RANJANA PRAKASH DESAI

Ram Niranjan Roy, a Deputy Superintendent of Police, intervened in a public interest writ before the Patna High Court and shouted at the judges, claiming personal grievances over his posting. The High Court held him guilty of contempt under Section 14 of the Contempt of Courts Act, 1971, ordered his custody for 24 hour…

Gayatri Project Ltd, the main contractor, and Sai Krishna Construction, its sub‑contractor, entered into a 2001 agreement containing an arbitration clause. The parties later signed a document dated 6 June 2003 that the appellant claimed was a full and final settlement of all disputes, but the respondent did not accept …

The State of Rajasthan prosecuted Parmanand and Surajmal for possession of 9.6 kg of opium under the NDPS Act. The police seized the opium from a bag carried by Parmanand after conducting a bag search and personal searches of both accused, but the accused were only given a joint written notice of their right under Sect…

Jasvir Kaur and her husband Ginder Singh, a Head Constable, were convicted under Section 420 of the IPC for cheating an informant by promising a police job and extracting Rs.70,000. Both were sentenced to two years' imprisonment and a fine. The Supreme Court entertained only the appellant's challenge to the sentence. I…

In 1974 a mob of 300‑400 persons, led by Surang Lal Yadav, attacked the Muslim Badhya community in Singhimari village, killing 14 people, burning 47 houses and looting property. The appellants, including Anup Lal Yadav, were identified by multiple eye‑witnesses as part of the mob and were convicted under Sections 302, …

The appellant Sudam Charan Dash sought justice for his son’s murder, leading to a non‑bailable warrant against accused Sweekar Nayak (respondent 2). Respondent 2 applied for anticipatory bail under Section 438 of the CrPC, which the Orissa High Court rejected but simultaneously directed that if he surrendered within fo…

The landlord filed a suit for eviction of tenants occupying an open plot in Pune. The tenants contended that the Pune Municipal Corporation had acquired the land under the Land Acquisition Act, 1894, and that an award passed by the Special Land Acquisition Officer had divested the landlord of any right, title or intere…

The State alleged that Shyamal Saha and Prosanta (Kalu Kabiraj) abducted and murdered Paritosh Saha after taking him across the Ganges River. The trial court acquitted them, finding the prosecution's witnesses inconsistent and the basic fact of the victim boarding the boat doubtful, thereby granting the benefit of doub…

The appellant and the complainant, who are brothers, were involved in a pending partition suit where the appellant produced a deed that the complainant alleged was altered and forged. The complainant filed a criminal complaint under several sections of the Indian Penal Code alleging forgery and related offences. The Hi…

The appellant issued a Rs 5,00,000 cheque to the respondent, which was dishonoured after the appellant instructed his bank to stop payment. The respondent filed a complaint under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act, alleging that the cheque was drawn to discharge a hand loan of Rs 1,75,000 that he had given t…

The appellants, members of Alaknanda Cooperative Group Housing Society, had paid instalments for flats but the Society refunded their money and terminated their membership alleging default on payments. The appellants filed complaints under Section 12 of the Consumer Protection Act, 1986, seeking restoration of membersh…

The Supreme Court upheld the conviction of six accused, including the appellant Joshinder Yadav, for the dowry death of Bindula Devi under IPC sections 302 r/w 149, 498A and 201. The Court found that the father and brother of the deceased gave reliable testimony of continuous cruelty and harassment for dowry, and that …

The appellant, A.M. Sangappa, challenged a judgment of the Karnataka High Court in a regular first appeal (RFA No. 238 of 2004). The issue was whether the High Court had complied with the procedural requirements of Order 41 Rule 31 of the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908, which obliges a court hearing a regular first appe…

The petitioners, Urmila Badshah Goose and her daughter Shivanjali, filed an application under Section 125 of the CrPC seeking maintenance, claiming that Urmila was the wife of the petitioner Badshah and that Shivanjali was their illegitimate child. Badshah contended that he was already lawfully married to another woman…

The Union of India entered into a contract with PAM Development for constructing an industrial loco shed, which was later terminated for delay and inferior work. The contractor invoked an arbitration clause, and the Calcutta High Court appointed a former judge as sole arbitrator under Section 11(6) of the Arbitration a…

