The Punjab & Haryana High Court has taken suo motu cognizance of criminal contempt over a front-page advertisement, "What is Dera Sacha Sauda? (Facts vs Fiction)", published in The Hindu and Dainik Bhaskar on 12 September 2026. Justice Subhas Mehla held that paid narratives insinuating a judicial conspiracy against Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, while appeals are pending, obstruct justice. A division bench issued notice to Dera Sacha Sauda and both newspapers, listing the matter fo

The Supreme Court, by a bench of CJI Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana, refused to interfere with a Calcutta High Court order upholding the maintainability of a PIL on Forest Rights Act violations in the Great Nicobar project. Justice Bagchi orally said preservation of culture is a constitutionally protected fundamental right, calling the Shompen a unique tribe needing preservation. The Union was asked to place the NGT decision before the High Court, which

The Indian Youth Congress has moved the Delhi High Court against the Delhi Police’s October 1 order refusing permission for a protest at Jantar Mantar demanding the resignation of CEC Gyanesh Kumar. The plea, filed by IYC President Uday Bhanu Chib, says the application for a peaceful gathering of 100–150 persons was made on September 25, yet the refusal came only on the first proposed protest date. It argues that police cannot turn regulation into prohibition, and invokes Art

The Supreme Court has cancelled the bail of Kalyan-Dombivli corporator Ramesh Mhatre and three others accused of assaulting doctors at a Dombivli hospital on July 6, 2026. A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta held that the Bombay High Court overlooked Mhatre's criminal antecedents, his influence and the fear among doctors, and gave no reason for reversing its earlier stay. Stressing that doctors cannot work under threat of violence, the Court ordered all four to

The Supreme Court has reportedly declined the Joint Parliamentary Committee's proposal to meet the CJI and judges on October 6 for informal talks on 'One Nation, One Election', sources said. Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal had called the move a violation of separation of powers, adding that no such meeting had ever occurred. The Committee, chaired by BJP MP P.P. Chaudhary, is examining the 129th Constitution Amendment Bill, 2024 and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 20

The Supreme Court held that judges must not apply personal views on morality while deciding bail pleas or criminal trials. A bench of Justices Ujjal Bhuyan and Atul S. Chandurkar set aside a Madhya Pradesh High Court order that refused bail citing the “morals” of the victim's family and social order. The accused faces charges under the BNS, POCSO and the SC/ST Act. Noting he had spent over a year in custody and the trial would take time, the Court granted bail. Read full arti

A curative petition by Dr Jaya Thakur seeks recall of the Supreme Court's September 23 split verdict on the 2023 CEC and Election Commissioners law. The plea alleges reasonable apprehension of bias, as Justice SC Sharma's son has been ECI's empanelled counsel in the Madhya Pradesh High Court since July 2024. The petitioner says the judge should have disclosed this and argues the verdict stands vitiated. The plea invokes Articles 32 and 142 and Rupa Ashok Hurra. Read Full Arti

The Supreme Court has ordered Delhi Police and civic bodies to secure public spaces in Delhi-NCR within four weeks. Directions include district-wise vulnerability mapping, patrolling at parks, and CCTV and lighting audits of parks and transport hubs. Citizen complaints must be acted on, tinted-film vehicles impounded, and the Delhi High Court must report on Fast Track Courts. Trials should end within a year. The bench is examining institutional failures. Next hearing: October

A Delhi court reserved its order on fresh bail pleas by Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam in the 2020 Delhi riots larger conspiracy case, with the verdict likely by Monday. ASJ Sameer Bajpai heard arguments from both sides. The duo cited nearly six years in custody without trial as grounds for bail, while the prosecution said relief could come only after the Supreme Court's embargo period lapses. The Supreme Court had earlier denied them bail while granting relief to five co-accu

The Orissa High Court, in Smt. Sunita Nayak v. Anup Kumar Tota, has held that refusal by an addressee to accept court notice — followed by affixture of the notice on the outer door or another conspicuous part of the house — amounts to valid and sufficient service. A Division Bench of Justice Manash Ranjan Pathak and Justice Sibo Sankar Mishra invoked Illustration (f) to Section 114 of the Evidence Act, Section 27 of the General Clauses Act, and Order V Rule 9(5) CPC, holding

