Custodial Assault To Extract Confession Not Official Duty, No Prior Sanction Needed To Prosecute Police Officers: Bombay High Court

Assaulting a suspect for a confessional statement would never be an act in discharge of official duty of any police officer, held the Bombay High Court while refusing to discharge three policeman, who had allegedly assaulted a man— forcing him to confess to a murder offence. [2026 LiveLaw (Bom) 319]Sitting at the Kolhapur bench, single-judge Justice Sandesh Patil noted that in the instant...

Gujarat High Court Grants Bail To Assault Accused After Sessions Court Declined To Decide Plea On Merits Amid Alleged Influence By HC Staff

The Gujarat High Court granted to bail to two accused booked in an assault case, after noting that the sessions court had without going into merits rejected their bail plea amid allegations of attempt by certain members of high court staff to influence the proceedings. [2026 LiveLaw (Guj) 192]Justice Hasmukh D Suthar noted that the FIR was registered against the applicants...

Rajasthan High Court Imposes 3-Year Social Media Ban On Youth Booked For Morphing Minor's Photos

The Rajasthan High Court has imposed a 3-year social media ban on a youth accused of morphing images of a minor and uploading them on social media with an intention to defame her.FIR was registered against him under the relevant provisions of the BNS, POCSO Act, and the Information Technology Act. The applicant, seeking bail, argued that he was in custody since April 2026, and was ready...

Bonafide Purchaser Of Court-Auctioned Property Can't Be Prosecuted For Cheating Without Proof Of Conspiracy: AP High Court

The Andhra Pradesh High Court has held that a bonafide purchaser of a property earlier sold in a court auction cannot be prosecuted for cheating and forgery in the absence of material showing that he conspired with the vendor or had knowledge of the earlier court auction. [2026 LiveLaw (AP) 116]The order was passed by Justice K. Sreenivasa Reddy while allowing a criminal petition filed by...

Acid Attack Leading To Death By Septicemia Months Later Constitutes Murder: Uttarakhand High Court Upholds Conviction

The Uttarakhand High Court has upheld the conviction of an accused under Sections 302, 326A and 504 of the Indian Penal Code, holding that the death of an acid attack victim due to septicemic shock more than two months after the incident did not break the chain of causation. The Court observed that where the medical evidence establishes that septicemia resulted from infected ante-mortem acid...

Karnataka High Court Quashes FIR Over Allegedly Anti-National Social Media Post After Woman Undertakes Not To Make Similar Posts

The Karnataka High Court has recently quashed an FIR registered against a 24-year-old woman hailing from Mangaluru for her allegedly anti-national and anti-Hindu social media posts, accepting her affidavit of regret and an undertaking to exercise caution in the future.[ 2026 LiveLaw (Kar) 241]A single-judge bench of Justice M. Nagaprasanna allowed the petition filed by Afeefa Fathima, a...

'Impulsive Young Men Lured By Wealth, Not Professional Killers': Bombay High Court Commutes Death Penalty In Kidnap-Murder Case

The Bombay High Court recently, while commuting the death sentence of two men to 30 years jail term— for kidnapping and killing a young boy, observed that the two convicts were 'typical young men' who were 'baffled' as their plan to become wealthy did not work and so for 'immediate solution' they killed the boy.A division bench of Justice Bharati Dangre and Justice Manjusha Deshpande...

S. 34 IPC | Proof Of 'Prior Concert' Essential To Convict With Aid Of 'Common Intention': Allahabad High Court Acquits Man In 1987 Murder Case

The Allahabad High Court has held that a conviction under Section 34 IPC (Common Intention) is legally unsustainable unless the court reaches a definite conclusion that the accused acted in "prior concert" and pursuant to a prearranged plan. A bench of Justice JJ Munir and Justice Vinai Kumar Dwivedi made these observations while acquitting the accused-appellant (Laddan) in a murder...

Threat To Witness Not Grounds For Transferring Trial, Witness Protection Act Applicable: Uttarakhand High Court

The Uttarakhand High Court has held that allegations of threats to witnesses, by themselves, do not justify the transfer of a criminal trial when the Uttarakhand Witness Protection Act, 2020, provides a statutory mechanism for securing protection to witnesses. The Court observed that where such protection is available and can be invoked, transfer of the trial is unwarranted.Justice Siddhartha...

JJ Act | FIR Against School Principal For Calling Student 'Thief' Can't Be Quashed Merely Due To Absence Of Trauma In Child: HP High Court

The Himachal Pradesh High Court held that the absence of clinical signs of trauma in a psychologist's report is not a ground to quash an FIR under Section 75 of the Juvenile Justice Act. Whether the child actually suffered mental trauma is a matter of evidence to be determined during trial, and the allegations themselves, if accepted at face value, were sufficient to disclose a prima...

Cannot Ignore Steps By Accused To Save Himself From False Allegations Before Lodging Of FIR: Chhattisgarh High Court Quashes Rape Conviction

The Chhattisgarh High Court has set aside the conviction of a man for offences under Sections 376(1) and 506 Part II IPC, holding that the trial court failed to appreciate material evidence produced by the defence, including a complaint and legal notice issued by the accused prior to the lodging of the rape FIR. The Court observed that such legal steps taken by the accused to protect himself...

US Tourist Rape Case: Karnataka High Court Stays Proceedings Against Kodagu Homestay Owner Booked Under Repealed Foreigners Act

The Karnataka High Court on Tuesday (July 7) granted an interim stay on all proceedings against the owner of a Kodagu homestay, charge sheeted for offences under the now-repealed Foreigners Act 1946, in connection with the alleged rape of US national at his premises. The single judge bench of Justice M. Nagaprasanna passed the interim order and directed that the complainant-victim who is now...