The deceased, Babita Devi, allegedly died after being forced to consume poison following dowry harassment by her husband’s relatives. The father‑in‑law and sister‑in‑law were tried and convicted under Sections 304B (dowry death) and 498A (cruelty) of the IPC, as well as under the Dowry Prohibition Act. The High Court a…

The appellant, N. Soundaram, lodged a complaint alleging that the accused, P.K. Pounraj, and a group of men forcibly entered her residence, confined her and her mother‑in‑law, and seized documents related to a monetary dispute. An FIR was registered under Sections 147, 447, 395 and 506(II) of the IPC, but the police la…

The appellant, Gunmala Sales Private Ltd., challenged the Calcutta High Court’s order quashing criminal complaints under Section 138 read with Section 141 of the Negotiable Instruments Act against several directors of the accused company. The Supreme Court held that a complaint must specifically aver that a director wa…

Baba Tek Singh alleged that the Union of India and other respondents were threatening his life, liberty and property and were trying to remove him from his positions in a Gurudwara and a trust. He had earlier filed a writ petition under Article 226 before the Punjab and Haryana High Court (CWP No.21234/2011) and obtain…

The appellants were convicted under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act for issuing dishonoured cheques. The trial magistrate recorded evidence and a successor magistrate delivered the judgment, leading the Gujarat High Court to order a de novo trial on the ground that the case was a summary trial and Section…

Abdul Ghafoor and another were convicted under Sections 323, 447 and 452 of the Indian Penal Code and sentenced to two years rigorous imprisonment, with other sentences running concurrently. Their appeal was dismissed and they filed a criminal revision petition more than fifteen months after conviction, seeking condona…

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 appellant Prakash was accused of murdering Gangamma on 5 November 1990 and of stealing her ornaments. The prosecution relied on circumstantial evidence: his alleged presence in the victim's house at 1 p.m., a fingerprint on a plastic cover, blood‑stained clothes matching the victim's blood group, recovery of orname…

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 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…

Resurgence India, an NGO, observed that many candidates in the 2007 Punjab Legislative Assembly elections filed affidavits with blank entries for criminal, asset and educational details, violating the spirit of the Representation of the People Act, 1951. The petition sought a direction that Returning Officers must reje…

The Supreme Court directed the New Okhla Industrial Development Authority (NOIDA) to issue a Special Scheme for allotting plots for nursing homes. The Scheme contained Clause 3, permitting a tenderer to bid for up to two plots if its net‑worth exceeded the aggregate requirement, and Paragraph 4 excluded persons who had…

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 appellant, husband of Karnail Kaur, was charged under Section 304B of the IPC for dowry death after his wife died of poisoning within seven years of marriage. The prosecution proved that the wife had complained of dowry demands for a scooter and refrigerator on 25 June 1991, and she died on 30 June 1991, establishi…

Gowramma, a married woman, died from severe burns after allegedly being doused with kerosene by her husband Anjanappa. She gave a dying declaration implicating him, which was recorded by a police officer and endorsed by the attending doctor, who testified that she was conscious and fit to speak. The trial court acquitt…

The case involved six in‑laws accused of murdering Asha Devi, who died from extensive burns. The prosecution's case rested solely on Asha Devi's dying declaration implicating all six accused. Two of the accused, Prem Nath and Raj Bala, raised an alibi, presenting multiple witnesses showing they were at work and elsewhe…

Bhupendra was married to Geeta Bai in 1993. After repeated dowry demands, Geeta consumed wheat tablets on 20 August 1996 and died of suspected poisoning. The trial court convicted Bhupendra and his father under sections 498‑A, 304‑B and 306 IPC; the High Court upheld Bhupendra's conviction but acquitted his father. On …

The appellant Bhola Ram was convicted under Sections 304‑B and 498‑A IPC for the alleged dowry death of his sister‑in‑law Janki Devi, who committed suicide by poison. The prosecution alleged that Bhola Ram, along with his brother Darshan Ram and mother Vidya Devi, demanded additional dowry and subjected the victim to c…

Suresh Kumar was convicted under Sections 304‑B (dowry death) and 498‑A IPC for the death of his wife Sulochana within seven years of marriage. The trial court acquitted him, deeming the death accidental, but the High Court reversed the acquittal, holding that the death occurred under non‑normal circumstances, that dow…

