24-Hour Clock For Production Runs From Formal Arrest Where Pre-Arrest Detention Is Statutorily Authorised: Kerala High Court Issues Guidelines

The Kerala High Court has issued a slew of guidelines that must be followed upon the arrest of persons in order to safeguard their constitutional and statutory rights. [2026 LiveLaw (Ker) 463]Dr. Justice Kauser Edappagath, while considering a batch of bail applications, further clarified that an accused has to be produced before the Magistrate only within 24 hours of formal arrest, and not...

Juvenile Sent To Judicial Custody In 5-Yr Offence: Allahabad High Court Warns Police, Magistrates Against Careless Arrests, Remands

The Allahabad High Court has once again cautioned police authorities and Judicial Officers against a "careless or callous approach" in matters of arrest and remand where the offence carries a maximum punishment of up to 7 years.The Court's observation was in relation to a habeas corpus plea concerning a juvenile who was repeatedly sent to judicial custody in a case where the maximum...

Delhi High Court Quashes Criminal Defamation Case Against Senior Advocate Pinaki Misra, Finds No 'Prima Facie' Case

The Delhi High Court has quashed a 2019 criminal defamation case against senior advocate Pinaki Misra over allegations of calling the complainant a "crook‟ and a "black mailer" in an interview to a news portal. [2026 LiveLaw (Del) 792]It was alleged that the complainant had filed a complaint with Bar Council of Delhi in 2018 against the petitioner, alleging that Misra's appearance on behalf...

Calcutta High Court Quashes Cruelty Case Against Husband's Students, Girlfriend, Says They Are Not 'Relatives' U/S 85 BNS

The Calcutta High Court has quashed criminal proceedings against four persons accused of subjecting a woman to cruelty, theft and criminal intimidation in connection with a matrimonial dispute, holding that the allegations in the FIR did not disclose the ingredients of the offences against them. Justice Dr. Ajoy Kumar Mukherjee, while allowing a criminal revision petition filed by...

Former Congress Minister Yogendra Sao Acquitted In NTPC Protest Case; Jharkhand High Court Finds No Evidence Of Assault Or Instigation

The Jharkhand High Court has acquitted former Congress minister and MLA Yogendra Sao in a criminal case arising from a 2010 protest during the inauguration of an NTPC project office in Hazaribag, after finding that there was no specific evidence that he had assaulted anyone or instigated the gathering.A Single Judge Bench of Justice Pradeep Kumar Srivastava set aside the concurrent findings...

'Looteri Dulhan' Case: Gujarat High Court Grants Bail To Marriage Bureau Owner, Notes No Role In Alleged Gang

The Gujarat High Court on Tuesday (August 25) granted bail to a woman running a marriage bureau booked in a cheating and criminal breach of trust FIR, noting that her role was limited to solemnizing marriage of complainant's nephew and no role was attributed to her being part of the "Looteri Dulhan gang". [2026 LiveLaw (Guj) 231]For context, the term refers to an organized criminal network...

Body Found In Pieces Doesn't Establish Self-Inflicted Injury Or Other Exceptions To Deny Railway Compensation: Allahabad High Court

The Allahabad High Court has held that the recovery of a passenger's body in several pieces cannot by itself lead to the conclusion that the death fell within the exceptions to Section 124-A of the Railways Act, 1989. It held that the Railways must establish those exceptions by leading cogent and substantial evidence.Section 123(c)(2) of the Act defines 'untoward incident' to include...

SC/ST Act | Eyewitness To Caste Abuse Must Be Independent And Impartial: AP High Court

The Andhra Pradesh High Court has held that while examining an allegation of caste-based abuse under the SC/ST Act, the requirement of “public view” must be considered in the context of whether the alleged eyewitnesses were independent and impartial. [2026 LiveLaw (AP) 201]The Court accordingly quashed the criminal proceedings against a Sub-Inspector and a Constable arising from a...

26-Month Delay In SC/ST Act Probe: Rajasthan High Court Seeks Explanation From Former IOs, Supervisory Authorities

While considering a delay of almost 2 years in completion of investigation in a case under the SC/ST Act, Rajasthan High Court directed filing of affidavits by all the former investigating officers, explaining the reason behind failure to adhere to the 60 days' time-line as per the Act. The bench of Justice Shubha Mehta further directed the concerned authorities referred to under Rule 7(3) of...

Jail Manual Rules Govern Disciplinary Action, Cannot Be Used To Prove Criminal Charge: Jharkhand High Court

The Jharkhand High Court has held that responsibilities fixed upon jail officials under the Jail Manual may be relevant for disciplinary action or dereliction of duty, but cannot be used to prove a criminal charge, which must be determined on the basis of the ingredients of the offence under the penal statute.A Single Judge Bench of Justice Pradeep Kumar Srivastava made the observation...

Orissa High Court Commutes Death Sentence Of Man Who Stabbed Wife 49 Times And Slit Daughter's Throat, Says Emotions Can't Replace Law

The Orissa High Court on Tuesday (August 25) commuted the sentence of death awarded to a man for committing murder of his wife by stabbing her 49 times with a knife, who had given birth to a girl child just three days prior to the incident, and also attempting to commit murder of his six-year-old daughter by slitting her throat. [2026 LiveLaw (Ori) 98]Though the act of the appellant was found...

Spouses Living In Separate Rooms Not Cruelty Per Se, But Cumulative Effect Of Prolonged Discord Relevant: Karnataka High Court

The Karnataka High Court has recently dismissed an appeal filed by a husband challenging a decree of divorce granted on the ground of mental cruelty, and permanent alimony granted to his wife by the Family Court. While doing so, the court made a crucial distinction that mere separate living within the same premises, by itself, cannot be treated as cruelty. [2026 LiveLaw (Kar)...