Quashing Of Kidnapping FIR If Surrounding Circumstances Require Probe: J&K&L High Court

Case Title: Ruksana Bano & Anr. v. Union Territory of J&K & Ors.

Citation: 2026 LiveLaw (JKL) 295

The High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh held that an adult woman's categorical assertion that she was not abducted cannot, by itself, constitute a ground for quashing a kidnapping FIR where the surrounding circumstances emerging from the complaint and the investigation disclose disputed questions of fact requiring a thorough probe.