The Supreme Court has held that an advocate cannot compromise on a client's behalf without express authorisation. A bench of Justices Sanjay Karol and N. Kotiswar Singh upheld the setting aside of a 1994 compromise decree in a partition suit, after the client's heirs said he never signed or authorised the settlement. The Court explained that Order XXIII Rule 3 CPC requires a compromise to be signed by the parties themselves, and lawyers cannot surrender substantive rights on

The Supreme Court quashed advocate Ajay Vijh's inclusion in the Indian Banks' Association's Caution List, ruling that banks cannot unilaterally declare lawyers professionally negligent — that power lies exclusively with Bar Councils under the Advocates Act, 1961. Using the case, the Court directed the Bar Council of India to conduct a full performance audit of disciplinary mechanisms at both the BCI and State Bar Council level, citing delays and inconsistent practices. It als

Senior Advocate Rebecca John criticised the Supreme Court's expansive interpretation of “terrorist act” under UAPA Section 15, warning it risks making political dissent prosecutable as terrorism. Speaking at an event marking Father Stan Swamy's fifth death anniversary, she said the judgment denying bail to Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam stretched a law meant for weapon-based violence. John also criticised UAPA's bail bar under Section 43D(5), calling prolonged pre-trial detent

The Supreme Court has ruled that a Magistrate's error in taking cognizance under the wrong statutory provision is a curable defect under Section 465 CrPC, not grounds to quash proceedings, provided the Magistrate otherwise had jurisdiction. A bench of Justices Sanjay Karol and Kotiswar Singh made the observation in a case involving a 2015 Bhuj civic body election dispute, upholding the State's argument over the appellant's claim of a jurisdictional error. The matter was reman

The Supreme Court has reiterated that a judgment can be declared per incuriam only in narrow circumstances: when its ratio conflicts with an earlier ruling of an equal or larger bench, or when it ignored a relevant statute or binding precedent central to the outcome. Justices Sanjay Karol and N.K. Singh clarified the doctrine is a limited exception to stare decisis, not a tool to bypass precedent simply because a later bench disagrees with its reasoning. Read full article Not

HYDERABAD — The Telangana State Legal Services Authority (TSLSA) successfully concluded the year’s second National Lok Adalat, settling an unprecedented 9,28,322 cases across 353 specialized benches. The single-day drive brought closure to 3,80,292 pre-litigation disputes and 5,48,030 pending court matters, resulting in an aggregate compensation payout of ₹422 crore to various litigants. Guided by High Court leadership, the forum resolved complex issues alongside routine comp

The Allahabad High Court has held that a woman cannot claim maintenance under Section 125 CrPC from a man she lived with, since her first marriage was never legally dissolved. In Madhu @ Aruna Bhajpai v. State of U.P., Justice Madan Pal Singh ruled that her earlier divorce petition was dismissed in default, so her first marriage subsisted, making the later marriage void under Section 11 of the Hindu Marriage Act. Distinguishing Badshah v. Urmila Badshah Godse (2014), the Cour

The Supreme Court has restored the POCSO case against a school headmistress in Arunachal Pradesh who allegedly ran her own inquiry instead of reporting an eight-year-old's sexual assault complaint. Justices Manoj Misra and K.V. Viswanathan held that “knowledge” under Section 19(1) includes credible information received directly from a victim, and private verification cannot substitute for mandatory reporting, which attracts liability under Section 21 if skipped. The Court res

The Supreme Court has ruled that a bank merger transferring tenancy rights to another entity, without the landlord's written consent, attracts eviction under Section 14(1)(b) of the Delhi Rent Control Act. Justices Sanjay Karol and Nongmeikapam Kotiswar Singh restored an eviction decree against PNB, holding that Hindustan Commercial Bank's 1986 amalgamation into PNB transferred tenancy and possession without the landlord's approval. The Court held the RBI-approved scheme coul

The Supreme Court has held that an officer’s mere presence when a superior accepted a bribe cannot prove criminal conspiracy. Justices Pankaj Mithal and Prasanna B. Varale dismissed UP’s appeals against the acquittal of three Central Excise officers in a 1995 case, upholding the Allahabad High Court’s finding that demand, acceptance and conspiracy were never proved. The Court cited withheld tape-recorded evidence and stressed conspiracy needs a “meeting of minds,” not mere su