Indian Evidence Act, 1872

The appellant, Narayan Sitaramji Badwaik (deceased), filed a suit for possession of a property based on a sale deed dated 26‑09‑1978, which the respondents claimed was only a collateral security for a loan. The trial court dismissed the suit, the District Judge reversed the decision, and the High Court, on a second app…

Azhar Sultana entered into a sale agreement with Ramesh Chand Khanna and paid an advance of Rs 30,000. While the agreement was pending, Khanna sold the same property to defendants 5 and 6 by a registered deed, after which the plaintiff filed a suit for specific performance of her original agreement. The Supreme Court e…

The appellant, Mohanlal Gangaram Gehani, was convicted under s.326 IPC for stabbing an injured man. On appeal, the Supreme Court examined the admissibility of a doctor’s hospital‑register statement that named the assailant as "Tiny" (originally written as "Tony"), the applicability of Section 145 of the Evidence Act to…

The dispute concerned a 0.08‑cent portion of a 120‑acre land parcel in Chengalpattu, where the appellant Seethakathi Trust claimed title based on a series of registered sale deeds dating back to 1963, while the respondent Krishnaveni sought specific performance of an earlier agreement and claimed possession of the same…

A1, A2 and A3, armed with guns, chased Ramdas and his brother Narayan and shot them; Ramdas died while Narayan survived. The trial court convicted A1 and A3 for murder under s.302 IPC, A2 for attempt to murder under s.307 IPC and acquitted A4 and A6 who carried knives. The High Court upgraded A2’s conviction to murder …

The landlords filed a suit for possession under the Bombay Rents, Hotel and Lodging House Rates Control Act, 1947. The dispute centered on whether a notice dated 7‑8‑1980, sent by registered post to the tenant company, was validly served under Section 106 of the Transfer of Property Act, and whether the tenants were in…

Prithi Chand, an 18‑year‑old, was convicted of raping a girl aged 11‑12 years. The prosecution relied on the victim’s testimony, a medical certificate showing a torn hymen and profuse bleeding, and forensic analysis that found blood but no spermatozoa. The defence challenged the admissibility of a carbon copy of the me…

The appellants were convicted of murder under sections 302 and 149 of the IPC based primarily on a dying declaration made by the victim Antarjami to a doctor. The trial court had acquitted them, rejecting the dying declaration as unreliable and finding the eye‑witnesses unreliable. The High Court reversed the acquittal…

The deceased Pushpa was burnt and later died; two dying declarations were recorded—first (Ex. P‑11) by a Naib Tehsildar, which did not name her husband Rajaram, and second (Ex. P‑26) by a police officer, which accused Rajaram and others of cruelty and dowry harassment. The trial court convicted Rajaram under Section 49…

The accused, Mangusinh, was convicted by the trial court for murder of his wife and daughter under IPC s.302 and Arms Act s.25, based on a confessional FIR, a second FIR lodged by the victims' father (PW1), and the testimony of an alleged eye‑witness (PW4). The High Court acquitted him, holding that both FIRs were ante…

The appellant Rajiv Singh was convicted under Sections 304B, 201 and 498A for the alleged murder of his wife Archana during a honeymoon train journey, based on a dead body found near the railway tracks. The Supreme Court examined whether the body was indeed Archana's, whether the prosecution proved a homicidal death, a…

The case involves the death of Saroj, a married woman, within four months of her marriage. Her father alleged that the husband, his father, brother and brother‑in‑law demanded dowry, threatened her and subsequently murdered her and attempted to burn the body. The trial court acquitted all accused, but the High Court co…

Harish Kumar was married to Manisha, who suffered severe burn injuries on 13 September 1993 and died five days later. He was charged under Sections 304B (dowry death) and 498A (dowry cruelty) of the IPC. The trial court convicted him on both counts; the High Court upheld the convictions. On appeal, the Supreme Court ex…

The appellant Subhash was convicted under Sections 306 and 498A IPC for the death of his wife Anuradha, who suffered severe burns. The prosecution's case relied primarily on a dying declaration recorded by Sub‑Divisional Magistrate Ravi Malik, which alleged that the victim attempted suicide due to dowry harassment. The…

The appellant Sanjay Kumar Jain was convicted of murder under Section 302 IPC for the death of his wife within fourteen months of marriage, based on circumstantial evidence and a post‑mortem indicating strangulation. The Supreme Court found serious inconsistencies in the prosecution’s version, including uncertain acces…

Five independent MLAs who had supported the BJP government in Karnataka withdrew their support and were disqualified under paragraph 2(2) of the Tenth Schedule. They filed writ petitions challenging the disqualification and sought to amend paragraph 9 of their petitions, which mistakenly stated that they had not left t…

The respondent alleged that it sold woolen carpets to the appellant and that the appellant issued two cheques which were later dishonoured, leading to a complaint under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act. The appellant contended that the cheques were advances for a purchase that never materialised and that n…

India Agencies (Regd.) Bangalore claimed a concessional 4% tax rate on inter‑state sales under Section 8 of the Central Sales Tax Act. The original portions of Form‑C were lost, and the dealer submitted duplicate copies and indemnity bonds. The assessing authority disallowed the benefit, the Joint Commissioner allowed …

The case arose from a bandh in which activists forcibly entered the flour mill of James Martin and his father, demanding its closure. When the activists assaulted the mill employee and threatened further violence, the accused retrieved a firearm and fired, killing two activists and injuring others. The trial court conv…

Sundaramurthi (A‑2) was charged with murder, robbery and house‑trespass under Sections 302/34, 392 and 449 IPC. The prosecution relied entirely on circumstantial evidence: four eyewitnesses saw A‑2 and co‑accused A‑1 enter a car shed at the mill and emerge two hours later; fingerprints matched A‑1; bags of cash and a b…

Bhalinder Singh was convicted of murder, kidnapping and abetment of suicide based solely on circumstantial evidence, including a claim that he was last seen with the deceased, the recovery of the victim's shoes, an extra‑judicial confession to the village sarpanch, and a false explanation to the victim's father. The Su…

In May 1985 a series of bomb explosions led to FIR No. 238 of 1985 in Delhi, where Jagjit Singh and another accused were granted pardon under Section 306 of the Criminal Procedure Code and turned approvers. Both gave statements in the committal proceedings but later withdrew them, and the same accused were also charged…

The appeal arose from the Kathua gang‑rape case where the accused Shubam Sangra claimed to be a juvenile. The Chief Judicial Magistrate, relying on municipal and parental testimony, held him a minor, a decision affirmed by the High Court. The State appealed, arguing that contradictory documentary evidence required refe…

The Supreme Court examined civil suits filed by Joginder Kaur (deceased) represented by Nirmal Gill, seeking to declare a 1990 General Power of Attorney (GPA) and related sale deeds as fraudulent and void. The lower courts had held the documents genuine, but the High Court reversed that finding, declaring them forged. …

