Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973

The wife (appellant) and her son filed a maintenance petition under Section 125 of the Criminal Procedure Code, alleging that the husband subjected her to cruelty, dowry harassment and forced her to leave the matrimonial home. The Family Court dismissed the wife’s application but granted maintenance to the son, a decis…

The appellant, Chotkau, was convicted and sentenced to death for the rape and murder of a six‑year‑old girl based solely on the testimonies of three prosecution witnesses and circumstantial evidence. The Supreme Court found serious contradictions in the witnesses' accounts regarding the FIR filing, the handling of the …

Maheshwar Tigga was convicted by the trial court and the Jharkhand High Court for rape, voluntarily causing hurt and wrongful restraint under Sections 376, 323 and 341 IPC, based on the prosecutrix’s allegation that he assaulted her when she was a minor. The Supreme Court examined whether the prosecutrix was indeed a m…

Five eminent citizens filed a writ petition under Article 32 on behalf of five human‑rights activists arrested in connection with the Bhima‑Koregaon violence. The petitioners alleged that the arrests were fabricated, that the police were using the media to prejudice public opinion, and sought a Special Investigating Te…

The appellant was convicted under IPC s.376(2)(f) for sexually assaulting a nine‑year‑old girl. The victim initially identified the appellant in a test identification parade (TIP) but later turned hostile and refused dock identification. The High Court upheld the conviction on the basis of the FIR, medical report, seme…

The case concerned the abduction and murder of former MLA M.K. Balan. The prosecution’s case against appellants A‑3 (Manickam), A‑4 (Somasundaram) and A‑15 (Bomb Selvam) relied primarily on the testimony of two alleged accomplices, PW‑10 and PW‑11, supported by peripheral witnesses and documentary evidence. The trial c…

An FIR for offences under sections 467, 468, 471, 409 and 114 IPC was filed against the appellant. He sought quashing of the FIR and a stay of investigation under Section 482 CrPC, but was arrested before the stay order took effect. The magistrate remanded him to police custody and later to judicial custody. The High C…

In July 1994, Baljinder Singh and his brother Bhupinder Singh assaulted Kulwinder Singh, the owner of a cart that had inadvertently entered their paddy field, inflicting knife and fist injuries. The trial court convicted Baljinder under IPC sections 326 and 324, sentencing him to four years rigorous imprisonment with a…

The appellant Rajesh Kumar was convicted of murdering two children, aged four years and eight months, and was sentenced to death by the trial court and the Delhi High Court. On appeal, the Supreme Court examined whether the death penalty was justified under the "rarest of rare" doctrine, emphasizing the need to balance…

The appellants, the in‑laws of Amani Moharana, were convicted by the trial court for murder based on two dying declarations of the deceased, one recorded by a doctor (PW‑8) and another by a police officer (PW‑9) under Section 161 of the CrPC. The High Court discarded the doctor’s declaration as a Xerox copy but upheld …

The case arose from an FIR in which three persons were arraigned as accused, while the appellants were not. Witnesses 1‑3 only testified to the appellants' presence, without attributing any specific role, and after the prosecution evidence was closed, two additional witnesses (4 and 5) were examined under s.311 CrPC. T…

The State of Punjab prosecuted Mohinder Singh and others for the murder of Dalip Singh, alleging they used sharp weapons during a land dispute. The trial court convicted one accused under Section 302 IPC and the others under Section 302 read with Section 34, rejecting the defence that the FIR was delayed, the injuries …

The accused were convicted under Sections 325 and 323 of the IPC, each read with Section 34, for assaulting the complainant and his wife. Subsequently, the parties reached an amicable settlement and filed a deed of compromise seeking compounding of the offences. The appellants contended that both offences are compounda…

Gurmeet Singh was convicted of murdering thirteen members of his own family in a moonlit night, using swords, after a dispute over his newly‑married wife and a co‑accused. The trial court sentenced him to death under Section 302 IPC, a sentence confirmed by the Allahabad High Court despite a split decision among its ju…

The appellant, Gangadhar Janardan Mhatre, filed a writ petition under Article 226 seeking transfer of the investigation of a FIR in which his brother was allegedly killed. The High Court dismissed the petition, holding that the case was already before the Sessions Court and that the writ was not the appropriate remedy.…

The State of Punjab convicted Naib Din under Section 9 of the Opium Act for possession of opium, relying in part on affidavits of two police officers who had handled the seized sample. The High Court, on revision, quashed the conviction because the affidavits were not cross‑examined and their contents were not put to t…

The appellants were charged with murder and related offences under Sections 302, 307, 147, 148, 149 and 1208 of the IPC for an incident alleged to have occurred on 27 June 1977 in Badayun, Uttar Pradesh. The trial court acquitted all accused, holding that the prosecution failed to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt…

The petitioners, a group of Muslim women, challenged the constitutional validity of the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Divorce) Act, 1986, arguing that it discriminated against them by excluding Muslim divorced women from the protection of Section 125 of the Code of Criminal Procedure. The Court examined whether…

The Bank of Baroda issued a possession notice under the SARFAESI Act to recover defaulted loans, but a clerical error inflated the outstanding amount, leading the borrower Phoenix India to allege defamation and file a criminal complaint under Sections 499, 500 and 501 IPC against the Bank's senior officers. The magistr…

The case arose from a raid on a godown in Ahmedabad where 55 boxes containing 1,364 kg of ephedrine, a controlled substance under the NDPS (Regulation of Controlled Substances) Order 2013, were seized. Four appellants were convicted under Sections 25A and 29 of the NDPS Act based largely on the confessional statement o…

The Supreme Court examined the bail granted by the Nagpur Bench of the Bombay High Court to respondent No.1, who was accused of conspiracy, cheating, forgery and criminal breach of trust in a massive financial scam involving a cooperative society. The prosecution alleged that the respondent withdrew approximately ₹9 cr…

The appellants were appointed by Canara Bank and other central government undertakings in the Scheduled Caste category based on caste certificates issued under Karnataka state circulars that listed their community as a synonymous Scheduled Caste. After the Supreme Court’s decision in State of Maharashtra v. Milind, the…

The appellant Ilavarasan married Mathithra under Section 7A of the Hindu Marriage Act, with the assistance of advocates and social workers, and later filed a habeas corpus petition alleging that she was being detained by her parents and forced to marry her maternal uncle. The Madras High Court dismissed the petition, h…

The Union of India challenged a High Court order that quashed an FIR registered under the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) for the alleged sale of unlicensed drugs, holding that prosecution for offences under Chapter IV of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 must be initiated only by persons named in Section 32 of the A…

The case arose from a violent clash between CPI(M) and IPF workers in Karanda village, West Bengal, where a mob set fire to houses, assaulted occupants and caused five deaths and twenty‑four serious injuries. The trial court acquitted all 82 accused, relying on alleged inconsistencies in eyewitness testimony, a stamped…

