1. Service Jurisprudence -- Conflict between State Rules and AICTE Regulations -- Finality of Supreme Court Judgment – Effect of High Court Judgment on Non-Parties -- Rule 6A of Kerala Technical Education Service Rules granting exemption from Ph.D. qualification challenged – Earlier provision upheld by Supreme Court – Promotions granted accordingly -- High Court later held that AICTE Regulations override State Rules and made Ph.D. mandatory – Appellants, not parties before High Court, adversely affected despite earlier Supreme Court relief – Held, nothing said in the impugned order of the High Court will affect their career prospects -- Non-parties affected by judgments are not remediless and may seek review or initiate independent proceedings before appropriate forum. (SC) Decided on: 27.02.2026

2. Variance in terms of contract – Overdraw of cash credit facility -- Right/ liability of surety -- For Section 139 to apply, the creditor must (1) either act in a manner that is inconsistent with the surety’s rights or omit to act in a manner that the creditor is duty bound to and (2) such act or omission must impair the eventual remedy of the surety as against the principal debtor – Applicable provision Section 133 of the Act -- Respondent Nos.1 and 2/sureties are liable to the extent of Rs.4,00,000/- with applicable interest that was initially sanctioned to respondent No.6/principal debtor and for which respondent Nos.1 and 2 consented to stand as sureties -- However, they are not liable for the excess amounts permitted to be withdrawn from the cash-credit facility of the appellant-Bank by respondent No.6/principal debtor. (SC) Decided on: 27.02.2026

3. Interest pendente lite -- Clause 64(5) of the General Conditions of Contract bars interest “till the date on which the award is made” -- The provisions of the Act of 1996, including provisions contained in Section 31(7)(a) give paramount importance to the contract entered into between the parties and categorically restrict the power of an arbitrator to award pre-award/ pendente lite interest when the parties have themselves agreed to the contrary -- Thus, the AT cannot award pre-award/pendente lite interest, even in the form of compensation. (SC) Decided on: 27.02.2026

4. Regular bail -- NDPS – Commercial quantity : -- Recovery of 285 grams of heroin – Petitioner arrested on 14.12.2025 – Challan presented on 23.02.2026 – Total 18 prosecution witnesses cited; none examined till date – Petitioner implicated solely on the basis of disclosure statement of co-accused – No independent or corroborative material available on record to connect the petitioner with the alleged contraband -- Petitioner not present at the spot. -- Held, disclosure statement of a co-accused, in the absence of corroborative evidence, carries limited evidentiary value and cannot form the sole basis for implicating an accused – Evidentiary value of such disclosure statement is a matter for trial. -- Rigour of Section 37 NDPS Act stands diluted in the facts and circumstances of the case. Nothing on record to suggest that the petitioner is likely to abscond or tamper with prosecution evidence – Petitioner in custody for 3 months and 7 days – Not involved in any other case – Bail allowed. (P&H HC) Decided on: 27.02.2026

5. Regular bail -- NDPS -- Commercial quantity -- Delay in Trial -- Prolonged Custody : -- Recovery of 45.414 kilograms of ganja from a vehicle owned by the petitioner, concealed inside a gas cylinder lying in the trunk of vehicle – Petitioner apprehended at the spot – Recovery falls within the category of commercial quantity. -- Petitioner in custody for a period of one year and six months – Charges framed on 18.11.2024 – Out of 18 prosecution witnesses, only 3 have been examined till date, resulting in undue delay in the trial. Held, in the absence of substantive evidence directly linking the petitioner to the offence, and considering the inordinate delay in trial, continued custodial detention of the petitioner is not warranted -- Bail allowed. (P&H HC) Decided on: 27.02.2026

6. Production of original document before Rent Controller -- Pendency of other civil proceedings -- Effect -- Petitioner is directed to produce the exchange deed in original before the learned Rent Controller – Whenever the petitioner requires the said document, he may move an appropriate application before the Rent Controller, which shall be allowed subject to a specific undertaking that the document will be re-produced before the Court as and when required -- In case the petitioner requires the document for production before the Civil Court in a suit intended to be filed, a certified copy of the agreement shall be provided to the petitioner. (P&H HC) Decided on: 27.02.2026