The appellant, Bapu, was convicted under Section 302 IPC for allegedly setting his wife, Shobhabai, on fire. The prosecution's case rested on three dying declarations made by the deceased—two recorded in a rural hospital before an Executive Magistrate and a police constable, and a third before family members in a civil…

The case concerned the custodial death of Shambhu Tyagi after alleged police beating at Shahjahanabad police station, leading to the conviction of five police officers under Sections 304 Part I, 330 and 201 IPC. On appeal, the Supreme Court examined whether the lack of a test identification parade invalidated the eyewi…

The appellant, Sama Alana Abdulla, was accused of passing a BSF‑prepared map of an underground water pipeline to Pakistani intelligence. During a raid, police recovered the map from his house; a surviving panch witness did not corroborate the recovery, while two police officers who were part of the raid testified that …

The Supreme Court examined two tax disputes. In Commissioner of Income Tax, Kanpur v. Kamla Town Trust, a trust created in 1941 for workers’ housing was rectified in 1945 and 1955; the Court held that the 1945 deed did not create a public charitable trust, denying exemption for 1949‑55, but the 1955 deed had wholly cha…

The Supreme Court examined the massive appointment of over 6,000 Class III and IV employees by Dr. A.A. Mallick, Deputy Director of the Tuberculosis Scheme, without written orders and in violation of the 1980 and 1982 recruitment circulars. The appellants claimed that their casual appointments were not to any post, tha…

The appellant challenged the election of the respondent to the Bihar Legislative Assembly on the ground that the respondent was under 25 years of age at the time of filing his nomination, violating Article 173(b) of the Constitution and Section 36(2) of the Representation of the People Act. The High Court dismissed the…

Subhash Chand was convicted by the trial court of murder and rape of a five‑year‑old girl and sentenced to death, a decision later modified to life imprisonment by the Rajasthan High Court. The prosecution's case rested entirely on circumstantial evidence: alleged "last seen together" testimony, the accused's abnormal …

The appellant, a government servant, was convicted of murdering his wife and son at a picnic spot and sentenced to life imprisonment. He appealed to the Supreme Court claiming exemption under Section 84 of the Indian Penal Code, asserting that he was suffering from mental illness (moderate depression) and that the pros…

The plaintiff, a coparcener of a Hindu Undivided Family (HUF), challenged the sale of a suit land by the Karta (father) to the fifth defendant, alleging the sale was not for legal necessity but to meet the Karta's personal habits. The central issue was whether the sale was made to meet the legal necessity of the Karta'…

The State of NCT of Delhi appealed against the High Court's acquittal of Nitin Shah and Om Prakash Srivastava in the murder of Lalit Suneja (2 August 1992). The prosecution alleged that Shah, as Suneja's employer, conspired with Srivastava and others to kill Suneja, basing its case on a complaint (Ext. PW15/A1) purport…

The appellant Munna was convicted under Sections 376 and 450 IPC for allegedly raping the prosecutrix at knife point, based primarily on the testimonies of the prosecutrix, her husband (PW‑2) and a village Kotwar (PW‑3). The High Court upheld the conviction, but the Supreme Court examined whether the prosecutrix's test…

The appellant Sunder Singh was convicted for the murder of six members of his cousin's family by setting their house on fire with petrol, closing the door, and slashing one victim with a sword. The prosecution relied on the surviving victim's eyewitness testimony, the dying declarations of two victims, and forensic evi…

Three men were tried for murder under IPC sections 302 and 34. The trial court acquitted all of them, relying on the claim of self‑defence and the prosecution’s failure to explain minor injuries on the accused. The State appealed; during the pendency two accused died and the High Court re‑appreciated the evidence, conv…

Surendra Pal Shivbalakpal, a migrant labourer, was accused of kidnapping, raping and murdering a minor girl named Savitri (Sanju). The prosecution relied on eyewitness testimony that the accused was seen carrying a child at night, forensic analysis showing blood and semen stains on his clothing, and the recovery of the…

Head Constable Kuldip Singh was dismissed from the Punjab Police without a departmental enquiry under proviso (b) of Article 311(2) of the Constitution, on the ground that it was not reasonably practicable to hold an enquiry because witnesses feared for their lives. The dismissal was based primarily on a confession he …

The husband (Pathan Hussain Basha) and his mother‑in‑law were convicted under Sections 304‑B (dowry death) and 498A of the IPC for the suicide of the wife, who had been harassed for unpaid dowry. The Supreme Court examined whether the statutory ingredients of a dowry death were satisfied and whether the onus of proving…

Hardeep and his father Maha Singh were charged with the murder of Rajinder Singh. The trial court convicted Hardeep under IPC 304 Part I and acquitted Maha Singh, while the High Court upheld Hardeep's conviction, upgraded it to IPC 302, and retained the father's acquittal. On appeal, the Supreme Court examined the cred…

Six accused were charged with murder, attempted murder and other offences arising from a land‑dispute clash in Chhichrewal, Punjab. The trial court convicted all of them under Sections 302, 307, 323, 324, 326 IPC read with Sections 148 and 149, while the High Court set aside the convictions of three. The Supreme Court …

Baljinder Kumar, accused of murdering his wife, two children and sister‑in‑law, was convicted by the Trial Court and sentenced to death under Sections 302, 308 and 325 IPC. The High Court upheld the conviction, relying mainly on the testimonies of three witnesses despite contradictions and lack of forensic linkage. On …

The complainant filed a complaint under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act alleging that a cheque issued by the respondent bounced and that a demand notice had been sent by registered post. The High Court quashed the complaint on the ground that the complaint did not specifically state that the notice had be…

The National Thermal Power Corporation Ltd. (NTPC) acquired 65.71 acres of land under the Land Acquisition Act, 1894 for a thermal power plant, invoking emergency provisions of Section 17 and paying 80% compensation. NTPC claimed it had only taken physical possession of about 10.2 acres and sought withdrawal of acquisi…

The Supreme Court examined the compensation awarded to landowners whose lands were acquired for a thermal power plant in Sarna, Muradpur, Uttar Pradesh. The Court held that, under Section 23 of the Land Acquisition Act, 1894, all relevant sale deeds must be considered to determine the market value of the land, and that…

Pon Adithan was convicted for possession of heroin under Sections 8(c) and 21 of the NDPS Act. The prosecution relied on the oral testimony of an Intelligence Officer who conducted the search, a confessional statement made by the accused while in the officer's custody, and forensic analysis of sealed samples prepared i…

The Food Corporation of India (FCI) had employed 464 handling mazdoors at its Siliguri depot, first through a contractor, then via a direct‑payment system, and later reverted to the contractor method. The workers, represented by their union, claimed that the re‑introduction of the contractor system was illegal and that…

Khujji @ Surendra Tiwari was convicted of murder under Section 302 IPC and sentenced to life imprisonment. The prosecution relied on three eye‑witnesses, discovery of a blood‑stained weapon and the appellant's blood‑stained pant. Two witnesses (PW‑3 and PW‑4) were declared hostile because they could not identify the as…

