Indian Penal Code, 1860

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 appellants were charged under Sections 354 and 394 IPC for an alleged assault and robbery arising from a land access dispute. While the criminal case was pending, the parties reached an amicable settlement, and the complainant withdrew support for the prosecution. The appellants filed a petition under Section 482 C…

The appellants were charged under Sections 399 and 402 of the Indian Penal Code for assembling and preparing to commit dacoity on 10 February 1992. The prosecution proved that a group of armed men, including the appellants, attempted to stop two motorcyclists and were later seized by police with weapons, liquor and foo…

Abdul Rehman and co‑accused filed a complaint with the Crime Against Women (CAW) Cell alleging that K.M. Anees‑ul‑Haq had demanded dowry, invoking sections 406 and 34 of the IPC and sections 3 and 4 of the Dowry Prohibition Act. In retaliation, the respondent lodged a complaint under sections 211, 500, 109, 114 and 34 …

The appellant Sandeep was convicted by the Sessions Court and affirmed by the High Court for murder under section 302 read with section 34 of the IPC, based on eyewitness testimony that he shot the deceased after being urged by co‑accused. He was acquitted of the Arms Act charges and the co‑accused were also acquitted …

The appellant, Somjeet Mallick, alleged that his truck was hired by the respondents who paid only the first month's rent and thereafter failed to pay the agreed rent, making false promises. A complaint under Section 156(3) CrPC led to the registration of an FIR and cognizance by the Chief Judicial Magistrate, after whi…

The State prosecuted Laly @ Manikandan and another for murder under IPC s.302 r.w. s.34, alleging that the accused attacked the deceased in a car and later in a shed, causing fatal injuries. The trial court convicted them based on the testimony of PW1, the sole eye‑witness who saw the accused at both stages of the inci…

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…

Ananda Poojary, a caretaker of his foster mother Dorathi Kutinho, was convicted under IPC sections 302 and 201 for allegedly murdering her to obtain her property, which she had bequeathed to him subject to marrying a Christian woman. The trial and High Courts relied on a post‑mortem report indicating asphyxia by smothe…

The Chhattisgarh State Electricity Board rejected R. Vijaykumar's tender after a performance report, prepared by the appellants (public servants), found his equipment unsatisfactory. Vijaykumar unsuccessfully pursued civil remedies, withdrew his suit, and then filed a criminal complaint alleging forgery and conspiracy …

The appellant, a company secretary of Rallis India Ltd., was accused in a private complaint of defamation under Sections 499 and 500 IPC for a letter allegedly sent to Ashika Capital Ltd. that contained false allegations against the complainants. The trial court took cognizance of the complaint and summoned the appella…

The victim, a 15‑year‑old girl, was allegedly lured to the house of Chhoti under the pretext of fetching lassi, where Om Prakash and Kartar Singh locked the door and raped her. The FIR was lodged after a 20‑day delay, explained by the victim’s mother’s absence. Evidence—including the victim’s testimony, medical examina…

The CBI filed a charge‑sheet in a Special Court under the Prevention of Corruption Act against six persons for conspiracy, forgery and corruption. The Special Judge, exercising powers under Section 5 of the Act and the Code of Criminal Procedure, summoned three additional persons who had been listed as witnesses. The D…

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 petitioners, led by MLA Bhupesh Baghel, sought interlocutory relief to stop non‑forest activities, including mining, by licensee Anil Lunia in Chhattisgarh forests, to initiate criminal prosecution, order a CBI enquiry, recover compensation and enforce afforestation. The Supreme Court constituted a Central Empowere…

The petitioners sought a uniform policy for registration, arrest and bail in cases under Section 498‑A IPC, challenging the directions issued in Rajesh Sharma v. State of U.P. that created Family Welfare Committees, barred arrests before their report, and allowed district courts to dispose of settled cases. The Court e…

The appellant, former ISRO scientist S. Nambi Narayanan, was arrested in 1994 on alleged espionage charges that were later found to be false by the CBI, leading to his discharge. He spent nearly fifty days in police custody, during which the Supreme Court found that the investigation by Kerala police was malicious, cau…

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 appellant, Rama Devi, was charged under IPC sections 406, 420, 465, 468 and 120‑B for allegedly conspiring with her vendor to sell a plot of land to the complainant despite knowing it had been previously transferred. The trial magistrate took cognizance of the complaint, and the appellant sought to quash the procee…

The Supreme Court examined the murder of Chand Khan and his son Shabir Khan, for which five appellants were convicted under Section 302 read with Section 34 of the IPC. The appellants challenged the conviction on grounds that no charge under Section 34 was framed, that the injuries could not be linked to them due to co…

The State of Karnataka appealed against a High Court order that granted bail to a celebrity actor (A2) and co‑accused in a murder‑conspiracy case involving Sections 302, 120B and 34 IPC, where the victim was allegedly kidnapped, tortured and killed after sending obscene messages to A2’s partner. The High Court had reli…

The case arose from a conviction of Sandeep Singh Hora for offences under Sections 304B, 498A, 406 IPC and Sections 3 and 4 of the Dowry Prohibition Act, including life imprisonment. While the appeal against the conviction was pending, the Allahabad High Court granted him bail under Section 389 of the CrPC without reco…

The State of Karnataka charged Srinivasa, the husband, with murder of his wife Rajashree, alleging he strangulated her and staged a hanging, motivated by an alleged illicit relationship with a second accused. The trial court convicted Srinivasa under Section 302 of the IPC, but the Karnataka High Court acquitted him, r…

The State of Karnataka appealed the acquittal of A.B. Mahesha and others, who had been convicted by the trial court for murder based on circumstantial evidence that the deceased Jagdeesha was last seen with the accused, the recovery of his car, and the seizure of a gold chain, watch and ring from the accused's homes. T…

The Supreme Court considered two unrelated special leave petitions challenging convictions under Section 302 IPC, both of which had been affirmed by respective High Courts. The petitioners argued that the convictions were unsafe, but the Court found the evidence of eye witnesses reliable and saw no merit in overturning…

The appellant, a daughter of the late K.G. Yellappa Reddy, alleged that her brothers and their sons forged a family tree and a partition deed to exclude her and her sisters from a Rs 33 crore compensation awarded for family land acquired by the Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation. Based on these forged documents, the resp…

The appellants were charged under two FIRs, the first involving offences such as unlawful assembly and assault, and the second containing grave charges of sexual assault under Section 376 IPC. The complainant in the second FIR later filed an affidavit stating she no longer wished to pursue the case, having received a m…

