(261) THE NEW INDIA ASSURANCE COMPANY LIMITED AND OTHERS Vs. M/S LOUIS DREYFUS COMMODITIES INDIA PVT. LTD[SUPREME COURT OF INDIA] 18-08-2026 Insurance Act, 1938 — Section 64VB — Marine Cargo Annual Turnover Policy — Advance payment of premium — Statutory embargo on risk assumption — Insured obtained a Marine Cargo Annual Turnover Policy for INR 1200 Crores, but its actual turnover exceeded the insured limit prior to a fire loss at its freight station — Additional premium to enhance coverage was paid after the incident India Law Library Docid # 2449359
(262) RAJIV CHANDRA JHA Vs. STEEL AUTHORITY OF INDIA LTD. AND OTHERS[SUPREME COURT OF INDIA] 18-08-2026 Service Law — Disciplinary Proceedings — Proof of misconduct — Disagreement by Disciplinary Authority — Appellants terminated for alleged impersonation in examination based solely on CFSL report showing signature variations — Inquiry Officer exonerated appellants — Disciplinary Authority reversed findings ignoring oral testimony of independent witnesses affirming appellants' presence — Held, initial burden on employer was not discharged — CFSL expert or exam invigilator was not examined — Signat India Law Library Docid # 2451789
(263) SHAILENDRA MANI TRIPATHI Vs. UNION OF INDIA AND OTHERS[SUPREME COURT OF INDIA] 18-08-2026 Constitution of India, 1950 — Article 32 — Police Excesses and Right to Peaceful Assembly — Constitution of High-Powered Enquiry Committee — Batch of writ petitions alleged indiscriminate and disproportionate force by security forces against peaceful protestors, including deployment of pellet guns, electric batons, and violence against women. Respondents counter-alleged violence by protestors, injury to police personnel, and damage to public property. Finding a prima facie case for an independen India Law Library Docid # 2451809
(264) LAKKAPPA Vs. RITESH[SUPREME COURT OF INDIA] 18-08-2026 Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881 — Section 138 — Dishonour of cheque — Sentencing and compensation — Balancing punitive severity with financial restitution — High Court set aside simple imprisonment and limited sentence to fine — Cheques were issued towards purchase of agricultural produce, leaving dues unpaid since 2016 — Held, Section 138 provides a regulatory remedy enabling imposition of fine up to twice the cheque amount — Substantial justice requires balancing punitive severity with financ India Law Library Docid # 2451819
(265) PATEL JOSHNABEN PRAVINKUMAR PATEL AND OTHERS Vs. STATE OF GUJARAT AND ANOTHER[SUPREME COURT OF INDIA] 18-08-2026 Penal Code, 1860 (IPC) — Sections 306 and 107 — Abetment of suicide — Essential ingredients — Initiation of legal proceedings — Wife lodged an FIR under Sections 498A/323 IPC against deceased husband and sent a notice for maintenance, following which husband died by suicide — Deceased's brother lodged FIR against wife's parents and brother under Sections 306 and 114 IPC — Held, lodging an FIR or claiming maintenance constitutes exercise of a legal right and does not, per se, amount to instigatin India Law Library Docid # 2451827
(266) RISHI MALHOTRA AND ANOTHER Vs. UNION OF INDIA[SUPREME COURT OF INDIA] 18-08-2026 Constitution of India, 1950 — Articles 14, 21 and 32 — Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 — Section 354(5) — Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 — Section 393(5) — Capital punishment — Mode of execution — Constitutional validity of hanging by the neck — Precedent and stare decisis — Validity of hanging as the sole statutory mode was exhaustively examined and upheld in Deena v. Union of India and affirmed in Shashi Nayar — Principle of stare decisis restricts a two-Judge Bench from departing f India Law Library Docid # 2452229
(267) BALBIR SINGH Vs. STATE OF HIMACHAL PRADESH[SUPREME COURT OF INDIA] 18-08-2026 Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985 — Section 20 — Criminal Procedure Code, 1973 (CrPC) — Section 439 — Regular bail — Conscious possession and delay in trial — Recovery of 1.477 kg charas from vehicle — Chargesheet filed, but trial progressed at a snail's pace with only 6 of 18 witnesses examined — Independent witness (Gram Pradhan) testified that the vehicle was parked and appellant was not seen driving — Prosecution yet to establish conscious possession of contraband at trial India Law Library Docid # 2451731