The CBI alleged that Maninder Singh, together with a co‑accused, obtained credit facilities from New Bank of India by submitting forged documents and colluding with a bank manager, thereby cheating the bank of over Rs 10.62 lakh. After a lengthy investigation, a charge‑sheet was filed under Sections 420, 467, 468, 471 …

The appellants were convicted under Sections 148, 302 read with 149, 341, and 323 of the IPC for the death of Khushal Salgar. The prosecution relied on the testimony of two eye‑witnesses, a dying declaration, and forensic evidence. The Supreme Court examined whether the evidence established a common object to cause mur…

The appellant, Mahesh Chand Sharma, purchased land and obtained possession, but the accused (Panna Lal, Ram Babu and Rajkumar) colluded with an area lekhpal to have the property mutated in their names through a false report. The appellant filed a complaint under Section 156(3) CrPC, leading to investigation and a charg…

The State of Uttar Pradesh alleged that the accused, Raja (also known as Jalil), abducted an 11‑year‑old girl, attempted to rape her and subsequently killed her. The trial court convicted him under IPC sections 302, 376 and 511, relying on circumstantial evidence and an alleged extra‑judicial confession, and imposed th…

The trial court convicted Suresh Kumar (Chhotu) under Sections 363, 366, 368 and 376 of the IPC for kidnapping and rape of a girl, sentencing him to seven years' rigorous imprisonment. On appeal, the Himachal Pradesh High Court acquitted him, holding that the victim was over sixteen years of age and had accompanied the…

The appellants, Subramani and four others, were charged with murder, grievous hurt and criminal trespass after a violent clash over a disputed plot of land they had cultivated for over 50 years. The prosecution alleged that the deceased, a purchaser of the land, and his family attempted to plough the field, were assaul…

The appellant, Sadanandan Badran, received a Rs 30,000 cheque from the respondent, Madhavan Sunil Kumar, to settle a loan. The cheque was presented twice (January and May 1991) and was dishonoured both times for insufficient funds. After each dishonour the appellant issued a legal notice demanding payment; the responde…

The appellants, G. Vijayavardhan Rao and another, were convicted of setting fire to a passenger bus, killing 23 people and injuring many, with the motive of robbery. They poured petrol into the bus, ignited it, and robbed passengers of cash, a wristwatch and clothing, as evidenced by recovered items and witness testimo…

Mahesh was charged with the murder of Krishna Kumar after a dispute over grazing cattle in a field. The deceased and two other labourers asked Mahesh to remove his cattle, leading to an altercation in which Mahesh struck Krishna Kumar once on the head with a pharsa, causing instant death. The trial court, after evaluat…

Anand Singh Bisht, a Naik in the Border Security Force, was convicted under the BSF Act and IPC section 307 for injuring a cadet and sentenced to one year of rigorous imprisonment. He had already spent about a year in pre‑trial detention and sought release by invoking Section 428 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, whic…

The Supreme Court examined a petition filed by H.S. Chowdhary, claiming to be a public‑interest litigant, seeking to quash a FIR and stop a letter rogatory to Switzerland in the Bofors scandal. The Court held that Chowdhary had no locus standi and that the petition did not fall within the definition of public‑interest …

The father (A1) and son (A2) were charged with murder, conspiracy and abetment of the death of A2's wife, who was found dead in their house. The trial court acquitted them for lack of evidence of a conspiracy and of a homicidal death. The High Court convicted them under Sections 302, 201 and 120‑B IPC, sentencing both …

The State Government filed a criminal complaint under s.500 IPC, with sanction under s.199(2) CrPC, alleging defamation of the Director General of Police. The trial court took cognizance and issued process against the appellants. The appellants filed a revision petition under s.397 and s.401 CrPC challenging the issue …

The appellants, prominent badminton players and their coach, were accused in a private complaint of falsifying birth records to gain entry into age‑restricted tournaments, leading to the registration of an FIR under Sections 420, 468, 471 and 34 IPC. The complaint relied mainly on an unauthenticated 1996 GPF nomination…

The case arose from the Bhima‑Koregaon violence of December 2017, after which the National Investigation Agency (NIA) expanded the investigation, searched the residences of several activists and arrested Vernon Gonsalves and Arun Ferreira. The prosecution alleged that the two were members of the banned CPI (Maoist) and…

The appellant, an informant and prosecution witness, identified three persons named in the FIR but omitted from the charge‑sheet as assailants during his examination‑in‑chief. He moved an application under Section 319 of the CrPC to summon these persons, which the trial court allowed. The High Court, on revision, set a…

On the night of 2-3 November 2015, the deceased Vilas Gawande was attacked by four accused; two of them wielded an axe while the other two, Sanjay Puran Bagde and Rajratna (Nandu) Bagde, held the victim. The victim’s wife, an eyewitness, testified that all four were present and that the accused had a pre‑meditated plan…

During the 2015 Kerala budget presentation, several opposition MLAs climbed onto the Speaker's dais and damaged furniture, leading to a criminal case under IPC sections 427, 447, 34 and the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act, 1984. The public prosecutor sought to withdraw the prosecution under Section 321 of t…

The appellant, Parminder Kaur, a single woman living with her child and mother, was convicted under IPC sections 366A and 506 for allegedly enticing a minor girl to illicit intercourse with her tenant boy and for threatening the victim’s brother. The prosecution’s case rested on the testimony of the minor victim and he…

The Union of India appealed against a Calcutta High Court order that released two accused, Niyazuddin SK and Asif Aslam, on bail in a narcotics case involving a commercial quantity of drugs. The public prosecutor had opposed the bail application, but the High Court granted bail without addressing the special conditions…

The Supreme Court examined the death of Archana Mishra, who died of poisoning within six weeks of marriage, and determined that she had been subjected to cruelty and harassment by her husband and in‑laws in connection with dowry demands. The prosecution established the essential ingredients of Section 3048 IPC and the …

The case involved three accused—Birappa (A‑1), Kareppa (A‑2) and Muttappa (A‑3)—charged with the murder of Gulappa. The trial court convicted Birappa based primarily on the testimony of a single eyewitness, PW‑1, the brother of the deceased, while acquitting the other two. On appeal, the High Court upheld Birappa's con…

Satpal Singh was convicted of rape under Section 376 IPC for assaulting the minor Rajinder Kaur. He appealed, arguing that the FIR was lodged after an inordinate four‑month delay, that the victim was a major, and that the act was consensual because they were schoolmates. The Supreme Court held that the delay was explai…

Shail Kumari Devi and her minor daughter filed a Section 125 CrPC maintenance suit against Krishan Bhagwan Pathak in 1997, seeking Rs.500 each per month. The Family Court later ordered maintenance of Rs.2,000 and Rs.1,000 respectively, payable from the date of application (July 21, 1997). The High Court reduced the amo…