Asian Paints Ltd., a paint manufacturer, discovered that counterfeit paints bearing its brand were being sold by Ram Babu. The company, through a power of attorney, engaged an IPR consultancy to investigate and the investigation led to an FIR under the IPC and Copyright Act. The trial court convicted Ram Babu, but the …

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 petitioners, led by Himanshu Kumar, alleged that police, Special Police Officers, Salwa Judum activists and paramilitary forces carried out brutal massacres of tribals in three Chhattisgarh villages in September and October 2009 and sought a mandamus directing the CBI to investigate and compensation for the victims…

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, Dhananjay Rai, was convicted of murder, criminal conspiracy and illegal possession of arms and appealed the conviction before the Patna High Court. The appeal was admitted, but the appellant subsequently absconded, leading the High Court to dismiss the appeal on the ground of non‑prosecution. The Supreme…

The appellant, heir of the deceased Mukhtiar Singh, appealed against the conviction of the latter, a former Station House Officer, under Sections 7 and 13(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 for allegedly demanding and receiving bribes of Rs.3,000 and Rs.2,000 during a police‑trap operation. The prosecution re…

Chhote Lal was convicted by the Sessions Court under IPC sections 376(2) (rape) and 302 (murder) for the rape and killing of a ten‑year‑old girl and was sentenced to life imprisonment, the judgment clarifying that the term would continue for the remainder of his life. The High Court affirmed the conviction and sentence…

The appellants were convicted of gang rape under Section 376(2g) of the IPC and of voluntarily causing hurt under Section 323, with the trial court sentencing three of them to ten years' rigorous imprisonment. The High Court reduced the rape sentence to seven years and dismissed the appeal. The appellants challenged th…

Constable Mahadev, a BSF personnel, was convicted under Section 46 of the BSF Act (equivalent to murder under Section 302 IPC) for shooting and killing a civilian smuggler during a border patrol. He appealed, claiming the shooting was in private self‑defence against a group of armed intruders who had surrounded him. Th…

The appellants were convicted for the murder of Vinod Kumar under Section 302 read with Section 34 of the IPC. They appealed, contending that the FIR was lodged nine hours after the incident without a satisfactory explanation and that the key eyewitnesses were close relatives of the deceased, rendering their testimony …

The appellant, Yusuf, was accused of murdering 13‑year‑old Sahanara Khatun and of concealing the offence under Sections 302 and 201 IPC. The prosecution relied on the claim that Yusuf attempted to rape the girl, struck her with a spade and buried her, supported by witnesses who saw Yusuf near the field with a spade, an…

The complainant, a sub‑contractor, alleged that the appellants (directors of Bharat Udyog Ltd.) had partially paid him for work on a sewerage plant and had forged engineers' signatures to claim they performed the work. He filed an FIR alleging cheating, forgery and related offences under the IPC, seeking recovery of th…

The appellants, members of a political party, were arrested after a communal protest triggered by an incendiary social media post on 10 October 2022 and were later released on bail. Six months later, the police prepared a gang chart and lodged a fresh FIR on 30 April 2023 under the Uttar Pradesh Gangsters & Anti-Social…

The appellants, mother and aunt of Deva Pardhi, challenged a High Court order that refused to transfer the investigation of Deva's custodial death to another agency and denied bail to the sole eyewitness, Gangaram Pardhi. Deva was allegedly tortured and killed by local police officers, and Gangaram, who witnessed the t…

The Supreme Court examined an interlocutory application by Common Cause seeking to bar CBI Director Ranjit Sinha from interfering in coal‑block allocation investigations and to order a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe alleged abuse of authority. The Director had retired, rendering the recusal request moot, but…

The appellants, a group of journalists and media houses, were charged with defamation for publishing a news item that alleged the Additional Commissioner of Police, Rajiv Trivedi, facilitated the Sohrabuddin encounter. The second respondent obtained a previous sanction under Section 199(4)(b) of the Criminal Procedure …

The Supreme Court examined a challenge by the State of Uttar Pradesh to a Allahabad High Court order that, in a writ petition seeking quashment of an FIR, issued sweeping procedural directions for criminal trials, including mandating production of accused with Section 173 reports, requiring police stations to install p…

The appeal concerned a poem titled "Gandhi Mala Bhetala" published in a private bulletin, for which the author, publisher and printer were charged under Section 292 of the Indian Penal Code for obscenity. The Supreme Court examined whether the use of Mahatma Gandhi’s name as an allusion or symbol heightened the applica…

The Supreme Court examined the conviction of Durga Prasad and others under IPC sections 498-A and 304-B for the alleged dowry death of Kripa Bai, who committed suicide within seven years of marriage. The trial and High Courts had relied solely on the testimony of the victim's mother and brother, alleging cruelty and ha…

The appellant Niranjan Panja was convicted under Section 302 IPC for the murder of Haripada Samanta based largely on circumstantial evidence, including the alleged discovery of a blood‑stained weapon that was never produced in court and the claim that the victim was last seen with the accused. The prosecution failed to…

The CFA Institute and its representative issued a public notice titled "A Word of Caution" warning prospective students about the use of the CFA trademark by the Institute of Chartered Financial Analysts of India (ICFAI) after an interim injunction was granted against ICFAI. ICFAI filed a private criminal complaint all…

The case arose from a violent dispute over a mango orchard where eleven accused formed an unlawful assembly and attacked the complainant and his two sons, resulting in their deaths. The trial court and High Court convicted all accused under sections 147, 148, 302, 149 IPC and section 27 of the Arms Act. On appeal, the …

The Supreme Court examined appeals filed by the victims of an interstate child‑trafficking racket challenging the High Court's grant of bail to thirteen accused persons charged under IPC sections 363, 311 and 370(5). The Court found that the High Court had ignored crucial factors such as the seriousness of the offence,…

The appellants were charged under several IPC offences and the Daain Act, failed to appear after summons and bailable warrants, and subsequently faced non‑bailable warrants and a proclamation under Section 82 CrPC. They filed an anticipatory bail application in November 2022, which was adjourned without interim protect…

The appellants were convicted for murder under Section 302 IPC, alleged to have participated in an unlawful assembly that killed Kartikram. The prosecution’s case relied on the testimony of interested and injured witnesses, while the accused claimed they were falsely implicated and highlighted a four‑hour delay in lodg…

The appellant was convicted under Sections 302 r/w 34 and 201 of the IPC for the murder of two boys, the conviction being based solely on an alleged extra‑judicial confession. The prosecution alleged that the appellant confessed to several witnesses (PW‑1 to PW‑9), but the key witnesses (PW‑7, PW‑8, PW‑9) gave inconsis…

