'This government is in the very bad habit of doing so again and again. It has done so many times.'
The Supreme Court expressed strong displeasure over the Chhattisgarh High Court's decision to reduce a murder conviction to culpable homicide, criticising its understanding of IPC sections. The apex court issued notice to the state and the accused, indicating a potential restoration of the original murder conviction and life sentence.
The Supreme Court has agreed to list a review plea concerning its May 2025 verdict on the ownership of the Hare Krishna temple in Bengaluru. The original verdict had ruled in favour of ISKCON Bangalore, but a subsequent split verdict by a review bench led to the matter being referred to the Chief Justice for further directions. The legal battle involves ISKCON Bangalore and ISKCON Mumbai over control of the temple and educational complex.
The Supreme Court has agreed to examine a plea challenging the Bombay High Court's decision to uphold the acquittal of 22 accused in the alleged fake encounter killings of Sohrabuddin Shaikh, his wife Kausar Bi, and aide Tulsiram Prajapati. The apex court expressed concern over 92 witnesses turning hostile during the trial and will review selected witness statements to ensure a fair and just process.
'Notwithstanding the seriousness of the allegations made, every accused had a right to a speedy trial and the court had to take into account long periods of incarceration without trial as an additional consideration for grant of bail.'
The Supreme Court has acquitted a man previously convicted under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act for allegedly sexually assaulting a minor girl with intellectual disability. The apex court cited "woefully short" evidence, including the mother's "unnatural conduct," delayed FIR, and the victim's failure to identify the accused, as reasons for overturning the conviction and setting aside judgments from the Meghalaya High Court and a trial court.
Senior Trinamool Congress leader Kalyan Banerjee has commented on the Supreme Court judgment regarding the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, emphasising its specific application to the Bihar case and highlighting the Election Commission's limited authority in determining citizenship.
The Supreme Court has granted a divorce to a couple separated since December 2005, noting the wife had abandoned the matrimonial relationship. The court directed the husband to pay Rs 7 lakh as permanent alimony. The ruling emphasised that prolonged separation and the reality of an irreconcilable marriage are key factors, overturning a Madhya Pradesh High Court decision.
The Supreme Court has intervened to allow international water sports coach Bilquis Mir to join the Indian National Kayaking and Canoeing Team for the Asian Games in Japan. Overruling a Jammu and Kashmir administration order that denied her permission due to pending inquiries, the apex court emphasised the time-sensitive nature of sports administration and directed the issuance of a No Objection Certificate by September 15, 2026.
The Supreme Court has ruled that an appellate court cannot unilaterally enhance a convict's sentence unless an appeal for enhancement is filed by the State, victim, or complainant. This significant observation came in a triple-murder case where the Madras High Court had enhanced a co-convict's life sentence to imprisonment for the remainder of his life without such an appeal.
The Supreme Court has dismissed a plea from a Dubai-based businessman seeking consolidation of 24 criminal cases against him, emphasising the need for a victim-centric judicial approach.
Hospital chain Fortis Healthcare has filed a special leave petition in the Supreme Court against a Delhi High Court order directing a forensic audit into the alleged erosion of assets by its former promoters, Malvinder and Shivinder Singh, during enforcement proceedings initiated by Japanese drugmaker Daiichi Sankyo.
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 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 of India has ruled that an appellate court convicting an accused for the first time in a criminal case must hear the accused on sentencing and cannot delegate the matter to a lower court.
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, using its extraordinary powers under Article 142, has quashed the conviction of a man sentenced under the POCSO Act. This decision came after the victim, who was a minor at the time of the offence, married the accused upon reaching adulthood. The court emphasised that this ruling is based on the peculiar facts of the case and should not be considered a precedent.
The Supreme Court, in a 6:3 majority verdict, has ruled that the expansive, labour-friendly definition of 'industry' from its 1978 Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board judgement will not be used for interpreting the Industrial Relations Code of 2020. However, the 'triple test' from the 1978 verdict will still apply to pending cases under the now-repealed 1947 Industrial Disputes Act.
The Supreme Court has declined to stay the Meghalaya High Court's order granting bail to Sonam Raghuvanshi, accused of murdering her husband during their honeymoon. Despite the state's plea citing serious allegations, the apex court noted her release and compliance with bail conditions, scheduling further hearing post-reopening.
The Supreme Court has disposed of Teesta Setalvad's plea for passport release, advising her to reapply with a travel itinerary. The case relates to alleged fabrication of documents in the 2002 Gujarat riots.
