Supreme Court Upholds Husband's Conviction For Wife's Murder, Finds Extra Marital Affair Motive Established

The Supreme Court on Monday (July 20) upheld the conviction of a husband for the murder of his wife, holding that the substantial number of call exchanges with his lover constituted valid circumstantial evidence establishing both the existence of an affair and the motive to remove the wife as a barrier to their relationship.A bench of Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice Satish Chandra Sharma dismissed the appeals filed by Piyush Shyamdasani (A1, husband), Renu @ Akhilesh Kanaujiya and Sonu...

1996 Samleti Bus Bomb Blast: Supreme Court Orders Fresh Trial Of Death Row Convict Citing Ineffective Legal Representation

The Supreme Court on Tuesday (July 21) set aside the death penalty of Dr. Abdul Hameed, who was convicted in the 1996 Samleti Bus Bomb Blast involving an IED which detonated on a passenger bus travelling from Agra to Bikaner near Samleti village, killing 14 persons and injuring 37 others.The bench of Justices Vikram Nath, Sanjay Karol and Sandeep Mehta set aside the 2019 Rajasthan High Court judgement to the extent it upheld the conviction and death sentence of Hameed, citing ineffective...

LiveLaw Supreme Court Half-Yearly Digest 2026 - Arbitration and Conciliation Act

A party at fault cannot be permitted to set up a bar of non-performance of prerequisite obligations to exclude the operation of an arbitration clause - If a party's conduct such as failing to adhere to strict timelines for Engineer decisions or Adjudicator recommendations disables preceding steps, those procedural prerequisites are deemed waived. [Relied on M.K. Shah Engineers &...

Shiv-Sena UBT Moves Supreme Court Against Lok Sabha Speaker Approving Merger Of Its 6 MPs With Shinde Sena

Shiv Sena Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray faction approached the Supreme Court on Tuesday (July 21) against Lok Sabha Speaker approving merger of its 6 Members of Parliament with the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena. The matter was mentioned by senior advocate Devadatt Kamat before a bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant seeking urgent listing of the plea. As the court asked about the urgency, Kamat said, "My functioning as a political party in the Parliament has come to absolute standstill....

Supreme Court Revives Over ₹16 Crore Service Tax Demand Against BPCL & HPCL For Facilitating CNG Sales For Mahanagar Gas

The Supreme Court on Monday (July 20) restored the service tax demands exceeding ₹16 Crore against the Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd. (BPCL) and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd. (HPCL), who acted as 'commission agents' of the Mahanagar Gas Limited (MGL) while selling Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) through their retail outlets. Referring to the agreement, a bench of Justice Aravind Kumar and Justice NV Anjaria noted that since the two oil companies acted as a marketing agents and promoters...

'Was Aged Only 25 Yrs, Reformation Possible' : Supreme Court Reduces Life Term Of Gang Rape Convict To 20 Yrs

The Supreme Court on Monday (July 20) modified the sentence of a life convict in a gang rape case to a minimum sentence of twenty years, after noting that the convict is young, has no criminal antecedents, and there's a possibility of reformation. “When a sentence is imposed on an offender, it is done so with trifold purpose i.e. punitive, deterrent and protective. The overall objective is...

Supreme Court Expresses Concern Over Quality Of MACT Judgments, Calls For Clear And Reasoned Findings

The Supreme Court on Monday (July 20) expressed displeasure with the lack of legal reasoning in the Motor Accident Claim Tribunals' decisions. The Court observed that many tribunal orders merely reproduce pleadings and evidence without adequately explaining how the facts lead to the ultimate conclusion. “The Tribunals are bodies that people approach, seeking compensation as a consequence...

HC Judges' Post-Retirement Benefits Must Be Uniform Across Country : Supreme Court Asks Centre To Form Committee

The Supreme Court on Monday directed the Union Government to constitute a committee within two weeks to frame uniform guidelines on post-retirement facilities for former Chief Justices and judges of High Courts, observing that essential amenities currently vary widely from State to State.A Bench led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, along with Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice V Mohana,...

Prescribing Minimum Viva Voce Cut-Off For Judicial Appointments Is Reasonable: Supreme Court

The Supreme Court recently dismissed a civil appeal by a judicial aspirant challenging a proviso to Rule 41 of the Rajasthan Judicial Service Rules, 2010, on the grounds that he had participated in the whole process without raising any issue. The proviso prescribed a minimum of 25% marks in the interview for the appointment of Additional District Judges from the advocates' quota before it...

LiveLaw Breaking News Alerts: 20/07/2026

LiveLaw is introducing a new feature —'Breaking News Alerts' — designed to keep our readers instantly updated on the most important judicial developments. With real-time coverage of urgent pronouncements and orders from the Supreme Court and High Courts, this feature ensures that critical updates reach you the moment they happen. Whether it's a landmark ruling or an urgent interim...

Employer Can't Defeat Compassionate Appointment Claim By Delaying Processing: Supreme Court

The Supreme Court has held that an employer cannot keep an employee's application for voluntary retirement on medical grounds pending until the employee crosses the prescribed age limit and then use that delay to deny compassionate appointment to the employee's dependent. The Court ruled that such an interpretation would allow an employer to "control eligibility through delayed processing"...

How Can Dead Witness's Testimony Be Used Against Accused Who Absconded? Supreme Court Explains S.299 CrPC

The Supreme Court has clarified that the earlier testimony of a witness who has since died can be used against an accused who had absconded during the original trial, provided the conditions under Section 299 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 (CrPC) are satisfied.A Bench of Justice Sanjay Karol and Justice Vipul M. Pancholi held that Section 299 CrPC is an exception to the general rule...