The appellant, Chairman and Managing Director of M/s MSPL Ltd, imported an Aston Martin, paid customs duty and road tax, and later paid a differential motor vehicle tax after a demand notice. A FIR alleged that he conspired with a Regional Transport Officer to evade road tax, leading to criminal proceedings under the P…

The case arose from a matrimonial dispute in which the husband, S. Nallasamy, alleged that his wife’s family forcibly entered his house and threatened him, leading to an FIR under IPC sections 147, 448, 294(b) and 506. The FIR named only 11 persons, although the complainant later claimed that 20 additional persons were…

The State of Madhya Pradesh appealed against a Division Bench order that had directed the issuance of an appointment order to Bunty, who had applied for the post of police constable. Bunty had cleared the recruitment tests, but the Screening Committee denied his appointment on the ground that he was involved in a crimi…

The appellant, a husband, was convicted under IPC sections 498A (dowry harassment) and 306 (abetment of suicide) for the death of his wife Girija, who committed suicide within seven years of marriage in their matrimonial home. The prosecution proved that Girija had suffered multiple physical injuries and mental cruelty…

The case concerned two separate prosecutions arising from the July 2006 Mumbai suburban train bomb blasts. In Special Case No. 21 of 2006, the accused‑respondents sought to summon four Deputy Commissioners of Police (who had recorded confessional statements of three other accused in a later Special Case No. 4 of 2009) …

The petitioners, who had obtained large credit facilities from two banks by allegedly submitting forged lease documents as collateral, defaulted on payments and were prosecuted for fraud and related offences. The banks later settled the civil dues through a one‑time settlement, and the petitioners sought to have the cr…

The appellant filed an FIR alleging that the respondents opened indiscriminate fire on the deceased, resulting in his death, and the respondents later obtained anticipatory bail under Section 438 of the CrPC. The Sessions Judge rejected the bail, but the Patna High Court granted it, citing an old dispute and the respon…

The appellant was convicted under Sections 376(1) and 450 of the IPC for raping his brother's wife, based solely on the prosecutrix's testimony. The prosecution's case lacked any independent witnesses and the medical and forensic reports showed no injuries, semen or blood stains, and the forensic report was inconclusiv…

The case involved a fatal road accident in which Sitaram, a government school teacher, was riding a motorcycle that collided with a bus owned by the Rajasthan State Road Transport Corporation and driven rashly by its driver. The claimants sought compensation under the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, and the Motor Accident Cl…

Gagan Kumar was convicted by a Judicial Magistrate of offences under Sections 279 and 304-A of the Indian Penal Code and sentenced to two separate terms of rigorous imprisonment with fines. He appealed to the Additional Sessions Judge and then to the High Court, both of which affirmed the conviction and sentence. The s…

The petitioner, MD Mannan, was convicted of rape and murder of an eight‑year‑old girl and sentenced to death by the trial court, a decision affirmed by the High Court and the Supreme Court. He filed a review petition which was dismissed by circulation, but the Supreme Court reopened it following the Mohd Arif decision …

On 19 November 2006, a dispute over cutting a tree led three accused (Arjun, Lalaram and Padumlal) to assault the deceased Ayodhya Prasad with a katta, gandasa and a stone, causing fatal head injuries. The prosecution proved the case through the testimony of a related witness (the deceased's brother, PW‑6), four eye‑wi…

The Supreme Court allowed appeals against the acquittal of A2 to A4 (Sasikala, Sudhakaran, Elavarasi) in a disproportionate assets case under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988. The trial court had convicted them for conspiracy and abetment with A1 (Jayalalitha, since deceased) in amassing assets worth Rs.66.65 cro…

The appellant Birju was convicted for the murder of a one‑year‑old child, shot with a pistol after the child’s grandfather refused to give him money for liquor. The trial court and the High Court sentenced him to death, invoking his extensive criminal record as an aggravating factor. On appeal, the Supreme Court examin…

V.K. Verma was convicted under Section 161 of the IPC and Section 5(1)(d) read with Section 5(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1947 for demanding a bribe of Rs.265 in 1984. The trial court sentenced him to one and a half years’ rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs.5,000 on each count, which the High Court uphe…

The appellants challenged the registration of FIR No. 442 of 2012 on the ground that a second FIR cannot be filed for the same incident after an earlier FIR had been lodged. The Court examined the scope of the "principle of sameness" and held that while a second FIR on identical facts is prohibited, a counter‑FIR prese…

Bansi Lal was convicted under Sections 498-A, 304-B and 306 of the IPC for the suicide of his wife Sarla, who had left the matrimonial home after a year of marriage, stayed with her parents for 14 months, and returned following a panchayat assurance. The prosecution proved a consistent demand for a scooter by the accus…

The appellant Budhaev Karmaskar was convicted of murdering a sex worker, Chayay Rani Pal, by repeatedly striking her head, causing fatal injuries. Eye‑witness testimony and a detailed post‑mortem report established the brutality of the assault and the cause of death. The trial court sentenced him to life imprisonment u…

Padum Kumar, a postman, delivered a registered envelope containing four Indira Vikas Patras (Rs.20,000) on 09‑04‑1992, which was never received by the complainant, Dr. K.B. Varshney. The delivery slip bore the signature "D. Mohan"; the complainant's son, Devesh Mohan, denied that the signature was his. Private handwrit…

The case involved the murder and robbery of Premchand Jain and his family, for which three accused were initially convicted and sentenced to death. The High Court acquitted the accused, and the matter came before the Supreme Court on appeal by the complainant Ashish Jain and the State of Madhya Pradesh. The Court exami…

Rajinder Kumar was convicted for the dowry death of his wife, Raj Rani, who was allegedly harassed by him and his family for a demand of Rs 20,000 after marriage. The deceased’s brothers, Ganpat Rai and Hari Chand, testified that the harassment occurred shortly before her death, which was caused by aluminium phosphide …

The husband filed a petition for divorce under the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955, and the Family Court initially proceeded ex parte when the wife could not be served. The wife later appeared, the ex parte order was set aside, and the case was adjourned for conciliation, but she remained absent at subsequent hearings. The Fa…

The appellants were convicted of murder (Sec. 302 IPC) for assaulting the deceased, Nripen Debnath, when his bullock cart entered the appellants' field. The Supreme Court examined the credibility of the eye‑witness PW‑3, the omission of certain details in the complaint, and the alleged political motive behind the prose…

Salman Salim Khan was convicted under Section 51 of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 and sentenced to five years' imprisonment. The Rajasthan High Court suspended his conviction, allowing him to travel abroad for his acting profession, but the UK denied his visa on the basis of the conviction. The State of Rajasthan…