Ms. P (appellant) alleged that her fiancé, respondent No.2, raped her in Delhi in February‑March 2016 (IPC s.376) and later, in November 2016, threatened and abused her over telephone in Chamoli (IPC s.504, s.506). The Sessions Judge, Chamoli, discharged the accused of the rape charge for lack of territorial jurisdicti…

The petitioners, former public servants, were charged in a large‑scale corruption case involving alleged manipulation of liquor allocations and kickbacks. They applied for anticipatory bail, but the Andhra Pradesh High Court denied relief, relying on confessional statements recorded from co‑accused under Section 161 of…

The Supreme Court examined a large jobs‑for‑cash scam in Tamil Nadu where public servants allegedly accepted bribes for appointments, triggering investigations under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA) and the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988. The Court held that the bribe money itself constitutes "pr…

The case concerned an attack in which three persons were killed and five injured, allegedly committed by a group of seventeen accused. The Sessions Court convicted four accused and acquitted the rest, but the charges were found to be improperly framed under CrPC sections 211‑213, lacking specific allegations for each d…

The Supreme Court examined the convictions of six accused in the 2002 Akshardham temple terrorist attack, which were based largely on confessional statements recorded under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA), testimony of accomplices, and two Urdu letters allegedly recovered from the terrorists' pockets. The Court …

Mohan Anna Chavan was convicted of kidnapping, raping and murdering two minor girls aged five and ten. The prosecution relied on a chain of circumstantial evidence, including the victims' last seen with the accused, his extra‑judicial confession, forensic matches of blood on his clothes and nail clippings, and recovery…

The respondent Sunder Singh filed a suit against the Municipal Corporation of Hyderabad seeking a permanent injunction and an order to render accounts for a purported wrongful auction of his property. An interlocutory application to adduce secondary evidence was dismissed and the suit was subsequently dismissed; the ap…

The Supreme Court examined the death of Bakulbala, a married woman found dead at her matrimonial home, and the convictions of her father‑in‑law (Ananda Mohan Sen) and husband (Gouranga Mohan) under Sections 498A and 306 of the IPC. The prosecution proved that she had been subjected to repeated physical and mental cruel…

Florine D' Souza, a 96‑year‑old bedridden woman, executed a will bequeathing land to Apoline D' Souza (appellant) and John D' Souza (respondent). The appellant, unrelated to the testatrix, claimed the bequest was due to his service to her and applied for letters of administration under Sec. 276 of the Succession Act, 1…

The appellants were convicted for the murder of a driver, John Bosco, and his companion Madhan, based largely on circumstantial evidence, including the testimony of a taxi driver who claimed to have last seen the accused with the victims, a retracted confession by one accused, and the recovery of a mobile phone and cam…

Kiriti Pal was accused of murdering Anjali Goswami, a widow who was last seen alive with him on the evening of 11 November 2008 before being found dead the next morning in a jungle 25 km away. The trial court convicted Pal and three co‑accused (Siddique Mia, Mustaque Mia, and Durga Sutradhar) under sections 302, 120B, …

The appellant, a former employee of Bhavnagar Electricity Company, sought correction of his date of birth from 27‑06‑1937 to 27‑06‑1940 based on a municipal birth certificate and other documents, but the employer rejected the change and later terminated him on the basis of the original date. The Labour Court held that …

The father executed a registered Will in 1972 bequeathing property to two sons and two daughters, omitting his eldest son (appellant). After the father's death in 1980, the appellant claimed that the earlier Will had been revoked by two subsequent unregistered Wills dated 25 April 1980 and 2 May 1980, which allegedly g…

The Engineering Kamgar Union challenged the closure of a factory owned by Electro Steels Castings Ltd, arguing that the Central Industrial Disputes Act, 1947 (applicable to establishments with 100 or more workers) should govern the lay‑off, retrenchment and closure procedures, not the Uttar Pradesh Industrial Disputes …

The appellant Pradeep Kumar was convicted for the murder of Umesh Chowdhary based on an alleged extra‑judicial confession, alleged animosity between the parties, and the recovery of keys and money. On appeal, the Supreme Court examined the reliability of the confession, the credibility of witnesses who were themselves …

The victim Satyappa was murdered in broad daylight; eight men were accused. The trial court and the Karnataka High Court convicted all eight based primarily on the testimony of a single eyewitness, PW‑1, the brother of the deceased, despite most other prosecution witnesses turning hostile. The appellants challenged whe…

The appellant, Ramdev Food Products, complained that accused partners had forged partnership documents and sought a direction under CrPC s.156(3) for police investigation. The magistrate instead ordered a report under s.202(1), deeming the matter primarily civil and lacking clear material for a cognizable offence. The …

The appellant, one of seven accused in a murder case, sought to have PW64, a prosecution witness who had earlier given statements implicating himself in the conspiracy, summoned as an additional accused under Section 319 of the Cr.P.C. The High Court dismissed the petition, holding that PW64’s testimony was protected b…

The respondent, a Development Officer of LIC, was dismissed following a departmental inquiry that he alleged was conducted without a copy of the inquiry report and without a proper opportunity to be heard, violating natural justice. In the suit challenging his dismissal, the employer (appellant) did not lead any oral e…

The appellant Arun, brother of the deceased Sampatrao Gopal Khandekar, was convicted of murder and related offences for killing his brother during a family land dispute. The appellant claimed he acted in private defence, alleging the deceased was the aggressor. The Supreme Court examined the principles of private defen…

A drug inspector sampled a formulation purchased from a retailer and, after analysis by a Government Analyst, found it to be misbranded, adulterated and spurious. The manufacturer, Amery Pharmaceuticals, sold the drug through a distributor and was charged under Sections 27(b), (c) and (d) of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act…

The plaintiff, a registered money lender, sued the appellant and his father (defendant 2) for recovery of a loan advanced through a cheque drawn on the plaintiff’s bank account. The trial court decreed only against the father, holding that the appellant had not approached the plaintiff and that the father was not his a…

The State of Maharashtra charged Dr. Budhikota Subharao with leaking atomic energy secrets under the Atomic Energy Act and the Official Secrets Act. He was discharged because the State failed to obtain the sanction required under Section 197 of the Criminal Procedure Code. The accused then applied to have the charge sh…

The Supreme Court examined the murder of Venkatarama, where Krishnamurthy, Gopala and Thimmappa were convicted under Section 302 read with Section 34 IPC. Evidence showed Krishnamurthy brutally assaulted the victim after he fell, causing fatal injuries, establishing his liability for murder. The Court held that Gopala …

The appellant filed a suit for possession and compensation of premises, alleging a leave‑and‑license agreement with the defendant. The defendant amended his pleadings, first claiming to be a sub‑tenant and later asserting that he had been in possession before the alleged agreement. The trial court dismissed the suit, t…

The State of Himachal Pradesh prosecuted Narendra Kumar (accused No.1) and a vendor (accused No.2) under Section 16(1)(a)(i) of the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act for selling adulterated sugar. A food inspector sealed a sample and sent it, along with a memorandum and seal impression, to a public analyst. The analy…