(268) M/S SANTOSH ASSOCIATE PRIVATE LIMITED Vs. HARYANA STATE INDUSTRIAL AND INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION LTD.[SUPREME COURT OF INDIA] 17-08-2026 Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996 — Sections 16, 37(2) & 18 — Mandatory pre-deposit clause for initiating arbitration — Validity and maintainability of reference — Arbitrator dismissed contractor's claim for failing to deposit 10% of claim amount as pre-deposit per contractual clause — Commercial Court affirmed order relying on S.K. Jain [(2009) 4 SCC 357] — Held, pre-deposit clauses requiring India Law Library Docid # 2449292
(269) UNION OF INDIA Vs. CHIDIEBERE KINGSLEY NAWCHARA AND OTHERS[SUPREME COURT OF INDIA] 17-08-2026 Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985 — Sections 8(c), 21(c), 23(c), 27A, 28, 29 & 37 — Grant and Cancellation of Bail to Foreign National — Non-compliance with statutory conditions and jumping of bail — Held, grant of bail under special statutes like the NDPS Act requires strict compliance with the twin conditions under S. 37(1)(b)(ii) — The court must be satisfied on reasonable grounds that the accused is not guilty and is unlikely to commit any offence while on bail — India Law Library Docid # 2449293
(270) NEPAL SINGH Vs. THE STATE OF MADHYA PRADESH[SUPREME COURT OF INDIA] 17-08-2026 Penal Code, 1860 — Sections 302/149, 324/149, 148 & 147 — Eyewitness testimony — Unreliable and contradictory evidence — Acquittal — Conviction of accused based on testimonies of alleged injured eyewitness (PW-6) and deceased's wife (PW-7) set aside — PW-6 admitted falling unconscious upon the first blow and not personally witnessing his father being struck — PW-7 admitted reaching the spot after the incident occurred, contradicting her examination-in-chief — Their India Law Library Docid # 2449294
(271) THE STATE OF KARNATAKA AND ANOTHER Vs. PRATHIK PARASRAMPURIA[SUPREME COURT OF INDIA] 17-08-2026 Election Law — Electoral Integrity and Free and Fair Elections — Role of Money Power / Black Money — Money power and undeclared/black money used to influence voters strike at the very heart of representative government and compromise the core of a democratic polity — Free and fair elections demand that voters exercise their choice unencumbered by monetary gratification or inducements — The three foundational concepts—democracy, the rule of law, and the electoral process—are India Law Library Docid # 2449295
(272) KESHVENDRA SINGH Vs. SHANKAR SINGH AND ANOTHER[SUPREME COURT OF INDIA] 17-08-2026 U.P. Gangsters and Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act, 1986 — Section 12— Scope & Interpretation — Priority of Proceedings — Section 12 of the Gangsters Act does not operate to freeze, stay, or indefinitely stall trials for predicate/underlying offences (such as murder) pending in other courts until the gangster trial concludes — The true purpose of Section 12 is to provide priority in the India Law Library Docid # 2449296
(273) THE ORIENTAL INSURANCE CO. LTD. Vs. TUNI PATI AND OTHERS[SUPREME COURT OF INDIA] 17-08-2026 Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 — Fraudulent Motor Accident Claims — Investigation and Preventive Measures — Special Investigation Team (SIT) at State level — Supreme Court observed that fraudulent motor accident claims involving fixed patterns and repeated use of the same vehicle in multiple accidents constitute a fraud of enormous proportion, causing undue financial stress on insurance companies and higher premiums for genuine consumers — Fresh direction issued to India Law Library Docid # 2451176
