Supreme Court of India Judgements

47070 Judgements hosted as on 22/03/2026 - Search (FREE), Subscribe, Read & Download

Category: I P C

I P C

Penal Code, 1860 (IPC) — Sections 406 and 420 — Criminal breach of trust and cheating — For an offence of cheating under Section 415 IPC, a fraudulent or dishonest intention must exist at the time of making the promise or representation — Mere failure to keep a promise subsequently does not automatically prove dishonest intention from the beginning — Every breach of contract does not amount to cheating, unless there was deception at the inception.

Mar 21, 2026 sclaw

2026 INSC 265 SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH V. GANESAN Vs. STATE REP BY THE SUB INSPECTOR OF POLICE AND ANOTHER ( Before : Pamidighantam Sri Narasimha and Manoj…

I P C

Penal Code, 1860 (IPC) — Sections 302 and 498A — Appeal against conviction for murder and cruelty — Court considered evidence of eyewitness daughter, post-mortem report, and dying declaration of the deceased — High Court reversed acquittal by Trial Court and convicted the appellant — Trial Court acquitted on grounds of inconsistent witness testimonies, unreliable dying declaration due to victim’s serious injuries and sedation, and improbability of incident occurring in a small bathroom — Supreme Court found eyewitness testimony credible, post-mortem report confirmed cause of death, and dying declaration reliable despite victim’s severe burns, supported by medical opinion that she was conscious and fit to make a statement — Recovery of kerosene tin, matchbox, and burnt cloth pieces from the scene further corroborated the prosecution’s case — Supreme Court held that the evidence unequivocally proved the appellant’s responsibility for the offences.

Mar 18, 2026 sclaw

2026 INSC 249 SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISON BENCH SUBRAMANI Vs. STATE OF KARNATAKA ( Before : Pankaj Mithal and S.V.N. Bhatti, JJ. ) Criminal Appeal No. 2432 of 2010…

I P C

Indian Penal Code, 1860 (IPC) — Section 302/149 — Murder — Conviction and sentence for life imprisonment — Unlawful assembly and common object — Accused alighting from a bus together, armed with firearms, establishes unlawful assembly with a common object — Vicarious liability under Section 149 IPC applies to all members of the unlawful assembly — Presence in the assembly is sufficient for conviction even without overt acts by each individual.

Mar 14, 2026 sclaw

2026 INSC 224 SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH DABLU ETC. AND OTHERS Vs. STATE OF MADHYA PRADESH ( Before : Pankaj Mithal and S.V.N. Bhatti, JJ. ) Criminal Appeal…

I P C

Penal Code, 1860 (IPC) — Sections 406, 420, 467, 468, 471 — Criminal Breach of Trust, Cheating, Forgery, Using Forged Document — Joint Venture Agreement — Dispute arising from JVA — FIR quashed — Allegations primarily civil in nature, with a criminal cloak — Dishonest intention not evident from the inception — Delay in lodging FIR indicates civil dispute — Security deposit not refundable, adjustable against share in sale proceeds — No false representation regarding title or litigation in JVA — Allegation of forgery of a tracing document unsubstantiated — Recourse to civil remedies should be taken for contractual disputes.

Feb 26, 2026 sclaw

2026 INSC 192 SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH VANDANA JAIN AND OTHERS Vs. THE STATE OF UTTAR PRADESH AND OTHERS ( Before : Pamidighantam Sri Narasimha and Manoj Misra,…

I P C

Penal Code, 1860 (IPC) — Sections 306 and 309 — Abetment of suicide and attempt to commit suicide — Suicide pact — Mutual encouragement and reciprocal commitment to die together — Survivor’s participation acts as a direct catalyst for the deceased’s actions — Psychological assurance or instigation, if intentional and directly related to the commission of offence, constitutes abetment — Each participant’s resolve to commit suicide is reinforced and strengthened due to the other’s participation — Suicide in a pact is conditional upon mutual participation — Assisting in ending life is a crime against the state.

Feb 22, 2026 sclaw

2026 INSC 160 SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH GUDIPALLI SIDDHARTHA REDDY Vs. STATE C.B.I. ( Before : Rajesh Bindal and Manmohan, JJ. ) Criminal Appeal No. 457 of 2012…

I P C

Penal Code, 1860 (IPC) — Sections 307, 326, 324 — Conviction for causing life-threatening injuries — High Court reducing sentence to period already undergone and enhancing fine — Supreme Court held High Court acted in defiance of law and created a travesty of established criminal jurisprudence by relying on irrelevant factors like time elapsed and death of victim by other persons, without proper reasoning — Such reduction undermines the deterrent effect of punishment and erodes public confidence in the justice system.