The State of Uttar Pradesh appealed against the Allahabad High Court's acquittal of A‑1, who had been convicted by the trial court for kidnapping, wrongful confinement and rape of a minor girl. The girl, aged about 17 years, was abducted from her village, taken to a city, and forced to have sexual intercourse under thr…

Lakhan Lal and Pappu Lal were convicted of murder under IPC s.302 read with s.34 and sentenced to life imprisonment. At the time of the offence (9 May 1985) they were about 16 years old, i.e., minors under the age of 18. The Supreme Court examined whether they could be treated as juveniles under the Juvenile Justice (C…

The appellant Sudhir Kumar was convicted under Section 304B of the IPC for the dowry death of his wife, Kamlesh Rani, while his mother and other relatives were acquitted. The Supreme Court examined whether the presumption of dowry death under Section 113B of the Evidence Act was rebutted because four of the five accuse…

The case arose from a 1997 incident in which Ramji Tiwari, armed with a double‑barrel gun, shot and killed several persons after being urged by co‑accused. The trial court convicted Ramji under Section 302 IPC and sentenced him to death, while the other four accused were convicted under Section 302 read with Section 10…

The appellant, a former Superintendent of Police, was implicated by a Special Judge for allegedly fabricating a false story that led to the recovery of opium and was issued a show‑cause notice under Section 58 of the NDPS Act. The Special Judge recorded adverse findings against her and other officers without giving the…

The former West Bengal Education Minister, Partha Chatterjee, was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with a large‑scale teachers recruitment scam and alleged money‑laundering offences under the PMLA. After raids recovered substantial cash and gold from his associates and companies, he was denied bail…

The appellant, George, was convicted under Sections 294(b), 341 and 302 IPC for the murder of the informant's son, based solely on the testimony of the father (PW‑1), an interested witness. The High Court, however, acquitted two co‑accused on the same testimony, finding it unreliable for them, yet upheld the appellant'…

The appellant lodged an FIR alleging that his brother was murdered in Firozabad and that a separate FIR was falsely registered in Gwalior to provide an alibi for the main accused. The High Court quashed the criminal proceedings against several police officials, holding that sanction under Section 197 of the CrPC was re…

The appellant, a former branch manager of Sri Rama Grameena Bank, was convicted under Sections 409, 420 and 477A of the IPC and Section 13(2) read with 13(1)(d) of the Prevention of Corruption Act for allegedly allowing withdrawals from an account of the Nishita Educational Academy and prematurely encashing two fixed d…

The case concerns the murder of a police officer for which two accused were acquitted by the trial court. The High Court reversed the acquittal and convicted them for life, relying on the testimony of police witnesses and a purported dying declaration. On appeal, the Supreme Court examined the scope of appellate review…

The appellants were accused of kidnapping and murdering a nine‑year‑old boy in February 2001. The prosecution's case rested on an extra‑judicial confession by Accused No.1, the testimony of two witnesses (PW‑28 and PW‑29) to establish a "last seen" theory, and circumstantial evidence linking the accused to the recovere…

Suraj Jagannath Jadav was convicted of murder for pouring kerosene on his pregnant wife and setting her ablaze. He appealed, arguing that he was intoxicated, lacked intent to kill, and that the subsequent act of pouring water should reduce the offence to culpable homicide not amounting to murder under Exception 4 to Se…

The State of Rajasthan prosecuted Leela Ram for murder after he, along with two co‑accused, attacked the deceased with an axe, inflicting a fatal skull injury. The trial court convicted him under Sections 302, 341 and 323 IPC, but the Rajasthan High Court reduced the murder conviction to culpable homicide not amounting…

The Telecom Department of the erstwhile Telecom Department reported theft of copper and lead alloy moulds, which were seized from the first respondent, Surya Metals, and placed under interim custody of the appellant, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL), under CrPC s.451. The criminal trial resulted in the acquittal of …

The State of Uttar Pradesh prosecuted Prem Bhujva, Raghuvir, Mehngu and Prem Yadav for the murder of Lallu Singh, alleging an ambush and shooting on 30 July 2003. The trial court, relying on two eye‑witnesses, recovery of a pistol from Prem Yadav and a ballistic report linking the weapon to cartridges found at the scen…

The wife, Archana Hardenia, committed suicide, leading to criminal proceedings under IPC sections 498‑A (cruelty) and 306 (abetment of suicide) against her husband Amrish Hardenia, his parents, brother and sister‑in‑law. The Sessions Judge discharged the four relatives (parents, brother, sister‑in‑law) on the ground th…

The appellant, a ball‑picker at a university tennis court, was convicted under Sections 363 and 376(2)(f) IPC for raping an 11‑year‑old maid after luring her with the promise of bangles and taking her into a storeroom. The trial court had acquitted him, but the High Court reversed that judgment on the basis of eye‑witn…

Budhi Singh, the younger brother of Ganga Ram, was charged with murder after he struck his drunken brother on the head with a small axe (tobru) when their father was being assaulted. The trial court convicted him under Section 302 IPC and sentenced him to life imprisonment; the High Court affirmed. On appeal, the Supre…

The appellants were convicted of murder under Section 302 read with Section 34 of the Indian Penal Code for stabbing the deceased while two others held him, based on eyewitness testimony of three witnesses and medical evidence. They challenged the conviction on four grounds: denial of a fair hearing before the High Cou…

The appellant, Sandesh alias Sainath Kailash Abhang, entered a house pretending to be a mechanic, robbed valuables, brutally assaulted the elderly resident and a five‑month‑pregnant woman, inflicted numerous injuries, amputated fingers, and raped the pregnant woman before killing the elderly lady. He was found to be un…

The appellant Sahabuddin and his brother‑in‑law Sarifuddin were convicted for the murder of Sahabuddin's wife, Sajna Begum, based on circumstantial evidence and the testimony of several relatives who observed injuries on the deceased. The prosecution established a chain of events showing the victim's reluctance to retu…

The appellant Yanab Sheikh was convicted for murdering Samim Ali by throwing a bomb, under IPC s.302 and the Indian Explosives Act s.9(b)(ii). The prosecution’s case rested on eyewitness statements and forensic evidence. The appellant challenged the conviction on five grounds, chiefly that the police entry recorded as …

Krishan was charged under Sections 302, 498A and 109 read with Section 34 of the IPC for allegedly setting his wife Rani on fire. Rani gave a dying declaration implicating Krishan, which was recorded by a Sub‑Divisional Judicial Magistrate after a medical certificate of fitness. The trial court acquitted Krishan, relyi…

The case concerned whether a second FIR could be registered in relation to communal violence in Gorakhpur and whether the accused was entitled to a hearing before such registration. The appellant, Anju Chaudhary, challenged a High Court order directing the magistrate to register a new FIR under Section 156(3) CrPC, arg…

