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...

Gujarat High Court Grants Bail To Law Student Accused Of Facilitating Cricket Betting Syndicate, Finds No Money Trail

The Gujarat High Court granted bail to a law student booked in a cheating FIR, involving various allegations including opening of bank accounts in the name of fictitious firms and transferring money received from cricket betting. [2026 LiveLaw (Guj) 191]The applicant was arrested in an FIR lodged under BNS Sections 318(4)(cheating), 336(4)(forgery), 338(Forgery of valuable security, will,...

Pre-Cognizance Hearing Of Accused U/S 223 BNSS Not Applicable To SFIO Proceedings Under Companies Act: Punjab & Haryana High Court

The Punjab and Haryana High Court has held that the mandatory pre-cognizance hearing of accused, contemplated under the first proviso to Section 223 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (BNSS), is not available to persons proposed to be arrayed as accused in prosecutions instituted by the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) under the Companies Act, 2013. [2025 LiveLaw...

Failure To Explain Wife's Death In Home Completes Chain Of Guilt: Allahabad High Court Affirms Murder Conviction Of Husband, In-Laws

The Allahabad High Court recently observed that if a woman dies an unnatural death within the four walls of her matrimonial home and a strong chain of circumstantial evidence points to the guilt of the accused, the burden lies upon the inmates of the house to explain the circumstances of her unnatural death under Section 106 Evidence Act. A bench of Justice JJ Munir and Justice...

'Police Can't Be Doctoring': Karnataka High Court Slams State Over Notices To Women Hospital Staff In Unnatural Death Case, Stays Probe

The Karnataka High Court on Tuesday [ July 7] strongly reprimand the police for allegedly overstepping their authority while investigation into the death of a patient at Cloudnine Hospital, and stayed all proceedings against the hospital and its staff.The single judge bench of Justice M. Nagaprasanna, while hearing a petition filed by Dr. Vinuta B. and M/s. Kids Clinic India Limited...

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...

Shariat Law Allowing Marriage At Puberty Violates POCSO; Prohibition On Child Marriage Applies To All Religions: Allahabad High Court

The Allahabad High Court has held that the Shariat/Muslim Personal Law permitting puberty as the competent age for a girl to marry runs clearly in the teeth of the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006, as well as the POCSO Act. A bench of Justice JJ Munir and Justice Achal Sachdev further observed that the age of marriage, for every citizen of the country, irrespective of religion,...

Contents Of FIR Inadmissible, Cannot Be Proved Through Scribe If Informant Dies Natural Death Before Testifying: Allahabad High Court

The Allahabad High Court has held that if a first informant dies a natural death before the commencement of a criminal trial or before testifying, the contents of the FIR cannot be proved through a scribe or an investigating officer. A Bench of Justice J.J. Munir and Justice Saurabh Srivastava clarified that if an informant's death has no connection whatsoever with the complaint lodged,...

Gujarat High Court Grants Bail To Man Booked For Extorting Complainant With AI-Generated 'Defamatory Videos'

The Gujarat High Court has granted bail to a man booked for extorting the complainant by threatening of creating defamatory videos against him using Artificial Intelligence. [2026 LiveLaw (Guj) 189]It was alleged that the applicant and the co-accused persons entered into a criminal conspiracy, collected confidential information relating to the complainant and the witness, and by using...