(161) MUNU SEN Vs. THE STATE OF CHHATTISGARH[SUPREME COURT OF INDIA] 29-07-2026 Penal Code, 1860 (IPC) — Section 302 — Murder — Conviction based solely on "last seen" theory — Impermissibility — Absence of corroborative incriminating circumstances — Conviction for murder cannot be sustained merely on the basis of the "last seen" theory in the absence of any other incriminating circumstance — Where the testimony of witnesses relied upon to establish the last seen theory lacks India Law Library Docid # 2448454
(162) SOHAN LAL (SINCE DECEASED) REPRESENTED BY HIS LEGAL REPRESENTATIVES AND OTHERS Vs. STATE OF RAJASTHAN AND OTHERS[RAJASTHAN HIGH COURT (JAIPUR BENCH)] 29-07-2026 Land Acquisition Act, 1953 — Proceedings against a deceased person — Notification under Section 4 issued in the name of a deceased person does not automatically vitiate acquisition proceedings if legal heirs had knowledge and participated — The object of Section 4 is to inform interested parties, which was achieved as heirs filed objections and participated. India Law Library Docid # 2448463
(163) POORAN SINGH AND OTHERS Vs. STATE OF RAJASTHAN AND OTHERS[RAJASTHAN HIGH COURT (JAIPUR BENCH)] 29-07-2026 Rajasthan Tenancy Act, 1955 — Section 42 — Transfer of tenancy rights — A decree declaring khatedari rights, which results in divesting a Scheduled Caste member of their rights and conferring them upon a non-Scheduled Caste person, constitutes a transfer prohibited by Section 42 — Such a decree is void and unenforceable, regardless of the India Law Library Docid # 2448464
(164) NIRMALA DEVI Vs. STATE OF H.P. AND OTHERS[HIMACHAL PRADESH HIGH COURT] 29-07-2026 Advocates Act, 1961 — Sections 29, 32, and 33 — Right to Practice vs. Power of Court to Permit Appearance — Unenrolled Non-Advocate — Unauthenticated Power of Attorney — Appellant challenged dismissal of writ petition and denial of permission under Section 32 of Advocates Act, 1961, for an unenrolled non-advocate power-of-attorney holder to appear and argue — Held, Sections 29 and 33 reserve the practice of law exclusively for enrolled advocates — A natural person may argue their own case, but India Law Library Docid # 2448549
(165) RAMSAJEEVAN VERMA Vs. THE STATE OF MADHYA PRADESH AND OTHERS[MADHYA PRADESH HIGH COURT] 29-07-2026 Constitution of India, 1950 — Article 226 — Writ Jurisdiction — Delay and Laches — Entitlement to Benefits Based on Orders Obtained by Diligent Litigants — Petitioner approached High Court five years post-retirement seeking pay parity with similarly situated employees based on earlier judicial pronouncements — Fence-sitters cannot be permitted to wake up from slumber and take advantage of orders secured by diligent litigants after India Law Library Docid # 2448794
(166) SMT. RAMSHREE (DELETED) THROUGH LRS MAMTA BARAIYA Vs. CENTRAL WAREHOUSING CORPORATION AND OTHERS[MADHYA PRADESH HIGH COURT (GWALIOR BENCH)] 29-07-2026 Central Warehousing Corporation (Staff) Regulations, 1986 — Regulation 21(ii) — Premature / Compulsory Retirement — Non-consideration of Entire Service Record — Public Interest — Validity of Order — Primary purpose of premature retirement is to weed out dead wood, inefficient, or corrupt employees, or those of doubtful integrity — Order of compulsory retirement must be founded on objective consideration of the entire service India Law Library Docid # 2448795
(167) SUSHIL KUMAR PATHAK Vs. THE STATE OF MADHYA PRADESH AND OTHERS[MADHYA PRADESH HIGH COURT] 29-07-2026 Constitution of India, 1950 — Article 226 — Delay and Laches — Equal Pay for Equal Work — Claim by Fence-Sitters — Petitioner approached the High Court nearly six years after retirement seeking higher pay scale at par with the post of Amin on the basis of judgments obtained by other diligent employees — Held, fence-sitters who remain dormant cannot wake up from slumber and take advantage of orders passed in favour of diligent India Law Library Docid # 2448796