The Hindu public sued Rajdhani Puja Samithi, a society registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860, alleging that the temples, mandap, library, shops and other structures on a 90‑year government lease constitute a public religious endowment. The Society argued that it was a secular body, that a society could …

The appellants, Vijayan and Sadanandan, were convicted by the Kerala High Court for murder and conspiracy under Sections 302 and 120B IPC based largely on circumstantial evidence, identification testimony, a dying declaration, and bullets recovered from the second accused's house. The Supreme Court held that the identi…

The appellant Vijayakumar, together with friends, was returning from a movie late at night when they encountered the deceased, who was allegedly drunk and slapped the appellant. In a sudden altercation, the appellant picked up a cement brick and struck the deceased on the head, causing death, and later set the body on …

The appellant Kunju @ Balachandran was convicted of murder (IPC s.302) and assault (IPC s.341) based primarily on the testimony of a single eyewitness, PW‑2, who saw the accused attack the deceased. The trial court, and subsequently the Madras High Court, upheld the conviction despite the fact that the original informa…

The appellants, Bishnu Prasad Sinha and a co‑accused, were convicted of raping and murdering a 7‑8‑year‑old girl who was staying overnight in a travel agency’s waiting room. The prosecution’s case rested on the night watchman’s voluntary confession recorded under Section 164 of the CrPC, corroborated by circumstantial …

Virendra Kumar was tried for the death of his wife, Pushpa, and was initially convicted under Section 302 IPC for murder. The Allahabad High Court set aside that conviction and convicted him under Section 306 IPC for abetment of suicide, relying on a presumption under Section 113A of the Evidence Act despite no specifi…

The State of Punjab appealed the acquittal of Gurmit Singh and two others for abduction, wrongful confinement and rape of a minor girl. The trial court had disbelieved the prosecutrix, citing her ignorance of car details, alleged delay in filing the FIR, and alleged family enmity. The Supreme Court held that the girl’s…

The case concerned an appeal by Neeraj Dutta against the State under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, where the prosecution alleged that the public servant had demanded and accepted illegal gratification. The central issue was whether, in the absence of the complainant’s direct or primary evidence of demand, the…

Six members of a family were murdered in a house on 23 January 2014. The prosecution relied primarily on the ocular testimony of two interested witnesses, PW‑1 (Ali Sher Khan) and PW‑2 (Jaan Mohammad), who were closely related to both the deceased and the accused. The Supreme Court held that because the witnesses were …

The appellants sought a declaration that a temple they manage is their private family place of worship, not a public endowment. The Endowment Department contended that the appellants' father had endowed the temple as a Wakf, an entry of which (Exh. B6) appears in the Register of Endowments and was published in the Offi…

The petitioners, tenants of a shop room, challenged an eviction suit filed by Subhash and Gopal Paliwal, claiming that a will executed by the deceased owner bequeathed the premises to Gopal, rendering Subhash not a landlord. The tenants admitted in their written statement that the Paliwals were their landlords and paid…

The case involved the murder of a school teacher by a group of accused who entered the classroom and assaulted him with iron rods, resulting in 44 injuries. The prosecution relied primarily on child witnesses and two chance witnesses, while the defence challenged the reliability of their testimony, the delays in record…

The deceased Umeshchandra Madhav Joshi executed a Will in a hospital ICU bequeathing his entire residuary estate to his son Dr. Niranjan Umeshchandra Joshi, who also acted as executor. The Will was attested by an advocate and a doctor, both known to the appellant, and was drafted under circumstances that raised doubts …

Chandrakant Uttam Chodankar and Jose Philips Domingo D'Souza filed election petitions challenging the election of respondents who were alleged to hold offices of profit. The Bombay High Court dismissed the petitions on preliminary grounds, holding that the copies of the petitions served on the respondents were not true…

The respondent, Subhra Chakraborty, filed a criminal complaint against Bodhisattwa Gautam under IPC sections 312, 420, 493, 496 and 498‑A alleging false promise of marriage, a secret marriage, sexual relations, and forced abortions. Gautam sought to quash the complaint via a petition under CrPC s.482, which the Gauhati…

The case concerned the murder of Jadoo and injuries to three others during a waylaying by twelve accused. The trial court convicted eleven of the accused, including Maqsoodan, under sections 302, 307 and related provisions, sentencing Maqsoodan to death. On appeal, the Allahabad High Court reduced Maqsoodan's sentence …

The plaintiff, Sujathamma, a maternal granddaughter of the deceased's father, claimed to have married her maternal uncle Hanumanthappa on 7 March 1986 and sought a share of his estate as his wife. The alleged marriage was supported only by a registration document (Ex.P/1) with no evidence of any customary rites or sapt…

The case concerned a parcel of land that formed part of the Chinneri tank bund, leased intermittently by the predecessor S. Vijayaranga Mudaliar and later purchased by P. C. Pachiappan. The plaintiff sought declaration of title and a permanent injunction against the State of Tamil Nadu, Salem Municipality and Anna Tran…

The deceased, Jameela, was allegedly pregnant by the appellant Saju and refused to abort the pregnancy. She was later stabbed to death by accused No.1 (Biju). The prosecution alleged that Saju conspired with Biju to murder her, securing convictions under Sections 109, 120‑B and 302 IPC. On appeal, the Supreme Court exa…

Kartik Malhar was convicted of murder under Section 302 IPC and sentenced to life imprisonment based primarily on the testimony of Fulmani, the widow of the deceased, after two other eye‑witnesses turned hostile. The appellant argued that a conviction could not rest on a single, highly interested witness and that the l…

The Managing Trustee of Hanuman Deosthan filed a civil suit for possession of a property, alleging that the plaintiff Trust was the owner. The defendant appealed, claiming he had purchased the property from a predecessor and was therefore the owner. During cross‑examination and before municipal authorities, the defenda…

Satish Chander Ahuja, the father‑in‑law, owned a house in New Delhi and sued his daughter‑in‑law Sneha Ahuja for mandatory and permanent injunction to remove her from the first floor. Sneha had earlier filed an application under Section 12 of the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005, obtaining an interi…

The appellant, Khumbha Ram, sought to challenge the acquittal of his daughter’s husband and others for the death of his daughter Kamla, which occurred within seven years of marriage and was alleged to involve dowry harassment. The trial court acquitted the accused, finding insufficient evidence of harassment and no med…

The case involved the alleged rape and murder of a 12‑year‑old girl, Anita, whose father Ram Sunder Sen filed a criminal complaint against Narendra @ Bode Singh Patel. The trial court convicted Patel under IPC sections 302, 376(2)(f) and 201, imposing death, life imprisonment and a seven‑year term respectively. On appe…

Ronobroto Roy filed a petition for divorce under Section 13 of the Hindu Marriage Act, alleging that his wife Dipanwita Roy had an extra‑marital relationship and bore a child with another man. To prove the allegation of infidelity, he applied to the Family Court for a DNA test of the child, which was dismissed, but the…