Haradhan Das was convicted for murder under Section 302 read with Section 149 of the IPC for a dacoity in which the deceased Barindra Nath Mukherjee was killed. The trial court had acquitted three co‑accused on the ground of non‑identification, but the Supreme Court held that the prosecution proved its case against the…

The case arose from an FIR under IPC sections 363 and 366 and POCSO Act sections 3 and 4 alleging that a 14‑year‑old girl was abducted and sexually assaulted by Natuji Thakor. The victim’s later statements mentioned three other persons – Labhuji, Shashikant and Jituji – who were present in the vehicle used for the alle…

The State of Uttarakhand appealed a High Court order acquitting Jairnail Singh of charges under IPC s.307 (attempt to murder) and Arms Act s.25(1‑A). The Session Court had convicted Singh, but the High Court set aside the conviction, citing material infirmities such as the failure to forensic‑test the recovered pistol,…

The appellant State of Madhya Pradesh appealed against a High Court order that reduced the sentence of Surendra Singh, who was convicted for causing death by rash and negligent driving of a jeep. The trial court had sentenced him under IPC sections 279, 337 and 304‑A to six months and two years of rigorous imprisonment…

The appellant, Surinder Singh, was convicted under Sections 3048 and 498A of the IPC for the death of his wife Anita, who died by burns within 94 days of marriage. The prosecution alleged that the husband and his family were dissatisfied with the dowry received and repeatedly harassed Anita, demanding Rs 60,000 for the…

The appellant was charged with murder, attempt to rape and related offences after the deceased was found dead in a pool of blood. The trial court acquitted him, finding the prosecution's key witness (PW1) unreliable and noting the non‑examination of material witnesses and the absence of a fingerprint report. The High C…

The appellant Subramanya was charged with murdering Kamalamma along with co‑accused Gowri and Seetharam Bhat. The trial court acquitted all three, but the Karnataka High Court convicted Subramanya under IPC s.302 and sentenced him to life imprisonment, relying on an extra‑judicial confession by Seetharam, motive, and d…

The appellant, Md. Anowar Hussain, was convicted by the Sessions Court and the Gauhati High Court for murdering his wife, Samina Begum, based on circumstantial evidence and a post‑mortem report showing asphyxia due to throttling. The appellant claimed the victim died of an illness in hospital and that he had left home …

The appellant Ramanand (alias Nandlal Bharti) was convicted and sentenced to death for allegedly murdering his wife and four children, based largely on circumstantial evidence comprising a discovery statement of the murder weapon, extra‑judicial confessions to two witnesses, alleged motive stemming from an extramarital…

Anil Bhardwaj was selected for the post of District Judge (Entry Level) in Madhya Pradesh but was declared ineligible after a committee found a criminal case (FIR under IPC sections 498A, 406, 34) pending against him. The committee’s decision, based on the pending case, led to his name being deleted from the select lis…

Senior IPS officer Sanjiv Rajendra Bhatt filed writ petitions under Article 32 seeking transfer of investigations into two criminal cases to the CBI or a fresh Special Investigation Team (SIT), alleging that he was present at a 2002 Gujarat meeting, that the Court‑appointed SIT leaked confidential material, and that hi…

The respondent was convicted under Sections 363, 366A and 376 of the IPC and sentenced to rigorous imprisonment. On appeal before the Rajasthan High Court, his counsel only sought a direction that the State Government exercise its power under Section 433 of the CrPC to commute the sentence, and the public prosecutor di…

The West Bengal Police recruited constables and placed the respondent on the provisional select list. He was medically fit and submitted a verification roll stating he had never been arrested, but an enquiry revealed his involvement in a criminal case under IPC sections 148, 323, 380, 448, 427 and 506, for which a char…

The appellant, a three‑time Chief Minister of Delhi, was arrested by the CBI in June 2024 in connection with an FIR registered in August 2022 under sections 120B, 477A IPC and section 7 PC Act. He challenged the legality of the arrest under Sections 41A and 41(1)(b)(ii) of the CrPC and also sought regular bail. The Hig…

On 7 November 2003 a large mob in Ahmedabad assaulted several persons, burnt a two-wheeler and an auto‑rickshaw, and snatched the gold chain of PW‑2. The appellant, accused No.6, was identified only by PW‑2’s testimony given two years later, without any identification parade and amidst a crowd of 50‑100 people. The tri…

The Supreme Court examined the appropriate procedure for police to conduct media briefings during ongoing criminal investigations, balancing the public’s right to information under Article 19(1)(a) with the accused’s presumption of innocence and victims’ privacy under Article 21. An amicus curiae was appointed who coll…

The appellant, Rupesh Manger, was charged with murdering his grandfather using a sharp-edged weapon. He pleaded insanity, and the trial court, after considering psychiatric reports indicating acute psychotic disorder and abnormal behavior at the time of the offence, acquitted him under Section 84 of the IPC. The High C…

The appellants – the husband and his in‑laws – were convicted for dowry harassment that allegedly led to the suicide of the wife, Tuli Shah, by alleged consumption of poison. The trial court, and subsequently the High Court, held that despite the post‑mortem and viscera reports being silent on the exact cause of death …

The appellant, a son, and his father were drinking together when a quarrel erupted on the night of 26-27 July 2010. The son attacked his father with a piece of Nagar wood, inflicting eleven severe injuries to the head, neck, chest and abdomen, leading to the father's death. He was convicted of murder under Section 302 …

The appellant and respondent were married in 2002 but the marriage was never consummated and the parties lived apart for almost two decades. The appellant filed for divorce on the ground of cruelty; the trial court granted a decree on the basis of irretrievable breakdown, which was later set aside by the appellate cour…

The appellant Abdul Wahab K. challenged the order of a Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) that allowed the Public Prosecutor to withdraw prosecution under Sections 195A and 506 IPC, on the ground that the CJM had not applied the proper test under Section 321 of the CrPC. The petitioners, third parties, filed revision peti…

The Supreme Court examined a criminal case where the Public Prosecutor sought to withdraw prosecution under Sections 195A and 506 IPC, and the Chief Judicial Magistrate allowed the withdrawal. The order was challenged by the accused through revision petitions filed by third‑party petitioners, which the Kerala High Cour…

The appellant, a cardiologist, was charged under Section 304A IPC for the death of a patient after an unsuccessful angioplasty and subsequent bypass surgery. The police investigation concluded there was no evidence, but the magistrate proceeded with the case, and the High Court refused to quash the proceedings, citing …

