Criminal Law

The Delhi High Court has acquitted a man convicted of murder, holding that merely shouting the words 'Maro Sale Ko' during a fight does not by itself prove a common intention to kill. The order, passed in the matter of Mukesh Kumar v. State, came more than four decades after the 1983 incident that led to the case. A division bench of Justices Navin Chawla and Ravinder Dudeja observed that the word 'maro' can mean to beat, and not necessarily to kill, and extended the benefit

Filing a police complaint is one of the most fundamental steps in accessing the criminal justice system in India. With the implementation of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) 2023 on July 1, 2024, the process of registering First Information Reports (FIRs) has been modernised, including provisions for e-FIRs and zero FIRs. The Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems (CCTNS) portal and various state police portals now enable citizens to file police complain

On June 9, 2026, a Patna court granted interim protection from arrest to educator and YouTuber Faizal Khan, popularly known as Khan Sir, in connection with a criminal case arising from a firing incident at his coaching institute, Khan Global Studies (KGS), in Patna's Musallahpur Hat area. The Principal District and Sessions Judge passed the order on Khan Sir's anticipatory bail application, directing that no coercive action, including arrest, shall be taken against him pendin

Maharashtra Cyber Police has registered FIR No. 36/2026 at the Nodal Cyber Police Station against comedian Pranit More, audience member Himanshu Jangra, and doctor Sejal Pawar in connection with the viral '370 Biryani' controversy. The FIR invokes Sections 75(1)(iv), 75(3), 294, and 353(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) 2023, read with Section 67 of the Information Technology Act, 2000. Separately, the National Commission for Women (NCW) issued notices to the accused, a

Can the police search your phone in India? The short answer is that the police have powers of search and seizure during an investigation, but those powers are governed by procedure under the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, and are limited by your constitutional rights. Seizing a device is not the same as being entitled to unlock and read everything on it, and the distinction matters in practice. This guide explains when the police can search or seize a phone, what p

On June 17, 2026, the Supreme Court of India refused bail to Manoj Kumar Singh, a Bihar-based individual accused of orchestrating a pan-India cyber fraud network. The vacation bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice V. Mohana delivered a sharp rebuke to the accused, with the CJI remarking: "You guys are parasites. You take money from investors and dupe them." The order signals an increasingly hard line from the apex court on cybercrime, and has sparked a broader convers

Discovering that a false FIR has been filed against you is frightening, but the law provides clear and effective remedies. A false FIR is a first information report that sets the criminal process in motion on allegations that are untrue, exaggerated, or motivated by malice. Knowing what to do, in the right order, protects your liberty and your reputation. This guide explains the steps, from securing protection against arrest to getting the FIR quashed, and complements our bro

The Allahabad High Court has ordered the immediate release of a boy who was sent to jail on allegations of theft, describing his detention as prima facie illegal and seeking a personal explanation from the judicial magistrate who approved his custody. The Court also reportedly summoned the arresting police officers. The order is a sharp reminder that the special protections the law gives to children in conflict with the law are not optional, and that your rights at the point

The Delhi High Court has granted bail to Kashmiri human rights activist Khurram Parvez in a terror funding case investigated by the National Investigation Agency under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, after he spent more than four years in custody. The order, pronounced in June 2026 by a Division Bench reported to comprise Justice Navin Chawla and Justice Ravinder Dudeja, rests on a principle that has become central to bail jurisprudence under special statutes: the c

The Supreme Court has set aside the conviction of a husband under Section 498A (now Section 85, BNS) of the Indian Penal Code, holding that merely not communicating with his wife for thirteen days, without any cogent supporting evidence, cannot amount to cruelty. In Jayesh Kanna v. The Assistant Commissioner of Law and Order (West), reported as 2026 INSC 615, a Bench of Justice J. K. Maheshwari and Justice Atul S. Chandurkar acquitted the appellant, ruling that silence betwee

Bihar Police have arrested four individuals in Muzaffarpur for allegedly selling fake NEET question papers to aspiring medical students through social media platforms, including Telegram and Instagram. The accused, identified as Harsh, Aman Kumar, Kanhaiya Kumar, and Harsh Kanodia, reportedly collected payments via online transfers routed to an associate named Manish Jha. The operation targeted NEET aspirants in Bihar and neighbouring states by promising advance access to the

The Allahabad High Court has overturned seven convictions in the Maaz Ahmad Siddiqui murder case of 2013, ruling that the trial court had relied on confessions made to police officers in violation of Sections 25 and 26 of the Indian Evidence Act, 1872. The division bench of Justices Rajesh Singh Chauhan and Abdhesh Kumar Chaudhary held that no confession to a police officer is admissible in evidence, regardless of how it is characterised by the prosecution. This case undersco

The Kerala High Court has stayed criminal proceedings against two United States citizens who were booked for allegedly flying a drone in the red zone near the Coast Guard headquarters and Indian Navy establishments at Fort Kochi. The stay, granted in early June 2026, turned on a striking defect: the tourists were charged under the Aircraft Act, 1934, a law that had already been repealed when the case was registered. The case is a useful window into how India regulates civilia

The Madras High Court has held that DNA evidence can sustain a conviction under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012, commonly known as the POCSO Act, even when the child victim and her parents turn hostile during trial. A bench of Justice N. Anand Venkatesh and Justice K.K. Ramakrishnan upheld the conviction of a man named Murugan, relying on a DNA report that established he had fathered a child born to the 13 year old victim. The ruling in Murugan v. St

In Seesa Santosh v. The State of Telangana (2026 INSC 628), decided on June 4, 2026, the Supreme Court set aside a Telangana High Court order that had permitted an accused person to travel to the United States for medical treatment. The bench of Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice Satish Chandra Sharma held that the right to travel abroad under Article 21 is not absolute and must be balanced against the complainant's right to a speedy trial and the broader societal interest in