The Union of India appealed the trial court's acquittal of accused Nos. 5‑9 and the acquittal of accused Nos. 1‑4 under Section 1208 IPC in a case of election‑related violence in Dadra and Nagar Haveli. The trial court had convicted accused Nos. 1‑4 on several offences but acquitted them on the conspiracy charge, and a…

The deceased Jai Kishan was attacked and killed by Dharamvir and Sunil Kumar after a dispute involving a local eunuch. Rajesh, the brother of the deceased, witnessed the assault and later identified the accused, becoming the sole eye‑witness (PW5) whose testimony formed the basis of the prosecution case. The trial cour…

The plaintiff (borrower) entered into contracts with suppliers for a 108 MW captive power plant and with a consortium of banks, including Svenska Handelsbanken, for financing. The plant was later found to have a capacity of only 60 MW, leading the plaintiff to allege fraud by the suppliers and the lender and to seek a …

The appellant Kailas and co-accused were convicted under the NDNDPS Act for possession of 39 kg of ganja seized during a police raid, with the trial court relying on a video recording of the raid and a chemical examiner's report. The High Court set aside the convictions and ordered a re‑trial, holding that the video wa…

The appellant, Vijaya, allegedly ingested a poisonous substance and gave it to her 10‑month‑old daughter, who later died. A statement recorded by a Judicial Magistrate on 11‑Oct‑2012 was treated as a dying declaration, but the appellant survived and subsequently denied making the statement. The trial court and High Cou…

FGP Ltd., a public limited company, occupied a flat in Mumbai under a tenancy agreement dated 16‑07‑1981. The legal representatives of the original owner filed a suit for possession under the Bombay Rent Act, 1947, claiming reasonable and bona‑fide requirement; the Small Causes Court, the appellate authority and the Hi…

The case arose from a gang‑related shoot‑out at J.J. Hospital in 1992 that resulted in the death of Shailesh Haldankar and injuries to several persons. The appellants, Suresh Budharmal Kalani and Dr. Aken Kumar Gajendra Rai Desai, were charged under Sections 3(3) and 3(4) of the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Pre…

The appellant, a sub‑tenant, was originally paying rent to the respondent, a tenant, but after receiving an eviction notice from the head lessor (title paramount) he attorned to the head lessor and began paying rent to him, ceasing payments to the respondent. The respondent filed eviction proceedings under the Andhra P…

The appellant was convicted and sentenced to death for murder, rape and robbery based on circumstantial evidence, a last‑seen theory, confessions, recovered items and DNA evidence. The Supreme Court examined whether these evidentiary pillars were proved beyond reasonable doubt and whether the investigation complied wit…

The husband, Raj Kumar, assaulted his wife with a stone‑rolling pad after she refused to withdraw maintenance proceedings under Section 125 CrPC. The victim died from head injuries; her dying declarations implicated the husband. The trial courts convicted him under Sections 302 and 498A IPC. On appeal, the Supreme Cour…

Motilal Gadariya was convicted for raping his neighbour's wife, a married woman, under IPC sections 376(1) and 450 and for an offence under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. The trial court sentenced him to five years for the offence against a married woman and seven years for rape; the High Court affirmed. The…

The State of Maharashtra prosecuted Sukhdev Singh (Accused No.1) and Harjinder Singh Jinda (Accused No.5) for the murder of retired General Vaidya under the IPC and TADA. The trial court convicted both of murder (IPC ss.302, 307, 34) and sentenced them to death, relying on eyewitness identification, statements under se…

The case involved senior officials of BHEL and private individuals accused of conspiring to award a contract for a desalination plant through a restricted tender, allegedly causing a loss of Rs.4.32 crore to the PSU. The prosecution relied heavily on the testimony of an approver who had been granted pardon under Sectio…

The case arose from a 1955‑56 partition suit concerning the estate of Nawab Khurshid Jah, where a preliminary decree dated 28‑06‑1963 declared certain lands as Mathruka property. The decree was later used by decree‑holders and their assignees to claim title over the land, leading to numerous execution and claim petitio…

The appellant, Virender Pal, was convicted under Section 304‑B of the IPC for the dowry death of his wife, Punita, who allegedly died after being harassed for dowry demands. The prosecution presented testimony that the husband and his relatives repeatedly demanded money, subjected the victim to physical and mental crue…

The appellant, Rajendra Kolhe, was convicted of murder under Section 302 read with Section 34 of the IPC for allegedly setting his wife Rekha on fire with the aid of his brother‑in‑law. The conviction was based primarily on Rekha's dying declaration (Ex. 59) recorded in the hospital, which implicated the appellant and …

The case involved the kidnapping of a five‑year‑old boy, Vicky, for ransom and his subsequent murder. The child’s sister, a seven‑year‑old witness, identified the primary kidnappers (A‑3 and A‑5) and testified consistently, while the father’s testimony corroborated her account. The Supreme Court held that the child’s t…

The appellant, Thoti Manohar (A‑2), was convicted along with his brother (A‑1) and cousin (A‑3) for the murder of Kuppuswamy Modali and related offences. The prosecution alleged that A‑1 had an illicit relationship with the victim's cousin, leading to a series of disputes, cattle raids, and a violent confrontation on 2…

The dispute concerned the correct date of birth of Vasudha Gorakhnath Mandevlekar, an employee of CIDCO. The corporation claimed 2‑Oct‑1948, while the employee asserted 2‑Oct‑1950, supported by a birth certificate issued by the Panvel Municipal Council and multiple internal CIDCO records (gradation, seniority, retireme…

Dalbir Singh, the nephew of Ram Pratap, was convicted of murder (IPC s.302) and rioting (IPC s.148) for killing his uncle over a property dispute. The sole eyewitness, the victim's father Surja Ram (PW‑8), identified Dalbir by his voice in a dark‑night setting, though he could not name the other assailants who were acq…

Amol Singh and another were convicted for the murder of Saraswati Bai under IPC s.302 r.w. s.34. The deceased gave two dying declarations, one recorded by an ASI and another by an Executive Magistrate, which differed on the motive and the manner of being doused with kerosene. The High Court held the variations insignif…

Five police officials were convicted for the murder of Arunbharathi, who died from burn injuries. The trial court relied on a dying declaration recorded by a Revenue Divisional Officer (RDO) four days before the victim's death, while discarding earlier statements to doctors where the victim claimed he set himself on fi…

The appellant owned land where his father's Samadhi and a temple with idols were constructed. The public contributed to the temple's building, purchased entry tickets, made donations, and regularly attended pujas, prompting the Deputy Commissioner to order registration of the institution as a public religious instituti…

The Supreme Court examined a dispute over a Will executed by 70‑year‑old Sarajumani Dasi in favour of a stranger, Brajakishore Nanda. The Will and a sale deed were executed on the same day, but the original Will was never produced; only a certified copy and a Xerox copy were offered. The Court found that the attesting …

The Supreme Court entertained a miscellaneous application seeking recall of its own judgment dated 03.01.2024 in Civil Appeal No. 37 of 2024 on the ground that the respondents had not been served and therefore did not appear. The Court held that non‑service justified recalling the judgment and ordered the appeal to be …