Feb 22, 2026 sclaw

2026 INSC 164 SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH PARAMESHWARI Vs. THE STATE OF TAMIL NADU AND OTHERS ( Before : Rajesh Bindal and Vijay Bishnoi, JJ. ) Criminal Appeal…

Dying Declaration I P C

Penal Code, 1860 (IPC) — Section 302 — Murder — Dying declaration — Admissibility and weight — A dying declaration can be the sole basis for conviction if it is voluntary, truthful, and reliable, even without corroboration. The court must scrutinize it carefully for tutoring or manipulation and consider the declarant’s opportunity to observe and identify the assailant and their fitness to make the statement.

Jan 18, 2026 sclaw

2026 INSC 57 SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH STATE OF HIMACHAL PRADESH Vs. CHAMAN LAL ( Before : B.V. Nagarathna and R. Mahadevan, JJ. ) Criminal Appeal No. 430…

I P C

Penal Code, 1860 (IPC) — Sections 302, 120-B, 201, 506 read with Section 34 — Conviction by High Court after acquittal by Trial Court — Supreme Court’s role — Appellate court can review and reconsider evidence, but must respect the presumption of innocence accorded to an accused who has been acquitted. A plausible view taken by the trial court should not be overturned merely because another view is possible. Interference is warranted only if the acquittal suffers from patent perversity, misreading of evidence, or if no other conclusion than guilt is possible. (Paras 26, 27, 28, 29)

Jan 17, 2026 sclaw

2026 INSC 67 SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH TULASAREDDI @ MUDAKAPPA AND ANOTHER Vs. THE STATE OF KARNATAKA AND OTHERS ( Before : Sanjay Karol and Vipul M. Pancholi,…

I P C

Penal Code, 1860 (IPC) Sections 302, 304 Part II, 147, 149 — Culpable Homicide not amounting to Murder — Distinction between Murder (Section 302) and Culpable Homicide (Section 304) — Circumstances warranting conviction under Section 304 Part II — Initial conviction under Section 302/149 altered by High Court to Section 304 Part II, IPC — Incident arising from sudden quarrel and group fight (free fight) where two rival parties attacked each other — Both sides suffered injuries — Common object for forming an unlawful assembly (Section 149) not established in a free fight scenario, negating charges under Sections 147, 148, and 149 IPC — Individual role of appellant assessed: causing fatal head injury with a lathi — In a sudden group clash without premeditation, where the appellant also suffered serious injuries, the intention to cause death (requisite for Section 302) is negated, but knowledge that the act (hitting vulnerable part like head with lathi) was likely to cause death is inferred (Section 304 Part II) — Offence rightly reduced to Section 304 Part II, IPC. (Paras 5.1.4, 5.1.5, 5.2, 5.3, 5.4, 5.5, 5.6)

Jan 11, 2026 sclaw

2026 INSC 45 SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH SHRIKRISHNA Vs. THE STATE OF MADHYA PRADESH ( Before : K. Vinod Chandran and N.V. Anjaria, JJ. ) Criminal Appeal No.…

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Service

Service Law — Disciplinary proceedings post-superannuation — Where service regulations permit continuation of disciplinary proceedings initiated before superannuation, they can be concluded thereafter — Punishment of reduction in pay scale can be implemented by computing pension based on the reduced salary.

Mar 22, 2026 sclaw
Cr P C

Criminal Procedure Code, 1973 (CrPC) — Section 482 — Quashing of criminal proceedings — Summoning order based on complaint allegations lacking specific details of copyright infringement and without application of mind by Magistrate — Superior Court’s duty to examine proceedings for being frivolous, vexatious, or malicious — Held, allegations in complaint were bald and unsubstantiated, failing to disclose similarity between film and script.

Mar 22, 2026 sclaw
I B C

Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016 (IBC) — Section 31(1) — Corporate Insolvency Resolution Process (CIRP) — Resolution Plan — “Clean Slate” Principle — Effect of Approval — Claims not part of resolution plan stand extinguished — No affirmative relief can be granted for such claims — Division Bench judgment set aside.

Mar 22, 2026 sclaw
Environment

Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 — Section 2 — Forest land — Deemed forest — Master Plan — Statutory plan prevails over subsequent growth of vegetation — Land earmarked for project under an approved Master Plan, which was not forest land at the time of the plan’s inception, cannot subsequently be declared as forest or deemed forest thereby overriding the Master Plan’s statutory force.

Mar 22, 2026 sclaw