When Can “May” Be Read As “Shall”? J&K&L High Court Applies Purposive Interpretation To Uphold Statutory Right Under Drugs & Cosmetics Act

The Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh High Court has held that the word “may” occurring in Section 25(4) of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 cannot be construed as conferring an unfettered discretion on the Court where such interpretation would defeat the statutory right of a person to challenge a Government Analyst's report.Justice Wasim Sadiq Nargal observed that once a person, within...

'Won't Affect Outcome': ECI To Calcutta High Court In Congress's Plea Against BJP Nandigram Candidate's Alleged Age Discrepancy, Order Reserved

The Calcutta High Court on Thursday reserved its order on a Congress plea alleging discrepancies between Bharatiya Janata Party's Nandigram bypoll candidate Hasirani Rath's age and the year in which she claims to have passed her Class 10 examination.Senior Advocate Ritzu Ghosal, appearing for Congress, told Justice Krishna Rao that Rath's election affidavit states that she is over 60 years...

Seized Vehicle Used By UP Cops For Raid, Later Involved In Fatal Accident; Allahabad High Court Orders DGP Inquiry

The Allahabad High Court has directed the Director General of Police (DGP), Uttar Pradesh, to conduct an independent and discreet inquiry into the circumstances in which a vehicle seized in an excise case was taken out of police custody for a police raid and subsequently involved in a fatal accident.The Court observed that the circumstances surrounding the removal and use of the seized...

Motor Accident | Continuing In Existing Job Doesn't Mean No Future Earning Loss From Permanent Disability: Gujarat High Court

The Gujarat High Court enhanced the compensation awarded to an accident victim to over Rs. 8 Lakh, ruling that the mere continuation of employment of the accident victim after suffering 30% functional disability does not justify adopting a reduced multiplier or denying loss of future prospects. [2026 LiveLaw (Guj) 257]Justice J. C. Doshi observed that while an injured claimant may continue...

Minority School Need Not Follow Reservation Roster When Appointing Candidate From Same Minority Community: AP High Court

The Andhra Pradesh High Court has quashed the rejection of approval for an Attender appointed by a Christian minority school, holding that the reservation roster did not apply to his appointment as he belonged to the same minority community as the institution. [2026 LiveLaw (AP) 223]The Court based its ruling on Rule 12(6) of G.O.Ms. No.1 dated 01.01.1994, which exempts minority...

Driver Profiling, Online Monitoring Platform, Private Buses Regulation: Kerala High Court Issues Slew Of Directions To Improve Road Safety

The Kerala High Court on Thursday (September 24) issued a slew of directions to improve road safety in the State and observed that a suo motu case “In Re: Road Safety in Kerala” in this regard needs to be registered for continuous monitoring.The Division Bench of Justice Raja Vijayaraghavan V. and Justice K.V. Jayakumar remarked that comprehensive, coordinated and time-bound directions are...

Prior Permission For Each Foreign Travel, Imposed While Rescinding LOC, Can't Continue Where Accused Was Never Arrested: Delhi High Court

The Delhi High Court has held that a condition, imposed while quashing a look-out circular (LOC), requiring an accused to obtain prior permission for every foreign visit cannot be sustained where the individual was never arrested during investigation, the chargesheet stands filed, cognizance has not been taken and there is no material showing any non-cooperation or default.Justice Ravinder...

Cheque Bounce Case | Authenticated Bank Return Memo Can Be Produced Later To Correct Defect: Rajasthan High Court

The Rajasthan High Court has held that an authenticated bank return memo bearing the bank's seal and signature can be produced and exhibited later in a cheque-dishonour case to correct an inadvertent defect in an earlier return memo, and such subsequent production does not amount to filling a lacuna in the complainant's case.Justice Sunil Beniwal further observed that merely exhibiting a...

'Classic Indifference To Judicial Process': MP High Court Issues NBW Against Panna District Collector In Contempt Case

The Madhya Pradesh High Court has issued a non-bailable warrant against Panna Collector, Usha Parmar, observing that she neither appeared before the Court nor filed a compliance report in a contempt petition despite receiving notice. Remarking that she has shown "classic indifference" towards the judicial process, the bench of Justice Vivek Jain observed,"A letter has been sent by the...

Accused Entitled To Cloned Copy Of CCTV Footage Relied By Prosecution, Victim Privacy Can Justify Inspection Instead: Rajasthan High Court

While underscoring right to fair trial under Article 21, Rajasthan High Court held that if the prosecution was relying upon the contents of a DVD/pen drive which were also submitted along with the charge-sheet, the accused had to be mandatorily given a cloned copy of the DVD/pen drive, to enable him to present an effective defence during the trial. “…all documents including...

Uttarakhand High Court Disposes Plea Over Online Access Of FIRs After Police Demonstrate App-Based Facility

The Uttarakhand High Court has disposed of a PIL concerning the inability to access and download FIRs online after the police demonstrated before the Court that FIRs could be accessed through the Citizen Portal and Devbhoomi Mobile App. The Court recorded that the technical team demonstrated the functioning of the system by downloading FIRs, while the State also furnished details showing that...

Pregnant Woman Dies In Train Accident; Allahabad High Court Orders Separate ₹8 Lakh Compensation For Loss Of Unborn Child

The Allahabad High Court has ordered payment of a separate ₹8 lakh compensation for the loss of an unborn child after a pregnant woman died in a railway accident. The bench reiterated that an unborn child of more than five months in the womb is to be treated as a child in existence for the purpose of compensation. The Court started that the death of the 7-month-old foetus was...