The State of Punjab appealed against a High Court order that quashed charges framed under Section 7(1)(a)(ii) of the Essential Commodities Act, 1955 against the directors of Mis. Sangrur Vanaspati Mills Ltd., leaving only the production manager to stand trial for adulterating vegetable oil. The Supreme Court examined w…

The Supreme Court dismissed the appeals of Krishnan and others, upholding their conviction for murder under Section 302 read with Section 34 of the IPC and for voluntarily causing hurt under Section 323. The Court held that the FIR was lodged immediately after the incident, negating any possibility of a fabricated stat…

The State of Maharashtra filed a Special Leave Petition under Article 136 challenging a Bombay High Court order that the Governor should exercise his own discretion, not the advice of the Council of Ministers, when deciding whether to grant sanction under Section 6 of the Prevention of Corruption Act for the prosecutio…

The appellant challenged the Allahabad High Court's order quashing a magistrate's final decree under CrPC s.145, which granted him possession of disputed land. The magistrate had recorded a finding of breach of peace in the preliminary order but omitted such a finding in the final order. The High Court, invoking s.482,…

The appellants were charged under sections 120B, 420, 468 and 471 of the IPC and section 13(2) read with 13(1)(d) of the Prevention of Corruption Act for allegedly diverting bank funds. Parallel civil recovery proceedings before the Debt Recovery Tribunal were settled through a One Time Settlement (OTS) in which the ba…

The appellant, a lawyer, filed a public interest litigation alleging that up to 171 police encounters in Assam between 2021 and 2022 were fake and that the State had violated the procedural safeguards laid down in the People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) guidelines. The Gauhati High Court dismissed the petition as…

The appellant, Batlanki Keshav (Kesava) Kumar Anurag, sought to quash FIR No. 103 of 2022 alleging offences under Section 376(2)(n) IPC and Section 3(2)(v) of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, claiming the allegations of sexual relations under a false promise of marriage were fabricated. The de‑facto complainan…

The appellants, Nathu Singh and other complainants, challenged orders of the Allahabad High Court that, after rejecting anticipatory bail applications under Section 438 of the CrPC, granted the accused a 90‑day protection from coercive action and directed them to surrender for regular bail. The Supreme Court examined w…

Gurmeet Singh was convicted under Section 304‑B of the IPC for the dowry‑related death of his wife, who died after consuming poison within four years of marriage. The appellant challenged the conviction, arguing that the prosecution had not proved the "soon before" dowry demand, that the presumption of causation under …

The appellants were convicted for dowry death (Sec. 304B IPC) and abetment of suicide (Sec. 306 IPC) after the victim died from severe burns within a year of marriage, allegedly following dowry harassment. The Supreme Court examined whether the prosecution had proved the essential ingredients of Sec. 304B, including th…

The appellant Kusti Malliah and his co‑accused were convicted for the murder of Neelagiri Parvamma and for stealing her ornaments, offences punishable under IPC ss.302, 404 read with s.34. The prosecution relied primarily on the testimony of a sole eye‑witness (PW‑6) who saw the assault from a distance, corroborated by…

The appellant was accused of raping and murdering a three‑year‑old girl and was convicted under Sections 376(2)(f) and 302 IPC, receiving a death sentence which was later commuted to life imprisonment. The prosecution's case rested mainly on two circumstantial facts – the appellant pointing out the location of the vict…

Karan Singh was convicted for the murder of Raj under IPC s.302, the prosecution alleging a motive of non‑payment of Rs 47,000 for a buffalo. Eye‑witnesses Maya Devi (PW‑3) and her daughter Birma (PW‑4) saw the appellant dragging the victim with a rope, and an independent witness (PW‑8) corroborated the allegation. The…

The appellant, Ravirala Laxmaiah, was convicted for murdering his wife Balamani by strangulation and for dowry-related harassment under IPC sections 302 and 404. The trial court and High Court relied on circumstantial evidence, the appellant’s failure to explain the death (last‑seen theory), false statements to the vic…

The appellant, Dammu Sreenu, had an illicit relationship with the wife of the deceased, Sitra Nagarjuna Rao. After the wife was taken away for counseling, the appellant forcibly removed her from her brother's house and kept her for four days, after which the deceased, feeling humiliated, expressed a desire to die and s…

The accused Kamaljit Singh and Manjit Singh, who were in an illicit relationship with Bhinder Kaur, the wife of Sewa Singh, murdered Sewa Singh and his three sons after the family harassed Bhinder Kaur. The trial court sentenced the two accused to death, while the High Court altered the death sentences to life imprison…

Chunni Bai was convicted of murdering her two young daughters after the trial court and High Court upheld a Section 302 IPC conviction. She claimed she acted under the influence of an invisible power, asserting unsoundness of mind under Section 84 IPC. The Supreme Court examined the eyewitness testimony, medical autops…

The case concerns the honour killing of a Dalit boy, Murugesan, and his Vanniyar bride, Kannagi, in 2003. Police officers Sub‑Inspector K.P. Tamilmaran (A‑14) and Inspector M. Sellamuthu (A‑15) failed to register an FIR despite being informed of the murders and later fabricated evidence to implicate Dalit relatives whi…

The appellant, Ravish Singh Rana, was accused by his live-in partner of raping her after refusing to marry, leading to FIR No. 482 of 2023 under IPC sections 376, 323, 504 and 506. The appellant sought quash of the FIR invoking Section 528 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, arguing that the two-year cohabitatio…

The case arose from a private complaint alleging that the Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal) filed a false affidavit with the Election Commission of India, contradicting its constitution submitted to the Gurudwara Election Commission, thereby violating the secularism requirement of Section 29‑A of the Representation of People…

Ganesh Benzoplast Ltd. (complainant) entered into Inter‑Corporate Deposit agreements with Morgan Securities & Credits Ltd., pledging shares as security. When the value of the pledged shares fell, the lender invoked the pledge and sold the shares to itself and its group companies in 2001. The complainant waited until 20…

The appellants, long‑time tenants of premises that later became part of a Wakf, were facing civil eviction when the Wakf Act, 1995 was amended in 2013 adding a penal provision (Section 52A) and a definition of "encroacher". The Wakf Board filed a criminal complaint under Section 52A alleging the appellants were encroac…

The State of Andhra Pradesh appealed against a High Court order that granted a writ of habeas corpus, directing the release of a life convict (P. Reddy Bhaskar) who had escaped twice and was later sentenced to a one‑year simple imprisonment for kidnapping. After being granted special remission for his life sentence, th…

The State of Madhya Pradesh appealed against the High Court's acquittal of Phoolchand Rathore, who had been convicted and sentenced to death for the murder of his wife under sections 302 and 201 IPC. The prosecution's case rested on alleged motive (a dispute over jewellery), a disclosure statement and recovery of blood…

The mother of the deceased sought a reinvestigation of a murder case (IPC ss.302, 120B) by the Central Bureau of Criminal Investigation (CBCID) after the accused had been chargesheeted and a quashing petition dismissed. The Secretary (Home), Uttar Pradesh, ordered the transfer of investigation to CBCID based solely on …