The appellant, Sumit Mehta, was charged under IPC sections 420, 467, 468 and 471 and the Delhi High Court granted him anticipatory bail on the condition that he deposit a fixed deposit of Rs 1 crore in the complainant's name. Mehta appealed to the Supreme Court, contending that the condition was unreasonable, unrelated…

Manjit Singh and Paramjit Singh were convicted for the murder of Jagmohan Singh and the attempted murder of Amarjot Singh after a gang fired on a tractor following a political dispute. The appellants challenged the convictions on five grounds, chiefly that two material witnesses were not examined, that the maxim falsus…

Dr. P.B. Desai, a renowned surgeon, was convicted under Section 338 read with Section 109 of the IPC for allegedly causing grievous hurt to a cancer patient by advising and then omitting to perform an exploratory laparotomy. The patient later died, and the appellant was also found guilty of professional misconduct by t…

The appellant, Ashwani Kumar Saxena, was convicted of murder under IPC s.302 r.w. s.27 Arms Act and appealed, claiming he was a juvenile at the time of the offence (19‑Oct‑2008). He produced school mark‑sheets and the school admission register showing a birth date of 24‑Oct‑1990, while the trial court relied on ossific…

The State of Rajasthan prosecuted fifteen persons for murder and kidnapping under Sections 302, 364 read with Section 34 IPC, alleging a land‑related dispute and a group assault on the deceased. Four eye‑witnesses, including a relative of the victim, identified the accused, while two of those witnesses turned hostile. …

The appellant Gajoo, the brother‑in‑law of the deceased Taradevi, was convicted of murder under Section 302 IPC for allegedly assaulting the victim with a daranti and strangling her while her elder son held her down. The appellant challenged the conviction on grounds that the eye‑witnesses were relatives and thus unrel…

The appellant, the son of a woman who committed suicide, challenged the High Court's order quashing the charge of abetment of suicide (IPC s.306) framed against the accused property dealer. The Supreme Court examined whether the High Court had correctly exercised its revisional (s.397) and inherent (s.482) powers of th…

The case involved the murder of Kirori, where Mahesh and Kanhaiyalal were initially acquitted by the trial court but later convicted by the High Court under Section 302 read with Section 34 of the IPC. The appellants argued that the FIR did not mention their role, that eyewitness statements were recorded after an eight…

Ajitsingh Harnamsingh Gujral was convicted of murdering his wife and three children by dousing them with petrol and setting them alight. The trial court and the Bombay High Court sentenced him to death. On appeal, the Supreme Court examined the circumstantial evidence, including the accused's last sighting with the vic…

The appellant, Santosh Kumari, widow of a murder victim, challenged the High Court's orders that set aside the trial court's charge and granted interim bail to the accused. The Supreme Court examined whether the charge, which listed only the relevant sections of the Ranbir Penal Code without a specific offence name, co…

The case involved a double murder where the deceased Irappa and his brother Kenchappa were killed after confronting Sangappa (A‑1) over an earlier assault on their son. The trial court acquitted all seven accused, but the Karnataka High Court convicted three of them (A‑1, A‑2, A‑4) under section 302 IPC read with secti…

The appellant, Sunita Jha, was charged under Section 498A of the Indian Penal Code for cruelty to the complainant, Asha Rani Pal, on the ground that she was living with Pal's husband as his wife. The trial court rejected her discharge application, and the Jharkhand High Court affirmed that her cohabitation made her a f…

The appellant, Ashok Dhankad, challenged a Delhi High Court order that granted regular bail to accused wrestler Sushil Kumar under Section 483 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, in connection with an FIR alleging abduction, assault with dangerous weapons, and the death of a complainant's son. The High Cou…

The appellant, James Kunjwal, was accused of offences under Sections 376 and 504 IPC and was granted bail by the High Court. The complainant sought cancellation of bail, alleging that Kunjwal had filed a false affidavit contradicting her statements. The High Court, finding the affidavit intentionally false, directed th…

Kaptan Singh, acting as power of attorney for Munni Devi, filed a complaint alleging assault and other offences arising from a disputed sale of a plot. An FIR was registered, investigated, and a charge‑sheet was filed for offences under Sections 147, 148, 149, 406, 329 and 386 IPC. The accused filed a petition under Se…

The State of Kerala appealed against the Kerala High Court’s order quashing an FIR that alleged offences under Sections 182, 194, 195, 195A and 306 of the IPC based on a suicide note left by the deceased, a senior investigating officer. The Supreme Court examined whether the suicide note established a prima facie case …

An FIR under Section 364 IPC was lodged against the appellants. The police investigation concluded that no case was made out and submitted a final report under Section 173 CrPC, which the magistrate accepted. Despite accepting the negative report, the magistrate also ordered the case to proceed as a complaint, recorded…

The appellant, Lalu Prasad Yadav, sought transfer of the fodder‑scam criminal trial from the Special Judge (CBI) to another court, alleging that the judge was biased because of a familial link to a political rival. The Supreme Court examined the long‑running case, noting that the trial had been ongoing since 1997 and w…

The State of Madhya Pradesh prosecuted two individuals under Section 161 IPC and Sections 5(1)(d) and 5(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1947 for demanding illegal gratification in connection with an excise licence. A trap was arranged in which the complainant handed over treated currency notes; the deceased acc…

The complainant filed a criminal complaint under sections 498‑A, 406, 341, 323 and 120‑B IPC and sections 3 and 4 of the Dowry Prohibition Act against her husband and his immediate relatives, including the married sister‑in‑law (Preeti Gupta) and the unmarried brother‑in‑law (Gaurav Poddar). The trial court issued summ…

The appellant's son was driving a Maruti Alto that collided with a gas tanker lorry, killing him and five passengers. The police filed an FIR under IPC sections 279 and 304A, but the charges against the son abated due to his death. After a further investigation, the police submitted a final report stating the accident …

The case arose from a fatal road accident in 2008 where a three-wheeler was struck by a truck. The victims' representatives filed claims under Section 166 of the Motor Vehicles Act against the truck's owner, driver, and insurer. The Motor Accident Claims Tribunal held the insurer liable, finding that the truck driver p…

Three naval personnel (AK Singh, UK Singh and DK Singh) were accused of a bank robbery at the Andhra Bank counter in INS Virbahu. The Court Martial convicted AK and UK, dismissing them with disgrace, while the Armed Forces Tribunal later affirmed their convictions based on eyewitness testimony of the bank manager (PW‑1…

Vijay Mallya, Chairman of United Breweries Ltd., was summoned under Section 40 of the Foreign Exchange Regulation Act, 1973 (FERA) to appear before the Enforcement Directorate regarding alleged violations of foreign exchange rules in a Benetton advertising agreement. He failed to appear on several summons, leading to a…

