Supreme Court of India Judgements

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Category: I P C

Acquittal I P C

Penal Code, 1860 (IPC) —Section 302 read with Sections 149 and 148 — Murder —Conviction affirmed by High Court — Appeal to Supreme Court — Sufficiency of evidence — Role of interested/related witnesses — Deposition of PW-4 (mother of deceased and alleged eyewitness) scrutinized closely — Material contradictions found in PW-4’s evidence regarding the manner of assault and who informed her — Failure of prosecution to examine key witness (deceased’s granddaughter, who initially informed PW-4) — Independent witnesses (PW-1, PW-2, PW-3 and PW-9) turned hostile — Recovery of weapons based on accused’s memorandum/statement rendered unreliable when supporting witnesses hostile. (Paras 4, 7, 8, 9, 10, 13, 14, 15)

Dec 19, 2025 sclaw

2025 INSC 1454 SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH PUNIMATI AND ANOTHER Vs. THE STATE OF CHHATTISGARH AND OTHERS ( Before : Prashant Kumar Mishra and Vipul M. Pancholi, JJ.…

Evidence Act I P C

Criminal Law — Conviction — Circumstantial Evidence — Last Seen Together Theory — Must establish acquaintance between accused and deceased for theory to apply as a circumstance linking chain; mere fact of accused and deceased being in the same vicinity shortly before the crime, without proven acquaintance, is insufficient to propound the ‘last seen together theory’ as a conclusive link, though presence in same vicinity remains a relevant initial fact. (Para 6)

Dec 18, 2025 sclaw

2025 INSC 1449 SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH SHAIK SHABUDDIN Vs. STATE OF TELANGANA ( Before : Ahsanuddin Amanullah and K. Vinod Chandran, JJ. ) Criminal Appeal No….of 2025…

I P C

Criminal Law — Conviction based on Circumstantial Evidence — Appreciation of Evidence — Principles Governing Circumstantial Evidence — A conviction based entirely on circumstantial evidence must satisfy five conditions: (1) Circumstances must be fully established; (2) Facts established must be consistent only with the hypothesis of guilt; (3) Circumstances must be conclusive in nature and tendency; (4) They must exclude every possible hypothesis except guilt; (5) Chain of evidence must be complete, leaving no reasonable ground for any conclusion consistent with the accused’s innocence. (Para 22)

Dec 17, 2025 sclaw

2025 INSC 1433 SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH MANOJBHAI JETHABHAI PARMAR (ROHIT) Vs. STATE OF GUJARAT ( Before : Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta, JJ. ) Criminal Appeal No(S).…

Dowry Death I P C

Penal Code, 1860 (IPC) — Section 304-B and 498-A) — Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961 (DPA, 1961) — Sections 3 and 4 — Dowry Death — Appeal against acquittal — Setting aside High Court’s acquittal and restoring Trial Court’s conviction — Essential ingredients of Section 304-B IPC established by consistent prosecution evidence regarding dowry demand (motorcycle, TV, and cash) and continuous harassment — “Soon before death” liberally construed to emphasize nexus between death and dowry-related cruelty — Evidence of witnesses, even with minor inconsistencies, held reliable and sufficient to prove guilt; minor contradictions or use of words like ‘happily’ by witnesses do not discredit the substratum of the prosecution case proving continuous dowry harassment leading to death. (Paras 1, 14.1, 16.1, 16.2, 17, 18, 20, 22)

Dec 17, 2025 sclaw

2025 INSC 1435 SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH STATE OF U.P. Vs. AJMAL BEG ETC ( Before : Sanjay Karol and Nongmeikapam Kotiswar Singh, JJ. ) Criminal Appeal Nos.…