The appellants claimed that they had paid Rs.17,000 of the Rs.22,000 purchase price and that title passed to them upon execution and registration of the sale deed, seeking specific performance to obtain the registration receipt. The vendor denied any payment, retained the registration receipt, cancelled the deed and so…

The State of Uttar Pradesh, through the Greater Noida Industrial Development Authority, acquired land belonging to the appellants for a planned industrial development of Gautam Budh Nagar, invoking Sections 17(1) and 17(4) of the Land Acquisition Act, 1894, thereby dispensing with the hearing provision of Section 5‑A. …

Shyam Lal (plaintiff) sued Sanjeev Kumar and others to declare that a mutation in favour of the defendants, who were grandsons of the deceased BR, was illegal because the land was ancestral property that could not be bequeathed by will. The defendants produced a registered will dated 4‑12‑1978 in favour of them and cla…

The appellant Saban Bandu Patil and six co‑accused were tried for the death of Vithoba and injuries to others arising from a family dispute that escalated into a violent altercation. The trial court convicted three of the accused under Sections 302 and 324 read with Section 34 IPC, while acquitting four. The High Court…

The husband of the appellant, Constable Jawala Ram, died when a bus owned by Himachal Road Transport Corporation allegedly reversed without sounding a horn, crushing him. The appellant filed a claim petition under Section 166 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 for compensation. The Motor Accident Claims Tribunal held that…

The borrower, Laxmi Prasad, had pledged jewellery to money‑lender Seth Ramdayal Jat in 1987 for a loan. After the lender was convicted in a criminal case for charging excess interest, the borrower served a notice on 12 May 1998 demanding the return of the jewellery, which was ignored. A suit for recovery of the pledged…

On 23 July 1994 a mob of 300‑400 persons armed with guns and petrol bombs attacked the house of informant Ganesh Singh in Amarpur, Bihar, killing six members of his family. The informant identified 19 persons, including the appellants Chandra Bihari Gautam and others, and the prosecution charged them under IPC Section …

The case concerned a mass‑caste massacre in Bihar in which 35 members of a community were killed and many others injured. Thirteen persons were charged under the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act, 1987 (TADA) and the Indian Penal Code; four were acquitted and the remaining nine were convicted, four o…

The father of the appellant executed a will that was purportedly attested by five persons; only two actually signed, while three "Nishanis" neither signed nor affixed a thumb impression. One of these, identified as DW‑2, claimed to have attested the will but his name was written by a scribe on his direction. The Sub‑or…

The appellants were convicted under the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act, 1987 (TADA) and several sections of the Indian Penal Code for setting fire to a Hindu house after the demolition of the Babri Masjid, resulting in multiple deaths. The Supreme Court examined whether the act qualified as a "ter…

Betal Singh was convicted of murdering his wife Kamla by setting her ablaze, an offence under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code. The conviction was based primarily on Kamla's dying declaration recorded by a police officer under Section 32 of the Evidence Act, which alleged that her husband had doused her with kerose…

The State of Madhya Pradesh charged O.P. Surbhan with murder after a child eyewitness (PW‑2) claimed the accused struck the deceased from behind with a bladed weapon. Medical examination, however, revealed three separate incised wounds on the neck, mandible and elbow, which could not have been caused by a single blow a…

The appellant Bhajju (Karan Singh) was convicted of murder for allegedly pouring kerosene on his wife and setting her ablaze. The sole direct evidence against him was the victim's dying declaration recorded by an executive magistrate and attested by a doctor, supported by medical, forensic and material evidence. The ap…

The Supreme Court reviewed an appeal by Govindaraju against a Karnataka High Court conviction for murder under s.302 IPC read with s.34, which had overturned a trial court acquittal. The Court found that the High Court did not show the trial court's judgment to be perverse and that the prosecution's case suffered from …

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) appealed against an interlocutory order of the Delhi High Court that permitted the accused, Ashok Kumar Aggarwal, to inspect confidential files relating to the sanction for his prosecution and the notings of the Finance Minister. The Supreme Court had earlier directed the High …

The case involved Esher Singh and others who were accused of giving provocative speeches to promote a Khalistan movement and of conspiring to murder Joga Singh, the owner of several Sikh educational institutions. The Designated Court convicted Esher Singh under Section 4 of the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prev…

The State of Himachal Pradesh appealed the acquittal of Jeet Singh, who had been convicted by a Sessions Court for murdering his wife Sudarshana Devi under IPC 302. The High Court had set aside the conviction, deeming the death a suicide and rejecting incriminating evidence recovered under Section 27 of the Evidence Ac…

The deceased Shashi Devi, a married woman, was found burnt in the hut of her husband Satye Singh; her father filed a complaint implicating the husband, his mother and sister‑in‑law. The Sessions Court convicted the husband and his mother under Sections 302, 34 and 201 of the IPC based solely on circumstantial evidence,…

The appellant, Manoj @ Monu @ Vishal Chaudhary, was initially declared a juvenile in conflict with law but the High Court set aside that finding and ordered him to stand trial as an adult. He sought to prove his juvenility on the basis of a birth certificate, a school leaving certificate, an ossification test report, a…

The case involved the smuggling of 184 gold biscuits concealed in meal trolleys of a Lufthansa flight, discovered by customs officers in 1996. Co‑accused Varyam Singh and Ranbir Singh named Pramod Kumar Dhamiya as an investor and participant in the smuggling, but the respondent evaded arrest and was declared a proclaim…

The appellant, Vivek Kalra, was convicted of murdering his 13‑14‑year‑old cousin, Ankit Kalra, based solely on circumstantial evidence. The prosecution alleged that Kalra lured the boy under the pretext of obtaining a cassette, used a dantli (sharp weapon) purchased from a blacksmith, and caused multiple fatal injuries…

Sanaullah Khan was charged with the kidnapping and murder of three persons—Ravindra Prasad, his son Sunny Kumar, and a servant Arvind—following a dispute over milk supply payments. The prosecution relied on three linked circumstances: the appellant’s servant luring the victims to his premises, the discovery of the bodi…

Surendra Koli, a servant of Maninder Singh Pandher, was convicted of multiple murders of children in Nithari, Noida, where he allegedly lured, strangulated, dismembered and ate the victims. He gave a voluntary confession before a magistrate under Section 164 of the CrPC, which was corroborated by the recovery of skulls…

The appellants Sheo Shankar Singh and Umesh Singh were convicted for the murder of MLA Gurudas Chatterjee, who was shot from a motorcycle while riding pillion. The prosecution relied on the eye‑witness testimony of two riders, corroborated by seizure of the motorcycles, blood‑stained clothing, empty cartridges and medi…

The dispute arose over the mutation of property left by Chartu, who had two sons and a daughter Nandi. After the deaths of the sons, the respondent claimed the land was joint coparcenary property and that Nandi and her children (the appellants) had no right, while the appellants sought to establish Nandi’s relationship…