7. Regular bail -- Unlawful assembly -- Parity -- Custody period -- Role attributed to the petitioner is that he was allegedly armed with a baseball bat and was part of the unlawful assembly -- No specific injury attributed to him and no firearm injury is stated to have been caused by him rather firearm injuries are attributed to other coaccused -- Petitioner has been in custody since 15.08.2025 and has undergone custody of six months and eight days -- Investigation stands completed and challan has been presented – Co-accused have already been granted bail and the case of the petitioner stands on similar footing inasmuch as no specific injury has been attributed to him – Bail allowed. (P&H HC) Decided on: 27.02.2026

8. Revisional powers – Object -- Where a Civil Court subordinate to the High Court fails to exercise the jurisdiction vested in it, the High Court possesses the power to intervene under Article 227 of the Constitution of India -- This principle ensures that subordinate courts act within their lawful mandate and that parties are not deprived of justice due to inaction or neglect by such courts. (P&H HC) Reserved on: 19.02.2026 Decided on: 27.02.2026

9. Non-appearance of accused -- Cancellation of bail -- Issuance of non-bailable warrants -- Procedural safeguards -- While cancelling the concession of bail, Trial Court straight away proceeded to issue non-bailable warrants: -- Cancellation of bail, in the absence of any misconduct, lack of bona fides, or deliberate evasion of proceedings, amounts to an unjustified restriction on the procedural rights of the accused. -- Issuance of non-bailable warrants must not be mechanical and should be resorted to sparingly, only upon recording cogent reasons demonstrating the necessity of such action -- Primary object of cancellation of bail and forfeiture of bail bonds is to secure the presence of the accused during trial. Petitioner-accused come forward himself to face trial – Impugned order set aside, conditions imposed. (P&H HC) Decided on: 27.02.2026

10. Construction of contract / deed -- If the words in a contract/deed are clear, there is very little the courts must do in the construction of the contract in determining the intention of the parties -- In furtherance of determining the intention, the deed must be read as a whole to ascertain the true meaning of its clauses, and the words of each clause should be interpreted harmoniously -- This intention must be derived directly from the plain and ordinary meaning of the text itself -- Furthermore, these words should be understood exactly as the intended parties would commonly use them -- The covenants must be applied precisely as written, neither diluted into irrelevance nor stretched beyond their original scope -- If the construction of the contract/deed, through its words and context, does not provide the court with the parties’ intention, the court may have regard to the circumstances surrounding its creation and the subject-matter to which it was designed and intended to apply. (SC) Decided on: 26.02.2026

11. Conviction in cheque bounce complaint – Compromise thereafter at revisional stage -- Object and purpose of proceeding initiated under the Act is to provide a compensatory mechanism for expeditious recovery of money and not just punishing the offender, which is a secondary concern – Appellant acquitted, compounding of offence will be subjected to cost of 7.5 % of the cheque amount in question to be deposited with DLSA – Petition allowed, order of conviction and sentence passed by Ld. Trial Court and affirmed by Ld. Appellate Court set aside. (P&H HC) Decided on: 24.02.2026

12. Conviction in cheque bounce complaint -- Compounding of offence -- Settlement between parties -- Acquittal – Parties have voluntarily settled the disputes between themselves -- Impugned judgments of conviction and sentence set aside – Petitioner acquitted of the charge u/s 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act -- Cost of Rs.15,000/- imposed. (P&H HC) Decided on: 24.02.2026

13. Absence in trial -- Cancellation of bail – Non-bailable warrants issued -- Prime object of cancellation of bail and forfeiture of bail bonds is securing the presence of the accused, the petitioner-accused come forward himself to face trial -- No tangible material brought forward to indicate likelihood of the petitioner to interfere with the prosecution evidence -- Petition allowed -- Impugned order as well as all consequential proceedings set-aside – Cost of Rs.5,000/- and conditions imposed. (P&H HC) Decided on: 23.02.2026