I P C

Penal Code, 1860 (IPC) — Section 302 read with Section 34 — Murder — Appeal against acquittal — Powers of Appellate Court — Reversal of acquittal — Principles — The guilt of the accused must be established beyond reasonable doubt (must or should, not may be) — Once an accused is acquitted, the presumption of innocence is reinforced — Interference by the appellate court must be minimal and guided by “substantial and compelling reasons” — Reversal should not occur merely because another view is possible — If two reasonable or plausible conclusions are possible on the evidence, the one favouring the acquittal must not be disturbed by the Appellate Court. (Paras 9, 9.2, 9.3, 9.4, 9.5)

Dec 17, 2025 sclaw

2025 INSC 1442 SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH RAJ PAL SINGH Vs. RAJVEER AND OTHERS ( Before : K. Vinod Chandran and N.V. Anjaria, JJ. ) Criminal Appeal No(S).…

I P C

Penal Code, 1860 (IPC) — Section 376(2)(d) — Rape — Appreciation of Evidence — Conviction solely based on First Information Report (FIR) or previous statements of hostile witnesses — Admissibility and reliability — Victim (PW-1) and her husband (PW-2) turned hostile and did not support the prosecution case during trial — Court should be slow to act on the testimony of hostile witness and normally look for corroboration — Both Trial Court and High Court erred in placing reliance on the FIR and recording conviction by virtually converting the case into one of circumstantial evidence, especially when the main direct evidence witnesses (victim and husband) were declared hostile. (Paras 6, 9, 10, 11, 18, 19)

Dec 17, 2025 sclaw

2025 INSC 1443 SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH JAYANTIBHAI CHATURBHAI PATEL Vs. STATE OF GUJARAT ( Before : Sanjay Karol and Vipul M. Pancholi, JJ. ) Criminal Appeal No.…

I P C

Penal Code, 18602 (IPC) — Sections 302 and 460 — Appreciation of Evidence — Prior Enmity and Delayed Disclosure of Accused’s Name — Where the star eyewitness (PW-2), the wife of the deceased, provided a detailed account of the assault to the informant (PW-1) immediately after the incident, but failed to name the accused in the First Information Report (FIR), this omission is fatal to the prosecution case, especially when there existed a palpable prior enmity between the witness’s family and the accused (who was the brother of the deceased’s second wife). (Paras 28, 31, 40, 41, 45)

Dec 9, 2025 sclaw

2025 INSC 1399 SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH GOVIND MANDAVI Vs. STATE OF CHATTISGARH ( Before : Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta, JJ. ) Criminal Appeal No…..of 2025 (Arising…

I P C

Penal Code, 1860 — Section 304 Part-II — Culpable homicide not amounting to murder — Sentence — Appeal against High Court’s reduction of sentence from 10 years to 8 years rigorous imprisonment — Appellant was 20 years old at the time of the incident — Victim was an innocent intervenor — Supreme Court held that the sentence imposed by the High Court was balanced and principled and did not warrant interference, emphasizing the need to maintain public confidence in the justice system and avoid excessive leniency.

Oct 26, 2025 sclaw

2025 INSC 1250 SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH KOTRESH @ KOTRAPPA Vs. STATE OF KARNATAKA AND ANOTHER ( Before : Dipankar Datta and Augustine George Masih, JJ. ) Criminal…

I P C

Penal Code, 1860 (IPC) — Section 302 — Murder — Conversion of conviction — Where evidence shows that though accused had knowledge that injuries would cause death, there is no material to prove intention to kill, conviction under Section 302 IPC is not tenable and should be converted to Section 304 Part I IPC.

Oct 2, 2025 sclaw

2025 INSC 1172 SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH RAGHAV PRASHAD AND OTHERS Vs. STATE OF U.P. ( Before : B.R.Gavai, CJI. and K. Vinod Chandran, J. ) Criminal Appeal…

Dowry Death I P C

Indian Penal Code, 1860 — Section 498A — Cruelty by husband or relatives of husband — Quashing of FIR — Abuse of process of law — FIR filed by respondent-wife after divorce proceedings initiated by appellant-husband and a foreign court order for child’s return — Respondent’s conduct questionable regarding child’s return to Australia and allegations in the complaint not supporting the offence of cruelty under Section 498A IPC as defined — FIR quashed as a retaliatory measure and abuse of process.

