State's Special Investigation Cells Not Exempt From Installing CCTVs: High Court Issues Contempt Notice To Haryana DGP For Violating SC Judgment

The Punjab and Haryana High Court has issued contempt notice to Haryana's Director General of Police (DGP) for wilful disobedience of Supreme Court's directions to install CCTV in all police stations including special cells and units where investigation takes place.The development came after Haryana Government submitted that Supreme Court's direction in Paramvir Singh Saini case was only...

[Rape Of Intellectually Disabled Minor] P&H HC Flags 'Lackadaisical Approach' Of Police In Collecting DNA, Seeks Affidavit Of DGP On Compliance Of Guidelines

Raising concern on the "lackadaisical attitude" of police in collecting DNA samples, the Punjab & Haryana High Court has directed the DGPs of Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh to submit an affidavit on compliance with the High Court's direction to mandatorily adhere to Section 53-A of the CrPC.Section 53A CrPC pertains to the medical examination of a person accused of committing...

Falling Female Ratio Is Shameful Ground Reality, Officers Must Work To Curb Female Foetecide: P&H HC Rejects Pre-Arrest Bail Of PNDT Clerk Booked For Corruption

The Punjab & Haryana High Court has rejected the anticipatory bail plea of a nodal officer's clerk under the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques Act, 1994, [PNDT Act] who allegedly in collusion with the officer, demanded a bribe from a doctor to settle the notice issued to him, under PNDT Act.Justice Anoop Chitkara observed, "the Nodal Agencies under the PNDT are supposed...

[Farmers Protest] Punjab Protestor Was Shot Dead In Haryana: High Court Directs Govt To Send Post-Mortem Records To FSL To Ascertain Cause Of Death

The Judicial probe committee has submitted an interim report before the Punjab & Haryana High Court that deceased Subh Karan Singh who was hit by the pellets "in Haryana" during farmers' protest. However, regarding the cause of death and which type of weapon was used, the Committee has opined that it would be appropriate to direct the investigating agency to get a report from the...

Mahendragarh School Bus Accident: School Needs To Take Responsibility For Lack Of Care; Can't Play Blame Game: P&H HC Rejects Director's Anticipatory Bail Plea

Observing that school cannot "play the blame game", the Punjab & Haryana High Court has refused to grant pre-arrest bail to the Director of a school whose bus met with an accident allegedly because the driver was drunk, in Haryana's Mahendergarh.On April 11, in a dreadful accident, 6 students lost their lives and several were injured when the school bus driver, who was allegedly drunk,...

Why Ram Rahim Singh Was Acquitted In 2002 Murder Case? Punjab & Haryana High Court Belies Polygraph Test, Says CBI Coerced Key Witness

In its 163-page judgment, the Punjab and Haryana High Court today acquitted Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh and four others who were sentenced to life imprisonment by a CBI court in the 2002 Ranjit Singh murder case.A division bench of Justice Sureshwar Thakur and Justice Lalit Batra found the CBI, which took over the probe in November 2023, failed to establish the motive of...

S.52A(2) NDPS Act | Merely Showing Sample Was Drawn In Presence Of Gazetted Officer Not Sufficient Compliance, Need To Prove Presence Of Magistrate: P&H High Court

The Punjab & Haryana High Court has acquitted a man convicted in a drugs case wherein no evidence was produced that the samples were drawn in the presence of the Magistrate in compliance with Section 52A of the NDPS Act.Sub-section (1) of Section 52A of the NDPS Act facilitates the Central Government a mode to be prescribed to dispose of the seized narcotic substance. Sub-section (2)...

Professional Sureties Have Become The Norm Since Criminal Courts Are Not Releasing Accused On Personal Bonds: Punjab & Haryana High Court

The Punjab & Haryana High Court has issued a slew of directions with respect to Aadhaar Authentication Services in all the court premises, observing that the practice of "professional sureties" is increasing because courts do not release accused persons on bail on personal bonds.Justice Pankaj Jain said, "The professional sureties have become the norm as the genuine sureties are wary...

Punjab & Haryana High Court Acquits Gurmeet Ram Rahim In Ranjit Singh Murder Case

The Punjab & Haryana High Court has acquitted Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in the Ranjit Singh murder case. A CBI Court in Haryana's Panchkula in 2021 had sentenced him and four other accused to life imprisonment after they were convicted for hatching conspiracy to murder the former Dera manager Ranjit Singh in 2002.A division bench of Justice Sureshwar Thakur and...

Punjab & Haryana High Court Seeks Status Report On PIL Filed Seeking Online Case Monitoring System For Permanent Lok Adalat

The Punjab & Haryana High Court has sought a status report from the Union, Governments of Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh administration and other authorities on the PIL filed seeking an online case monitoring system for all the Permanent Lok Adalat functioning under the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987.Acting Chief Justice GS Sandhawalia and Justice Aman Chaudhary issued notice to the...

Cause Of Quarrel Or Who Offered Provocation Is Irrelevant When Pleading Grave & Sudden Provocation As An Exception To Murder: P&H High Court

The Punjab & Haryana High Court has set aside a murder conviction and converted it into culpable homicide not amounting to murder, observing that the cause of the quarrel is an irrelevant factor to determine whether the act will be covered under the exception of murder, "grave and sudden provocation."A division bench of Justice Gurvinder Singh Gill and Justice N.S. Shekhawat said, "The...

Unreasonable To Expect Spouse To Document Every Instance Of Mental Cruelty With Forethought That It May Later Be Needed As Evidence For Divorce: Punjab & Haryana HC

The Punjab & Haryana High Court has upheld the divorce decree granted for committing mental cruelty upon husband observing that, it is unreasonable to expect a spouse to meticulously document every instance of cruelty with the forethought that it may be needed as evidence in a future divorce proceeding.While dismissing the appeal against the divorce decree, the Court rejected the...