'Medical Evidence Alone Can't Prove Authorship Of Crime': Orissa High Court Acquits Man In 2002 Witchcraft Murder

The Orissa High Court on Tuesday (June 23) acquitted a man who was convicted by a Sessions Court in 2003 for committing murder of a person suspecting him to be practising witchcraft.Finding lack of evidence against the appellant/convict and significant gaps in the prosecution case, the Bench of Justice Manash Ranjan Pathak and Justice Sashikanta Mishra held–“Defence has not disputed...

AP High Court Quashes Cruelty FIR Against Husband, Says Same Evidence That Led To In-Laws' Acquittal Can't Subject Him To Ordeal Of Trial

The Andhra Pradesh High Court quashed a cruelty and dowry demand case against husband, observing that the prosecution evidence had already been disbelieved during the trial of his parents who were acquitted of the same allegations and thus compelling the husband to undergo a separate trial would amount to waste of Court's time. [2026 LiveLaw (AP) 105]Justice K. Sreenivasa Reddy allowed...

Long Lapse Of Time Without Similar Criminal Conduct Relevant While Moulding Sentence: Supreme Court

The Supreme Court on Tuesday (June 23) reduced the sentence of a convict, who had been awarded five years' rigorous imprisonment for each of four offences, noting that there was no material on record to indicate his involvement in any similar criminal activity during the long intervening period. “The long lapse of time without any material indicating repetition of similar criminal conduct...

'Being Advocate No Ground For Anticipatory Bail': Punjab & Haryana High Court Denies Relief To Lawyer Accused Of Forging Bail Order

The Punjab and Haryana High Court has dismissed the anticipatory bail plea filed by an Advocate accused of cheating, forging a bail order to defraud complainants of over ₹10 lakh. [2026 LiveLaw (PH) 207]Justice Deepak Gupta said, “Merely because the petitioner is a practicing advocate cannot constitute a ground for grant of anticipatory bail. The status of a profession neither places a...

Claimant's Guilty Plea To Rash Driving Acts As Admission Of Negligence, Disentitles Him To Accident Compensation: Uttarakhand High Court

The Uttarakhand High Court has held that where a claimant has pleaded guilty in a criminal case arising out of a motor accident, such a plea amounts to an admission that the accident occurred due to his rash and negligent driving. The Court observed that while the effect of a finding recorded in a criminal case may stand on a different footing, a voluntary plea of guilt by the claimant...

Social Media Must Regulate Intimidating Posts: Karnataka High Court While Denying Bail To 4 Over 'Obscene Posts' Against Darshan's Wife

The Karnataka High Court last month denied bail to four persons who have been booked for making obscene posts on social media against actor Darshan's wife Vijaylakshmi Darshan. [2026 LiveLaw (Kar) 212]Justice S Rachaiah dismissed the bail petitions in four separate orders and noted:"No doubt, freedom of speech of expressions are guaranteed to its citizens under the Constitution...

Speedy Justice Requires Stakeholders To Act With Due Diligence: Uttarakhand High Court Directs State To Assist Trial Courts In Long-Pending Trials

The Uttarakhand High Court has granted bail to a murder accused who had remained in judicial custody since 13.07.2016, reiterating that the right to speedy trial is an integral facet of Article 21 of the Constitution of India and that prolonged incarceration of an undertrial prisoner without likelihood of early conclusion of trial cannot be countenanced indefinitely.Importantly, the Court...

Gujarat High Court Quashes FIR Against Advocate, Finds He Was Falsely Implicated For Representing One Of The Accused

The Gujarat High Court recently quashed an FIR against an advocate, after noting that the CCTV footage reflected that he was not present at the place where he had allegedly threatened the complainant. [2026 LiveLaw (Guj) 170]The advocate claimed that the complainant had falsely implicated him as he represented one of the accused in the case lodged by complainant. The complainant on the...

Magistrate Can't Reject Refer Report Solely Based On Protest Petition: Rajasthan High Court Quashes Cognizance In Rape Case

The Rajasthan High Court has held that a Magistrate cannot reject a negative final report and take cognizance of offences solely on the basis of the averments made in a protest petition, without meaningfully considering the material collected during investigation and recording reasons for disagreeing with the investigating officer's conclusions. Holding that the cognizance order suffered...

Dowry Deaths : How Supreme Court Has Repeatedly Raised Concerns Over Continuing Dowry Menace

The death of Twisha Sharma in Bhopal, which prompted the Supreme Court to initiate suo motu cognisance of allegations of institutional bias and procedural lapses and a CBI investigation, and the death of Deepika Nagar in Greater Noida amid allegations of dowry harassment have once again brought public attention to the issue of deaths of married women in their matrimonial homes.Even...

Bombay High Court Quashes Rape FIR, Orders Preliminary Inquiry On Woman's Future Complaints After Noting Pattern Of Similar Cases

The Bombay High Court recently, while quashing a rape FIR, ordered the Director General of Police (DGP), Maharashtra to circulate the details of the complainant woman to all the police stations across the State so that the police exercises caution in future on receiving any complaint from the said woman as she is "habitual" in filing false rape, domestic violence and cruelty cases.The...

Justice Administration Not Divorced From Human Dignity: Rajasthan High Court Suspends Life Convict's Sentence On Severe Medical Condition

Rajasthan High Court suspended life-sentence and granted bail to a murder convict, suffering from the severe ailment of Guillain-Barre Syndrome. It held that humanitarian consideration assumed greater significance when the ailment was so severe that confinement might deprive the appellant of comfort, emotional support and constant care which only family could provide. [2026 LiveLaw (Raj)...