The case involved the murder of Jaspal Kaur, who died from severe burns after allegedly being set alight by her husband, father‑in‑law, mother‑in‑law and sister‑in‑law. Four dying declarations were recorded: an initial one to an ASI stating the fire was accidental, and three subsequent statements to a magistrate and an…

The Supreme Court examined the murder of a family of ten, including three infants, committed by A‑1 (Sonia) and her husband A‑2 (Sanjiv) to prevent the transfer of property to the step‑brother. The trial court convicted them under Sections 302, 34 and 120‑B IPC and sentenced them to death, a decision the High Court lat…

Harbans Singh and Mohd. Ayub Mir were arrested after a police raid in which a hawala transaction of Rs 7 lakhs was intercepted, the money being handed over in a polythene packet to Mir, a member of Lashkar‑e‑Taiba. Both accused gave confessional statements that were recorded by the DCP Special Branch and later confirme…

Hazari Lal, a police constable, demanded a Rs.60 bribe for releasing the complainant's scooter rickshaw. The complainant reported the demand to the Anti‑Corruption Department, where an inspector set a trap by marking six currency notes with phenol‑phthalene powder and handing them to the complainant, who passed them to…

The State of Himachal Pradesh prosecuted Chaman Lal for allegedly pouring kerosene on his wife Saro Devi and setting her on fire, leading to her death. The trial court convicted him based largely on the wife's dying declaration recorded by a Tehsildar, but the High Court acquitted him, extending the benefit of doubt du…

The State of Rajasthan prosecuted six accused for gang rape and kidnapping of a 14‑year‑old mentally deficient girl, relying on the victim's testimony, her father's eyewitness account, medical examination, and forensic evidence showing semen on the victims' clothing. The trial court convicted all six under IPC sections…

The Gaudiya Mission claimed that a will and codicil executed by its disciple, Kum. Uma Bose, in 1994 and 1996 respectively, vested her property in the Mission. After Uma's death, her sister Kum. Shobha Bose obtained a Letter of Administration and later filed a testamentary suit, which a Single Judge of the Allahabad Hi…

The dispute concerned a joint ancestral property sold to L, who claimed to be the widow of R, while the respondents alleged she was merely a mistress. The trial court held that a presumption of a valid marriage existed because L and R had cohabited for decades and their children were married off by R. The first appella…

The Supreme Court examined allegations of irregularities in the allotment, conversion and regularisation of plots in NOIDA, which led to a one‑man inquiry commission and the initiation of departmental disciplinary proceedings against Smt. Neera Yadav, then CEO of NOIDA. While a CBI investigation was pending, the Uttar …

The landlord (B.C. Bhutada) let the first floor of a building for residential use and part of the ground floor for non‑residential use to the tenant (G.R. Mundada), who also used a portion as a godown. The landlord sought eviction under the Bombay Rents, Hotel and Lodging House Rates (Control) Act, 1947 on the ground o…

The appellant was convicted of murder under Section 302 IPC based primarily on the testimony of a child witness who was seven years old at the time of the incident. Both the trial court and the Allahabad High Court held the child’s evidence to be clear and trustworthy and affirmed the conviction. On appeal, the Supreme…

The State of Haryana prosecuted several accused for the murder of Manphool under Sections 302, 149 and 201 IPC. The trial court convicted all, but the High Court acquitted Ram Singh, citing inconsistencies between his thumb‑marked disclosure statement and his arrest date, and gave him the benefit of doubt. On appeal, t…

The State charged Satyen Bhowmick and others under the Official Secrets Act for passing military secrets. During a commitment inquiry the prosecution invoked Section 14 of the Act to hold the trial in camera and to bar the accused from obtaining copies of witness statements. The magistrate allowed the defence counsel t…

The Supreme Court heard an appeal by Mohammed Abdul Wahid against Nilofer & Anr concerning whether a party to a civil suit can also be treated as a witness and whether CPC provisions bar the production of documents for cross‑examination of a party. The High Court had held that a party could not be equated with a witnes…

Air Commodore N.K. Sharma, a Judge Advocate General (Air) in the Indian Air Force, claimed that the Ministry of Defence failed to form a policy for filling the upgraded AVM JAG (Air) post and that his promotion was unjustly denied. He filed a complaint under Section 27 of the Air Force Act, which led the Armed Forces T…

The appellant, a 23‑year‑old resident of Chhattisgarh, was convicted of kidnapping, rape, murder and related offences after a missing‑child case led to his confession and the recovery of the victim’s body from a concealed sack. The trial court sentenced him to death for murder and to rigorous imprisonment for the other…

The Supreme Court of India addressed two interconnected issues: whether landlord-tenant disputes governed by the Transfer of Property Act, 1882 are arbitrable, and the scope of judicial review under Sections 8 and 11 of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996. The case arose from a tenancy agreement containing an ar…

The appellant Shama was convicted for murder under Sections 302 and 34 of the IPC, based primarily on the dying declaration of the deceased, Naurang, recorded by Police Inspector Mam Chand after a medical certification of fitness. The appellant challenged the conviction, arguing that the declaration was improperly reco…

The appellant, Ram Viswas, was convicted of murdering his wife by pouring kerosene on her and setting her ablaze. The victim, Maladeep, gave a dying declaration naming her husband as the perpetrator, which was recorded by a Naib Tahsildar after medical certification of her fitness to testify. The appellant challenged t…

The parents executed registered deeds of gift in 1984 transferring specific land to their son, expressly stating that possession had been handed over and accepted. The parents later attempted to cancel the gifts on the condition that the son pay Rs 1,00,000 for a sister's marriage, which he did not do, and filed cancel…

The appellant, accused No.2, was charged under the NDPS Act for allegedly handing over heroin to accused No.1. The prosecution's case rested solely on the retracted statement of accused No.1, an accomplice, and the appellant's own retracted confession; no narcotics were found in the appellant's possession. The Supreme …

The appellants Limbaji and two others were charged with murder and robbery of Baburao, whose ornaments were recovered after the accused, while in custody, pointed to their locations. The High Court had convicted them of both murder (Sec. 302 IPC) and robbery (Sec. 394 IPC) using the presumption under Section 114(a) of …

The appellant Govind was convicted for murder under Section 302 IPC and for illegal possession of a firearm under Section 25 of the Arms Act based primarily on the recovery of a country‑made pistol and two live cartridges from an iron box in his house and a forensic report linking the cartridges to the bullets recovere…

Naresh Kumar was married to Rekha Rani, who within ten months complained to her father about dowry harassment by her husband and his family. Despite repeated pleas, the husband threatened divorce and forced her to return to his home, after which she set herself on fire and died. The prosecution proved that the dowry de…

The case involved fourteen accused who, on the night of Holi, encircled and assaulted Bindeshwari Rai with deadly weapons, resulting in his death. The trial court convicted all of them under Section 302 IPC, with some also under Section 307 IPC, while the High Court later acquitted them of the Section 302/149 charge bu…