14. Attempt to murder -- Regular bail -- Prolonged custody -- Delay in trial -- Successive bail application – Earlier bail application was dismissed on 04.03.2025 -- Chances of conclusion of the trial in the near future are bleak, as not even a single prosecution witness has been examined so far -- Petitioner is in custody for a period of 01 year, 05 months and 18 days – Held, prolonged detention itself is a ground for reconsideration of bail, it generally militates against the most precious fundamental right guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution – Bail allowed. (P&H HC) Decided on: 23.02.2026

15. Contractual engagement of Deputy Advocate Generals (DAGs) and Assistant Advocate Generals (AAGs) -- Entitlement of medical reimbursement, LTC facility and other pensionary benefits including the earned leave -- Doctrine of legitimate expectation : Whether the petitioners, in light of the nature of their duties and conditions of service, can be denied core service benefits solely on the nomenclature of “contractual engagement” ? To restrict their entitlements on the basis of nomenclature alone would be arbitrary, undermine the dignity of the profession, and contravene the principles of equality, consistency, and legitimate expectation inherent in constitutional governance -- Doctrine of legitimate expectation comes into play -- Petitioners as AAG/DAG are performing duties with higher responsibility and quantum of work than the other Law Officers working in various departments of the State Government -- Being deprived of their private practice, the denial of such benefits like LTC, Medical reimbursement and other emoluments tantamount to putting them at discrimination with the Law Officers such as ADAs, DDAs and DAs deputed in Government Departments -- Respondents directed to release benefits like LTC, Medical reimbursement and other benefits/emoluments to the officers appointed as AAG/DAG including the petitioners. (P&H HC) Reserved on 03.12.2025 Decided on: 20.02.2026

16. POCSO – Kidnapping – Regular bail -- Age of victim as 17 years -- Applicants being relatives of the main accused not directly involved, and are stated to have abetted sexual offences, committed by the main accused who is their relative – Considering the nature of the charges framed against the applicants in the case and their continued incarceration since their arrest, without reference to the prosecution evidence, regular bail allowed. (J&K&L HC) Reserved on: 10.02.2026 Decided on: 19.02.2026

17. Abandonment/ Scrapping of selection process – Right to appointment – Power of State -- While it is settled law that mere participation in a selection process does not vest an indefeasible right to appointment, the State’s power to cancel such a process is not absolute and must be grounded in justifiable reasons -- Constitutional Courts, in the exercise of judicial review, are empowered to scrutinize an employer's decision to abandon a recruitment process, particularly when it has reached an advanced stage of conclusion -- If such a decision is found to be arbitrary or lacks a rational nexus with the intended objective, the Court may issue appropriate directions to provide relief. (J&K&L HC) Reserved on: 10.02.2026 Decided on: 19.02.2026

18. Suit for declaration and mandatory injunction – Limitation as preliminary issue – Permissibility -- Findings with respect to the nature of the suit property being ancestral or not, would have a direct bearing upon the adjudication of the issue of limitation -- It would be debatable whether the limitation for filing the suit would be three years as submitted by the petitioner/ defendant as per Articles 58/59 of the Schedule or it would be governed by Articles 109/110 thereof in case the plaintiffs are able to prove themselves to be coparceners besides the suit property in the hands of their father to be of ancestral nature – Trial Court rightly declined the application seeking to treat the issues of limitation and court fee as preliminary issues. (P&H HC) Decided on: 19.02.2026

19. POCSO – Rape – Conviction for 20 years – Appeal -- Suspension of sentence -- Debatable issues would arise, in particular, absence of injuries in the alleged victim’s MLR -- Absence of semen on any of the exhibits of the alleged victim, especially when such exhibits were collected on the day of the alleged occurrence and that prior to their collection, as per the alleged victim’s MLR, she had neither bathed nor washed -- Applicant is a first-time offender who has already undergone actual custody of 07 years, 06 months and 01 day, which includes nearly 04 years after his conviction -- Appeal not likely to be heard in the near future -- Sentence suspended. (P&H HC) Decided on: 18.02.2026

