Section 354 IPC Not Covered By Section 42 POCSO Act, Trial Court Erred In Not Awarding Separate Sentence: Delhi High Court

The Delhi High Court has observed that a trial court erred in not awarding a separate sentence for the offence under Section 354 IPC (assault or criminal force to a woman with intent to outrage her modesty) in a case involving sexual assault on a six-year-old girl, clarifying that the provision is not among the IPC offences covered by Section 42 of the Protection of Children from Sexual...

Previous Bail Orders Relevant Material For 'Subjective Satisfaction' Of Preventive Detention: Andhra Pradesh High Court

The Andhra Pradesh High Court set aside a preventive detention order after finding that the detaining authority failed to consider multiple bail orders granted to the detenu, holding that bail orders are vital material and their non-consideration vitiates the subjective satisfaction required for preventive detention. [2026 LiveLaw (AP) 121]The order was passed by a Division Bench of Justice...

Calcutta High Court Refuses To Quash Dowry Case, Says Woman Can File Complaint From Parent's Home If Cruelty Persists

The Calcutta High Court has refused to quash criminal proceedings against a husband and his family members in a dowry harassment and matrimonial cruelty case, holding that a woman who leaves her matrimonial home can initiate proceedings from the place where she takes shelter if the effects of cruelty continue there. The Court further held that withdrawal of proceedings under the Protection...

No Prescribed Format For Providing Written Grounds Of Arrest: Delhi High Court Upholds NDPS Accused's Custody

The Delhi High Court has refused bail to an accused booked under the NDPS Act, holding that there is no legislatively or judicially prescribed format for communicating written grounds of arrest and that substantial compliance with the constitutional requirement would suffice in the facts of the case. [2026 LiveLaw (Del) 646]Justice Girish Kathpalia observed that the arrest memo prepared by...

No Scope For Internal Inquiry Or Image Management In POCSO Cases: Karnataka High Court Upholds FIR Against School Staff For Suppressing Abuse

Institutions which choose reputation over responsibility and image over innocence expose themselves to the full vigour of law, Court said.

Rajasthan High Court Issues Notice On Law Student's Plea Alleging Misbehaviour By Principal, Non-Functional Grievance Redressal Committee

The Rajasthan High Court has issued notices to S.S. Jain Subodh Law College affiliated with Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar Law University and its Principal, over allegations of misbehaviour by the Principal with the student.The bench of Justice Shubha Mehta issued notice on the student's plea which further alleges that the College has not complied with the mandatory requirement of having a...

Appeal Against Conviction Can't Be Dismissed Merely Because Party Or Counsel Is Absent, Must Be Adjudicated On Merits: AP High Court

The Andhra Pradesh High Court has held that the absence of the appellant or his counsel is not a ground to dismiss a criminal appeal against conviction for non-prosecution, observing that the appellate court must decide the appeal on merits after examining the record. [2026 LiveLaw (AP) 119]Justice Dr. Venkata Jyothirmai Pratapa allowed a criminal revision petition filed by a convict in a...

Karnataka High Court Grants ₹20 Lakh Towards 'Lifetime Caretaker' Expenses To Woman Left Permanently Disabled In Road Accident

The Karnataka High Court has awarded Rs.20 lakhs towards caretaker expenses for the next 50 years to a 34-year-old woman who suffered severe head injuries in a motorcycle accident, rendering her permanently disabled. [ 2026 LiveLaw (Kar) 240]Opining that extreme cognitive deficit and her inability to go back to her avocation would amount to 100 per cent loss of earning capacity, the...

Compassionate Employment To Dependent Of Deceased Not 'Pecuniary Advantage' For Calculating Accident Compensation: Chhattisgarh High Court

The Chhattisgarh High Court has held that compassionate appointment granted to a dependent of a deceased employee cannot be treated as a "pecuniary advantage" liable to be deducted while determining compensation under the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988. The Court observed that compassionate appointment flows from the service conditions of the deceased employee and is not a benefit arising out of...

'Tripling On Motorcycle Not Automatically Contributory Negligence': Chhattisgarh High Court Enhances Accident Compensation

The Chhattisgarh High Court has held that the mere fact that three persons were travelling on a motorcycle does not automatically establish contributory negligence. The Court observed that, in the absence of evidence showing that tripling contributed to the occurrence of the accident, compensation cannot be reduced on that ground alone.[2026 LiveLaw (Chh) 62]Justice Sanjay K. Agrawal was...

Jharkhand High Court Refuses Bail In Tetariakhad Colliery Terror Attack Case

The Jharkhand High Court has refused to grant bail to an accused in the 2020 Tetariakhad Colliery terror attack case, holding that the prosecution materials, including the statements of protected witnesses identifying him through photographs, prima facie established his involvement. The Court also held that the appellant's case was distinguishable from those of co-accused who had been...

Supreme Court Revives POCSO Case Against School Headmistress For Not Reporting Child Sex Abuse, Says Doing Own Verification No Excuse

The Supreme Court on Thursday (July 9) ruled that a school official who receives a direct complaint of sexual assault from a child cannot avoid criminal liability of reporting the incident to authorities by conducting a private "verification" and concluding that "nothing had happened." The Court said that failure to report the incident under Section 19 of the Prevention of Children from...