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...

'Quashing Power Must Be Used Sparingly After Charges Framed': Calcutta High Court Refuses To Halt Trial In Outraging Modesty Case

The Calcutta High Court has refused to quash criminal proceedings against a man accused of stalking, assault, attempting to outrage a woman's modesty and criminal intimidation, observing that once charges have been framed and trial has progressed, the High Court must exercise its inherent powers under Section 482 CrPC with extreme caution and only in the “rarest of rare cases.” The Court...

Allahabad High Court Slams UP Police Over Repeated Non-Execution Of Its NBWs, Says 'Don't Play Games With Us'

The Allahabad High Court today strongly slammed the UP Police officials working in State over repeated instances of non-execution of the Non-Bailable Warrant issued by it.The bench also pulled up the top cops working in Gautam Budh Nagar and Hapur districts over alleged collusion of their subordinates with a murder convict to frustrate the execution of a Non-Bailable Warrant (NBW) pertaining to...

'Just Compensation Must Reflect Real Earnings': Calcutta High Court Enhances Compensation To ₹69.1 Lakh In Fatal Road Accident Case

The Calcutta High Court has enhanced compensation payable to the family of a woman who died in a road accident to ₹69.10 lakh after reassessing her annual income and adding future prospects, while simultaneously reducing the interest rate from 7.5% to 6% per annum. The Court held that cash compensatory allowance forming part of the deceased's earnings ought to be reasonably factored into...

Will Challenge Arvind Kejriwal's Acquittal In Cases Over Skipping Summons: ED Tells Delhi High Court

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) informed the Delhi High Court on Thursday that it will challenge the acquittal of former Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party supremo Arvind Kejriwal in cases concerning non compliance of its summons in relation to the alleged liquor policy scam.The statement was made by ASG SV Raju before a division bench comprising Chief Justice DK Upadhyaya and...

Rajasthan HC Orders DNA Test Of 93-Year-Old To Determine Daughter's Maternity In Property Dispute, Says No Presumption Of Maternity In Law

While terming it a “rarest of rare cases” where the mother was denying a child to be her's, Rajasthan High Court directed a 93 year old woman to undergo DNA test, to determine maternity of the petitioner who was claiming share in her father's ancestral property. The bench of Justice Bipin Gupta expressed astonishment over the situation, and referred to the provisions under Indian...