Jharkhand High Court Flags Difficulties In Accessing Aadhaar Data To Trace Missing Persons, Seeks Suggestions From MHA

The Jharkhand High Court has expressed concern over the practical difficulties faced by investigating agencies in accessing Aadhaar-related information for tracing missing persons, and has sought suggestions from the Ministry of Home Affairs on evolving an appropriate mechanism to address such situations.A Division Bench of Justice Sujit Narayan Prasad and Justice Arun Kumar Rai was hearing...

Minister Appointing Contractual Employee In Secretariat Without Sanctioned Post Is 'Lawlessness', Misuse Of Funds: Calcutta High Court

The Calcutta High Court has held that a purely contractual employee cannot claim continuation or renewal of service as a matter of right after expiry of the contractual term, and that a Minister cannot bypass statutory procedure to appoint an individual in the secretariat without a sanctioned post or recruitment process. Observing that such backdoor engagement amounts to misuse of public...

Intimation Of Arrest To Family Via WhatsApp Without Proof Of Service Not Enough Under S.48 BNSS: Gauhati High Court Grants Bail

The Gauhati High Court has held that intimation of arrest sent to the family members of an arrestee via WhatsApp, without proof of actual service, does not amount to due compliance with Section 48 of the BNSS, 2023, and that such non-compliance renders the arrest illegal, entitling the accused to bail.Justice Sanjeev Kumar Sharma, presiding over the case, held, “A perusal of the notices...

Coldrif Cough Syrup Deaths | Madhya Pradesh High Court Rejects Bail Of Accused Doctors & Pharmacists

The Madhya Pradesh High Court, on Tuesday (February 17), rejected bail applications of Dr Praveen Soni, along with the pharmacists, for their involvement in the prescription and sale of Coldrif cough syrup to children, resulting in the death of as many as 30 children.The bench of Justice Pramod Kumar Agarwal observed that despite the applicant knowing that the syrup led to the death of...

EWS Claim Cannot Be Rejected For Mere Format Defect If Eligibility Exists On Cut-Off Date: J&K High Court

The Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh High Court has ruled that a reservation certificate that substantively satisfies statutory eligibility conditions on the cut-off date cannot be invalidated solely due to a defect in format, especially when the defect is clarified by the issuing authority and the candidate's eligibility itself is not in dispute.Reiterating this crucial principle, a Division...

[POCSO Act] When Law Prescribes Minimum Punishment, Courts Have No Discretion To Award Lesser Sentence: Bombay High Court

The Bombay High Court has held that an increase in the length of sentence as a consequence of awarding the statutory minimum sentence cannot be termed as “enhancement of sentence” within the meaning of Section 386 of the Code of Criminal Procedure. The Court observed that where the legislature has prescribed a mandatory minimum punishment, imposition of such minimum by the Appellate Court...

Gujarat High Court Cautions Trial Judges To Avoid Drafting Mistakes In Judgments, After Finding Copy-Paste Errors In Arbitration Order

The Gujarat High Court has cautioned Commercial and Trial Court judges across the State after finding drafting errors in a Section 34 order under the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, directing that its observations be circulated to all district courts to prevent recurrence of such mistakes.Emphasising the need for judicial diligence, the Division Bench of Chief Justice Sunita Agarwal and...

Transgender Persons Act | DM's Certificate Conclusive Proof Of Gender; Passport Authority Can't Demand Medical Test: Allahabad High Court

The Allahabad High Court has held that a certificate issued by the District Magistrate under Section 7 of the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019, acts as conclusive proof of gender/identity for the issuance of a passport. A bench of Justice Atul Sreedharan and Justice Siddharth Nandan observed that the Passport Authority can't demand a fresh medical examination or...

Gauhati High Court Quashes Child Marriage, POCSO Case As Couple Married, Living Together With Child

The Gauhati High Court, applying Section 528 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023, quashed criminal proceedings under the Child Marriage Act and the POCSO Act, holding that since the parties were married, living together, and had a minor child, continuation of the trial would be futile.Justice Pranjal Das, pressing over the case, observed, “the objective reality that...

Jammu & Kashmir And Ladakh High Court Weekly Roundup February 9 - February 15, 2026

Nominal Index:State of J&K V/s Dhanwanter Singh and ors 2026 LiveLaw (JKL) 40Union of India vs Rajammal 2026 LiveLaw (JKL) 41Malika vs UT of J&K 2026 LiveLaw (JKL) 42Mazeed Ali vs UT of J&K 2026 LiveLaw (JKL) 43Sikander Sharma Vs Addl Commissioner Jammu and Ors 2026 LiveLaw (JKL) 44State Of J&K Vs Daleep Singh 2026 LiveLaw (JKL) 46Judgments/Orders:Surrender Of Absconding...

Will Must Be Respected Unless Suspicious Circumstances Are Proved; Unequal Distribution Not Grounds To Deny Probate: Calcutta High Court

The Calcutta High Court has reiterated that probate proceedings are concerned only with the genuineness of a will and not with the fairness of distribution among heirs, holding that mere delay in seeking probate or unequal bequests cannot, by themselves, amount to suspicious circumstances. Emphasising that courts must respect the last wishes of a testator once due execution and attestation...

Gauhati High Court Grants Bail To Man Arrested For Posting Objectionable Facebook Comment On Red Fort Blast

The Gauhati High Court has granted regular bail to a man arrested for allegedly posting an objectionable Facebook comment in connection with a bomb blast near the Red Fort.Justice Pranjal Das, while allowing the bail application, observed, “Without going into the merit of the case; only considering the period of detention and completion of investigation, petitioner shall be allowed to go...