(161) PADAM KUMAR PURWAR AND OTHERS Vs. STATE OF UTTAR PRADESH ETC.[SUPREME COURT OF INDIA] 18-03-2026 Constitution of India, 1950 — Article 142 — Dissolution of marriage by mutual consent and quashing of pending proceedings — Parties entered into a Settlement Agreement, fully complying with its terms for dissolution of marriage by mutual consent — Supreme Court exercised jurisdiction under Article 142 to do complete justice by dissolving the marriage and quashing all pending legal proceedings between the parties, as per the terms of the settlement agreement. [Paras 3, 7 to 11] India Law Library Docid # 2441604
(162) KISHORE BARKU GAIKWAD Vs. ASHA SHANKAR GAIKWAD AND ANOTHER ETC.[SUPREME COURT OF INDIA] 18-03-2026 Criminal Procedure Code, 1973 (CrPC) — Bail — Grant of bail by High Court after Supreme Court's refusal — High Court lacks jurisdiction to grant bail on same grounds if Supreme Court has already rejected bail application "for the present", unless there is a material change in circumstances — Re-agitation of same grounds undermines consistency and certainty in justice administration and amounts to forum India Law Library Docid # 2441606
(163) MOHAMMAD KALEEM Vs. STATE OF UTTAR PRADESH AND OTHERS[SUPREME COURT OF INDIA] 17-03-2026 Criminal Procedure Code, 1973 (CrPC) — Section 319 — Summoning additional accused — Trial Court rejected application to summon additional accused — High Court set aside order and directed summoning — Supreme Court found Trial Court applied stricter standard than necessary — Trial Court erred in isolating inconsistencies and not considering cumulative weight of evidence — Supreme Court held testimony of complainant and India Law Library Docid # 2440805
(164) SHARLA BAZLIEL Vs. BALDEV THAKUR AND OTHERS[SUPREME COURT OF INDIA] 17-03-2026 Criminal Procedure Code, 1973 — Section 482 — Quashing of FIR — High Court quashed FIR during investigation based on speculation and without awaiting forensic report on alleged forged documents — Such action is unjustified and premature, especially when allegations of forgery and fraud are made and expert examination is underway. India Law Library Docid # 2440806
(165) CHARAN PREET SINGH Vs. MUNICIPAL CORPORATION CHANDIGARH AND OTHERS[SUPREME COURT OF INDIA] 17-03-2026 Constitution of India, 1950 — Article 31B and Ninth Schedule — Immunity from judicial review — Laws placed in Ninth Schedule are not absolutely immune from judicial review merely on the ground of violation of fundamental rights, as they are subject to the test of basic structure of the Constitution. India Law Library Docid # 2440807
(166) UNION OF INDIA Vs. PRAKASH INDUSTRIES LIMITED AND ANOTHER[SUPREME COURT OF INDIA] 17-03-2026 Coal Allocation and Supply — Dispute regarding supply of coal and compensation for wrongfully suspended supply — Supreme Court clarified that Union of India and SECL were obligated to supply coal at the current price/prevalent policy as of either April 9, 2014, or May 17, 2019, and gave the choice to the Respondent/PIL to select India Law Library Docid # 2440808
(167) SUBRAMANI Vs. STATE OF KARNATAKA[SUPREME COURT OF INDIA] 17-03-2026 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 India Law Library Docid # 2440809
(168) CANARA BANK OVERSEAS BRANCH REP. BY SENIOR MANAGER Vs. ARCHEAN INDUSTRIES PRIVATE LIMITED AND ANOTHER[SUPREME COURT OF INDIA] 17-03-2026 Contract Act, 1872 — Section 126 — Guarantee — Corporate Guarantee — Defendant No.1 executed a written undertaking (Corporate Guarantee) to pay a sum of USD 100,000 — This constituted a valid guarantee, not just a freight payment arrangement — Liability of surety is co-extensive with principal debtor. India Law Library Docid # 2440810
(169) HAMSAANANDINI NANDURI Vs. UNION OF INDIA AND OTHERS[SUPREME COURT OF INDIA] 17-03-2026 Maternity Benefit Act, 1961 — Section 5(4) as amended by Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Act, 2017, now Section 60(4) of the Code on Social Security, 2020 — Challenge to the validity of the age limit of three months for adopted children — Held, the age limit is discriminatory and violative of Articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution — The distinction between adopting a child below three months and above three months is artificial India Law Library Docid # 2440811
(170) SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE BOARD OF INDIA Vs. TERRASCOPE VENTURES LIMITED ETC[SUPREME COURT OF INDIA] 17-03-2026 Securities and Exchange Board of India Act, 1992 — Section 15Z — Appeal to Supreme Court against SAT order setting aside Adjudicating Officer's order imposing penalties for violation of SEBI (Prohibition of Fraudulent and Unfair Trade Practices Relating to Securities Market) Regulations, 2003 and Securities Contracts (Regulation) Act, 1956 — Held, diversion of funds from preferential issue was in violation of Regulations and detrimental to investors — SAT's reversal of AO's order based on shareh India Law Library Docid # 2440812