The appellant, Sayaji Hanmat Sankar, returned home intoxicated and, during a sudden quarrel, struck his wife with a brass pot and threw a burning kerosene lamp at her, causing severe burns. The victim, wearing a nylon sari, caught fire and later died; her dying declaration stated that the accused attempted to douse the…

The accused Mustkeem, Nandu and Arun were convicted for the murder of Ram Pal Yadav under IPC s.302/34 and the Arms Act based largely on circumstantial evidence, hostile eyewitnesses, and weapons recovered after the accused’s disclosure. The Supreme Court found that key witnesses had turned hostile, statements were ret…

The State of Haryana appealed against the High Court’s order acquitting Angoori Devi and others for the death of Babli, who died from burns within three and a half years of marriage. The prosecution alleged that the in‑laws demanded dowry and subjected the victim to cruelty, culminating in her being set on fire. The tr…

The State of Uttar Pradesh appealed against the Allahabad High Court’s acquittal of two accused (Mohd Iqram and another) in the murder of Rashmi. Police, on routine patrol, heard shrieks, saw three persons scaling a wall, apprehended two, and were led to the victim who later died of strangulation. The trial court convi…

The appellant was convicted under Sections 302 and 323 of the IPC and Sections 3(2)(v) and 3(1)(x) of the SC/ST Act for allegedly killing Shiva Shankar after a dispute arising from an elopement involving the appellant's sister. The prosecution's case relied mainly on the testimony of the victim's mother (an interested …

The appellants were convicted for murder, attempted murder and related offences under Sections 147, 148, 149, 302 and 307 of the IPC based on the testimony of several injured eyewitnesses. The eyewitnesses either knew some of the accused before the incident or did not, but none of them positively identified the accused…

The appellant, Veerendra, a cousin of the victim’s mother, was found to have raped and strangled to death an eight‑year‑old girl, the daughter of his cousin sister. While in police custody he disclosed the location of the body, which was recovered from a dilapidated building. Post‑mortem and forensic reports confirmed …

The case concerned an appeal by Meena Devi, the wife of a murder victim, against the Allahabad High Court’s order granting bail to the convicted accused, Shivraj Singh alias Lalla Babu, under Section 439 of the Cr.P.C. The Supreme Court examined whether the High Court had exercised its discretionary power judiciously, …

The appellant was married to the deceased who, within months of marriage, faced severe dowry harassment by him and his family, leading to a first suicide attempt and later a settlement that failed to stop the abuse. The wife eventually committed suicide by hanging, and the husband, his mother, and two brothers were cha…

The Supreme Court examined a batch of writ petitions challenging the constitutional validity of Sections 499 and 500 of the Indian Penal Code (criminal defamation) and Section 199 of the Code of Criminal Procedure. The petitioners argued that criminal defamation infringes the freedom of speech guaranteed under Article …

The Supreme Court examined the appeal of several police officers who had been granted bail by a Sessions Court in a murder case involving a alleged fake police encounter and contract killing. The prosecution alleged that the accused police abducted and murdered the victim, fabricated an encounter, and acted as contract…

The mother, Ruchi Majoo, filed a petition under the Guardians and Wards Act, 1890 seeking interim custody of her 11‑year‑old son who had been residing in Delhi for three years, while the father, Sanjeev Majoo, contested jurisdiction, claiming the child’s ordinary residence was in the United States and invoking the prin…

The appellant, an army signalman, stabbed a fellow soldier to death with a concealed kitchen knife after alleging verbal abuse. He was tried by a General Court Martial under Section 302 IPC read with Section 69 of the Army Act, convicted of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment and dismissal from service, a sentenc…

Santosh, a married woman, died from severe burns after allegedly being set alight with kerosene by her husband, brother‑in‑law (Puran Chand) and aunt‑in‑law. A dying declaration was recorded by a First Class Judicial Magistrate after a doctor certified her mental fitness. The trial court convicted all three under IPC s…

A criminal complaint under Section 420 read with Section 120‑B IPC was filed by the father of the respondent alleging that the petitioner, S.P. Gupta, as the attorney of accused No.1, misrepresented the ownership of a property, assuring it was free of encumbrances and that accused No.1 was the sole owner. The trial cou…

The former Jharkhand minister Anosh Ekka was convicted in two separate cases arising from the same set of allegations of acquiring disproportionate assets and misusing his office. The High Court rejected his application for suspension of sentence and bail during the pendency of the appeal, prompting a special leave pet…

M/s Neeharika Infrastructure Pvt Ltd lodged an FIR alleging forgery and fraud against three respondents under several IPC sections. The respondents filed a petition under Article 226 and Section 482 of the CrPC seeking quashment of the FIR and obtained a blanket interim order from the Bombay High Court directing the po…

K.K. Mishra, a Congress spokesperson, allegedly made three statements about the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh during a press conference. The State Government sanctioned the public prosecutor to file a complaint under Section 199(2) of the CrPC on the same day, leading to Mishra's conviction under Section 500 IPC for…

The appellant, Vaneet Mahajan, alleged that he, his brother and an employee were brutally attacked by 10‑12 persons armed with swords, baseball bats and other deadly weapons, allegedly at the behest of a cabinet minister. The attack caused grievous and simple injuries, leading to an FIR and charge‑sheet that included S…

The case involved a violent incident in which two persons were killed and an injured witness (PW.5) was assaulted; the trial court acquitted 19 accused, finding inconsistencies in eyewitness testimony and doubting medical evidence. The State appealed, and the High Court convicted the surviving accused, relying on the i…

After the Coimbatore serial blasts, a conspiracy by thirteen accused in two groups was hatched to murder Dr. Sridhar, a BJP town secretary. Six accused (A1‑A6) formed one group and attacked the doctor on 2 February 1999, while A7 stood nearby unarmed; the doctor’s daughter (PW I) and neighbour PW 65 witnessed the assau…

The appellant Ganga Dhar Kalita was accused of forging signatures of three persons, including a minor, to execute a power of attorney for the sale of land, leading to an FIR under several IPC sections. The appellant filed a petition under Section 482 of the Code of Criminal Procedure seeking quash of the criminal proce…

The Inspector of Police filed a criminal appeal after the High Court quashed proceedings against several Sub‑Registrars on the ground that no sanction under Section 197 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) had been obtained. The respondents were alleged to have conspired with stamp vendors and fabricated records to…

The appellant, a Sub‑Inspector of Uttar Pradesh Police, was ordered to withhold his integrity certificate for 2010 on the ground that he failed to record the past criminal history of an accused in a bailable offence. He challenged the order, arguing that withholding the certificate was not a punishment contemplated und…

