“No One Can Survive Without Electricity In Modern Times”, Occupier Entitled To Connection Even If Property Is Disputed: MP High Court

The Madhya Pradesh High Court has held that in modern times no one can survive without electricity and therefore the right to electricity is also part of the right to life and liberty under Article 21 of the Constitution. [2026 LiveLaw (MP) 417]Directing the Electricity Department to supply connection to the petitioner's premises, the bench of Justice Milind Ramesh Phadke observed:"no-one, in the modern days can survive without electricity, and therefore, the right to electricity is also a right...

Allahabad High Court Directs UP Panchayat Elections Within 3 Months Under Existing 27% OBC Quota, Says Commission Inquiry Can't Delay Polls

The Allahabad High Court has directed the Uttar Pradesh Government and the State Election Commission (SEC) to complete Panchayat elections in the State within 3 months under the existing reservation arrangement, including 27 % reservation for Other Backward Classes (OBCs).The bench said the polls cannot be delayed pending the Dedicated Backward Classes Commission's inquiry, report or the process of giving lawful effect to its recommendations on OBC reservations. "The elections shall not be...

Writ Petition Not Maintainable Once Statutory Revision Against Same Order Is Withdrawn As 'Not Pressed': Allahabad High Court

The Allahabad High Court has held that a writ petition under Article 226 is not maintainable where the petitioner had already challenged the same order in a statutory revision and then got the revision concluded as “not pressed”. Such a withdrawal, it held, amounts to abandonment of the claim and attracts the Rule of Public Policy.The Rule of Public Policy, as the Court explained it, bars a fresh suit where the earlier suit has been abandoned and is enshrined in Order XXIII Rules 1 to 4 of the...

Father Can't Seek Child's Custody Through Habeas Corpus Without Exceptional Circumstances: AP High Court

The Andhra Pradesh High Court has dismissed a father's plea seeking custody of his four-year-old son from the mother through a habeas corpus petition. In doing so, the Court held that the child's custody with his biological mother could not be considered illegal and found no exceptional circumstances warranting a change of custody.The Division Bench comprising Justice Ravi Nath Tilhari and Justice Subhendu Samanta observed,“In the present case, the extraordinary and exceptional...

Limited Grounds For Judicial Review, 20-Year Delay: High Court Rejects Challenge To Ambedkar Nagar Constituency Delimitation

The Allahabad High Court today dismissed a petition challenging the delimitation of Assembly constituencies in Uttar Pradesh's Ambedkar Nagar district, including the reservation of the Alapur constituency for Scheduled Castes.The bench said the plea failed to establish grounds for judicial interference and was filed nearly two decades after the delimitation order was passed. A Bench of Justice Shekhar B. Saraf and Justice Abdhesh Kumar Chaudhary clarified that judicial review of an order...

Sreekrishnapuram Double Murder: Kerala High Court Directs Comparison Of Fingerprints In Aadhar Database To Trace Culprits

The Kerala High Court on Wednesday (October 14) gave a direction for comparison of the fingerprints of the suspects of the Sreekrishnapuram Double Murder case with those stored in the Aadhar database. [2026 LiveLaw (Ker) 579]Case refers to the brutal assassination of a middle-aged couple in Sreekrishnapuram in Palakkad in 2016 allegedly with a motive of robbing them. The local police and...

NEET-UG: AP High Court Rejects Telangana ST Certificate For Reservation In State MBBS Quota

The Andhra Pradesh High Court has denied Scheduled Tribe (ST) reservation benefits under the Andhra Pradesh State quota for MBBS admissions to a NEET-UG aspirant holding a Telangana-issued ST certificate, observing that recognition of the same community as a Scheduled Tribe in both States does not entitle her to reservation benefits in Andhra Pradesh.Article 342 of the Constitution empowers...

No 'Intelligible Differentia' In Excluding Same-Sex Couples From Spousal Gift-Tax Benefits: Karnataka High Court Told

A same-sex couple challenging the denial of gift-tax exemption available to married couples under the Income Tax Act, 1961 has told the Karnataka High Court that the test of “intelligible differentia” under Article 14 of the Constitution cannot justify their sex-based exclusion, and the same would attract anti-discriminatory provision of Article 15.The submission was made before Justice B...

Freedom Of Religion Does Not Entitle Christian Community To Seek Specific Plot For Housing Cemetery: Allahabad High Court

The Allahabad High Court has held that the right to freedom of religion, including the right to perform last rites in accordance with religious beliefs, does not entitle a community to claim a specific plot of land belonging to a local body for establishing a cemetery. A Bench of Justice JJ Munir and Justice Indrajeet Shukla made the observation while dismissing a writ petition filed by...

'50% Ceiling Breached' : Karnataka High Court Strikes Down Law Raising SC/ST Reservation In Education & Govt Jobs

The Karnataka High Court on Monday struck down the provisions of the Karnataka Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Reservation of Seats in Educational Institutions and of Appointments or Posts in the Services under the State) Act, 2022, which had increased reservations for Scheduled Castes (SCs) from 15% to 17% and for Scheduled Tribes (STs) from 3% to 7%.A Division Bench of Chief...

After Bombay High Court Orders Release Of CJP Members, Goa Police Justifies Detention Citing Past Violations, 'Patronising Umar Khalid'

A day after the Bombay High Court in a special and urgent Sunday sitting ordered the release of seven Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) members for staging protest in Panaji, the Goa Police on Monday (October 12) through an affidavit justified its move to detain the CJP members citing the 'past history' of the said outfit, wherein it was found to be 'patronising' Umar Khalid.The Goa Police...

Seafarers Too Have Right To Live With Dignity: Orissa High Court Directs Centre To Repatriate Foreign Crew Of Abandoned Vessel

The Orissa High Court has recently ordered repatriation of 23 foreign crew members of an abandoned cargo vessel, which has been anchored at the Paradip Port since May this year upon issuance of arrest orders by the Court for keeping security in maritime suit. [2026 LiveLaw (Ori) 116]While providing relief in the writ petition filed by the Master of the Vessel, the Bench of Justice Radha...