Constitutional Law

The Supreme Court of India has sought fresh affidavits from the Union Government and the Reserve Bank of India in a public interest litigation seeking the creation of a centralized, searchable database of over Rs 1.08 lakh crore in unclaimed financial assets lying across banks, insurance companies, mutual funds, and depositories. The Court questioned why a promised central database remains unbuilt more than two and a half years after the government's own deadline for creating

The Karnataka High Court on May 19, 2026, restrained the Joint Action Committee (JAC) of various road transport trade unions from proceeding with an indefinite strike that was scheduled to begin on May 20. The division bench of Justices Suraj Govindaraj and K. Manmadha Rao issued the order covering employees of the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC), Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC), North Western Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (NWKRTC

The Supreme Court of India on May 20, 2026, dismissed a Public Interest Litigation challenging the Union Government's decision to conduct caste enumeration as part of the upcoming 2027 Census. A bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, along with Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul Pancholi, held that the collection of caste data is a policy decision falling squarely within the government's domain and that courts cannot intervene in such matters. The Court observed t

With less than a month before the FIFA World Cup 2026 kicks off on June 11, India's broadcast rights for the tournament remain entirely unsold. No television network or streaming platform has secured the rights to show the matches in India, leaving over 1.4 billion people without a confirmed way to watch the world's most popular sporting event. The Delhi High Court recently heard a public interest petition seeking to compel Prasar Bharati, India's public service broadcaster,

The Bombay High Court has delivered a significant ruling on the nature of marriage and domestic responsibilities, holding that wives are not "deemed maids" and that a wife's refusal to perform household chores such as cooking and cleaning does not amount to cruelty under Section 13 of the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955. The division bench of Justice Bharati Dangre and Justice Manjusha Deshpande quashed a Family Court order from July 2010 that had granted divorce to a Mumbai-based C

The Supreme Court of India has ordered the clubbing of a Haryana FIR with an earlier Delhi Economic Offences Wing case in the Brahma City/Krrish World real estate fraud matter, reiterating the settled legal principle that there cannot be multiple FIRs in respect of the same transaction or occurrence giving rise to cognizable offences. The order addresses a recurring problem in real estate fraud cases where multiple investors file separate complaints in different jurisdictions

Chief Justice of India Surya Kant announced on May 19, 2026, that the Supreme Court will soon constitute 7-judge benches to hear constitutional references that have been pending for years. The announcement came during the hearing of a matter when the CJI indicated that he would be occupied with 7-judge bench hearings in the near future. According to the National Judicial Data Grid, there are currently 5 matters covering 34 appeals pending before 7-judge benches of the Supreme

The Supreme Court Collegium headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant on May 18, 2026, approved the recommendation of 19 persons for appointment as judges of the Madras High Court. The recommendations include 9 judicial officers being elevated from the district judiciary and 10 advocates being appointed directly from the Bar. The Madras High Court currently has a working strength of 52 judges against a sanctioned strength of 75, leaving 23 vacancies. These appointments, once process

The Supreme Court of India on May 19, 2026, passed a landmark order permitting the euthanasia of rabid, incurably ill, and demonstrably dangerous stray dogs to protect public safety. A bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta, and NV Anjaria held that human life and public safety take precedence when dealing with aggressive strays that pose a direct threat to citizens. The Court simultaneously directed states to establish at least one fully functional Animal Birth

The Supreme Court of India has granted bail to former IAS officer Anil Tuteja, who was in custody since April 2024 in connection with the Rs 50 crore District Mineral Foundation scam in Korba district, Chhattisgarh. The bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi allowed the bail application, noting the prolonged period of incarceration and the stage of the trial. The State of Chhattisgarh had opposed bail, arguing that Tuteja had a history of influe

The Supreme Court of India on May 18, 2026, directed the Bar Council of India to constitute two election tribunals to adjudicate disputes arising from state bar council elections across the country. The bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi appointed former Supreme Court Judge Justice Deepak Gupta to head Tribunal I and former Supreme Court Judge Justice Hima Kohli to head Tribunal II. The BCI has been given three days to formally notify the co

The Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026, which sought to increase the number of Lok Sabha seats from 543 to 850 and facilitate fresh delimitation based on the 2011 Census, was defeated in the Lok Sabha on April 17, 2026. The Bill received 298 votes in favour and 230 against, falling short of the two-thirds majority required for a constitutional amendment. The required threshold, based on 528 members voting, was 352 votes. This was the first constitutional amendment brou

The National Testing Agency (NTA) cancelled the NEET-UG 2026 examination held on May 3 following allegations of a paper leak, and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has been handed the case for investigation. In the aftermath, the Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA) and the United Doctors' Front (UDF) have filed petitions in the Supreme Court under Article 32 of the Constitution seeking directions to either replace or fundamentally restructure the NTA a

The Bar Council of India (BCI) has sought detailed enrollment and practice records of former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee from the Bar Council of West Bengal, after Banerjee appeared before the Calcutta High Court wearing advocate's robes and white bands on May 14, 2026. Banerjee appeared to argue in a PIL related to alleged post-poll violence in the state following the 2026 Assembly election results. The BCI's letter, addressed to the Secretary of the State Bar

The Calcutta High Court has issued interim directions to the West Bengal State Police to ensure the safe return of all persons displaced from their homes, shops, and properties during the post-poll violence that followed the 2026 West Bengal Assembly election results. The Court directed that protection must be provided regardless of the political affiliation of the displaced persons. The directions came in response to multiple Public Interest Litigations (PILs) alleging wides

The Supreme Court of India has launched Su-Sahayak, an interactive virtual guide designed to simplify public access to the Court's e-services and frequently asked questions. The tool is part of the ongoing judicial modernisation initiative under Chief Justice Surya Kant's leadership and aims to bridge the information gap between the Court's digital services and the millions of litigants, lawyers, and members of the public who interact with the Supreme Court system. Su-Sahayak

The Kerala High Court has delivered an important ruling clarifying the documentation requirements for marriages between Indian residents and foreign nationals in India. The Court held that no No Objection Certificate (NOC) from any embassy is required for such marriages and directed registration authorities to process marriage applications immediately after the completion of the statutory notice period without demanding additional documentation. The ruling addresses a common

The Supreme Court on May 15, 2026, ordered the premature release of Rohit Chaturvedi, a convict in the 2003 Madhumita Shukla murder case, after he spent 22 years in prison. A bench of Justices BV Nagarathna and Ujjal Bhuyan quashed the Ministry of Home Affairs' July 2025 order rejecting Chaturvedi's remission plea, holding that the denial was arbitrary and unsustainable in law. The Court laid down an important principle: in a constitutional polity governed by the rule of law,

The Supreme Court's nine-judge Constitution Bench, led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, has reserved its verdict in the long-pending Sabarimala reference after 16 days of extensive hearings. The reference, which originated from the 2018 Sabarimala temple entry judgment, examines fundamental questions about the interplay between Articles 25 and 26 of the Constitution and the scope of religious freedom in India. The verdict, when delivered, is expected to have far-reaching

The Madhya Pradesh High Court on May 15, 2026, delivered a landmark verdict in the long-running Bhojshala dispute, declaring the centuries-old complex in Dhar district a Hindu temple dedicated to Goddess Saraswati (Maa Vagdevi). The division bench quashed the Archaeological Survey of India's 2003 circular that had permitted Muslims to offer Friday namaz at the site between 1 pm and 3 pm. The ruling, based on a detailed 2,200-page ASI survey report, formally recognises the Bho