Constitutional Law

The Madhya Pradesh High Court quashed an FIR registered against a government school teacher, Faizan Ansari, who shared a video of an Urdu nazm (poem) titled 'Be-haya' by poet Shoaib Kiani on his WhatsApp status. Justice B.P. Sharma, in his order in the case of Faizan Ansari v. State of Madhya Pradesh (2026 MPHC JBP 35211), held that sharing a poetic recitation without any additional commentary or intent to incite cannot be construed as promoting enmity or public mischief. The

The Supreme Court of India, in a recent judgment from May 2026, altered a conviction in a 1999 murder case, ruling that the mere physical presence of an accused person at the scene of a crime, without evidence of active participation or shared intention, is insufficient to sustain a conviction under Section 34 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860 (IPC). This ruling reinforces an important principle of criminal law: constructive liability under Section 34 requires proof of a common

The Delhi High Court, in the case of Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha v. Tech Square Engineering (decided May 4, 2026), delivered a landmark ruling on trademark rights for foreign brands in India. The Court held that for the purposes of Sections 11 and 57 of the Trade Marks Act, 1999, a foreign proprietor may succeed in a rectification petition by proving that its mark had acquired actionable recognition and spill-over reputation in India within the relevant consumer segment,

In a significant judgment delivered on May 8, 2026, the Supreme Court of India held that Indian Railways cannot claim the status of a "deemed distribution licensee" under the Electricity Act, 2003. The Court ruled that Railways functions as a "consumer" of electricity and is therefore liable to pay cross-subsidy surcharge (CSS) and additional surcharge (AS) to distribution companies. The case, Indian Railways v. West Bengal State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (2026

The Supreme Court Collegium, headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, approved the proposal for appointment of nine advocates as judges of the Calcutta High Court. The recommendations were made in resolutions passed during the Collegium's meetings held on May 11 and 12, 2026. This is one of the largest single batches of judicial appointments recommended for the Calcutta High Court in recent years, addressing the chronic vacancy problem that affects case disposal across We

With less than a month before the FIFA World Cup 2026 kicks off on June 11 in the United States, Mexico and Canada, no broadcaster in India has secured the media rights to telecast the tournament. The Delhi High Court on May 12, 2026 stepped in, issuing notice to the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) and Prasar Bharati on a public interest plea seeking free-to-air broadcast of the world's largest sporting event for Indian viewers. Why No Broadcaster Has Se

The Supreme Court has directed the Union Ministry of Education to take a decision within four weeks on a representation seeking regulation and monitoring of all institutions imparting secular or religious education to children below the age of 14 years. The direction came on 11 May 2026 while disposing of a Public Interest Litigation filed by advocate Ashwini Upadhyay, who sought comprehensive directions for registration, recognition, supervision, and monitoring of such insti

The Supreme Court Collegium, in its meeting held on 4 May 2026, has approved the elevation of ten advocates as judges of the Punjab and Haryana High Court. The recommendations include Advocate Pravindra Singh Chauhan, the current Advocate General of Haryana, and Advocate Harmeet Singh Deol, who serves as Additional Advocate General of Punjab. The decision comes against the backdrop of a significant gap between the High Court's sanctioned strength of 85 judges and its current

The Himachal Pradesh High Court has granted family pension to a woman despite her marriage being held void under Section 5(i) of the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955. In Umawati v. Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board (LPA No. 545 of 2025), decided on 25 April 2026, the Division Bench held that although the marriage was illegal, it could not be treated as immoral, and the denial of pension on this ground would be unjust. Background The appellant Umawati had solemnised marriage wi

The Supreme Court of India has dismissed an appeal by Dhanlaxmi Bank Limited, affirming that the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016, cannot serve as a coercive debt recovery tool in cases involving predominantly contractual obligations. In Dhanlaxmi Bank Limited v. Mohammed Javed Sultan (2026 INSC 460), decided on 7 May 2026, the Court upheld the NCLAT order and held that the dispute was essentially contractual in nature and fell within the jurisdiction of the Debt Recovery

The Supreme Court of India has lifted the corporate veil in a landmark insolvency case to protect the interests of over 4,000 homebuyers in stalled real estate projects in the National Capital Region. In Alpha Corp Development Private Limited v. Greater Noida Industrial Development Authority (GNIDA) (2026 INSC 449), the Court treated Earth Infrastructures Limited (EIL) and its subsidiaries as a single economic entity, restoring resolution plans that had been jeopardised by th

The Supreme Court of India has declared bail conditions that required accused persons to clean police station premises as null and void, characterising such impositions as abhorrent, degrading, and fundamentally contrary to constitutional law. The Court directed every High Court in the country to circulate the order to every judicial officer within its jurisdiction, signalling the seriousness with which it views this practice. Facts of the Case The case arose from Odisha, whe

The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved a proposal to enhance the judge strength of the Supreme Court of India from 34 to 38, including the Chief Justice of India. The Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Bill, 2026, will be tabled in the next session of Parliament. This marks the first proposed increase in the Court's sanctioned strength since 2019, when it was raised from 31 to 34. Why the Expansion Is Needed The official statement fro

The Supreme Court of India has quashed criminal proceedings under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, holding that alleged caste-based abuses hurled inside a private house do not constitute an offence under the statute. The ruling in Gunjan @ Girija Kumari v. State (NCT of Delhi) (2026 INSC 468), delivered on 11 May 2026, reaffirms the statutory requirement that the offending conduct must occur in a place within public view for the

The Supreme Court of India has proposed that the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) create a permanent Vice President position reserved exclusively for women lawyers. This proposal follows the Court's recent directive requiring all bar associations across India to ensure at least 30 percent women representation in their executive bodies, with a warning that associations failing to comply could face suspension. The women-only VP proposal, listed for hearing on May 12, 2026,

A serious bar-bench confrontation erupted at the Patna High Court in May 2026 when the Coordination Committee of three bar associations called for a boycott of court proceedings beginning May 15. The boycott was triggered by allegations of abusive and demeaning conduct by certain judges towards lawyers appearing before them. The situation escalated rapidly, with lawyers describing the judicial conduct as "uncharitable, uncouth, and abusive." The Bar Council of India intervene

The Supreme Court of India on April 30, 2026, granted anticipatory bail to Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera in a criminal defamation case filed against him in Assam. The case, lodged by Riniki Bhuyan Sarma, wife of Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, arose from statements Khera made during a press conference alleging that the Chief Minister's family held foreign passports. A bench of Justices Sanjay Karol and Manmohan granted relief after observing that the prosecution

The Supreme Court of India has issued a strong warning to bar associations across the country: comply with the mandate of 30 percent women representation among office bearers and executive committee members, or face suspension and fresh elections. A bench of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi, and Justice Vipul M. Pancholi passed the order in April 2026 while hearing a batch of special leave petitions concerning the chronic underrepresentation of women

Industrialist Anil Ambani has filed a defamation suit before the Delhi High Court against New Delhi Television (NDTV), seeking damages exceeding Rs 2 crore over what he describes as a sustained campaign of defamatory reporting. The suit, filed in May 2026, alleges that NDTV, now owned by AMG Media Network (a unit of the Adani Group), has published approximately 72 targeted articles linking Ambani personally to CBI and ED proceedings involving Reliance Group entities, despite

The Madhya Pradesh High Court in a recent judgment reaffirmed the constitutional right of minority educational institutions to appoint their own principals without interference from state authorities. The Court held that this right flows directly from Article 30(1) of the Constitution, which guarantees all minorities, whether based on religion or language, the right to establish and administer educational institutions of their choice. The judgment is significant because it pu