A special POCSO court in Muzaffarnagar has sentenced a man and a woman to 10 years imprisonment and a fine of Rs 20,000 each for the 2019 rape of a 14-year-old girl. The convicts, Vikas and Lalita, were found guilty under various IPC sections and the POCSO Act.
The pendency of rape cases in courts rose from 83 per cent in 2013 to 89 per cent in 2024, while the conviction rate fell from 27 per cent to 23 per cent in the same period.
A court in Maharajganj, Uttar Pradesh, has sentenced four men to life imprisonment for a 2012 murder stemming from a property dispute, with each also fined Rs 25,500.
A special MPID court in Mumbai has framed charges against developer Vijay Machhindar, his wife, and their company Ornate Spaces Pvt Ltd for allegedly cheating homebuyers and investors of Rs 28 crore. The charges relate to failing to deliver flats in an Oshiwara residential project and not returning the invested money, leading to a trial under IPC, MPID, and MOFA provisions.
The Delhi High Court has ruled that a woman can be charged with gang rape under Section 376D of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Section 70 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), stating there is no basis to restrict the term 'persons' in the law to only men.
A local court in Bahraich has acquitted Ankita Jaiswal and Dilip Kumar Patel in a 2021 poisoning case that led to the death of a two-year-old and illness of four others. The court found circumstantial evidence insufficient. Ankita had been jailed since August 2021 and received free legal aid.
The Patna High Court has set aside a man's conviction for attempted rape of a widow due to insufficient evidence, but upheld his conviction for assaulting her with intent to outrage her modesty and house trespass. The court directed him to pay a Rs 25,000 fine to the victim as compensation.
The Allahabad High Court has ruled against compelling employees to wear Santa Claus red caps, stating such actions can hurt religious sentiments and are not permitted in India's democratic system. The court partly allowed a plea challenging criminal proceedings against an individual accused of forcing subordinates to wear the caps, clarifying how such cases should be treated under law.
Shiv Sena corporator Ramesh Mhatre and three others have surrendered to a Thane trial court after the Supreme Court cancelled their bail in a doctor assault case. The Supreme Court overturned a Bombay High Court order, emphasizing the importance of doctor safety and noting Mhatre's extensive criminal history.
A Delhi court on Monday acquitted former Wrestling Federation of India chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh and co-accused Vinod Tomar in a sexual harassment case filed by women wrestlers.
The Supreme Court commuted the death sentence of a man convicted of sexually assaulting and strangling his six-year-old step-daughter to life imprisonment for the remainder of his natural life. The court affirmed his conviction but cited mitigating circumstances and the state's failure to exclude the possibility of his reformation, while also highlighting issues with the trial court's sentencing procedure.
The Allahabad High Court has overturned a 1988 conviction of a man named Subhash in a 1986 rape and kidnapping case, citing the prosecution's failure to establish proof beyond reasonable doubt. The court observed that the woman, who was over 19 at the time, appeared to be a consenting party, and found glaring inconsistencies in the prosecution's case, which was not corroborated by medical or oral evidence, leading to the acquittal.
The Bombay High Court has convicted former Tehelka editor Tarun Tejpal for raping a colleague in 2013, overturning his earlier acquittal. He was found guilty under Sections 376(2)(f), 354(a), and 354(b) of the Indian Penal Code.
The Anti-Corruption Bureau has petitioned a court in Hyderabad to direct BRS Working President K T Rama Rao and three other accused in the Formula E race case to surrender their passports, amidst an ongoing probe into alleged financial irregularities.
The Jammu and Kashmir High Court has rejected a petition by the Enforcement Directorate to add charges of receiving and concealing stolen property in the alleged Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association fund scam. While the court upheld the ED's right to file such an application, it found insufficient merit in the current material to invoke sections 411 and 424 of the Ranbir Penal Code, stating that the alleged acts were part of the principal transaction of conspiracy and breach of trust.
A Thane court has acquitted a man accused of attempting to rape his stepdaughter in 2016, citing that the victim and her mother turned hostile during the trial and there was a lack of corroborating evidence. The court observed that the case likely stemmed from domestic differences that may have been resolved.
The Supreme Court has ruled that mere swear words, profanities, and vulgar expletives, however offensive, do not amount to obscenity under Section 294 of the Indian Penal Code. The court clarified that for an utterance to be considered obscene, it must be lascivious, appeal to prurient interests, and have the tendency to deprave and corrupt minds. This ruling came while hearing a plea challenging a high court order confirming a conviction under IPC Section 294.
Additional District and Sessions Judge Ravi Kumar Diwakar of Muzaffarnagar has declared he would prefer death over being a "coward judge," delivering his 23rd capital punishment in four months, this time in a dowry death case. He asserted he would not succumb to pressure from mafias and criminals, despite receiving threats and having numerous cases transferred from his court.
The Allahabad High Court's Lucknow bench has discharged Congress MP Rakesh Rathore in a rape case, ruling that the prosecution material indicated a long-standing consensual relationship between him and the complainant, contrary to allegations of rape on the promise of marriage. The court deemed the allegations contradictory and unfounded, setting aside a lower court's order.
A special NIA court in Mumbai has rejected the discharge plea of Atib Rashid, a key accused in the 2022 murder of Amravati pharmacist Umesh Kolhe. The court found "more than prima facie sufficient material" to proceed with the trial, citing a common conspiracy to commit the murder and evidence linking Rashid to the crime, including electronic records and CCTV footage.
