“Withdrawal With Liberty To File Afresh Doesn't Permit New Reliefs": Bombay High Court Rejects Plaint

The Bombay High Court has held that where a plaintiff withdraws a suit with liberty to file a fresh suit on the same cause of action, he cannot seek additional reliefs in the subsequent suit unless specific liberty to claim such reliefs was obtained. The Court observed that omission to claim available reliefs in the earlier suit attracts the bar under Order II Rule 2 and Order XXIII Rule 1(4)...

“Detention Based On Vague Suspicion Violates Article 21": J&K&L High Court Strikes Down Detention Order Against 19-Yr-Old Student

The High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh held that personal liberty guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution cannot be reduced to a fragile right vulnerable to executive action based on unfounded or illusory suspicion. It clarified that preventive detention cannot be invoked on hollow material and that deprivation of liberty, particularly of a young person, must be supported...

Brother Cultivating Widowed Sister's Land Is 'Family Member', Not 'Deemed Tenant' Under Maharashtra Tenancy Act: High Court

The Bombay High Court has held that where a brother cultivates agricultural land belonging to his widowed sister, such cultivation would fall within the category of a “family member” and not give rise to a deemed tenancy under Section 4 of the Maharashtra Tenancy and Agricultural Lands Act. The Court observed that permissive cultivation by a close family member, particularly in the context...

Rape Conviction Cannot Rest On Suspicion; Chain Of Custody Defects Undermine Forensic Evidence: Uttarakhand High Court

The Uttarakhand High Court held that “a conviction must rest on legally proved evidence and not suspicion, however strong”, and that in the absence of a duly established chain of custody, forensic evidence loses its evidentiary value and cannot be treated as conclusive. Applying this principle, the Court set aside the convictions of the appellants-accused for offences under Sections...

Ex-Gratia Payments Last Hope Of Dependents; Rules Must Be Considered Liberally: MP High Court

The Madhya Pradesh High Court has directed the Central Madhya Pradesh Gramin Bank to pay the wife of the deceased employee ₹ 7 Lakh, observing that such payments represent the dependent's last hope and therefore must be considered with liberal, rather than strict, interpretation of the rules. The bench of Justice Anand Singh Bahrawat observed; "Ex gratia payment is a last hope of the...

Married Persons Cannot Enter Into Live-In Relationship Without Obtaining Divorce: Allahabad HC Refuses Protection

A single judge of the Allahabad High Court on March 20 observed that an individual who is already married and has a living spouse cannot legally be permitted to enter into a live-in relationship with a third person without seeking a divorce from the earlier spouse.A bench of Justice Vivek Kumar Singh made this observation while disposing of a writ petition filed by a couple (both married...

Supreme Court's 'Mihir Rajesh Shah' Directive Mandating Written Grounds Of Arrest Applies Prospectively: Orissa High Court

The Orissa High Court has recently clarified that the mandate of providing written grounds of arrest to the accused, which was made mandatory by the Supreme Court in Mihir Rajesh Shah v. State of Maharashtra & Anr., 2025 LiveLaw (SC) 1066, applies prospectively and thus, non-compliance thereof before the date of judgment does not render the arrest illegal per se. Denying bail to an...

Bail Not An Absolute Right For Juvenile In Heinous Cases, Release Can Be Denied If It Defeats Ends Of Justice: J&K&L High Court

The Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh High Court has held that a juvenile in conflict with law cannot claim bail as a matter of right under Section 12 of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, irrespective of the gravity of the charge. The Court clarified that the proviso to Section 12 permits denial of bail if the release would defeat the ends of justice, which...

Rajasthan High Court Cracks Down On Unregulated Jawai Tourism; Bans Night Safaris, Use Of Drones To Protect Leopard Habitat

While hearing a PIL claiming unregulated tourism in Jawai region of Pali that was causing ecological stress and disturbance to wildlife particularly Indian leopards, Rajasthan High Court in an interim order prohibited safari activities beyond 6 am to 7 pm. In doing so the court banned night safari in the Jawai region as well as restrained use of drones which can disturb the animalsAt the...

Karnataka High Court Stays Probe Against School Staff Accused Of Punishing Students By Making Them Stand In Sun

The Karnataka High Court on Friday (March 27) granted an interim stay on all criminal proceedings against the Principal, Dean and two teachers of a school in Bengaluru for forcing young students to stand under the scorching sun for being late to class.The single judge bench of Justice M. Nagaprasanna ordered, “...notice for respondent. There will be an interim order of stay on...

"Abuse Of Process": Bombay High Court While Dismissing Plea Against Adani Green Energy In 'Bribery' Case

In a major respite for Adani Group's— Adani Green Energy Ltd., the Bombay High Court on Friday (March 27) dismissed a plea which sought a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the allegations made against the company for allegedly paying crores of bribes to secure solar power contracts across several States in India. A division bench of Chief Justice Shree Chandrashekhar...

Plea Against Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Over Alleged 'Gas Theft' An Abuse Of Process; Can Harm Reputation, Affect Business: Bombay High Court

While dismissing the petition seeking a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe against Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) and its director Mukesh Dhirubhai Ambani in the alleged 'gas theft' case, the Bombay High Court on Friday said that such petitions can harm the reputation of the entities and threaten their present or future business partnerships. Notably, an activist named Jitendra...