The appellant, having given a loan of Rs.60 lakh, received three cheques from the respondent which were dishonoured by stop‑payment. He issued a handwritten notice on 27 April 2012 and a formal legal notice on 24 May 2012 demanding payment, and subsequently filed a criminal complaint under Sections 138, 141, 142 of the…

Dr. D.D. Gupta, a lecturer with an MD in Pharmacology from Maharishi Dayanand University, was denied consideration for promotion to Assistant Professor by the Departmental Promotion Committee on the ground that his degree was not recognized by the Medical Council of India (MCI). He challenged the decision, and the High…

The petitioner, Cherukuri Mani, filed a habeas corpus petition challenging the preventive detention of her husband under the Andhra Pradesh Prevention of Dangerous Activities Act, 1986. The Collector initially ordered detention and the State Government subsequently issued a single order extending the detention to twelv…

Nano Kishore Mishra was selected for a Short Service Commission in the Army Medical Corps but was denied because he was placed in Medical Category SHAPE‑II due to the amputation of his left ring finger. He contended that the injury occurred while he was on duty and therefore fell under the "active service" exception in…

The appellant, G.N. Verma, the Chief General Manager of Karkata Colliery, was charged under s.72‑B of the Mines Act, 1952 for contravening a prohibitory order that led to a fatal accident. The complaint alleged that he was a "deemed Agent" of the mine, but it contained no specific allegation that he acted on behalf of …

The appellant, Shridhar Namdeo Lawand, was convicted under Sections 7 and 13 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 and appealed to the High Court. The High Court disposed of the appeal without the appellant being present and without examining the evidence, relying solely on the State’s counsel. The Supreme Court he…

The State of Himachal Pradesh appealed the acquittal of Sunil Kumar, who was found in possession of 2.3 kg of charas during a routine traffic check on a bus. The police, acting on a positive suspicion that the passenger was carrying contraband, conducted a personal search after he disembarked, leading to the discovery …

The appellants, members of the Santhal tribe, tied and beat the deceased Jhore Soren with lathis after a dispute over a stolen hen, resulting in his death. The trial court and High Court convicted all eleven accused under Section 302 read with Section 149 of the IPC for murder. On appeal, the Supreme Court examined whe…

The State (through CBI) appealed against a High Court order that released three accused—Sanjiv Bhalla, Major Purshotam Singh and R.P. Chopra—on probation of good conduct under the Probation of Offenders Act, 1958, after they were convicted of conspiracy to cheat under IPC sections 120‑B and 420. Only the fourth accused…

The appellant Richhpal Singh Meena sought to have the High Court's alteration of a murder conviction (Sec. 302 IPC) to a lesser offence of voluntarily causing grievous hurt (Sec. 325 IPC) set aside. The deceased Sunderlal Meena died after receiving two blows from the accused, which fractured ribs and pierced lungs. Med…

The petitioners, representing families of alleged victims of extra‑judicial killings in Manipur, claimed that between 1979 and 2012 over 1,500 people were unlawfully killed by police or security forces, violating the right to life under Article 21. The State of Manipur and the Union of India contended that the killings…

In 1992 a bomb attack resulted in the death of Rupchand Sk, whose statement at the scene was recorded by the investigating officer (PW15) but not entered into evidence. The prosecution later sought, under Section 311 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, to recall PW15 to record this statement; the trial court rejected th…

Shivshankar Gurgar, a landlord, filed a suit under Section 12(1)(a) of the Madhya Pradesh Accommodation Control Act, 1961 for eviction of his tenant Dilip for arrears of rent. The parties entered into a compromise decree whereby the tenant would pay the arrears within six months, failing which the landlord could take p…

Hem Raj was convicted by the trial court and the High Court for raping a 19‑year‑old neighbour under Sections 376 and 450 of the IPC. On appeal, the Supreme Court examined the credibility of the prosecutrix, who was declared hostile after retracting her statements and denying that she had signed the police statement. T…

The appellant, a bank branch manager, was charged with multiple IPC offences for allegedly conspiring with co‑accused to cheat a complainant after a lost cheque book was reported. The complainant had written to the bank on 17 May 2004 requesting that the lost cheques not be honoured, and the bank indeed refused to clea…

The Supreme Court examined a criminal appeal filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation against Indra Bhushan Singh and others, arising from a complaint lodged by the Deputy Registrar of the Allahabad High Court under Section 195(1)(b) of the CrPC. The Court found that the Deputy Registrar had filed the complaint on …