The Supreme Court overturned a Madras High Court order, reinstating the conviction of nine individuals involved in the 2013 murder of Chennai-based neurologist Dr Subbiah, linked to a long-standing land dispute.
The Supreme Court has expressed serious concern over the Allahabad High Court's extraordinary 40-year delay in deciding a criminal appeal filed by a murder accused. The case involves Vijay Singh, who was convicted in 1985 and whose appeal was only dismissed in February this year, after four decades. The top court questioned measures to address mounting pendency and rejected a suggestion to dismiss old cases solely due to delay.
'A rigid or overly broad interpretation could lead to a chilling effect on investments and growth in sectors traditionally driven by private initiative.' 'Entrepreneurs may fear that their assets could be arbitrarily appropriated by the State under the guise of serving the 'common good' without sufficient legal safeguards.' 'The judgment thus supports a more nuanced view, one that balances individual property rights with public welfare objectives.'
The Supreme Court has agreed to examine Sebi's challenge to a Securities Appellate Tribunal (SAT) decision that cleared Wadia Group Chairman Nusli Wadia, Bombay Dyeing, and others of allegations of fraudulent financial reporting.
The Supreme Court of India has stated that the current legal framework is sufficient to address hate speech, declining to intervene and create new offences.
The Supreme Court has acquitted accused persons in a murder case, highlighting the dangers of inept or scripted investigations in criminal prosecutions.
The Supreme Court has declared the right to walk on demarcated footpaths a fundamental right, prioritising it over motorised vehicle movement, and has called for the establishment of a regulatory body to ensure its enforcement and provide restitutionary remedies for violations.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is set to appeal the Delhi High Court's decision to quash a money laundering case against news portal NewsClick and its editor-in-chief Prabir Purkayastha, arguing that the High Court 'overlooked or left unaddressed' critical contentions regarding alleged FDI rule violations and false representations to authorities.
The Supreme Court has called for strict enforcement of the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act to counter the deep-seated patriarchal preference for male children and prevalent sex-selection practices. The court highlighted declining child sex ratios and the continued need for efforts despite government welfare schemes, stressing that true equality is yet to be achieved. The observations were made while dismissing a doctor's appeal in a PCPNDT Act violation case.
Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) will make an additional provision of USD 70 million in Q1 FY2027, bringing its total provision to USD 220 million, after the US Supreme Court declined to review a lower court ruling in a trade secrets dispute with Computer Sciences Corporation (now DXC Technology).
A Meerut court sentenced a woman and her lover to death on Friday for murdering her husband and staging it as a snakebite. The court cited the Manusmriti and the mythological figure Savitri, calling it a "rarest of rare" case.
The Supreme Court has modified its interim order, staying the strictures and compensation directive passed by the Allahabad High Court against Noida DM Medha Roopam. The High Court had ordered Roopam to pay Rs 5 lakh from her salary for the detention of student Akriti Chaudhary under the NSA, criticising the DM's conduct. The Supreme Court's interim order specifically stays paragraphs 27 to 33 of the High Court judgment, which contained the strictures and cost award, but does not stay the quashing of Chaudhary's detention.
The Supreme Court has scheduled a July hearing for the Rs 500 crore money decree case involving Ras Al Khaimah Investment Authority (RAKIA) and industrialist Nimmagadda Prasad, following the failure of a mediation process led by former Chief Justice of India U U Lalit.
A Delhi court has upheld the conviction of Yatin Sharma in a 2013 fatal road accident case in Hauz Khas, rejecting his appeal and plea for probation. The court emphasised that high-speed vehicular negligence resulting in death warrants custodial sentences to ensure public safety and deterrence, directing Sharma to surrender within 30 days.
Retiring Supreme Court Justice Sanjay Karol stated in his farewell address that judges are not gods and will not get every judgement right, emphasising the need for humility and the ability to see the real person behind every litigant.
A Delhi court has dismissed the bail applications of activists Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam in the 2020 Delhi riots conspiracy case, citing its obligation to follow a previous Supreme Court order that rejected their bail.
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.
'My argument was straightforward: If the Constitution allows this reservation and SC/ST and OBC candidates are already getting reservation in private institutions -- backed by Constitution Bench orders -- then not extending the same to EWS candidates directly violates the 103rd Amendment and Article 14, which guarantees the right to equality.'
The Supreme Court has said that selling land or property is not a service under the Finance Act, 1994, so such sales cannot be charged with service tax.
The Supreme Court has ruled that borrowers are not entitled to a personal hearing before banks classify their loan accounts as "fraud" under RBI directions, clarifying that a written response to a show-cause notice and access to the forensic audit report (with redactions) are sufficient for natural justice.