20. Dispute regarding disbursement of compensation -- Reference by Collector -- Non-filing of written statement -- Striking off defence -- Permissibility -- Though there was a lack of due diligence on the part of the petitioner, but the proceedings have not progressed further since the passing of the impugned order -- Upholding the said order would result in serious prejudice to the rights of the petitioner -- Adopting a pragmatic approach rather than a hyper-technical one, the revision petition allowed -- Impugned order set aside, and one effective opportunity granted to the petitioner to file the written statement subject to payment of costs of Rs.30,000/-. (P&H HC) Decided on: 18.02.2026

21. Acquisition of land – Compensation to land-owners -- Execution by land-owner as per compensation given to co-sharer – Execution dismissed merely on the ground that they did not choose to prefer any objection u/s 18 or 28-A of the Land Acquisition Act, 1894, yet filed an execution application based on an award/determination made in favour of their co-sharers in the acquired land -- Impugned order set aside, matter remitted back to the learned Executing Court for fresh adjudication and in case the petitioner(s) is/are found to be cosharers in the acquired land parcels alongwith those who preferred reference u/s 18 or 28-A of the Act, the necessary amount as determined finally alongwith statutory benefits and interest thereupon be released in their favour. Ramphal’s case (2026) Law Today Live Doc. Id. 20854 relied. (P&H HC) Decided on: 17.02.2026

22. Long pendency of suit – Expeditious adjudication -- Revisional jurisdiction -- Revision petition seeking a direction to the learned Court of Civil Judge (Junior Division), to expeditiously adjudicate Civil Suit as almost 11 years have elapsed since the institution of the suit and the matter is still pending – Ld. ACJ (JD) directed to decide the suit at the earliest, preferably within a period of six months. (P&H HC) Decided on: 16.02.2026

23. Airman in Airforce -- Appointment in State Administrative Service – Petitioner participated in the selection process for selection to the J&K Administrative Services and at the time of applying for the same, he had sought permission from the relevant authorities of the Air Force, however, the said permission was rejected on the ground that the post for which he had applied did not fall in Group-A : (J&K&L HC) Reserved on: 06.02.2026 Decided on: 13.02.2026

24. Compensation in motor vehicle accident case – Income tax return – Proof of source of income – Requirements of -- Plea of Insurance Company that the respondent-claimant has proved the income of the deceased by placing on record and proving the Income Tax Return for the relevant year, yet he failed to demonstrate the source of income earned by the deceased – Held, plea taken is without substance and cannot be accepted – Held, neither High Court hearing appeal nor the tribunal could have gone into the source of income of the deceased, which was duly recorded in the ITR filed by her with the Income Tax authorities. (J&K&L HC) Reserved on: 30.01.2026 Decided on: 13.02.2026

25. Service Law -- Regularization -- Long-term Ad hoc/ Contractual Employees – Perennial Nature of Work – State continuing to extract regular work while denying regularization on grounds of lack of sanctioned posts or inability of employee to meet educational qualifications for regular post -- Such an approach would be violative of fundamental rights of the temporary employees enshrined in Article 14, 16 and 21 of the Constitution of India – Temporary employees cannot be forced to bear the brunt of lack of financial resources with the State – Respondents directed to regularize services of petitioners within six weeks, failing which petitioners shall be deemed to be regularized – Petitioners entitled to consequential benefits including counting of past service. (P&H HC) Decided on: 13.02.2026

26. Additional evidence -- Suit for dissolution of partnership firm -- Accounts and records were in the hands of respondent/ defendant No.1 and his chartered accountant – However, while appearing as DW, respondent/ defendant No.1 failed to produce any record – All the records pertaining to the firm are with respondent/ defendant No.2-Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd., as the firm is licencee of respondent/ defendant No.2 – Held, production of records was necessitated on account of denial by respondents/ defendants, therefore, the application for additional evidence cannot be held to be delayed and having not filed after due diligence – Two effective opportunities given subject to cost of Rs.10,000/-. (P&H HC) Decided on: 12.02.2026

27. Ejectment of tenant -- Bonafide need -- Premises alleged to be available to the landlord is situated on the first floor, whereas evidence on record demonstrates that the demised shop is commercially more advantageous and suitable for running a boutique business -- Landlord is the best judge of his or her bona fide requirement -- Tenant or the Rent Controller cannot compel the landlord to adjust in an alternative premises or to reorganize his/ her affairs in a manner suggested by the tenant – Eviction order upheld. (P&H HC) Decided on: 12.02.2026

