Criminal Liability Under NI Act Cannot Be Inherited: Calcutta High Court Quashes Cheque Bounce Case Against Deceased Drawer's Brother

The Calcutta High Court has held that criminal liability under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act is strictly personal to the drawer of the cheque and cannot be inherited by legal heirs or business associates after the drawer's death.Justice Uday Kumar quashed criminal proceedings initiated against a man whose deceased brother had allegedly issued a cheque towards repayment of a...

Living Separately In Same City Not 'Domestic Proximity': Calcutta High Court Quashes Cruelty Case Against Sister-In-Law & Her Husband

The Calcutta High Court has quashed criminal proceedings against a married sister-in-law and her husband in a dowry harassment case, holding that vague allegations of “instigation” against relatives living separately for over a decade cannot sustain prosecution under Sections 498A and 406 IPC.Justice Uday Kumar observed that the tendency to “rope in” distantly residing relatives...

Great Nicobar Project: Calcutta HC Upholds Maintainability Of PILs Alleging Forest Rights Act Violations, Calls Tribals 'Very Vulnerable'

“A project involving huge expenditure must proceed in accordance with governing laws holding the field and it is not beyond the scope of judicial review on permissible parameters,” the Bench said.

WB Polls: PIL In Calcutta High Court Seeks Action Against Alleged 'Bulldozer Demolition' At Kolkata's New Market

A public interest litigation has been moved before the Calcutta High Court seeking action against police officers allegedly present during the vandalism and bulldozer demolition near the historic Hogg Market area in central Kolkata following the declaration of the 2026 West Bengal Assembly election results. The plea also seeks the court's intervention into other instances of post-poll...

Calcutta HC Directs Howrah Municipal Corp To Execute 2010 Land Sale, Says Undisclosed Cabinet Decision Can't Defeat Highest Bidder's Rights

The Howrah Municipal Corporation cannot indefinitely withhold execution of a sale deed in favour of the highest bidder merely because the State Government failed to grant approval, the Calcutta High Court has held, while directing completion of a land sale process pending since 2010.Justice Shampa Sarkar observed that the statutory powers of the municipal corporation under the Howrah...

Mere Complaint Through MHA Cybercrime Portal Cannot Justify Freezing Of Bank Accounts: Calcutta High Court

The Calcutta High Court has held that bank accounts cannot be frozen merely on the basis of complaints received through the Ministry of Home Affairs' cybercrime portal, without any order from a competent court under the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS).Justice Krishna Rao directed the immediate defreezing of the accounts of Xenixt Technologies Private Limited after finding that...

“Giving Free Food To Foreigners”: Calcutta High Court Orally Remarks On Custody Of Foreign Nationals After Completion Of Sentence

The Calcutta High Court on Wednesday expressed concern over the continued detention of convicted foreign nationals in correctional homes across West Bengal even after completion of their sentences, orally observing that the State appeared to be “giving free food to foreigners.”Justice Krishna Rao was hearing a matter concerning the prolonged custody of foreign nationals who continue to...

Calcutta HC Denies Relief To Bangladeshi Hindu Woman Accused Of Overstaying Visa, Says Religious Persecution Plea Must Be Proved

The Calcutta High Court has refused to quash criminal proceedings against a Bangladeshi Hindu woman accused of overstaying in India without a valid visa under the Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025, holding that whether she qualifies for statutory protection as a victim of religious persecution can only be determined at trial.Justice Ajoy Kumar Mukherjee observed that although the...

Calcutta High Court Acquits Husband In 30-Year-Old Dowry Death Case, Finds No Proof Of Abetment To Suicide Or Cruelty

The Calcutta High Court has set aside the conviction of a husband under Sections 306 and 498A of the IPC in a 1994 suicide case, holding that the prosecution failed to establish the essential ingredients of abetment or cruelty beyond reasonable doubt. Justice Chaitali Chatterjee Das allowed the criminal appeal and acquitted the appellant, observing that there was “no direct act or incitement...

Breaking | Humayun Kabir's AJUP Moves Calcutta High Court Over Alleged Large-Scale Post-Poll Violence In Murshidabad

Humayun Kabir-led Aam Janata Unnayan Party has approached the Calcutta High Court with allegations of large-scale post-poll violence which has taken place in the Murshidabad district of West Bengal.Polling in Murshidabad had taken place in the first phase of the Bengal Assembly Elections on 23rd April, 2026. The second phase of the polls were held on 29th April, and the results were declared...

“Earning Capacity Cannot Be Ignored At Ad-Interim Stage”: Calcutta HC Sets Aside Maintenance Granted To Wife Without Financial Disclosure

The Calcutta High Court has clarified that a spouse's earning capacity cannot be ignored even at the ad-interim stage, setting aside a maintenance order granted to a qualified doctor without examining her financial status in light of the disclosure norms mandated in Rajnesh v. Neha.Justice Uday Kumar was hearing a criminal revisional application filed by a husband challenging an...

"Prolonged Incarceration Cannot Be Indefinite": Calcutta High Court Grants Bail In UAPA Case Despite Statutory Bar

The Calcutta High Court has granted bail to an accused booked under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, holding that prolonged pre-trial detention with little progress in trial violates the fundamental right to personal liberty under Article 21 of the Constitution.A Division Bench comprising Justice Arijit Banerjee and Justice Apurba Sinha Ray allowed the appeal filed by Mansur Ali @...