Odisha Court Upholds Dismissal Of Complaint Against Ex-CM Naveen Patnaik & Former Secretary Over 'Misuse Of Public Funds' For Helicopter Trips

An Odisha Court upheld a magistrate's order dismissing a case against former CM and Biju Janata Dal (BJD) Supremo Naveen Patnaik and his then Private Secretary as well as '5T' Secretary V. Karthikeyan Pandian over alleged 300+ helicopter trips to different districts for meetings and campaigns, without sanction of funds from the government exchequer.While deciding the revision petition,...

'Child Should Not Be Treated As Criminal': Supreme Court Sets Aside Conviction On Juvenility Claim After 21 Years

The Supreme Court on Wednesday (02.09.2026) has set aside the 21-year old conviction of a man who was found to be a juvenile on the date of the offence, holding that a High Court's inherent power under Section 482 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 (CrPC, now Section 528 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023) can be exercised to recall its own final judgment where a mistake by...

S.304-B IPC | Fine In Addition To Sentence Cannot Be Imposed Where Statute Does Not Provide For It: Allahabad High Court

The Allahabad High Court has observed that Section 304-B IPC, a provision punishing the Dowry Death offence, does not prescribe any fine in addition to the sentence and hence, the same can not be imposed on a convict.A bench of Justice Zafeer Ahmad made the observation as it flagged a “glaring error” in the decision of a trial court to impose a fine of Rs. 20K on an accused convicted...

Alleged Illegal Detention, Assault Beyond Official Duty; No Sanction Needed To Prosecute Police Constable: Rajasthan High Court

The Rajasthan High Court has affirmed the order of the trial court and the revisional court to hold that no prosecution sanction under Section 197 CrPC was required before taking cognizance against the appellant-police officer who was accused of severely beating the respondent while the latter was allegedly under illegal detention.The bench of Justice Ravi Chirania affirmed that the act done...

7-Year Consensual Relationship Cannot Be Treated As Rape Over Subsequent Refusal To Marry: Jharkhand High Court

The Jharkhand High Court has held that where a physical relationship between two adults continued for over seven years, and there was no specific allegation that the man had no intention to marry the woman when he made the promise, the allegations at best disclosed a consensual physical relationship and did not constitute rape on a false promise of marriage.A Single Judge Bench of Justice...

'Several Missing Links' : Supreme Court Acquits Child Murder Case Convict After 16 Years' Imprisonment

The Supreme Court has acquitted the convict in a 2007 murder case involving the death of a six-year-old child, holding that the prosecution failed to establish his guilt beyond reasonable doubt and that several crucial links in the chain of circumstantial evidence were missing.A Bench of Justice Sanjay Kumar and Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva allowed the appeal and set aside the judgments of the...

Guilt Can't Be Presumed Merely Because Investigating Officer Faced Collusion Allegations : Supreme Court

The Supreme Court on Tuesday (September 1) observed that though a faulty investigation cannot, by itself, operate to the benefit of an accused, Courts also cannot presume guilt merely because the Investigating Officer (IO) was recalcitrant or faced allegations of collusion, particularly when the prosecution has failed to produce reliable evidence establishing the accused's guilt. “A...

Karnataka High Court Imposes ₹1 Lakh Costs On Man For Marking Plea Against ED Officer To CJI, Finance Minister

Attempt made to secure intervention through channels outside judicial process, Court said.

NDPS Act | Police Can't 'Blindly' Use Statutory Presumption To Prosecute Vehicle Owner Without Proof Of 'Knowledge': Rajasthan High Court

While upholding trial court's decision that acquitted an NDPS accused, Rajasthan High Court observed that unless it was established by the prosecution that the accused had conscious knowledge of his house/premises/vehicle/property being used for storage, concealment or transportation of contraband, offence under Section 25 was not made out. The bench of Justice Anil Kumar Upman held that...

S.311 CrPC | Court Can Recall Material Witnesses Even After Closing Evidence, Bar On Review Doesn't Apply During Trial: Rajasthan High Court

The Rajasthan High Court has held that the power of recall under Section 311 CrPC can be exercised by criminal courts even after the evidence of both sides is closed. It held that the consideration under the provision is not whether the evidence is closed, but whether the concerned evidence appeared essential for a just decision of the case.The bench of Justice Anil Kumar Upman further...

Brothel Customer An 'Active Participant' In Commercial Sexual Exploitation, Liable Under Immoral Trafficking Act: Kerala High Court

The Kerala High Court has held that a customer visiting a brothel would be criminally liable under Sections 5 and 7 of the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, 1956. [2026 LiveLaw (Ker) 484]The Division Bench of Justice Raja Vijayaraghavan V. and Justice K.V. Jayakumar clarified the position of law while answering a reference made by a Single Bench in view of conflicting decisions by...

Delhi High Court Quashes Excise FIR Against Liquor Company Over Mistaken Omission Of One-Day Permit For Soft Launch

The Delhi High Court has quashed an FIR registered under Section 33 of the Delhi Excise Act, 2009 against a liquor and beverages company, after finding that the omission to obtain a one-day liquor permit for a soft launch party was an inadvertent mistake. [2026 LiveLaw (Del) 798]Justice Saurabh Banerjee noted that liquor was found being served without a valid licence during a raid at Soul...