Sep 21, 2025 sclaw

2025 INSC 1128 SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH NITIN AHLUWALIA Vs. STATE OF PUNJAB AND ANOTHER ( Before : Sanjay Karol and Prashant Kumar Mishra, JJ. ) Criminal Appeal…

You missed

Constitution

Passports Act, 1967 — Sections 5, 6(2)(f), 7, 8, 9, 10, and 22 — Refusal to issue or re-issue a passport due to pending criminal proceedings — Exemption under Section 22 via Notification GSR 570(E) dated 25.08.1993 — Section 6(2)(f) bars issuance if criminal proceedings are pending, but this is subject to “other provisions of this Act,” including Section 22 — GSR 570(E) exempts persons facing criminal proceedings if they obtain permission from the concerned criminal court — This exemption is structured, tying validity and use to the court’s order; it permits issuing a passport where the criminal court allows renewal and retains judicial supervision over foreign travel. (Paras 7.2, 7.6, 7.8, 8, 9, 10, 12, 15, 25)

Dec 30, 2025 sclaw
Service

Cochin University of Science and Technology Act, 1986 — Section 31(10) and 31(11) — Selection and Appointment — Validity of Rank List and Communal Rotation — Harmonious Construction — Section 31(10) stipulates that the Rank List remains valid for two years, and vacancies arising during this period “shall be filled up from the list so published” — Section 31(11) mandates that “Communal rotation shall be followed category-wise” — These sub-sections operate in distinct spheres but are not mutually exclusive; the Rank List’s validity period (Sub-sec 10) co-exists with the mandatory application of communal rotation (Sub-sec 11) for every appointment made therefrom — Interpreting Sub-section (11) as becoming operative only after the Rank List expires would render the reservation/rotation requirement otiose during the list’s validity, defeating legislative intent and violating the doctrine of harmonious construction. (Paras 5, 5.2, 5.4, 5.5, 5.5.1, 5.5.2

Dec 19, 2025 sclaw
Acquittal I P C

Penal Code, 1860 (IPC) —Section 302 read with Sections 149 and 148 — Murder —Conviction affirmed by High Court — Appeal to Supreme Court — Sufficiency of evidence — Role of interested/related witnesses — Deposition of PW-4 (mother of deceased and alleged eyewitness) scrutinized closely — Material contradictions found in PW-4’s evidence regarding the manner of assault and who informed her — Failure of prosecution to examine key witness (deceased’s granddaughter, who initially informed PW-4) — Independent witnesses (PW-1, PW-2, PW-3 and PW-9) turned hostile — Recovery of weapons based on accused’s memorandum/statement rendered unreliable when supporting witnesses hostile. (Paras 4, 7, 8, 9, 10, 13, 14, 15)

Dec 19, 2025 sclaw
Constitution

Employees’ State Insurance Act, 1948 — Section 45A — Determination of contributions in certain cases — Preconditions for invoking Section 45A — Section 45A is a special provision for best-judgment assessment applicable only when an employer fails to submit, furnish, or maintain returns, particulars, registers, or records as required by Section 44, OR obstructs an Inspector or official in discharging duties under Section 45 — It is not an alternative mode of assessment available at the option of the Corporation — When records (ledgers, cash books, vouchers, etc.) are produced and the employer cooperates by attending multiple personal hearings, the mere allegation of inadequacy or deficiency of supporting documents does not satisfy the statutory threshold of “non-production” or “obstruction” to invoke Section 45A — Mere inadequacy of records does not confer jurisdiction under Section 45A. (Paras 14.6, 14.7, 24, 25, 27, 30)

Dec 19, 2025 sclaw