(171) NIKULBHAI CHOTABHAI PATEL Vs. STATE OF GUJARAT[GUJARAT HIGH COURT] 17-03-2026 Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (BNSS) — Section 482 — Anticipatory Bail — Applicant sought anticipatory bail alleging delay in FIR lodging, civil nature of dispute, death of main accused, and lack of concrete evidence linking applicant — Court considered factors including nature of accusation, delay, death of co-accused, non-production of evidence and previous rejected petition — While acknowledging India Law Library Docid # 2440815
(172) KAUSHIK PANJA AND OTHERS Vs. THE STATE OF WEST BENGAL AND ANOTHER[CALCUTTA HIGH COURT] 17-03-2026 Bharatiya Nagarik Surakhsha Sanhita, 2023 (BNSS) — Section 175(3) — Scope of Magistrate's inquiry before directing police investigation — Before directing an investigation, a Magistrate must exercise sound judicial discretion and follow a structured procedure — This includes verifying prior approaches to the police and Superintendent of Police, ensuring the application is supported by an affidavit, India Law Library Docid # 2440816
(173) BIJAYALAXMI OJHA Vs. STATE OF ODISHA AND OTHERS[ORISSA HIGH COURT] 17-03-2026 Land Allotment — Legitimate Expectation — Petitioner allotted a residential plot and subsequently occupied an adjacent unused patch of land belonging to the Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) for over 22 years — The BDA issued an advertisement in 2020 for the disposal of such leftover lands to contiguous plot India Law Library Docid # 2440817
(174) THE STATE OF JHARKHAND AND OTHERS Vs. NABIN NARAYAN AND OTHERS[JHARKHAND HIGH COURT] 17-03-2026 Jharkhand Pension Rules, 2000 – Rule 139 – Power to reduce pension – Can only be exercised if the entire service record of the pensioner is found to be unsatisfactory or if there is proof of grave misconduct – A single instance of irregularity is not sufficient to deem the entire service unsatisfactory. India Law Library Docid # 2440818
(175) PADMAJA KUMARI PARMAR Vs. LAKSHYARAJ SINGH MEWAR AND OTHERS[DELHI HIGH COURT] 17-03-2026 Indian Succession Act, 1925 — Section 278 — Petition for Letters of Administration on intestacy — Maintainability — Petitioner seeking Letters of Administration on intestacy despite acknowledging existence of a Will — Petition dismissed — Validity of a testamentary instrument to be adjudicated in proceedings India Law Library Docid # 2440821
(176) VISHVJEET AND OTHERS Vs. STATE OF UTTAR PRADESH AND ANOTHER[SUPREME COURT OF INDIA] 17-03-2026 Constitution of India, 1950 — Article 32 — Writ Petition (Criminal) — Fundamental Rights — Personal Liberty — Denial of bail and curtailment of liberty for over two months for an incident that did not warrant such severe action is unjustified and violates Article 21 of the Constitution — Extraordinary writ India Law Library Docid # 2440928
(177) YOGESH PREMJIBHAI SUVARIYA AND ANOTHER Vs. STATE OF GUJARAT AND ANOTHER[GUJARAT HIGH COURT] 17-03-2026 Penal Code, 1860 (IPC) — Sections 406 and 420 — Criminal breach of trust and cheating — For an offence under Section 406, there must be an entrustment of property — A contract for sale and purchase of property for consideration does not amount to entrustment — Prima facie, Section 406 was not made out. India Law Library Docid # 2440889
(178) STATE OF GUJARAT Vs. RANUBHAI DHUDABHAI MENIYA AND OTHERS[GUJARAT HIGH COURT] 17-03-2026 Criminal Procedure Code, 1973 (CrPC) — Section 378 — Appeal against acquittal — Appellate court’s powers in an appeal against acquittal are extensive, but should give proper weight to the Trial Court's view, especially regarding witness credibility and the presumption of innocence in favor of the accused — Interference is warranted only if the India Law Library Docid # 2440890
(179) RAVI K.S. Vs. STATE OF MAHARASHTRA[BOMBAY HIGH COURT] 17-03-2026 Indian Forest Act, 1927 — Section 41, 52(1), 52(2), 61-A, 61-C, 61-D, 69 — Forest produce transit without valid pass — Confiscation of vehicle and produce — Petitioners transporting red sanders logs in a vehicle, transport pass expired during transit — Vehicle intercepted, property marks on logs did not match permit — Authorities confiscated vehicle and produce — Lower courts upheld confiscation — India Law Library Docid # 2441151
(180) ICICI SECURITIES LTD. Vs. RIDHI SIDDHI INVESTMENT AND ANOTHER[BOMBAY HIGH COURT] 17-03-2026 Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996 — Section 34 — Challenge to arbitral award — Majority award treated statement of defence as counterclaim and awarded compensation — Petitioner argued that no counterclaim was filed and hence no award could be made — Court found that both parties labored under a misconception that Conciliator's report 'awarded' a claim, leading to proceedings being initiated based on India Law Library Docid # 2441156