(274) ILABEN Vs. THE STATE OF GUJARAT AND ANOTHER[SUPREME COURT OF INDIA] 17-08-2026 Criminal Procedure Code, 1973 — Section 482 — Quashing of criminal proceedings — Offence of cheating and sexual favors on false promise to marry — Allegations against mother of main accused — Proceedings were initiated alleging that the appellant’s son obtained sexual favors and financial gains on a false promise of marriage with the appellant’s active connivance — Held, the First Information Statement revealed a consensual relationship and contained India Law Library Docid # 2449360
(275) KANAD SAHA Vs. THE STATE OF WEST BENGAL AND OTHERS[SUPREME COURT OF INDIA] 17-08-2026 Criminal Procedure Code, 1973 9CrPC) — Section 482 —Penal Code, 1860 (IPC) — Sections 506, 509, and 34 — Quashing of criminal proceedings — Absence of specific allegations in FIR and Chargesheet — Abuse of process — Second respondent (a advocate) filed a complaint alleging intimidation and abusive language against the appellant, who was a friend of her client (3rd respondent) in a fee dispute — High Court declined to quash, noting that a chargesheet had been filed — Held, the FIR and voluminous India Law Library Docid # 2449361
(276) THE ORIENTAL INSURANCE CO. LTD. Vs. TUNI PATI AND OTHERS[SUPREME COURT OF INDIA] 17-08-2026 Motor Vehicles — Fraudulent Insurance Claims — Pan-India Fraud — Enlargement of Scope — Court took cognizance of a widespread pattern where identical vehicles were falsely depicted as involved in multiple accidents to secure fraudulent claims, causing financial distress to insurers and increased premiums for genuine consumers — Scope of proceedings enlarged to unearth and curb fraudulent insurance claims across the country. India Law Library Docid # 2451755
(277) SIDDARTH JEPH @ SIDDHARTH JEPH @ SIDDHARTH Vs. STATE OF JHARKHAND[SUPREME COURT OF INDIA] 17-08-2026 Criminal Law — Regular Bail — Parity — Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 — Sections 140(2), 140(3), 61(2) — Arms Act, 1959 — Sections 25(1-B)(a), 26, 35 — Appellant was not named in the FIR and was implicated solely based on a co-accused's statement — No Test Identification Parade was conducted by the investigating agency — Three other co-accused, including the sole accused named in the FIR, had already been released on bail — Appellant had been in custody since August 2024 — Considering parity and India Law Library Docid # 2451770
(278) N ASHA DEVI Vs. R ARAVIND KUMAR AND ANOTHER[SUPREME COURT OF INDIA] 17-08-2026 Civil Procedure Code, 1908 (CPC) — Order 7 Rule 11(d) — Rejection of plaint — Bar of limitation — Scope of examination — When deciding an application under Order 7 Rule 11, only the averments in the plaint and documents annexed therewith are germane — Although limitation is ordinarily a mixed question of fact and law, where the plaint averments glaringly and obviously demonstrate that the suit is hopelessly barred by limitation, the court must not hesitate in granting relief by rejecting the pla India Law Library Docid # 2452427
(279) NALIN (YOGESH) JAGANNATH VARMA AND ANOTHER Vs. NARENDRA JAGANNATH VARMA AND OTHERS[SUPREME COURT OF INDIA] 17-08-2026 Contempt of Courts Act, 1971 — Section 2(b) — Civil Procedure Code, 1908 (CPC) — Order 41 Rule 5 and Order 39 Rule 2A — Conditional stay of decree — Maintainability of contempt proceedings — High Court stayed a money decree subject to deposit of decretal amount and costs — Appellants failed to deposit, leading to contempt proceedings — Held, deposit was a condition attached to stay, not an independent direction — Non-compliance merely renders the stay inoperative or vacated, entitling decree-hol India Law Library Docid # 2451728
(280) SAMEEM BEGUM AND OTHERS Vs. K. VENKAT SWAMY AND ANOTHER[SUPREME COURT OF INDIA] 14-08-2026 Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 — Section 166(1)(c) — Claim for compensation — Maintainability of claim by legal representatives — Expression "legal representative" includes major children irrespective of complete financial dependency — Liability to pay compensation does not cease due to absence of dependency — Legal representatives entitled to maintain claim petition and seek compensation under conventional heads. India Law Library Docid # 2449020