Pouring Kerosene On Wife And Telling Her To Die Constitutes Abetment To Suicide Even If She Ignited Herself: Bombay High Court

The Bombay High Court has held that pouring kerosene on wife and telling her to die amounted to active instigation and provocation for abetment of suicide under Section 306 IPC, upholding the conviction of a husband whose wife subsequently set herself on fire. The Court observed that although the deceased herself ignited the fire, the accused had put her in a situation where she took the...

2009 SC/ST Atrocity Case: Karnataka High Court Upholds Acquittal Of 26 Booked For Pulling Down Dr BR Ambedkar's Portrait

The Karnataka High Court dismissed State's appeal against the acquittal of 26 persons over an incident of pulling down of Dr BR Ambedkar's portrait in Chamarajanagar. [2026 Livelaw (Kar) 408]Upholding trial court's order, the High Court said that the material contradictions in the eye witness statements, among many other factors had led the trial court to acquit the accused and there was no...

'Mindset Needs To Change': Bombay High Court Criticises Practice Of Prosecutors 'Vehemently' Opposing Bail Despite Long Incarceration

The Bombay High Court on Wednesday (October 7) criticised the 'practice' of the public prosecutors to 'vehemently' oppose bail applications even in cases of long incarceration. The High Court said that even in cases where an accused is behind the bars for years altogether, the prosecutors oppose the bail applications citing the 'severity' of the crime. Single-judge Justice Milind Jadhav made...

Procedural Violation Will Not Vitiate Seizure But Can Affect Evidentiary Value : Supreme Court

"The burden of proving a valid seizure of the articles is on the prosecution"

'Case Of Adolescent Love': Gujarat High Court Quashes POCSO FIR, Says Girl Voluntarily Left Parent's Home

The Gujarat High Court quashed a kidnapping and POCSO case against a man after noting that this was a case of "adolescent love" wherein the girl was in relationship with the accused and had voluntarily left her parents home as her father was pressuring her to marry someone else. [2026 LiveLaw (Guj) 276]The court was hearing a man's plea seeking quashing of an FIR under Sections 363...

Karnataka High Court Grants Bail In Section 69 BNS Case, Says Promise To Marry Was Made After Sexual Intercourse

The Karnataka High Court granted bail to a 26-year-old man accused of sexual intercourse by deceitful means under Section 69 BNS, observing that the complainant's own statement indicated that the alleged promise to marry was made 'after' the physical relationship and not before. [2026 LiveLaw (Kar) 406]Section 69 states that whoever, by deceitful means or by making promise to marry a...

Obscene Words, General Abuse At Woman Not Offence U/S 354A(1)(iv) IPC If No Allegation Of Sexually Coloured Remark: Kerala High Court

The Kerala High Court recently held that utterance of general abuse or obscene words at a woman without any specific allegation of a sexually coloured remark would not attract the offence of sexual harassment as per Section 354A(1)(iv) of the Indian Penal Code. [2026 LiveLaw (Ker) 563]Justice Jobin Sebastian observed:“the mere utterance of obscene words would not, by itself,...

Proof Of Robbery Or Attempted Robbery Essential Component For Conviction Under S. 394 IPC : Supreme Court

The Supreme Court on Wednesday (October 7) held that a conviction under Section 394 IPC / Section 309 (6) of BNS cannot be sustained unless it is proved that robbery or an attempt to rob took place. “The robbery or attempted robbery is not at all a peripheral circumstance and is rather an essential component of the offense.”, observed a bench of Justice Prashant Kumar Mishra and...

Saree With Deity's Artwork On Lower Portion, 'Pallu' Doesn't Outrage Religious Feelings Or Disrupt Public Order: Gujarat High Court

The Gujarat High Court has held that mere printing or selling of saree, textile materials containing artistic depictions of a deity or revered icon, even if appearing on lower border/Pallu of the garment, cannot automatically be presumed to be an act driven by deliberate malice or calculated to disrupt public order and outrage religious feelings. [2026 LiveLaw (Guj) 275]The court was hearing...

If Breakup Ends Up With Suicide, It Cannot Always Be Termed Abetment To Suicide : Supreme Court

Refusal to marry must be accompanied by intention or knowledge to drive a woman to suicide, the Court said.

'Two-Month Delay In Lodging FIR in Gang Rape Case Not Extraordinary, Cannot Disbelieve Entire Occurrence': Patna High Court

The Patna HC has held that a two-month delay in lodging an FIR in a gang-rape case is not so extraordinary that the entire occurrence can be disbelieved on that ground alone.A Single Judge Bench of Justice Chandra Shekhar Jha was hearing a quashing petition seeking to set aside the order dated 27.11.2018 by which the Special Judge, SC/ST, Patna had taken cognizance under Section 376(D) of...

Offence Of Sexual Intercourse On False Promise Of Marriage U/S 69 BNS Doesn't Apply To Women: Karnataka High Court

The Karnataka High Court has held that the offence under Section 69 BNS—which penalises sexual intercourse by employing deceitful means or false promises of marriage which does not amount to rape—cannot be invoked against a woman.Section 69 states that whoever, by deceitful means or by making promise to marry a woman without any intention of fulfilling the same, and has sexual...