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) investigated alleged disproportionate assets of D. Dwarakanadha Reddy and others under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, filed a closure report under Section 173(2) of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) in 2008, and the Special Judge accepted it. In 2013 the CBI obtain…

The case concerned the murder of Hari Shankar whose body was found in an apartment rented by the appellant Santosh @ Bhure. The prosecution relied on circumstantial evidence – tenancy of the flat, the presence of blood, a suicide letter allegedly written by co‑accused Neeraj, and recovery of a knife and blood‑stained c…

The appellants, three villagers, were convicted for the murder of Gokalbhai and the assault of two others after a quarrel over rent and animosity. The prosecution presented 32 witnesses, medical and post‑mortem reports, serological evidence and the testimony of injured witnesses who identified the accused. The defence …

M/s Northern Minerals Ltd. and its directors were prosecuted under the Insecticides Act, 1968 after a seized sample of their product was declared mis‑branded by the State Pesticide Testing Laboratory. The appellants filed a show‑cause notice, indicated their intention to contest the analyst's report, and sought a re‑an…

The appellant Upendra Pradhan was convicted for murder under IPC sections 302 and 34, based on the High Court's reversal of an acquittal granted by the Additional Sessions Judge. The appellant contended that he was a juvenile at the time of the offence and that the benefit of doubt should apply, also challenging the re…

Hari Shanker and three others were convicted for the murder of Shiv Shanker under Section 302 read with Section 34 of the IPC. The prosecution's case rested on the eye‑witness PW2 who said Hari fired the first shot, striking the victim's wrist, while other accused fired the fatal abdominal shot. The High Court acquitte…

The appellants were acquitted by the trial court for a murder under IPC s.302 read with s.149, but the High Court convicted them on the basis of testimonies of two related witnesses, PW‑4 and PW‑5, who were brothers of the deceased. The Supreme Court examined two issues: the scope of an appellate court's power in an ap…

The appellant, a hotel servant, was arrested after 2.1 kg of opium was recovered from a hotel room and he made two confessional statements to officers of the Central Bureau of Narcotics (CBN). The trial court convicted him under Sections 8 and 18 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, relying on …

The actress S. Khushboo made remarks in a 2005 news‑magazine survey endorsing societal acceptance of premarital sex and live‑in relationships. Several members of the PMK political party filed criminal complaints alleging defamation, obscenity, indecent representation of women and incitement under the IPC and the Indece…

Nirmal Kaur, who operated a coaching centre, was charged under several IPC offences and under Section 13(1)(d) read with Section 13(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988. The trial court framed charges under the Act, but the High Court quashed them, holding that she was not a public servant. The State appealed, …

The State of Gujarat filed complaints alleging that respondents had stored and sold food articles adulterated with saccharin, violating Sections 7(1), 7(5) and 16 of the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, 1954. The respondents moved the Gujarat High Court under Section 482 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 to q…

The appellant, an informant, lodged an FIR alleging that the respondent had raped her, invoking Sections 376 and 493 of the IPC. The respondent filed an application for discharge under Section 227 of the CrPC, contending that the informant's age was misstated and therefore no offence was made out. The trial court rejec…

The case arose from a long-standing rivalry between two hamlets of Saruali village. On 2 November 1982, members of the Parida hamlet, armed with lathis and guns, entered the Dehury hamlet. Batakrushna Parida fired a shot that killed Sahadev Dehury and injured others. The trial court convicted Batakrushna under Section …

The appellant, a minor at the time, was alleged to have conspired with his family members, an employee and a friend to murder Kunal Parihar, the complainant's son, based largely on threatening phone calls and a motive of a disputed marriage. The prosecution charged the appellant and fifteen others under Sections 302, 1…

The appellant, a senior IPS officer of Rajasthan, was arrested in connection with the alleged fake encounter killings of Sohrabuddin and his wife. The trial court granted him regular bail under Section 439 of the Cr.P.C., relying on the accused's clean service record and the alleged criminal antecedents of the victim. …

Dr. Narendra Kamin, accused in the Sohrabuddin fake‑encounter case and charged with several serious offences under the IPC and the Arms Act, was granted bail by the Additional City and Sessions Judge. The State of Gujarat filed an application under Section 439(2) of the Code of Criminal Procedure to cancel the bail, an…

The appellant, Suneet Gupta, entered into a partnership with M/s K.M. Agencies, which later faced a dispute when the other partner joined M/s Mangla Agencies and allegedly misrepresented the firm's status to the principal, Johnson & Johnson, resulting in payment to the latter firm. Gupta filed a criminal complaint unde…

The State of Uttar Pradesh prosecuted several accused for the murder of members of two families. The sole surviving witness, Harbhajan Kaur (PW‑4), gave a statement that was recorded as a dying declaration, although she later survived. The trial court convicted five accused based on her statement and other evidence, bu…

The appellant filed two contempt petitions in the Calcutta High Court challenging a suo motu contempt notice and a judgment that criticized his claim of being a legal researcher. The High Court convicted him of contempt for the scandalising allegations in those petitions and sentenced him to six months' imprisonment wi…

The appellant, a police constable, was convicted under IPC sections 346, 366 and 376 for raping a young woman after abducting her and her husband. The appellant appealed, arguing that he was not positively identified by the victim or witnesses and that the failure to hold a test identification parade rendered the convi…

Amina married Hassn Koya on 28 December 1972 while she was five months pregnant. The husband later claimed that the pregnancy had been concealed, rendering the Muslim marriage void and absolving him of maintenance liability under Section 125 of the Criminal Procedure Code. The trial magistrate held the marriage valid a…

The Supreme Court examined whether officers of public sector undertakings and government companies, which may be deemed "State" under Article 12 because of deep governmental control, fall within the definition of "public servant" for the purposes of Section 197 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC). The petitioners arg…

Surjit Singh, a serving soldier, was charged along with his brothers and two others for criminal trespass, murder of the village Sarpanch, and grievous hurt. He claimed an alibi, asserting he left the village at 4 p.m. on the day of the crime and was traveling by train to his unit, and also argued that there was confus…

Smt. Chand Dhawan filed a criminal complaint alleging bigamy under Sections 494 and 109 IPC, claiming her husband Jawahar Lal had married another woman while their marriage subsisted. The Chief Judicial Magistrate took cognizance and issued summons against the husband, the second wife, and their parents. The husband mo…

The Enforcement Directorate seized Rs.4,28,713 in 1966 and recorded statements from appellants K.T.S. Mohammed and M. Jamal Mohammed under Section 39 of the Foreign Exchange Regulation Act (FERA). Both appellants later retracted those statements, claiming they were obtained under duress, and the Income‑Tax Officer reco…

