Compliance With S.50 NDPS Act Mandatory Even If Accused Himself Produces Contraband From Pocket During Body Search: Kerala High Court

The Kerala High Court has recently held that the compliance with Section 50 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act is mandatory even when the accused himself produces contraband from his pocket, during body search.For context, Section 50 of the NDPS Act deals with Conditions under which search of persons shall be conducted.According to the Section, when a duly...

Is A Doctor's Specific 'Fit State Of Mind' Certificate Necessary To Rely On A Dying Declaration? Allahabad High Court Answers

doctor's endorsement regarding the mental fitness of the deceased to make his/her declaration is not a rule of law or a mandatory provision, but merely a rule of prudence : Allahabad HC

Karnataka High Court Stays GO Directing Withdrawal Of 52 Criminal Prosecutions Including 2022 Aland Riots Cases

The Karnataka High Court on Thursday (July 2) stayed the operation of a May 27 Government Order directing Public Prosecutors to withdraw prosecution in 52 criminal cases across the State including 2022 Aland riots case. For context, in May 2025 the high court had set aside a Government order, directing public prosecutors to withdraw 43 criminal cases registered/pending against persons accused...

Karnataka High Court Rejects ED's Bail Cancellation Plea Against Aishwarya Gowda Accused In Gold Investment Scam

The Karnataka High Court has last week dismissed a petition filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) seeking cancellation of regular bail granted to Aishwarya Gowda, accused under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002 for an alleged ₹15 crores Gold Investment Scam. [ 2026 LiveLaw (Kar) 230]The single judge bench of Justice S. Vishwajith Shetty noted that the proviso to Section...

Sniffer Dog Evidence Can't Be Relied Upon Without Handler's Testimony & Tracking Panchnama: Allahabad High Court Sets Aside Conviction Of 4

The Allahabad High Court has ruled that sniffer dog evidence cannot be relied upon in the absence of a complete record of the exact manner in which tracking was done (the proceedings of the sniffer dog) in the Panchnama and the examination of the dog handler in the court. A bench of Justice JJ Munir and Justice Vinai Kumar Dwivedi added that there must be no discrepancy between the version recorded in the Panchnama and the handler's evidence deposed before the Court. With...

PIL In Jharkhand High Court Challenges NHRC Circular Withdrawing Mandatory Judicial Inquiry Into Custodial Deaths, Rapes

A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) has been filed before the Jharkhand High Court challenging a National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) circular which withdrew its earlier direction mandating judicial inquiries in every case of custodial death, disappearance and rape.The PIL seeks quashing of the NHRC's Circular dated May 14, 2024, which declared that the Commission's earlier circular dated September 4, 2020 had become “nugatory” and stood “withdrawn and annulled” following the coming into force...

Karnataka High Court Quashes Cruelty FIR Against Sister-In-Law Residing Abroad, Says Alleged Telephonic 'Instigation' Doesn't Attract S.498A IPC

The Karnataka High Court has quashed a cruelty case lodged by a woman against her sister-in-law who resides in Luxembourg, for allegedly 'filling the ears' of her in-laws by repeatedly calling them. [ 2026 LiveLaw (Kar) 229]The single judge bench of Justice M.Nagaprasanna noted that complaint about sister-in-law torturing the complainant through such phone calls cannot be accepted in the...

Magistrate Must Not Record Prosecution Evidence In Cases Exclusively Triable By Sessions Court : Supreme Court

The Supreme Court on Wednesday (July 1) held that a Magistrate is not required to record pre-charge evidence under Section 244 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 before committing a complaint case involving offences exclusively triable by a Court of Sessions, setting aside a Punjab and Haryana High Court judgment that had directed such an exercise“…the only requirement from...

'No Finding I Was Part Of Conspiracy, Yet I Was Convicted': Vinay Kulkarni's Uncle Tells Karnataka High Court In Yogesh Goudar Murder Case

Chandrasekhar Indi (Accused No. 16), the uncle of former Congress MLA Vinay Kulkarni, on Wednesday (July 1) told the Karnataka High Court that the trial court's judgment contains no finding that he was a member of the criminal conspiracy to murder BJP leader Yogesh Goudar, yet he has been convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment under Section 120B read with Section 302 of the IPC.Indi...

S. 465 CrPC | Taking Cognizance Under Wrong Provision Curable Defect If Magistrate Otherwise Has Jurisdiction : Supreme Court

The Supreme Court on Wednesday (July 1) held that a Magistrate's error in taking cognizance of an offence under an incorrect statutory provision is a curable defect and, this mistake, by itself, does not warrant quashing the cognizance order, provided the Magistrate otherwise has the jurisdiction to deal with the matter.“The well-settled position of law is that the error in taking...

'No Yellow Journalism': Gujarat High Court's Bail Condition For Man Accused Of Extorting Traders By Posing As Journalist

The Gujarat High Court has granted bail to a man accused of posing as a journalist along with co-accused and extorting money from traders by threatening them of defamation and also assaulting one of the traders who eventually passed away. [2026 LiveLaw (Guj) 84]The relief is subject to the Petitioner not indulging in any activity amounting to "yellow journalism" or publishing any news item...

Remission Policy Issued Under Article 161 Overrides Statutory Policy Framed Under CrPC: Supreme Court

The Supreme Court on Wednesday (July 1) held that a remission policy framed by a State Government in exercise of the Governor's constitutional powers under Article 161 of the Constitution cannot be overridden by a subsequent statutory remission policy issued under Sections 432 and 433 of the Code of Criminal Procedure. Holding that Haryana's 2002 remission policy continued to remain...