The father of a 13½‑year‑old girl (appellant) appealed against the trial and High Court orders that allowed the accused, Vijay Kumar (respondent No.2), to be tried as a juvenile under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2000. The courts had relied on school records showing a birth date of 30‑06‑…

The case involved an altercation between two rival groups in which appellant No.1, Veeran, struck the deceased, Daddu, on the head with a gandasa, causing his death, while the other accused inflicted injuries on witnesses. The trial courts convicted all four surviving accused under Section 302/149 (murder) along with S…

Babulal Sahu was convicted under Section 302 IPC for strangling his wife Basanti Bai after she refused his demand for sexual intercourse. The appellant argued that the killing fell within Exception 4 to Section 300 IPC, which would reduce the offence to culpable homicide not amounting to murder under Section 304. The C…

The Supreme Court examined appeals by six accused who had been acquitted by the trial court but later convicted by the High Court for murder, attempted murder and offences under sections 149 and 34 of the IPC. The trial court had found the prosecution's evidence unreliable, noting the darkness of the night, lack of tor…

The victim, Jyoti Sharma, an employee of Central Bank, alleged repeated harassment by Deepak Bhamawat, including a fraudulent loan taken in her name, termination from her job, and eviction from her residence. She committed suicide by consuming poison and, in her dying declaration, blamed Deepak for her harassment. The …

The deceased Dnyaneshwar Patil was attacked by three accused over a field boundary dispute, sustaining fatal injuries; his brother intervened and was also assaulted. The trial court convicted the accused of murder under s.302 IPC read with s.34, but the High Court reduced the conviction to culpable homicide not amounti…

The appellant Kanhaiya Lal was convicted under Sections 302 and 201 of the IPC for the murder of Kala, whose body was recovered from a well belonging to the appellant. The prosecution's case rested on the fact that the deceased and the appellant were last seen together at a neighbour's house and on an alleged motive of…

The appellant, Bhagwan Tukaram Dange, and his father were convicted of murdering Dange's wife by beating, dousing her with kerosene and setting her on fire while intoxicated. The prosecution's case relied on two dying declarations recorded by a head constable and a special judicial magistrate, both corroborated by the …

The appellant Vipin Jaiswal was convicted under Sections 3048 and 498A of the IPC for the death of his wife, who died from burn injuries. The prosecution alleged that the wife was subjected to cruelty and dowry harassment, citing a demand of Rs.50,000 for a computer six months after marriage. The appellant claimed the …

The appellant was accused of murdering his wife after she resisted repeated dowry demands for a television, fridge and cooler, which were accompanied by beatings and harassment. The trial court acquitted the accused, citing a 51‑hour delay in filing the FIR and inconsistencies in the witnesses' statements. On appeal, t…

The appellants were convicted under Section 3 read with Section 7 of the Essential Commodities Act, 1955 for allegedly possessing and diverting government‑quota cement in 1994. The prosecution relied on the Maharashtra Cement (Licensing and Control) Order, 1973 and the Cement Control Order, 1967, but the Supreme Court …

The appellant, a bank manager, was convicted of murdering his two minor children, his sister‑in‑law and mother‑in‑law in June 2010, motivated by his disapproval of his sister‑in‑law’s relationship. The trial court sentenced him to death, a judgment affirmed by the Karnataka High Court. On appeal, the Supreme Court exam…

The appellant was arrested in March 2020 after his vehicle was intercepted and items allegedly linked to Naxalite activities were recovered. He has been in judicial custody for five years, with the trial still ongoing and only 42 of the planned 100 witnesses examined, some of whom have turned hostile. The central issue…

The appellant Vinod @ Nasmulla was convicted under IPC sections 395 and 397 and Arms Act section 25 for a dacoity involving a bus robbery on 28 September 1993. The prosecution's case rested on a dock identification by a police constable (PW‑9) and the alleged recovery of a country‑made pistol at the time of his arrest,…

The petitioner, Padma Mishra, challenged an FIR (No.179/2009) lodged under Sections 2 and 3 of the Uttar Pradesh Gangsters and Anti‑Social Activities (Prevention) Act, 1986, alleging that she and others used threats, coercion and violence to silence witnesses and were involved in various IPC offences. She filed a writ …

The State of Maharashtra sought to detain six accused under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) beyond the statutory 90‑day period, filing an application for a further 90‑day extension. The respondents claimed default bail, arguing that the public prosecutor’s report did not satisfy the proviso to Section 4…

The appellants were charged under Sections 379, 427, 447, 504, 506 read with Section 149 of the Indian Penal Code for allegedly trespassing onto land claimed by the complainant, cutting and stealing wheat, and assaulting him and his family. The trial court, after examining the testimonies of the complainant and his rel…

The State of Madhya Pradesh appealed a High Court order that reduced the imprisonment of Mehtaab, convicted under IPC sections 304A (causing death by negligence) and 337 (causing hurt), from one year and three months to merely ten days, the period already served. The incident involved Mehtaab laying a naked high‑voltag…

The case involved four appellants who, armed with pistols, attacked the complainant’s party, causing three deaths and one injury. They were convicted under Sections 302 and 307 read with Section 34 of the IPC. On appeal, the appellants argued that one of them, Bastiram, was not present at the scene and that medical (po…

The petitioners, a former minister and MLA, were arrested for alleged misappropriation of funds and charged under several IPC and Prevention of Corruption Act provisions. Although the charge‑sheet and a supplementary charge‑sheet were filed within the 90‑day period prescribed by Section 167(2) of the CrPC, the prosecut…

The petitioner, a life convict sentenced under IPC s.302/34, filed a contempt petition claiming that, having served over 20 years with remission, he was entitled to release under the West Bengal Correctional Services Act and a Supreme Court order. The State of West Bengal, through its Sentence Review Board, declined to…

The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) took cognizance of media reports of large‑scale child trafficking in Jalpaiguri, West Bengal, and sought information from the state police and the West Bengal Commission for Protection of Child Rights (WBCPCR). The Additional Director General of Police (ADG…

The State of Uttar Pradesh prosecuted a group of 35 accused for the brutal murder of five villagers and grievous injuries to several others during a Holi celebration, allegedly as revenge for an electoral defeat of the accused's wife. The trial court convicted all accused under Sections 302, 149, 148, 307, 506 IPC and …

The appellant Madhu and his co-accused Sibi were convicted for robbery and murder of Padmini Devi based largely on confessional statements to police and circumstantial evidence. The Supreme Court held that the confessions were inadmissible because they did not lead to the discovery of any unknown fact, violating Sectio…