(168) GWALIOR DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY GWALIOR AND OTHERS Vs. KALPANA SHARMA AND OTHERS[MADHYA PRADESH HIGH COURT (GWALIOR BENCH)] 29-07-2026 Public Contracts and Tenders — Tender/Auction Process — Forfeiture of Security Deposit / Earnest Money Deposit (EMD) — Clerical or Human Error in Bid Entry — Respondent/bidder submitted an online bid of Rs. 3,38,05,555/- against an offset price of Rs. 29,94,750/- (alleging an intended bid of Rs. 38,05,555/-) and sought withdrawal and refund of security deposit (Rs. 2,95,750/-) after the bids were opened and accepted — Learned Single India Law Library Docid # 2448797
(169) ASHOK KUMAR SAXENA Vs. THE STATE OF MADHYA PRADESH AND OTHERS[MADHYA PRADESH HIGH COURT] 29-07-2026 Constitution of India, 1950 — Article 226 — Delay and Laches — Equal Pay for Equal Work — Claim by Fence-Sitters — Petitioner, a retired Time Keeper, approached the High Court several years post-retirement seeking pay parity and revised pay scales equivalent to the post of Amin from 01.04.1982 onwards based on judgments obtained by diligent co-employees (A.L. Thakur) — Held, litigants cannot wake up from slumber and take advantage India Law Library Docid # 2448855
(170) VINOD KUMAR PRAJAPATI Vs. THE STATE OF MADHYA PRADESH AND OTHERS[MADHYA PRADESH HIGH COURT (GWALIOR BENCH)] 29-07-2026 Constitution of India, 1950 — Article 226 — Departmental Inquiry — Challenge to Disagreement Order and Initiation of Inquiry — Maintainability and Prematurity — Petitioner (Sub-Inspector of Police) challenged the order dated 06.05.2026 passed by the Inspector General of Police (Respondent No. 3), which recorded reasons for disagreement with the Superintendent of Police's opinion accepting the petitioner's reply as satisfactory and directed India Law Library Docid # 2448856
(171) JAGDISH Vs. THE STATE OF MADHYA PRADESH[MADHYA PRADESH HIGH COURT] 29-07-2026 Penal Code, 1860 (IPC) — Sections 366 and 376(2)(n) — Rape and Abduction of Adult Female — Voluntary Companionship and Consent — Evidentiary Value of Conduct — Appellant was convicted by Trial Court under Sections 366 and 376(2)(n) IPC while being acquitted of charges under POCSO Act upon a finding that the victim was a major — Prosecutrix admitted in cross-examination that she stayed with the appellant for eight days in India Law Library Docid # 2448857
(172) KHALIL PASHA AND OTHERS Vs. ABDUL RASHEED AND ANOTHER[SUPREME COURT OF INDIA] 28-07-2026 Criminal Procedure Code, 1973 — Sections 401(4), 372 proviso, 378 — Revision at instance of victim against acquittal — Maintainability — After insertion of proviso to S. 372 by Act 5 of 2009 conferring victim a statutory right of appeal against acquittal without need for special leave, no revision is maintainable at victim's instance where such appellate remedy is available — Section 401(4) bars revision India Law Library Docid # 2448195
(173) MUMBAI PORT AUTHORITY Vs. NATIONAL COMMISSION FOR SCHEDULED CASTE AND OTHERS[SUPREME COURT OF INDIA] 28-07-2026 Constitution of India, 1950 — Article 338(5)(b), (8) — National Commission for Scheduled Castes — Nature of powers — NCSC's power to inquire into deprivation of "rights and safeguards" of Scheduled Castes is recommendatory/advisory and not adjudicatory — Civil court powers under clause (8) (summoning witnesses, India Law Library Docid # 2448196