28. Disciplinary proceedings – Unauthorised absence – Dismissal – Forged Medical certificate -- Doctor appeared and gave a statement/ Ex.P-9 to the effect that the medical certificate in question was not issued by him; that he was not authorized to issue such certificate and Medical Certificate might have been fabricated by using his old letter pad -- Two undisputed signatures of Doctor, one in exhibit P-9 and the other while acknowledging receipt of notice are themselves not identical, though broadly similar -- Signature on the Ex. P-7 Medical Certificate is also not identical though broadly similar to what is in the acknowledgement and what is on Ex. P-9 – Inquiry officer should have referred the matter to a handwriting expert, before recording a finding of fabrication and forgery -- Failure to do so, charge of forgery has not been proved – Dismissal order set aside -- Appellant ordered to be reinstated in service forthwith with all consequential benefits including all arrears of salary and emoluments since the non-employment was not due to the appellant’s fault. (SC) Decided on: 11.02.2026

29. Appeal u/s 74 of 2013 land Acquisition Act – Limitation – Condonation of delay -- Section 74 of the 2013 Act does not bar the application of Section 5 of the 1963 Act -- Consequently, all the applications seeking condonation of delay in preferring the first appeals before the High Courts u/s 74 of the 2013 Act stand allowed -- High Courts shall avoid a pedantic approach as against a pragmatic one in dealing with the applications seeking condonation of delay. (SC) Decided on: 09.02.2026

30. Faulty haircut – Deficiency in service -- Compensation – Prosperous career derailed in Corporate job/ Modelling/ Role in movies – Claim for crores of rupees because of deficiency in service was required to be established -- This could not be established by merely producing photocopies of the documents with discrepancies -- Documents produced along with affidavit of complainant were in the form of photocopies, none of the authors of those documents examined -- Rs.2 Crores compensation cannot be justified – Compensation modified to the extent of Rs. 25 lacs. (SC) Decided on: 06.02.2026

31. Notarised photocopy of POA – Presumption – Secondary evidence -- The 1st Defendant is obligated to follow the procedure for adducing secondary evidence, and thereafter, claim presumption, if any, available to a document so adduced in evidence -- In the absence of an original or at least a secondary evidence, it is impermissible to apply Section 85 of the Indian Evidence Act to conclude the execution and extent of authority given by the plaintiff to the 1st defendant -- Exh. B-2/photocopy is no evidence (SC) Decided on: 06.02.2026

32. Rape -- Promise to marry – Prosecutrix already married – Effect of – Quashing of FIR/ Charge-sheet/ Trial – Complainant is a married lady with a ten years old child -- Divorce proceedings currently pending adjudication between her and her husband -- Such a promise would not be legally enforceable or even capable of being acted upon as the victim herself was not eligible for marriage, neither on the date of the first alleged act of offence nor on any subsequent dates wherein the parties indulged in the sexual activities, till the point of the date of registration of FIR -- Said embargo arises from sub-clause (i) of Section 5 of the Hindu Marriage Act,1955 and sub-clause (i) of Section 4 of the Special Marriage Act, 1954 -- Law prohibits bigamous unions -- Complainant-respondent No.3 is a thirty-three years old woman and an advocate by profession and not a naïve or gullible woman incapable of taking decisions for herself -- Offence alleged against the accused-appellant not made out at all – FIR, the Chargesheet and the consequent proceedings in Session case quashed. (SC) Decided on: 05.02.2026

33. Ejectment of tenant -- Bonafide need – Non-residential building -- Ejectment of tenant on bonafide ground can be made both in case of residential and non-residential building. (P&H HC) Date of Reserve: 22.01.2026 Decided on: 05.02.2026

34. Appointment of Lambardar -- Re-consideration on remand -- Once the case has been remanded back, the Collector will decide as to who is the best candidate for the appointment to the post of Lambardar on the basis of the facts before him without being influenced by any observation made either by the revenue authorities or by High Court. (P&H HC) Decided on: 05.02.2026

