The Supreme Court suggested that Sonam Raghuvanshi surrender and face trial in the Meghalaya honeymoon murder case. It also questioned why she delayed raising the plea alleging non-supply of the grounds of arrest at the earliest stage.
The Supreme Court strongly criticised the Maharashtra government for failing to conduct the trial of a 2022 murder case while the accused has remained in custody for over four years. The Court said the State opposed bail but neglected its duty to ensure a timely trial.
A Delhi court reserved its verdict in the sexual harassment case against former BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh after concluding final arguments. The Rouse Avenue Court will pronounce its judgment on August 3, deciding whether Singh will be convicted or acquitted of the allegations.
The Karnataka High Court questioned Darshan Srinivas’s claim that the Kannada film BOSS could affect the fairness of his Renukaswamy murder trial. Justice Pradeep Singh Yerur observed that the concern should be possible impact on witnesses and proceedings, not whether judges could be influenced.
A Delhi court ruled that a woman talking to a man late at night cannot be a ground to question her character. Observing changing social norms, the judge said, “The Indian society no longer remains a primitive society wherein a woman talking with a man is considered to be a taboo.”
The Gujarat High Court quashed a 2019 criminal case, including attempt to murder charges, against Surat advocate Mohammed Bilal Kagazi after CCTV footage proved his absence from the alleged crime spot. The Court held that surveillance evidence weakened the prosecution’s allegations significantly.
A special court in Mumbai acquitted all accused in the 2006 murder case of Maharashtra Congress leader Pawanraje Nimbalkar after a 20-year trial. The case involved former NCP MP Padamsinh Patil and others accused in the killing near Kalamboli, Navi Mumbai.
A Baghpat Chief Judicial Magistrate Court concluded a 27-year-old criminal case after the accused admitted guilt and sought leniency. The 65-year-old villager was sentenced till the rising of the court and fined Rs 1,000, bringing an end to proceedings arising from allegations of abuse and criminal intimidation dating back to 1999.
The Allahabad High Court held that habeas corpus petitions challenging an accused’s initial arrest and remand cannot ordinarily be entertained after cognizance, framing of charges, and substantial progress in trial. “Pandora’s Box Has Been Opened,” the Court remarked on recent illegal-arrest jurisprudence.
The Gauhati High Court has held that compensation for custodial death can be awarded even before a criminal trial concludes. In the Santosh Hojai case, the Court ordered Rs.25 lakh compensation, describing the accused officers’ actions as “barbaric” and capable of “shaking the judicial conscience.”
