'Not Every Insult To SC/ST Member Is Atrocity': Calcutta High Court Quashes Case, Says Workplace Disputes Cannot Be Criminalised

The Calcutta High Court has held that professional disagreements, administrative disputes or alleged workplace humiliation cannot automatically attract offences under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act unless there is clear, caste-based insult or intimidation in public view. Quashing criminal proceedings against a Sanskrit professor, the Court observed...

Karnataka High Court Grants Bail To Bangladeshi National Accused Of Forging Indian Passport Citing Non-Supply Of Grounds Of Arrest

The Karnataka High Court recently granted bail to a Bangladeshi national accused of forging an Indian passport by using a fake Aadhar Card after noting that the grounds of arrest had not been provided to the petitioner.The court was hearing the bail plea by a Bangladeshi national accused of offences under Section 319(Cheating by personation), 336(3)(Forgery), 340(Forged document or...

Vague Allegation Of 'EVM Selfie' Doesn't Constitute Corrupt Practice To Nullify MLA's Election: Orissa High Court

The Orissa High Court has dismissed an election petition filed against the election of Biju Janata Dal's (BJD) Sarada Prasad Nayak as the Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) from the Rourkela Legislative Assembly constituency in the 2024 Assembly Election. A Bench of Justice Sashikanta Mishra categorically held that the fact that an official allegedly posted a selfie with an open...

Madras High Court Finds Man Guilty Of Contempt For Accusing Sitting Judges Of 'Genocide'

The Madras High Court has found a man guilty of contempt of court for making scandalous allegations against sitting judges of the High Court, alleging that the judge had committed “genocide” and “crime against humanity”. The bench of Justice P Velmurugan and Justice M Jothiraman, noted that the man had repeatedly made scandalising comments against more than 20 judges of the...

Panchayat Polls 2026 | Allahabad High Court Disposes PIL As State Confirms Process Underway To Constitute OBC Commission

After the Uttar Pradesh Government submitted that it is in the process of constituting an OBC Commission for the purposes of ensuring Panchayat elections as per law, the Allahabad High Court last week disposed of a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) plea concerning the issue.A bench of Justice Rajan Roy and Justice Abdhesh Kumar Chaudhary was hearing a PIL plea filed by Advocate Moti Lal...

Kerala High Court Stays BEVCO's Liquor Naming Contest, Flags Concern Over Use Of Public Exchequer

The Kerala High Court on Thursday (February 12) ordered an interim stay on the contest announced by BEVCO [Kerala State Beverages (Manufacturing and Marketing) Corporation] and Malabar Distilleries Ltd. inviting suggestions from the public to give a name and logo for a proposed premium brandy product.Division bench of Chief Justice Soumen Sen and Justice Syam Kumar V.M. was considering two...

Karnataka High Court Rejects Plea Making Corruption Allegations Against CM Siddaramaiah, Deputy CM DK Shivakumar; Warns Of Costs

The Karnataka High Court has dismissed a plea making allegations of corruption against Chief Minister Siddaramiah, Deputy CM DK Shivakumar and seeking registration of criminal proceedings observing that the petitioner had added every person holding office and if the plea is permitted it would be abuse of law. The court was hearing a petition moved by National president of Bhrastachar...

Mere Possession Of PDS Rice Not Cheating: Telangana High Court Quashes Case U/S 420 IPC & Essential Commodities Act Against Two Accused

The Telangana High Court has quashed criminal proceedings against two accused persons charged with cheating and violation of the Essential Commodities Act, holding that, in the absence of any allegation that beneficiaries were deceptively induced to part with Public Distribution System (PDS) rice, the continuation of prosecution would amount to abuse of process of law.Reiterating the...

Calcutta High Court Sets Aside Rejection Of Life Convict's Premature Release; Says Trial Court's Opinion U/S 432 CrPC Must Be Reasoned

The Calcutta High Court has held that while the State Government must obtain the opinion of the presiding judge of the convicting or confirming court before deciding a life convict's application for remission or premature release under Section 432(2) of the Code of Criminal Procedure, such opinion must be reasoned, informed and based on relevant factors, and cannot be mechanically accepted...

'Seizure Witness Turning Hostile, Conflicting Test Reports Create Doubt': Calcutta HC Acquits Man In 25-Yr-Old Mustard Oil Adulteration Case

The Calcutta High Court has set aside the conviction of a mustard oil mill co-owner in a decades-old food adulteration case, holding that doubtful seizure proceedings and inconsistent laboratory reports strike at the root of the prosecution's case and make conviction unsafe. The Court reiterated that when material discrepancies arise in expert evidence and seizure is not properly proved,...

AKG Centre Row: Kerala High Court Grants More Time To Trace Out Govt Order Assigning Kerala University's Land

The Kerala High Court on Thursday (February 12) granted two more weeks' time to the State government to file counter affidavit in the public interest litigation preferred by Kerala University ex-Joint Registrar, challenging the assignment of the varsity's land to AKG Centre for Research and Studies in the year 1977.When the matter came up for consideration before the Division Bench of...

Bigamy Charge Not Sustainable Against Alleged Second Wife: Karnataka High Court Reiterates, Retains Cruelty FIR Against Husband

The Karnataka High Court on Thursday (February 12) quashed charge of Bigamy (Section 494 IPC) against the alleged second wife of a man, in a complaint filed by the first wife of the husband reiterating that such a spouse cannot be dragged into the case specially where the allegations stems from a suspicion.The court was hearing a petition moved by a husband and his family as well as his...