35. Appointment of lambardar by authorities -- Interference in -- Once the revenue authorities, on the basis of the record, preferred respondent No.4 to the post of a Lambardar of the village concerned, the same need not to be interfered merely on the basis that the appellant thinks that he is a better suited candidate than respondent No.4. (P&H HC) Decided on: 05.02.2026

36. Zila Basic Shiksha Adhikari -- Samagra Shiksha Scheme -- Shiksha Pariyojna Parishad -- Continuously for over ten years in a row are deemed to be employed permanently -- A fixed honorarium of Rs.7,000/- per month amounts to ‘Begar’ and unfair practice which is violative of Article 23 of the Constitution – Amount enhanced to Rs.17,000/- per month payable. (SC) Decided on: 04.02.2026

37. Consumer -- Purchase of multiple flats – Leasing out the flat -- Whether commercial activity -- Mere factum of leasing out the flat does not, by itself, demonstrate that the appellants purchased the property with the dominant purpose of engaging in commercial activity. (SC) Decided on: 04.02.2026

38. Custody of child -- Paramount consideration is the welfare of the children but nonetheless there are a host of other factors which weigh before the court while passing the final order of custody -- Host of factors may include the conduct of the parties, their financial capacity, their standard of living, as well as the comfort and education of the children. (SC) Decided on: 04.02.2026

39. Appointment of Lambardar – Subsequent ex-parte enquiry – Effect of -- Ld. Single Judge set aside the order only on the ground that there was a false document qua his passing of 7th class submitted by the appellant -- Said opinion is based upon an ex parte inquiry report submitted before the learned Single Judge -- Said ex parte report was obtained, firstly, without associating the appellant and secondly, after the appointment of the appellant as Lambardar -- Reliance upon subsequent fact to change the candidate is not correct. (P&H HC) Decided on: 04.02.2026

40. Appointment of Lambardar – Literate candidate – Requirement of -- Appellant is not literate as he has passed only 6th standard -- Once, under the notification dated 02.06.2008 of the Government of Haryana, the Lambardar should be literate and preferably middle pass; the same has to be followed and candidates are to be adjudged accordingly – Respondent No.4 is 9th pass – Appointment of respondent no. 4 cannot be treated as arbitrary, illegal or perverse to the facts or the law. (P&H HC) Decided on: 03.02.2026

41. Nomination for election to the post of Zila Panchayat Member -- Rejection of nomination -- Judicial interference -- Whether permissible : I. By virtue of the express constitutional embargo contained in Article 243-O of the Constitution of India, the High Court is precluded from exercising jurisdiction under Article 226 of the Constitution where a law enacted by the State Legislature provides for the remedy of an election petition to redress grievances arising during the course of an election. II. The election process cannot be lightly interdicted or stalled at the behest of an individual grievance. The right to contest or question an election being statutory in nature, must be strictly construed and exercised in accordance with the statute governing the field. The High Court must, therefore, eschew the grant of liberal interim reliefs in favour of individuals and instead remain mindful of the overarching public interest in ensuring the smooth and uninterrupted conduct of elections across the State. III. In respect of individual grievances, the ultimate and exclusive remedy lies by way of an election petition. Given the non-obstante nature of Article 243-O of the Constitution, its mandate is required to be adhered to in both letter and spirit. Where the statute provides a complete and efficacious mechanism for redressal, the extraordinary exercise of jurisdiction under Article 226 of the Constitution would defeat the very object for which Article 243-O was enacted as a non-obstante provision. (SC) Decided on: 02.02.2026

42. Preventive detention -- Constitutional and statutory requirements -- Petitioner already on bail in five NDPS cases -- Consideration of bail orders and bail conditions is a mandatory requirement and failure to do so reflects non-application of mind and vitiates the subjective satisfaction of the detaining authority -- No finding as to how the conditions imposed in bail orders by the criminal Courts were inadequate or ineffective to prevent the alleged activities -- Merely describing the petitioner as a “habitual offender” or stating that he is “likely to resume trafficking” is not sufficient in law unless supported by credible and proximate material showing an immediate threat -- Detention order set aside. (P&H HC) Decided on: 30.01.2026