The appellant Shahzad Hasan Khan filed a criminal appeal against the Allahabad High Court's order granting bail to the accused Ishtiaq Hasan Khan in a murder case. The accused had faced three prior bail rejections by the same High Court judge, and a subsequent application was initially directed to that judge but later …

The appellant, a Rajya Sabha member, posted a video of a mass‑marriage on the social‑media platform X, in which a poem was recited in the background. The poem was alleged to promote communal enmity, leading the police to register an FIR under Sections 196, 197(1), 299, 302, 57 and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. T…

The appellant filed an FIR alleging that four persons shot his father dead over a boundary dispute. While the chargesheet named only two of the alleged shooters, the trial court, relying on the testimonies of two prosecution witnesses, summoned the other two persons under Section 319 of the CrPC. The High Court set asi…

The appellant, Mohd Muslim, was arrested in 2015 in connection with a seizure of 180 kg of ganja and charged under Sections 20, 25 and 29 of the NDPS Act. The prosecution relied on statements of co‑accused, the appellant’s confessional statement and bank‑transaction records, but failed to produce any direct evidence li…

The case involved the murder of Pradip Phukan, alleged to have been committed by a group of thirteen persons who entered his house and assaulted him with sharp weapons, resulting in his death. The trial court convicted eleven accused under Sections 147, 148, 149, 302, 326, 447 and 34 of the IPC, sentencing them to life…

The appellant was convicted under IPC sections 366, 376 and 302 for raping, kidnapping and murdering a woman, and the trial court sentenced him to life imprisonment for the murder. The appellant appealed, arguing that only the High Court or Supreme Court can impose a modified punishment such as a fixed-term life senten…

The petitioners, Asian Resurfacing of Road Agency and others, challenged the order of charge framed by a Special Judge under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, alleging that it was an interlocutory order barred by Section 19(3)(c) of the Act and by Section 397(2) of the CrPC. The Supreme Court examined whether suc…

Harita Sunil Parab, a practising advocate in Mumbai, filed FIRs in Delhi and Ghaziabad alleging offences under various IPC sections and later sought to have those cases transferred to Mumbai, claiming threats from the accused, fear of a biased investigation and personal inconvenience. The Supreme Court examined whether…

Krishanakan​t Tamrakar, convicted of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment, had been in custody for over ten years while his appeal against the conviction was pending before the Madhya Pradesh High Court. He applied for bail, arguing that the prolonged delay rendered the appeal meaningless. The Supreme Court, while…

Virupakshappa Gouda and another were charged under several IPC sections, including 302 and 149, for an alleged honour killing. They applied for bail repeatedly; the trial court and High Court rejected the first two applications and a Special Leave Petition, but a third application was granted bail by an Additional Sess…

The case involved an alleged unlawful assembly in which members of two rival groups clashed, resulting in the death of a farmer, Channegowda. The accused were convicted by the Karnataka High Court on charges including murder (Sec. 302 IPC) and assault (Sec. 324 IPC) despite the trial court’s acquittal. On appeal, the S…

The Supreme Court considered appeals by two police officers, an IPS officer and a Sub‑Inspector of the Anti‑Terrorist Squad, who had been in judicial custody for nearly seven years on charges of murder, conspiracy and related offences. Their bail applications had been rejected by the High Court of Bombay. The Court exa…

The Supreme Court, acting suo motu, examined a gang rape of a 20‑year‑old woman in West Bengal ordered by a community panchayat as punishment for an inter‑community relationship. The Court directed a district judge and chief magistrate to investigate, and later required the State to furnish the FIR, investigation repor…

R. Ramachandran Nair, the first Vice‑Chancellor of Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit, was accused of obtaining a pecuniary advantage while overseeing earth‑filling of university land. An FIR was lodged in 1996 and a charge‑sheet filed after an 8½‑year delay, without obtaining the prior sanction of the Universit…

The appellants were charged with murdering an eleven‑year‑old boy who was beaten and later found hanged in a house belonging to one of them. The trial court acquitted them, dismissing the testimony of two eye‑witnesses and the medical evidence, and questioning the timing of the FIR and the credibility of the witnesses.…

The case concerns the murder of Rachapalle Devachandra Reddy, for which six persons were charged. The trial court acquitted all accused, but the Andhra Pradesh High Court reversed the acquittal, convicting four of them (A‑1, A‑2, A‑3, A‑5) under IPC sections 148, 149 and 302, giving benefit of doubt to A‑4 and A‑6. The…

The wife, a government lecturer, filed a petition under Section 13 of the Hindu Marriage Act for divorce and sought maintenance for her two minor sons under Section 125 of the CrPC and Section 26 of the Hindu Marriage Act. The Family Court granted modest maintenance and custody to the mother, which the High Court later…

The appellant, Sudershan Singh Wazir, was arraigned as an accused in a murder case and was discharged by the Sessions Court on 20 October 2023 upon furnishing a personal bond. The State of Delhi filed a revision challenging the discharge and the Delhi High Court, ex‑parte, stayed the discharge order and later directed …

The Narcotics Control Bureau seized a large quantity of alleged heroin from Man Singh Verma, who was arrested and placed in judicial custody. After two laboratory tests returned negative results, the Special Judge ordered his release on 10 April 2023. Despite his release, the Allahabad High Court entertained a pending …

The appellant, a former District Collector, was charged under Sections 409, 219 and 114 of the IPC for allegedly misusing his official position to restore government land to private allottees who were not cultivating it and were residing abroad. The High Court dismissed his application under Section 482 CrPC to quash t…

The appellants were convicted for the murder of Ahsan Ali under Sections 302 and 149 of the IPC based on the testimony of a single eyewitness and alleged recovery of weapons. The Supreme Court examined the credibility of the eyewitness, the absence of forensic evidence linking the accused to the crime, and the suspect …

The appellant Indrajit Das was convicted for murder under Sections 302, 34 and 201 of the IPC based largely on circumstantial evidence and extra‑judicial confessions. The prosecution alleged that the victim Kaushik Sarkar went missing after riding with the appellant and a juvenile, and that the accused assaulted and di…

The appellants, Royden Harold Buthello and his father, alleged that the appellant was illegally abducted in Odisha on 20 October 2020 and subsequently framed in a narcotics case in Raipur on 21 October 2020. They sought a direction from the High Court to transfer the investigation to the Central Bureau of Investigation…

The appellant filed a written complaint on 10 July 2012 alleging that the respondents had failed to return silver entrusted to them, with the alleged offence dated 4 October 2009. An FIR was registered and a charge‑sheet filed, after which the Judicial Magistrate took cognizance on 4 December 2012. The respondents cont…

The appellant, Gandi Doddabasappa, was convicted by the Karnataka High Court for killing his daughter Shilpa, allegedly because she married a man of a lower caste. The trial court had acquitted him, dismissing the sole eyewitness testimony of PW‑18, but the High Court relied on that testimony, corroborated by forensic …