(174) STATE OF U.P. AND OTHERS Vs. ZAFAR ALI AND OTHERS[SUPREME COURT OF INDIA] 28-07-2026 U.P. Excise (Settlement of Licences for Retail Sale of Country Liquor) Rules, 2002 — Rules 14, 15 — Minimum Guaranteed Quota (MGQ) — Annual vs monthly compliance — Where a licensee has lifted the entire annual MGQ, penalty cannot be levied for isolated monthly shortfall by ignoring the "credit balance" of licence fee earned through excess lifting in prior months — Definition of "licence fee" under R.2(m), being equal to duty on annual MGQ, does not support demand based solely India Law Library Docid # 2448197
(175) AKEEL AZHAR @ RINKU Vs. STATE (NCT OF DELHI)[DELHI HIGH COURT] 28-07-2026 Penal Code, 1860 (IPC) — Sections 376(2), 323, 506(1); POCSO Act, 2012 — Section 6 — Sole testimony of child victim — Corroboration — Conviction for aggravated penetrative sexual assault upheld on the consistent, cogent testimony of the child victims, corroborated by medical evidence — Non-support by the youngest child witness does not dilute the credibility of the other victims — Sole testimony of prosecutrix, if trustworthy, suffices for conviction; India Law Library Docid # 2448210
(176) THE NEW INDIA ASSURANCE CO. LTD. Vs. ATIKURRAHAMAN LAIS MOHAMMAD AND OTHERS[BOMBAY HIGH COURT] 28-07-2026 Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 — Section 147 — "Use of the motor vehicle" — Meaning — Phrase not restricted to a vehicle in motion but includes passive use for purposes connected with its movement — Repairs are an integral part of a vehicle's movement from one place to another — A vehicle stationed at a workshop/garage for repair is a vehicle "in use" — Restrictive interpretation of "use" impermissible while India Law Library Docid # 2448305
(177) NAHAR BUILDERS LTD. (FORMERLY KNOWN AS M/S. NAHAR ENTERPRISES) AND OTHERS Vs. ORCHID ENCLAVE CO-OPERATIVE HOUSING SOCIETY LTD. AND OTHERS[BOMBAY HIGH COURT] 28-07-2026 Maharashtra Ownership Flats Act, 1963 — Deemed Conveyance — Effect of consent decree — Jurisdiction of Competent Authority under Section 11(3) — Mere execution of consent terms/consent decree between promoter and flat purchasers' society does not divest the Competent Authority of jurisdiction under Section 11(3) of MOFA to grant unilateral deemed conveyance. Occurrence of "failure" by the India Law Library Docid # 2448306
(178) M/S. JASRAJ RESTAURANTS PVT. LTD. AND OTHERS Vs. STATE OF MAHARASHTRA AND OTHERS[BOMBAY HIGH COURT] 28-07-2026 Securitisation and Reconstruction of Financial Assets and Enforcement of Security Interest Act, 2002 (SARFAESI) — Sections 13(4) and 14 — Locus standi of auction purchaser to file writ petition for possession — Auction purchaser, having deposited entire consideration and obtained registered sale certificate, held entitled to invoke writ jurisdiction seeking implementation of Magistrate's order under S.14, notwithstanding objection that only secured creditor can maintain such petition — India Law Library Docid # 2448307
(179) SALMAN ABDUL LATIF MADAR Vs. THE STATE OF MAHARASHTRA AND OTHERS[BOMBAY HIGH COURT] 28-07-2026 Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957 — Section 15 — Maharashtra Land Revenue Code, 1966 — Section 48(9) — Minor minerals — Whether Gitti, Metal Stone, Grit Powder constitute minor mineral "stone" — Held, "stone" as notified minor mineral is wide enough to include Gitti, Metal Stone and Grit Powder produced by crushing stone boulders, crushing thereof not creating a new India Law Library Docid # 2448308
(180) BINOD AGARWAL Vs. STATE OF MAHARASHTRA, THR. COMMISSIONER OF RESPONDENTS POLICE AND OTHERS[BOMBAY HIGH COURT] 28-07-2026 Contempt of Courts Act, 1971 — Section 2(b) — Civil contempt — Prerequisite of a prior judicial finding of disobedience — Sine qua non for civil contempt is wilful disobedience of a judgment, decree, direction, order, writ or other process of a Court — Mere allegations of illegal police action, without any prior order of a competent Court determining or adjudicating upon the correctness of such allegations, do not India Law Library Docid # 2448309