43. Cancellation of Bail – Murder -- Accused not named in the FIR and was arrested subsequently on the basis of the oral dying declaration of the deceased and disclosure statement of the co-accused – Suffered incarceration for about six and a half years when the impugned order was passed by the High Court a year ago -- No allegation that, during this period, accused misused the liberty granted to him -- Considering long pre-trial incarceration of respondent No.2 and the evidence against him, not a case where the discretion of grant of bail exercised by the High Court in favour of respondent No.2 should be interfered. Appeal dismissed. (SC) Decided on: 30.01.2026

44. Retiral benefits – Denial of -- Pension and gratuity are not bounty, but, property and hard earned benefit of the employee – Encashment of earned leave, Unearned leave, Gratuity, constitutes property under Article 300-A of Constitution of India same cannot be withheld without following due process of law -- Third respondent directed to pass appropriate orders with regard to disbursement of admissible benefits viz., General Provident Fund amount, Special Provident Fund, Encashment of Earned Leave and Unearned Leave on Private Affairs to the petitioner within a period of four weeks. (Madras HC) Decided on: 30.01.2026

45. Juvenile – Juvenile/ child in conflict with law – Bail -- Seriousness of the alleged offence or the age of the juvenile are not relevant consideration for denial of bail above 16 years of age -- There is no classification provided in Section 12 of the Act, 2015 with regard to grant of bail -- Section 12 of the Act is applicable to all juveniles in conflict with law without any discrimination of any nature. (Jharkhand HC) Decided on: 30.01.2026

46. Declaration of Surplus land – Non-utilisation of – 1972 Act came into force -- Re-determination of surplus area – State was duty-bound to determine whether the surplus area was liable to be re-determined on account of the existence of any of the conditions enumerated under Section 10-A(b) of 1953 Act -- No such exercise undertaken by the State -- Appeal allowed, competent authority directed to determine whether any of the conditions specified under Section 10-A(b) of 1953 Act had arisen in favour of the landowner prior to the appointed date under the 1972 Act -- If such conditions are found to exist, the surplus area shall be re-determined accordingly under the 1953 Act -- In case none of the conditions specified under Section 10-A(b) are made out, the surplus land shall vest in the State. (P&H HC) Reserved on :04.11.2025 Pronounced on :30.01.2026

47. Divorce -- Permanent alimony of Rs. 15,000/- per month -- Obligation of the husband to ensure that the wife is able to live with dignity does not come to an end merely on the ground that she is educated or has parental support – Post-divorce, the wife is entitled to live a life consistent with the standard of living she was accustomed to during the subsistence of the marriage – Husband has sufficient earning capacity and financial means to pay more than Rs. 15,000/- per month -- On mutual consent amount enhanced to Rs. 30,000/- per month (SC) Decided on: 28.01.2026

48. Cruelty -- Prosecution u/s 498-A should not be initiated in a routine manner and is warranted only where the complaint discloses a coercive dowry demand or life-endangering cruelty, not where the parties are locked in an acrimonious but civilly resolvable conflict over assets or marital breakdown. (P&H HC) Reserved on: 20.01.2026 Decided on: 27.01.2026

49. Murder – Confession statement -- Confession can form a legal basis of a conviction if the Court is satisfied that it was true and was voluntarily made -- Confession allegedly made by the appellants is of no use in bringing home a conviction, especially when there was no corroboration available, of the statements made, from other valid evidence -- Admissions were only that made in the confessional statements, of the death having occurred in the presence of the accused, on the day the deceased was found missing, which is not worthy of acceptance – Conviction set aside. (SC) Decided on: 27.01.2026

50. Cheque bounce complaint – Non-bailable warrants – Anticipatory bail – Maintainability of -- Since the petitioner has been summoned in a bailable offence, therefore, the provisions of Section 482 of BNSS are not attracted -- Petition disposed of -- Petitioner on his surrender before the learned trial Court will be admitted to bail subject to the conditions being imposed upon him by the learned trial Court. (P&H HC) Decided on: 23.01.2026