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) alleged that Narendra Lal Jain and others conspired with officials of the Bank of Maharashtra to inflate the creditworthiness of companies and obtain loans beyond entitlement, invoking Sections 120‑B and 420 of the IPC and provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Acts. While …

The appellant, a transport operator, complained that a Deputy Excise and Taxation Commissioner (respondent No.2) demanded payment of passenger tax at his residence, received Rs. 2 lakh, and released the appellant's impounded buses, allegedly cheating him and embezzling public money. The Judicial Magistrate issued a sum…

The appellant, Brajendrasingh, was convicted of murdering his wife and their three young children after alleging an illicit affair between his wife and a neighbour. The prosecution relied on circumstantial evidence, forensic findings, and the appellant's own statements under Section 313 CrPC, while the defence claimed …

The Supreme Court examined the conviction of four accused for the rape and murder of Rajkumari, based primarily on the testimony of a 16‑year‑old servant, PW6, who was the sole eye‑witness. The Court found that PW6's statement was reliable, corroborated by medical evidence and the testimony of the victim's mother, and …

The appellants, Ayyub and Abdul Jabbar, were convicted by a Designated TADA Court for throwing bombs at a police picket, causing one death and several injuries, and were sentenced under the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act (TADA), the Indian Penal Code and the Prevention of Damage to Property Act. A…

The appellants were accused of murdering their brother‑in‑law, Hanamappa, and of acting with common intention under IPC sections 302 and 34. The trial court acquitted them, disbelieving the eye‑witness P.W.2, the hostile witness P.W.1 and several independent villagers, and giving undue weight to minor contradictions an…

Umashankar Panda was convicted under IPC sections 302 and 307 for murdering his wife and two daughters with a sword and attempting to murder his three other children, who survived with grievous injuries. The trial court sentenced him to death, a judgment affirmed by the Madhya Pradesh High Court. In a Special Leave Pet…

Godrej & Boyce manufactured refrigerators packed in corrugated fibre containers (CFCs) and contested the inclusion of CFC value in excise valuation. The Revenue served demand notices including CFC value, leading Godrej to file writ petitions. Godrej attempted to support its case with fabricated dealer letters, which we…

The appellant, Ivan Rathinam, was alleged by the respondent and his mother to be the biological father of the respondent, who was born during the respondent's mother's marriage to Mr. Raju Kurian. The parties litigated in a Munsiff Court, a Sub‑Judge Court and a Family Court over a declaration of paternity, a DNA test,…

The appellant, Chandrabhan Sudam Sanap, was convicted of rape and murder of a 23‑year‑old woman and sentenced to death, based largely on circumstantial evidence, CCTV footage, witness testimonies, an alleged extra‑judicial confession and recovered items. The Supreme Court examined whether the prosecution's evidence sat…

The appellant, Gambhir Singh, was convicted and sentenced to death for the murder of his brother, sister‑in‑law and their four children. The prosecution relied on three alleged incriminating circumstances – motive, last‑seen testimony and recoveries of weapons – to link the appellant to the crime. The Supreme Court hel…

Centrum Financial Services Ltd., a non‑banking financial company, filed a criminal appeal against the Delhi High Court’s order granting bail to Jayant Kumar Jain (Respondent No.2) in a case involving alleged siphoning of Rs 25 crore through shell companies and offences under IPC sections 409, 420, 467, 468, 471 and 120…

The appellant, Deepak Dongre, was ordered to leave District Jalna for two years under Section 56(1)(a)(b) of the Maharashtra Police Act, 1951, based on five offences (three dated 2013‑2018 and two from 2020) and confidential witness statements. He challenged the externment order through a statutory appeal and a writ pe…

Rajendra Khare, who lodged FIR No.39/2016, was not made a party to a transfer petition filed by the accused seeking to move the trial of Criminal Case No.3483 of 2017 from Delhi to Allahabad. The Supreme Court transferred the case on 18 May 2018 without issuing notice under Order XXXIX Rule 2, and the petitioner’s subs…

In a Bihar Panchayat election for the post of Mukhia, the petitioner alleged that his valid votes were being rejected while invalid votes for the returned candidate were accepted. The Election Tribunal, after hearing evidence, ordered a recount and later declared the election of the returned candidate void, directing a…

The appellant Satya Raj Singh was convicted for murder under Sections 302 and 34 of the Indian Penal Code, based on eyewitness testimony that he stabbed the deceased on the neck with a knife. He challenged the conviction on the grounds that the trial courts erred in accepting the eye‑witnesses' statements and that the …

The State of Rajasthan prosecuted Ram Kailash alias Ram Vilas for shooting Mangla Ram, who later died from his injuries. The trial court convicted the accused under Section 302 IPC (murder) and sections of the Arms Act, imposing life imprisonment and additional terms. On appeal, the Rajasthan High Court reduced the mur…

The Supreme Court examined the procedure for seizure, sampling, storage and disposal of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances under the NDPS Act, 1985, in response to a criminal appeal by the Union of India. It held that Section 52A mandates that samples be drawn and certified in the presence of a magistrate, rend…

The case involved an altercation in 1994 where the complainant Jagdish and his sons were cutting reeds on land also claimed by the accused Jage Ram and his sons. During the fight, the second accused Rajbir (Raju) delivered a pharsi blow to the head of the son Sukhbir, causing grievous injuries that required emergency s…

The Supreme Court considered two criminal appeals: A.C. Narayanan, who challenged the taking of cognizance of a complaint filed by a power‑of‑attorney (POA) holder on behalf of six complainants under Sections 138 and 142 of the Negotiable Instruments Act, and G. Kamalakar, who contested a conviction for a dishonoured c…

The petitioner, Sanjay Kumar, alleged that he was appointed as a senior lecturer in a purportedly fake dental college, received post‑dated cheques for salary which later bounced, and consequently filed a criminal complaint under various IPC sections and Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act. The High Court quas…

Mohinder Singh was convicted of murdering his wife and daughter with an axe after a history of rape, intimidation and prior convictions. The trial court sentenced him to death, which the High Court confirmed under Section 366 of the CrPC. The Supreme Court examined whether the "rarest of rare" doctrine justified the de…

The State alleged that Dr. Mahender Singh Dahiya strangulated his wife Namita during their honeymoon in Brussels, dismembered her body and disposed of the parts, while the prosecution failed to produce a weapon, reliable forensic identification of the body parts, or a clear motive. The trial court convicted Dahiya unde…

The respondent filed a criminal complaint alleging fraud in a land transaction, which was dismissed by a Judicial Magistrate under Section 203 of the CrPC. After the dismissal became final, the respondent filed a second complaint on almost identical facts, suppressing the existence of the first complaint. The appellant…

The prosecution alleged that Musheer Khan (A‑4) and Basant Shiva (A‑5) were hired killers who shot the deceased Mallu Bhaiya at close range, based largely on circumstantial evidence and the testimony of two eyewitnesses, PW‑3 and PW‑4. The trial court convicted them of murder under IPC s.302/1208 and the Arms Act s.25(…