The Supreme Court has scheduled a final hearing for a batch of petitions challenging the marital rape exception in Indian law. The court will examine the constitutional validity of the provision that grants immunity to husbands from prosecution for sexual acts with their wives, even under the newly enacted Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023. This significant legal challenge follows split verdicts from High Courts and seeks to address whether such an exception aligns with fundamental rights.
The Supreme Court has stated it will wait for the central government's response on petitions concerning the criminalisation of marital rape before scheduling a hearing. This comes as the Centre has yet to file a substantive reply on the matter, which challenges the constitutional validity of exceptions in criminal law that protect husbands from prosecution for sexual acts with their wives. The issue involves the interpretation of Section 375 of the IPC (now replaced by Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita) and has seen split verdicts in high courts.
Congress's Nandigram bypoll candidate Milan Pradhan has been remanded to judicial custody in connection with old criminal cases, including murder charges from 2007. This development effectively prevents him from campaigning for the upcoming by-election. The Congress party has questioned the timing of the arrest, alleging political motives behind the revival of these long-pending cases.
A special court granted bail to dismissed police officer Sachin Waze in the 2021 Antilia bomb scare case, severely criticising the National Investigation Agency (NIA) for its failure to establish a prima facie case of terrorism and for not recording statements of the alleged targets, Mukesh Ambani's family. The NIA has challenged the bail order in the Bombay High Court.
Beyond imprisonment, candidates caught cheating face cancellation of examination scores, blacklisting under China's social credit system and multi-year bans from appearing in state examinations.
A 48-year-old man, Jayaprakash alias Bachhi Ramkhilavan Yadav, who had been absconding for five years after being booked in a 2021 attempt to murder case, has been arrested by the Mira Bhayandar Vasai Virar (MBVV) police. He was apprehended on June 10 after frequently changing locations across Surat, Uttar Pradesh, and Mira-Bhayander to evade arrest. The case involves a land dispute where the accused allegedly stabbed a tea vendor's father.
The Supreme Court has issued notices regarding Tarun Tejpal's sentencing in a 2013 rape case, responding to both his petition against a 10-year prison term and the Goa government's plea for an enhanced sentence.
Former Tehelka editor-in-chief Tarun Tejpal has surrendered before a Goa court to begin serving his 10-year rigorous imprisonment sentence in a 2013 sexual assault case. This follows a Supreme Court directive and his conviction by the Bombay High Court, which overturned his earlier acquittal. Tejpal's appeal against his conviction is slated for a Supreme Court hearing in September 2026.
The Supreme Court has refused to quash proceedings under the Prevention of Corruption Act against former NSE MD and CEO Chitra Ramkrishna, stating that the trial court will determine whether she can be considered a 'public servant' under the Act.
The Supreme Court has ruled that threatening to publish a video of a woman disrobing or bathing on social media constitutes criminal intimidation under the Indian Penal Code.
A Thane court has sentenced a financial advisor to two years rigorous imprisonment in a case of criminal breach of trust filed by a woman and imposed a fine of Rs 30 lakh on him.
A special court in Mumbai has sentenced a 32-year-old man to six months rigorous imprisonment for making derogatory remarks against Dr B R Ambedkar and hurling casteist slurs at an advocate. The court rejected the defence's argument about lack of independent witnesses, noting the incident occurred in public view.
A special NIA court in Jammu has rejected the bail plea of Insha Jan alias Insha Tariq, an accused in the 2019 Pulwama suicide attack that killed 40 Central Reserve Police Force personnel, observing that sufficient material existed on record to presume that the accusations against her were prima facie true.
A court in Uttar Pradesh sentenced former MLA Mohammad Tabish Khan and his brother to three years' imprisonment for assaulting a police constable in 2016.
A Delhi court is set to pronounce its verdict on Thursday in the murder case of Intelligence Bureau officer Ankit Sharma, who was killed during the 2020 northeast Delhi riots. Former AAP councillor Tahir Hussain and 10 others are accused in the sensational case.
A former life insurance manager in Thane has been sentenced to two years in jail for defrauding people of over Rs 3.51 crore with false promises of high returns on stock market investments.
The Supreme Court was informed that AIIMS experts have concluded self-styled godman Asaram does not require hospitalisation but needs round-the-clock medical assistance, as he seeks interim bail on health grounds.
The Kerala High Court has dismissed a petition seeking to quash criminal proceedings against a man accused of repeatedly raping a 17-year-old girl. The court ruled that even if a marriage was solemnised under Muslim religious rites, it would not protect the accused from criminal liability under the POCSO Act, reinforcing that the Act applies when one party is a minor, irrespective of personal law.
A Delhi court has deferred its verdict in the murder case of Intelligence Bureau officer Ankit Sharma, who was killed during the 2020 northeast Delhi riots. The judgment, involving former AAP councillor Tahir Hussain and 10 others, is now expected on June 11. The accused face charges including murder, rioting, and criminal conspiracy related to the communal violence.
The Supreme Court of India has dismissed a petition seeking to abolish execution by hanging, affirming its legality while strongly emphasising that the State must carry out capital punishment in a manner that minimises suffering and preserves human dignity, even for condemned prisoners.