The Supreme Court examined the appeal of A.K. Devaiah, convicted under Sections 3, 4, 6 of the Dowry Prohibition Act and Sections 498‑A and 304‑B of the IPC for the death of his wife, who committed suicide by self‑immolation within a year of marriage. The prosecution proved that the husband demanded dowry, that the wif…

The State of Karnataka appealed the acquittal of Smt. Suvarnamma and her husband Manjunath for the dowry‑related death of the bride, Soumya, who died from severe burn injuries within seven years of marriage. The prosecution proved that the accused had harassed the victim for dowry and that the mother‑in‑law poured kero…

The respondent obtained a decree for possession of a suit property in 1990, which was later enforced through execution proceedings in 2004. The appellant, after the execution commenced, filed a suit for specific performance of an alleged oral agreement and sought an injunction to stay the eviction. The High Court set a…

The case involved the death of Kamlesh Rani, a married woman who suffered extensive burns within seven years of marriage. The husband (Sohan Lal @ Sohan Singh) was charge‑sheeted only under Section 304B IPC (dowry death) while the mother‑in‑law and sister‑in‑law were charge‑sheeted under Section 302 IPC. The trial cour…

The husband, D.P. Satpathy, claimed that his marriage to B.P. Dixit was performed under duress and therefore invalid, and also denied paternity of the child born shortly after the ceremony. The wife filed an application under Section 125 of the Criminal Procedure Code for maintenance for herself and the child, which wa…

Mukund Lal and another, accused persons, challenged the constitutional validity of Section 172(3) of the Criminal Procedure Code, 1973, which bars the accused or his agents from calling for or inspecting the police case diary, except when the diary is used to refresh a police officer's memory or to contradict the offic…

The appellant, married to the deceased for 25 years, had a quarrel with his wife on the day she later ingested pesticide and died; the appellant also consumed pesticide and survived. He was convicted under Section 306 of the Indian Penal Code for abetment of suicide and under Section 4(b) of the Tamil Nadu Prohibition …

The deceased woman repeatedly fled her matrimonial home due to alleged dowry harassment and cruelty by her husband, mother‑in‑law and sister‑in‑law, and filed complaints and a maintenance suit. She later died after ingesting poison, claiming it was a mistake, and gave a dying declaration to that effect. The trial court…

The appellants, a married couple and their son, were convicted for the murder of the son's wife, who was allegedly killed by being tied with a saree border and thrown into a well over a dowry demand. The trial court and High Court upheld convictions under IPC sections 302, 304B, 498A read with section 34, based solely …

Dr. Sunil Clifford Daniel was convicted for the murder of his wife, Dr. Loyalla Shagoufta, and for concealing her death under IPC sections 302 and 201. The prosecution relied on a series of circumstantial facts – blood‑stained clothes handed to a medical superintendent, forensic evidence of human blood on recovered ite…

The appellant, Mustafa Shahadal Shaikh, was convicted for the dowry death of his wife, who committed suicide by poisoning within seven months of marriage. The prosecution relied on the testimony of the deceased's close relatives, who detailed repeated harassment and demands for dowry by the appellant and his family, in…

The Supreme Court examined the appeal of Satbir Singh and others, who were convicted for the dowry death of Shanti Singh under IPC Sections 304‑B, 498‑A and 201. The prosecution proved that Shanti was harassed for additional dowry (Rs 7,000) shortly before her death, that she died within seven years of marriage under s…

R.K. Sharma sued the State of Assam and two police officers for malicious prosecution, seeking pecuniary damages for rice and paddy seized and non‑pecuniary damages for pain and reputation. The trial court dismissed the suit; the Gauhati High Court allowed pecuniary damages but denied non‑pecuniary damages, finding no …

The appellant Union Territory of Dadra & Nagar Haveli sought to summon the Collector as a material witness under Section 311 of the Cr.P.C. after the defence had pleaded alibi and presented evidence. The High Court set aside the Sessions Judge’s order, holding that the summons would fill a lacuna in the prosecution cas…

The appellant Krishnan was charged with murdering his elder brother after a quarrel over thorn sticks used to block a common yard drain. He claimed he acted in self‑defence after being attacked and bitten by the deceased and his son. The trial court rejected the plea and convicted him under Section 302 IPC, while the H…

The appellant, a widowed daughter, claimed ownership of her mother’s property based on a registered will that left the entire estate to her, excluding her six sisters. The lower courts dismissed the will, alleging that the exclusion of other heirs rendered the will suspicious and that the mother never became the sole o…

The State of Punjab appealed the Punjab and Haryana High Court’s acquittal of Karnail Singh, alleging that the trial court’s conviction was supported by credible eyewitness testimony and forensic evidence. The High Court had set aside the conviction on the basis of an alleged delay in lodging the FIR and doubts about t…

The victim, Pragnesh Kumar, died from severe burns after allegedly being attacked by a group of accused. Four dying declarations were recorded by a medical officer, a police sub‑inspector and two executive magistrates, none of which were accompanied by a medical certificate confirming the victim's mental fitness. The s…

The respondents, registered dealers under the Sales Tax Acts, manufactured and sold goods both locally and outside the local area. Under the Madhya Pradesh Entry Tax Act, 1976, they were required to declare that goods sold were local and that no entry tax had been paid; failure to do so invoked Section 7(5), which pres…

The appellant, Ajit Savant Majagavi, was charged with murdering his wife, Padmavathi, and was acquitted by the Sessions Court on the ground that the prosecution failed to prove his presence at the lodge where the death occurred and that key witnesses had turned hostile. The State appealed under Section 378 of the CrPC,…

Kailash Potlia was convicted of murder (section 302 IPC) and robbery (section 380 IPC) on the basis of circumstantial evidence, including a hotel clerk’s sighting, a finger injury, an alleged extra‑judicial confession to PW‑13, and a recovery statement by PW‑22. On appeal, the Supreme Court examined the reliability of …

The husband filed a divorce petition and sought to introduce secretly recorded telephone conversations with his wife as evidence, submitting memory cards, a CD and transcripts. The Family Court allowed the evidence, but the High Court set aside that order on the ground that the recordings violated the wife's right to p…

The appellant A-4, a young woman engaged to B.V. Girish, was unwilling to marry him and confided her grievance to friend A-1, who enlisted cousin A-3 and A-2 to murder the fiancé. The deceased was fatally injured with a steel rod on 3 December 2003; eyewitnesses were later discredited and the case hinged on circumstant…

The appellant, ShaHaja @ ShaHajan Ismail Mohd. Shaikh, was convicted of murdering Mahankal Jaiswal after two eye‑witnesses (PW‑1 and PW‑8) testified that he assaulted the victim with a hammer. The trial court also relied on a discovery panchnama under Section 27 of the Evidence Act, which recorded the appellant pointin…

The appellant, Arjun Panditrao Khotkar, was elected to the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly but his election was challenged on the ground that two of his nomination papers were filed after the statutory deadline. The High Court relied on video recordings of the Returning Officer's office, produced by the Election Commi…