General Legal

How to File a Second Appeal in a Civil Case Under Section 100 CPC in India In India's civil justice system, parties who lose at the trial court level may file a first appeal. If the first appellate court also rules against them, a second appeal can be filed before the High Court under Section 100 of the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 (CPC). This remedy is not available as a matter of course; it is permitted only when the case involves a substantial question of law. Following t

In a deeply distressing case that raises urgent questions about India's obligations toward its citizens abroad, Anshu Kumar, the wife of Captain Ashish Kumar, has filed a habeas corpus writ petition before the Supreme Court of India under Article 32 of the Constitution. The petition, titled Anshu Kumar v Union of India, was filed on August 4, 2026, seeking directions to the Union Government to trace, locate, and produce Captain Ashish Kumar, who has been missing since an atta

In a landmark judgment delivered on August 3, 2026, the Supreme Court of India significantly enhanced the motor accident compensation awarded to Shreejita Pattnaik, a minor who was left paralyzed after a devastating road accident in Odisha. The bench comprising Justice Ujjal Bhuyan and Justice NV Anjaria raised the total compensation from Rs 45.40 lakh, as determined by the Orissa High Court, to Rs 83.38 lakh. The Court held that when a minor child suffers severe permanent ph

The Supreme Court of India on July 29, 2026, accepted the Central Bureau of Investigation’s (CBI) closure report and closed the criminal proceedings against former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh in the Talabira-II coal block allocation case. A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana set aside the 2015 trial court order that had summoned Singh as an accused, holding that the CBI’s investigation found no evidence of criminal miscond

The Supreme Court of India on July 30, 2026, delivered a significant ruling on the consequences of driving with an expired license and its impact on insurance liability. In Reliance General Insurance Company Ltd. v. Om Parkash and Others, cited as 2026 LiveLaw (SC) 742, a bench comprising Justice Sanjay Karol and Justice Nongmeikapam Kotiswar Singh held that the insurer cannot be held liable to pay compensation when the driver of the insured vehicle did not possess a valid dr

The Kerala High Court, in Santhosh v. E.A. Sainaba & Ors. (MACA No. 947 of 2011, decided on July 28, 2026), held that the compensation awarded to a third-party pillion rider in a motor accident case cannot be reduced on the ground that the rider of the motorcycle on which the pillion rider was travelling was guilty of contributory negligence. Justice Anil K. Narendran set aside the Motor Accidents Claims Tribunal's order that had apportioned 50 percent contributory negligence

The Allahabad High Court's Lucknow Bench convened an emergency evening sitting at 7:00 PM on July 21, 2026, after three Delhi-based advocates and their client were allegedly assaulted inside the Lucknow District Court premises. A Division Bench of Justice Rajan Roy and Justice Manjive Shukla dispensed with procedural formalities, ordered immediate police protection for the victimised advocates, and directed the Lucknow District Judge and Commissioner of Police to submit detai

The Aadhaar card, issued by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), is one of the most widely used identity documents in the country. Situations arise where individuals need to correct or change their name on the Aadhaar card, whether due to a spelling error, a change of name after marriage, divorce, adoption, or a voluntary name change. While minor corrections can be handled through a straightforward update process, major name changes require a legal procedure

Supreme Court Urges Railways to Prevent Overcrowding and Drop Second Class Passenger Term In a ruling that blends legal adjudication with a powerful social commentary on the state of Indian railway travel, the Supreme Court has urged Indian Railways to take concrete steps to prevent train overcrowding and has suggested that the organization discontinue the use of the term "second class passenger" in its official manuals and documentation. The bench held that class distinction

The Bar Council of India (BCI) declared the results of the All India Bar Examination XXI (AIBE XXI) on July 18, 2026, with 1,15,805 out of 1,75,701 candidates clearing the examination, yielding an overall pass rate of 65.92 percent. The results come after the BCI's Monitoring Committee reduced the qualifying marks by three points across all categories, a decision that materially affected the outcome for thousands of candidates. Examination Overview: Scale and Logistics AIBE X

The West Bengal government has constituted a nine-member expert committee to review the Draft Uniform Civil Code (UCC) Bill, 2026, marking the State's formal engagement with one of the most debated legislative proposals in contemporary Indian law. The committee, headed by retired Supreme Court Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai, has been tasked with submitting its report within one month, with the Bill expected to be tabled during the August session of the State Assembly. Composit

The Delhi High Court on July 17, 2026, officially recalled its earlier decision to hold court sessions on the first and third Saturdays of every month. The recall came through a notification following a Full Court meeting held on July 9, 2026, which resolved to defer the implementation of the Saturday sitting arrangement and constitute a committee to re-examine the issue. The committee will be headed by Chief Justice D.K. Upadhyaya. The Original Decision The Full Court of the

A trust is one of the oldest and most widely used legal structures in India for holding and managing property for charitable or religious purposes. While the Indian Trusts Act, 1882 specifically governs private trusts, public charitable and religious trusts are typically registered under state-specific legislation such as the Bombay Public Trusts Act, 1950 (in Maharashtra and Gujarat) or the general provisions of the Registration Act, 1908. This guide focuses on the process o

On July 15, 2026, the Supreme Court set aside adverse remarks made by the Kerala High Court against a trial judge, the Principal Sub-Judge at Thrissur, and held that appellate courts must adopt the attitude of a "friend, philosopher and guide" towards judicial officers in lower courts rather than wielding the "heavy-handed baton of superior authority." Justices Sanjay Karol and Vipul M. Pancholi delivered the ruling in Lakshmi v. Gopi and Ors (2026 LiveLaw (SC) 681), quashing

The Supreme Court on July 15, 2026, dismissed a writ petition challenging the National Testing Agency's (NTA) decision to cancel and re-conduct the NEET-UG 2026 examination, holding that the petition had become "infructuous" since the re-examination had already been conducted. A Bench comprising Justice P.S. Narasimha and Justice Alok Aradhe disposed of the plea filed by Dr. Mangala Kohli, a former Assistant Director General of Health Services, observing that the relief sough