'West Bengal Not A Bulldozer State, Police Not Lodging FIRs': Ex-CM Mamata Banerjee Tells High Court In Post-Poll Violence PILs

Trinamool Congress head and former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee told the Calcutta High Court on Thursday (May 14) that there had been large scale violence after the recently conducted legislative assembly polls in the State, including bulldozer action and that the Police was not permitting FIRs to be lodged. Notably, the BJP came to power for the first time in the State in...

Delhi High Court Recalls Order Granting Relief To The Wire's Siddharth Varadarajan Against Rejection Of OCI Card

The Delhi High Court on Thursday said that The Wire's Founding Editor Siddharth Varadarajan is prima facie guilty of “suppressing material facts”, regarding bail conditions imposed upon him by the Allahabad High Court, in his plea seeking OCI card. Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav asked Varadarajan to file an affidavit explaining his conduct, while also recalling its earlier order...

Delhi High Court Issues Notice On Indian National Congress' Plea Seeking Conveyance Deed For Jantar Mantar Property

The Delhi High Court on Thursday issued notice on a plea filed by Indian National Congress seeking a direction on the Delhi Government to execute a sale or conveyance deed in its favour regarding a property situated at city's Jantar Mantar Road.Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav sought response of Union of India through Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs and the Delhi Government. Congress...

Repeated Preventive Arrests U/S 107 CrPC After Bail In UAPA Cases Are Fresh Grounds For PSA Detention: J&K&L High Court

The Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh High Court has held that repeated preventive arrests of a detenu under Section 107 read with 151 CrPC after his release on bail in Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act cases constitutes fresh and proximate material for the detaining authority to pass an order of preventive detention under the Public Safety Act, and such grounds cannot be dismissed as stale...

Post-Mortem Report Cannot Prevail Over PAN Card, Driving Licence To Determine Age Of Deceased: Rajasthan High Court

The Rajasthan High Court has made it clear that when determining the age of a deceased, the date of birth mentioned in his/her PAN Card, Driving License will prevail over the age determined through post-mortem.The observation was made by Justice Sandeep Taneja while dealing with appeals against award granted by Motor Accident Tribunal.After hearing the contentions, the Court highlighted that...

Candidate Cannot Be Faulted For Not Producing Eligibility Certificate Which Department Was Bound To Obtain: Rajasthan High Court

The Rajasthan High Court has held that where the onus to procure the Certificate of Eligibility regarding the nationality of a candidate rests upon the appointing government-department, no adverse action can be initiated against the candidate for not approaching the Ministry of Home Affairs for obtaining the same.The bench of Justice Nupur Bhati was hearing a quashing petition filed by...

Number Of Convictions, Acquittals Obtained By Prosecutors Can't Be Sole Basis For Adverse Entries Against Them: Rajasthan High Court

While dismissing challenge to the Annual Appraisal Performance Form (“Form”) of the Prosecution Officers, Rajasthan High Court opined that collection of data regarding the number of convictions and acquittals per se could not be said to be an arbitrary action as long as that data was not being used for recording adverse entries against the officers.The bench of Justice Munnuri Laxman...

S.233 CrPC | Accused Has Right To Summon Defence Witnesses, Court's Interference Is Limited: Allahabad High Court

The Allahabad High Court has held that courts cannot ordinarily interfere in accused's rights under Section 233 CrPC to produce defence witnesses. It held that if the Court refuses to issue summons to witnesses sought to be produced by the accused then it can only do so by recording reasons in writing and observing that such summons would delay or defeat the cause of justice.Justice Vivek...

MP High Court Orders Probe Into Coal India Rehabilitation Jobs Allegedly Secured Through 'Marriage' With Landowners' Daughters

The Madhya Pradesh High Court has ordered an inquiry into appointments secured under the land acquisition rehabilitation scheme of South Eastern Coalfields Limited (subsidiary of Coal India), noting that certain individuals have allegedly secured employment by marrying daughters of tribal landowners (who were entitled to jobs in lieu of acquisition) and later abandoned the marriage after...

Allahabad High Court Grants Interim Protection To YouTuber Gautam Khattar In FIR Over Remarks On 'Karauli Shankar Baba'

The Allahabad High Court on Monday granted interim protection from arrest to YouTuber Gautam Khattar, who is facing a UP Police FIR over his alleged derogatory remarks against 'Sri Karauli Shankar Mahadev Baba' (also known as 'Karauli Sarkar'). Hearing Khattar's FIR quashing plea, a Bench of Justice JJ Munir and Justice Tarun Saxena granted 1-week to the state counsel to...

Dying Declaration Recorded Minutes Before Death Is Substantial Evidence; Minor Contradictions Cannot Be Scrutinised At Bail Stage: J&K&L HC

The High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh has held that a dying declaration recorded on a mobile phone minutes before the death of the deceased, which has been forensically certified as unedited, constitutes substantial admissible evidence under Section 32(1) of the Evidence Act, and minor contradictions in such a statement cannot be critically analyzed at the stage of considering a...

Police Cannot Seize Bank Accounts Under Section 102 CrPC Without Direct Link To Offence: Bombay High Court

The Bombay High Court has held that police cannot freeze or seize bank accounts under Section 102 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973, without establishing a direct nexus between the seized property and the alleged offence. The Court observed that imposing an onerous condition of furnishing a bank guarantee equivalent to the frozen amount while directing de-freezing of accounts frustrates...