Punjab Anti-Sacrilege Law Challenged In High Court

A Public Interest Litigation has been filed before the Punjab & Haryana High Court challenging the constitutional validity of the “Jaagat Jot Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar (Amendment) Act, 2026” (Anti-Sacrilege Act) .The petition has been filed by Simranjeet Singh, a Punjab based law graduate, who has approached the Court in person.The petition challenges the validity of the 2026...

Congress MP Raja Warring Moves Punjab & Haryana High Court Seeking Stay On 'Lawrence Of Punjab' Web Series

A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) has been filed before the Punjab & Haryana High Court seeking an urgent stay on the proposed release and streaming of the web series “Lawrence of Punjab” on the OTT platform ZEE5, owned by Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited.The plea has been filed by Ludhiana MP Raja Warring through Advocate Nikhil Ghai. The matter was mentioned urgently for...

Food Safety Officer Can't Seize Plant & Machinery Under FSS Act; Such Power Vests With Court: Punjab & Haryana High Court

The Punjab & Haryana High Court has held that a Food Safety Officer has no authority under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 to seize plant and machinery, and such action can only be taken by a competent court or in accordance with statutory procedure.Justice Jagmohan Bansal said, "machinery has been seized by Food Safety Officer who has no power to seize plant and machinery....

Punjab & Haryana High Court Orders Soundproof VC Facilities In All Prisons To Protect Lawyer-Client Confidentiality

Observing that "every prison must have soundproof facilities where convicts are able to interact with their counsel via video conference and have in-person meetings with their counsel," the Punjab & Haryana High Court has held that the right of an accused/convict to communicate with their counsel in full confidentiality is a fundamental component of a fair trial, and this protection...

Drastic Measure Of Property Attachment, Appointment Of Receiver Can't Be Resorted To Routinely: P&H High Court In Tenancy Dispute

The Punjab & Haryana High Court has dismissed a petition challenging the setting aside of an order appointing a receiver over a disputed shop, while strongly cautioning the routine use of "drastic measure of attachment of property and appointment of a receiver".Justice Sumeet Goel upheld the order of the Additional Sessions Judge, Kurukshetra, which had quashed the Sub Divisional...

23 Years On, P&H High Court Upholds Conviction For Rape Of Minor, Reduces Sentence As Convict Suffered Paralysis

The Punjab & Haryana High Court while upholding the conviction of an appellant in a rape case, taking note of mitigating circumstances including paralysis attack and compromise entered between the parties, modified the sentence and reduced it to the period already undergone.Justice Rupinderjit Chahal stating that the case required leniency noted, "It has been brought to the notice of...

Police Need Not Re-Supply Grounds Of Arrest Upon Second Arrest In Same FIR: Punjab & Haryana High Court

The Punjab & Haryana High Court has held that re-supplying of grounds of arrest is not mandatory upon a second arrest in the same FIR where such grounds have already been furnished earlier. The Court observed that once the requirement of supplying grounds of arrest is complied with, there is no legal mandate to repeat the same exercise on subsequent arrest in the same case.Justice...

Punjab & Haryana High Court Reduces Rape Convict's Sentence To Period Already Undergone Citing His Paralysis, 23-Year Delay

The Punjab & Haryana High Court has reduced the sentence of a rape convict to the period already served based on the medical condition of the convict and subsequent developments. The Court observed that such circumstances constitute “adequate and special reasons” for awarding a lesser sentence.Justice Rupinderjit Chahal was hearing an appeal filed by the appellant challenging...

Arrest Begins When Liberty Is Restrained, Not When Police Record It: Punjab & Haryana High Court Orders Release In NDPS Case

The Punjab & Haryana High Court has held that arrest commences the moment a person's liberty is restrained and not from the time recorded in police documents. The Court observed that an entry in police records regarding the time of arrest is not conclusive, and the actual test is the factual restraint on the movement of the individual.Justice Sumeet Goel was hearing a petition filed by...

Being A Student Doesn't Absolve Husband From Maintaining Wife: P&H High Court Denies Relief To 22 Y/O Engineering Student

The Punjab and Haryana High Court recently observed that a husband has a legal duty to maintain his wife and he can't be absolved of this responsibility merely on the ground that he is a student. "(husband) cannot be permitted to plead that he is unable to maintain his wife due to financial constraints as long as he is capable of earning. Nor can he be absolved on the ground that he is...

Wife's Compromise Waiving Future Maintenance Is Against Public Policy; Doesn't Bar Her Claims U/S 125 CrPC: P&H High Court

The Punjab and Haryana High Court recently observed that an agreement in which the wife waives her right to claim maintenance from the husband in the future, in exchange for a sum, is opposed to public policy and the same does not estop her from claiming maintenance under Section 125 CrPC, a statutory right."Abandonment of right of maintenance by the wife would not negate her claim...

'Denying Inter-Utility Transfers To Lower-Ranking Officials Without Nexus To Relevant Policy Violates Article 14': P&H High Court

The Punjab & Haryana High Court has held that denial of inter-utility transfers only to lower-ranking officials without any rational nexus to the object of the policy is violative of Article 14. The Court observed that such classification between employees is arbitrary where it does not serve the stated objective of the policy.Justice Harpreet Singh Brar was hearing a batch of writ...