MINOR ACTS

Preventive Detention | Not Informing Detenu Of Right To Represent To Central Govt Violates Article 22(5) Safeguard: Karnataka High Court
The Karnataka High Court has held that the failure to inform a detenu of their right to make a representation to the Central Government under Prevention of Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act 1988 seeking revocation of detention order, violates safeguard under Article 22(5) of the Constitution of India. A Division Bench of Justice M. Nagaprasanna and Justice...

Karnataka High Court Quashes FIR Against YouTuber Drone Prathap Over 'Pond Explosion' Experiment, Says No 'Malicious Intent'
The Karnataka High Court has quashed an FIR registered against a science educator and YouTuber, Pratap N M, who runs the channel 'Drone Prathap', over a video demonstrating the reaction of sodium with water. [2026 LiveLaw (Kar) 382]The single judge bench of Justice Suraj Govindaraj opined that though it does not endorse the manner in which the experiment was conducted, the act was 'educative'...

Gujarat High Court Grants Anticipatory Bail To Man's Relatives Accused Of Instigating Him To Pronounce 'Triple Talaq'
The Gujarat High Court granted anticipatory bail to five family members of a man booked for instigating him to divorce his wife using triple talaq. [2026 LiveLaw (Guj) 259]The applicants booked for offences under Sections 85, 351(2) and 54 BNS and Section 4 of the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Act had moved the court seeking anticipatory bail.The Act prohibits triple talaq,...

Mere Absence Of Train Ticket Cannot Defeat Railway Compensation Claim : Supreme Court Reiterates
The Supreme Court on Friday (25 September) has held that mere absence of a railway ticket with an accident victim cannot by itself defeat a claim for compensation, especially where the victim remained hospitalised for over a month before succumbing to his injuries, making it “quite unlikely” that the ticket would have survived. A bench of Justice Ujjal Bhuyan and Justice Atul S...

Supreme Court Dismisses BJP MLAs' Plea Challenging Quashing Of Corruption Complaint Against Karnataka Energy Minister KJ George
The Supreme Court on Friday (25 September) dismissed a Special Leave Petition (SLP) against the Karnataka High Court's judgment which had quashed criminal complaint against Karnataka's Energy Minister KJ George and Bangalore Electricity Supply Company Limited (BESCOM) officials over alleged irregularities in the tender procurement and installation of smart electricity meters in Karnataka. A...

Preventive Detention Cannot Rest On Bare Assumption That Detenu Will Obtain Bail: Bombay High Court
The Bombay High Court has held that preventive detention cannot be sustained where the Detaining Authority's satisfaction that the detenu was likely to be released on bail was based only on the assumption that the offence was not compulsorily punishable with death sentence. The Court observed that such satisfaction was not based on cogent material relating to the investigation.A division bench...

Know The Law | Where Can A Motor Accident Claim Be Filed? Supreme Court Explains
The Supreme Court has recently explained the scope of the territorial jurisdiction clause in the motor accident compensation claims, holding that a claimant cannot invoke the jurisdiction of a Motor Accidents Claim Tribunal (MACT) merely because the insurance company has an office there.A bench of Justice Ujjal Bhuyan and Justice Atul S Chandurkar held so while dismissing an appeal filed by...

Cow Slaughter Act | Owner Travelling In Vehicle Carrying 80 Kg Beef Can't Escape Confiscation By Pleading Ignorance: Allahabad High Court
The Allahabad High Court has held that the owner of a vehicle who was himself travelling in it when beef was recovered cannot resist confiscation under the Uttar Pradesh Prevention of Cow Slaughter Act, 1955 by pleading that the meat belonged to passengers who had hired the vehicle. It held that once the seized meat is confirmed to be beef by an authorised laboratory, the presumption...

'No Mens Rea', Act Appears Rash & Negligent: Gujarat High Court Grants Bail To Father Accused Of Applying Burning Wicks On 'Possessed' Daughter
The Gujarat High Court granted regular bail to a father booked for causing death of his daughter by applying burning cotton wicks on her body on her instructions, as she believed she was possessed. [2026 LiveLaw (Guj) 258]The applicant had moved the high court seeking regular bail in an FIR for offences under Sections 105(culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 212(Furnishing...

Valid Prosecution Sanction For Corruption Case Can't Be Withdrawn In Absence Of New Material Warranting Review: AP High Court
The Andhra Pradesh High Court has held that a valid prosecution sanction under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 cannot be withdrawn once it has been acted upon and criminal proceedings have commenced and that only fresh material can warrant such reconsideration. [2026 LiveLaw (AP) 224]The Court accordingly dismissed a challenge by a retired Executive Engineer in the Municipal...

Cheque Bounce Case | Authenticated Bank Return Memo Can Be Produced Later To Correct Defect: Rajasthan High Court
The Rajasthan High Court has held that an authenticated bank return memo bearing the bank's seal and signature can be produced and exhibited later in a cheque-dishonour case to correct an inadvertent defect in an earlier return memo, and such subsequent production does not amount to filling a lacuna in the complainant's case.Justice Sunil Beniwal further observed that merely exhibiting a...

POCSO Act | Absence Of Genital Injury, Sperm Don't Disprove Sexual Abuse Allegations: Madras High Court Upholds Stepfather's Life Sentence
The Madras High Court recently upheld the life sentence imposed on a stepfather for sexually assaulting his stepdaughter. [2026 LiveLaw (Mad) 462] The bench of Justice AD Jagadish Chandira and Justice B Murugesan rejected the step-father's evidence that there was no medical evidence to suggest sexual assault. The court observed that medical evidence was only supportive and...