The appellant Ram Singh was accused of raping a 40-year-old midwife, Chanchala Devi, on the night of 12-13 August 1989, after being persuaded to accompany a co-accused to a village. The victim testified that she was gagged, assaulted, and forced into sexual intercourse, a narrative corroborated by her son, a village he…

The appellant, Kishangiri Mangalgiri Goswami, was convicted for abetment of suicide under s.306 IPC, cruelty and dowry harassment under s.498A IPC, and for dowry demand under s.3 of the Dowry Prohibition Act, based largely on letters he allegedly wrote demanding Rs.40,000. He appealed, arguing that the letters were uns…

The appellant, Vmrikuppal Srinivas, was convicted under Sections 498A and 3048 of the IPC for causing the death of his wife by acid. The conviction was based primarily on the victim's dying declaration recorded by a magistrate and an earlier statement to a police constable. On appeal, the appellant argued that the medi…

Ghasita Sahu was convicted under the NDPS Act for possession of 17.75 kg of ganja after his house was searched by the investigating officer, who offered him the option of a search in the presence of a gazetted officer, which he declined. The appellant challenged the legality of the search, arguing that the panchas pres…

K.C. Builders, a partnership engaged in construction, filed original income tax returns for AY 1983-84 to 1986-87 and later revised them based on an approved valuer's report. The Assessing Officer treated the difference as concealed income and levied penalties under Section 271(1)(c) and initiated prosecution under Sec…

The complainant, Sanjiva Bottling Company, entered into five‑year bottling agreements with Cadbury Schweppes Beverages India, which were later assigned to Atlantic Industries, a Coca‑Cola subsidiary. After Atlantic gave notice that the agreements would not be renewed, the complainant filed a criminal complaint under Se…

The appellants, G. Sagar Suri and Shama Suri, were accused of obtaining a loan of Rs. 50 lakh from a finance company and issuing cheques that later bounced. A complaint under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act was filed, and concurrently a First Information Report under Sections 406 and 420 of the IPC was lo…

The appellants, a lawyer and his wife who was a hostel matron, were charged under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act for allegedly outraging a hostel resident's modesty and for attempting to suppress the complaint. The police filed the charge‑sheet directly before the Sessions Cour…

Mohan Singh and Kailash Singh were convicted of murder under Section 302 read with Section 34 of the IPC, with Mohan Singh also convicted under the Arms Act. They appealed, challenging the post‑mortem finding of blackening under the wound, the reliability of eyewitness identification in low light, the lack of detail in…

The appellants, involved in a land dispute, attacked Dayashankar and his brother Ramesh, dismembering the former and severely injuring the latter. Ramesh (PW‑1) survived, narrated the incident to his mother (PW‑2) and nephew (PW‑3), and later gave a statement to the police and a dying declaration to a magistrate. PW‑3 …

The petitioner filed an FIR alleging rape (Sec. 376D) and kidnapping (Sec. 342) against the accused and a co-accused. The victim's statement was recorded under Sec. 164 CrPC, but neither the victim nor her mother (an eye‑witness) had been examined when the accused applied for bail. The trial court denied bail, but the …

The appellant, a news‑channel editor, was arrested in November 2020 in connection with an FIR under Sections 306 and 34 of the IPC alleging his role in the suicide of a contractor who claimed unpaid dues. He filed a petition under Articles 226/227 of the Constitution and Section 482 of the CrPC seeking quashing of the …

Inspector Vinod Kumar Garg was convicted for demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs.500 from Nand Lal in exchange for facilitating an electricity connection to a shed, with the money recovered from his pant pocket during a police trap. The appellant appealed, alleging material contradictions in the testimonies of the co…

The appellant, a chemical supplier, filed forty complaints under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act alleging that the respondent company’s post‑dated cheques were dishonoured because the signatures did not match the specimen signatures on file. The High Court quashed the complaints, holding that a signature …

The wife filed an application under Section 125 of the Criminal Procedure Code seeking maintenance, claiming she was unemployed and unable to maintain herself. The husband contended that she earned income from house rent and the sale of agricultural land and could therefore maintain herself. The trial court, after eval…

Naveen Chandra and his parents were convicted for the murder of three members of a rival family. The appellant claimed that the killings occurred in a sudden quarrel, were provoked, and were in self‑defence. The Supreme Court examined whether Exception 4 to Section 300 IPC (sudden fight) applied and whether the right o…

The Supreme Court examined a Public Interest Litigation concerning the Taj Heritage Corridor project, which alleged irregularities and unauthorized release of Rs. 17 crore. The Court had earlier ordered a CBI inquiry and later directed the CBI to register an FIR and investigate senior officials. The Director of CBI sub…

The appellants, including Ram Dular Rai, were convicted for murder, attempted murder and related offences after a night‑time assault on a household in which they fired on the son and daughter of the informant. The trial court identified four of the accused but noted that several other armed persons were present. On app…

The accused, Puttaraja, was convicted of raping a pregnant woman in the presence of her husband under Section 376 IPC. The trial court sentenced him to five years’ imprisonment and a fine, despite the statutory minimum of seven years. The Karnataka High Court reduced the sentence to the 46 days already served, citing t…

The case involved two accused, Surendra Singh Rautela and Mohd. Anis, who were convicted for murder and related offences arising from a daylight shooting motivated by a ransom demand. The trial court relied on the testimony of a sole injured eyewitness, Ranjan Singh, which was corroborated by his relatives and medical …

The Supreme Court examined challenges to the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 (AFSPA) and the Assam Disturbed Areas Act, 1955, along with notifications declaring disturbed areas in several northeastern states. Petitioners argued that Parliament lacked competence to enact AFSPA, that the Act was colourable legisl…

The President of Jalgaon Municipality filed a criminal complaint against four senior government officials who, while preventing the demolition of an illegal encroachment, assaulted him and others. The trial court issued process against three respondents but discharged the fourth for lack of sanction under Section 197 o…

Phoolan Devi surrendered in Madhya Pradesh in 1983 and was released on parole after serving eleven years of custody. She filed a writ petition under Article 32 seeking her release and the quashing of about 55 criminal prosecutions pending in Uttar Pradesh, alleging violation of her Article 21 right to a speedy trial an…

The appellant, a mason, entered the house of the prosecutrix on 4 October 2002 armed with an aruval, intending to satisfy his lust. He tied up the brother (Manikandan) and a relative (Sangeetha), raped the prosecutrix, murdered Manikandan when he attempted to call for help, subsequently slit Sangeetha's throat, and sto…

The case involved an alleged unlawful assembly that rioted and assaulted victims, resulting in two deaths and three grievous injuries. The trial court convicted ten accused under sections 148, 149, 323, 324, 365 and 342 IPC, but the High Court acquitted two and upheld convictions of eight; five appealed before the Supr…

The appellant, P.K. Shaji, was charged under Sections 120B and 307 IPC and was granted bail by the Sessions Court with specific conditions, including reporting to the investigating officer on designated days and seeking magistrate’s permission before entering the sessions division. The bail order directed that any brea…

Tulshidas Kanolkar was convicted of rape and criminal intimidation of a mentally challenged girl who later gave birth to a stillborn child. The appellant argued that the delay in filing the FIR, the non‑examination of certain witnesses, and the victim’s alleged consent should exonerate him or reduce his sentence. The S…

M.S. Ahlawat, a police officer, filed forged affidavits and made false statements before the Supreme Court, which subsequently convicted him under Section 193 of the Indian Penal Code (perjury) and Article 129 of the Constitution (contempt) by way of a show‑cause notice. Ahlawat challenged the perjury conviction, conte…

The appellants were convicted for murder and related offences under Sections 302, 149 and 148 of the IPC for the killing of Ram Naresh Choubey in 1978. They later claimed that they were children at the time of the offence and sought the benefit of the Bihar Children Act, 1970/1982 and the Juvenile Justice Act, 1986. Th…

The case concerned the death of Kiran Kaur, who suffered severe burns and later died, with the prosecution alleging that her husband Phulel Singh set her ablaze over dowry demands. The trial court convicted Singh under Section 304‑B IPC based primarily on the victim's dying declaration recorded by an Executive Magistra…

The appellant, Ravindranatha Bajpe, filed a private complaint alleging that two companies and their senior officers conspired to lay a water pipeline beneath his property, demolish a stone wall and cut down about 100 trees, causing loss of over Rs.27 lakh. The Judicial Magistrate issued summons against all thirteen acc…

The appellant, Mahadev Meena, filed a complaint after his son, an IB officer, was found dead under suspicious circumstances. The FIR alleged that the first respondent, Praveen Rathore, an anti‑corruption bureau constable, had a close relationship with the deceased's wife and was involved in a conspiracy to murder, with…

The State of Rajasthan charged Sahi Ram under Sections 8 and 15 of the NDPS Act for possession of 223 kg of poppy husk seized from his vehicle. The trial court convicted him, but the High Court acquitted on the ground that the entire bulk of contraband was not produced before the court, deeming the prosecution's eviden…

The petitioner challenged the constitutional validity of Section 497 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), which criminalized adultery, and Section 198 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), which restricted the right to prosecute for adultery to the husband. A five-judge Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court held that …

The appellant was charged with murder and related offences and first sought anticipatory bail under Section 438 of the CrPC, which was rejected. The High Court later ordered him to surrender and apply for regular bail, but the Sessions Judge, misreading that order, granted bail under Section 439 without applying the st…

The State of Rajasthan appealed against the High Court's commutation of a death sentence to life imprisonment for Jamil Khan, who was convicted of raping and murdering a girl under five years old and also convicted under IPC sections 376 and 201. The Supreme Court held that the High Court had not examined the aggravati…

The wife and son of Thangavel filed successive applications under Section 125 of the CrPC for maintenance, claiming arrears from February 1993. The High Court limited their claim to arrears of only one year preceding the 2002 application, invoking the first proviso to Section 125(3). The Supreme Court held that the pro…

The appellant, V.K. Sasikala, was on trial for offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act. While her examination under Section 313 CrPC was in progress, she applied for certified copies and, alternatively, inspection of certain unmarked and unexhibited documents that had been forwarded to the court under Section 1…

The Supreme Court considered CBI's appeal against the Gujarat High Court's grant of bail to former Home Minister Amitbhai Shah in the Sohrabuddin encounter case and a petition to transfer the trial out of Gujarat. The Court noted that Shah, as a minister, could potentially influence witnesses and tamper with evidence, …

The appellant Ajay Kumar Parmar was accused of raping the complainant, who later approached the Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) to record a statement under Section 164 CrPC claiming the FIR was false. The CJM directed a Judicial Magistrate to record the statement, but the complainant was not produced before the magistr…

Thermax Ltd. entered into purchase orders with K.M. Johny’s firms for storage tanks and consumables. The contracts fell apart and Johny alleged non‑payment of large sums, filing three earlier complaints that were closed as civil matters. In 2002 he lodged another complaint before a magistrate alleging offences under Se…

Paramjeet Singh (Pamma) was convicted for murdering his brother and two nephews and injuring three other family members in a property dispute. The trial court and the Uttarakhand High Court upheld the conviction based on the FIR, statements under Section 161 CrPC, medical reports, forensic evidence and the testimony of…

Ganpat, the complainant, appealed against the High Court's order acquitting eleven accused persons charged under IPC sections 148, 149, 302, 323, 324, 325. The trial court had convicted the accused, but the High Court set them free, holding that the complainant was the aggressor and that the prosecution failed to prove…

The husband of the appellant, an editor of a Manipuri daily, was detained under Section 3(2) of the National Security Act, 1980 on allegations of extorting money for the UNLF and causing a terror wave. The appellant challenged the detention, arguing that the grounds were vague, unsupported by material, and that there w…

The appellant, Amarsingh MunnaSingh Suryawanshi, was convicted under Section 302 IPC for allegedly pouring kerosene on his wife and setting her ablaze. The prosecution’s case rested solely on two dying declarations recorded by a head constable and a special judicial magistrate, both of which were taken after medical of…

The State of Andhra Pradesh charged Kanda Gopaludu with murder under Section 302 IPC. The trial court convicted him based on an extra‑judicial confession he made before three village officials (the sarpanch and two ward members), corroborated by the investigating officer’s testimony, a doctor’s medical report indicatin…

The appellants were convicted by a Designated Court for murder, attempt to murder, causing hurt and an offence under Section 3 of the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act (TADA) arising from an altercation at a video parlour that led to a fatal assault near a hotel. On appeal, the Supreme Court held tha…

Kalvakuntla Kavitha, a former Member of Parliament and Legislative Council, was charged under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 in CBI and Enforcement Directorate investigations relating to a Delhi excise policy conspiracy. She applied for bail, invoking the special treatment granted to women under the provi…

The appellant, Khuman Singh, entered the deceased Veer Singh's field with his buffaloes, leading to a dispute over grazing rights. In a sudden quarrel, Singh struck Veer Singh on the head with an axe, causing six injuries that resulted in death. The trial court convicted Singh under Section 302 IPC and Section 3(2)(v) …

A doctor was shot dead in his clinic and the accused, Deny Bora, was charged under Sections 302, 34 and 314 of the IPC and under the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act (TADA). The Designated Court acquitted him of the TADA offences but convicted him for murder based solely on the testimony of PW‑14, w…

The petition challenged the appointment of several Union Ministers on the ground that they had criminal antecedents or were facing charges for serious offences, seeking a declaration that such appointments were unconstitutional and requesting the Court to frame guidelines for ministerial appointments. The Court examine…