(261) THE GOVT OF AP., HOME DEPT., & 2 OTHERS AND OTHERS Vs. MV DURGA RAO 3 OTHERS AND OTHERS[ANDHRA PRADESH HIGH COURT] 22-09-2026 Service Law — Andhra Pradesh Police Subordinate Service Rules, 1996 — Rules 15(a) and 15(c) — Seniority — Mode of Recruitment — Direct recruitment versus Appointment by transfer — Reserve Sub-Inspectors/Armed Reserve Constables selected as Sub-Inspectors/Constables (Civil) through direct recruitment — Claim for counting past service rendered in Armed Reserve towards seniority in Civil police — Held, Rule 15(c) protecting past service applies solely to appointments made by transfer — Where an in- India Law Library Docid # 2453973
(262) DAMERA KISHORE AND ANOTHER Vs. THE STATE OF ANDHRA PRADESH AND ANOTHER[ANDHRA PRADESH HIGH COURT] 22-09-2026 Criminal Procedure Code, 1973 (CrPC) — Section 482 — Inherent powers to quash proceedings — Scope and ambit — Power to quash criminal proceedings must be exercised sparingly, with circumspection, and in the rarest of rare cases — Court must proceed on the basis of allegations in the complaint and charge sheet without embarking upon an inquiry into their reliability or truthfulness — Extraordinary or inherent powers do not confer arbitrary jurisdiction — High Court in exercise of inherent jurisdi India Law Library Docid # 2453975
(263) S. MEERAJ AHAMMED AND OTHERS Vs. THE STATE OF ANDHRA PRADESH AND ANOTHER[ANDHRA PRADESH HIGH COURT] 22-09-2026 Criminal Procedure Code, 1973 (CrPC) — Section 482 — Penal Code, 1860 (IPC) — Sections 420, 447, 427 read with Section 34 — Quashing of criminal proceedings — Pendency of civil proceedings — Maintainability of criminal prosecution — Petitioners contended that the dispute regarding title and possession of property was civil in nature and civil suits were pending — Held, mere pendency of civil proceedings does not warrant quashing where the allegations prima facie disclose cognizable offences — A India Law Library Docid # 2453976
(264) ERICHERLA MOJESH Vs. THE STATE OF ANDHRA PRADESH[ANDHRA PRADESH HIGH COURT] 22-09-2026 Evidence Act, 1872 — Section 106 — Circumstantial Evidence — Last seen theory and burden of proof — Accused and deceased resided together in a shared room — Witness last saw deceased alive in accused's company during an altercation on the previous night — Deceased found dead the next morning with fatal head injuries and accused absconded for several days — Accused offered no explanation regarding how deceased suffered homicidal death inside the shared room — Subsequent telephonic admission of qu India Law Library Docid # 2453977
(265) NAREBOINA NARASIMHA RAO Vs. THE STATE OF AP[ANDHRA PRADESH HIGH COURT] 22-09-2026 Service Law — Promotion — Denial of promotion on ground of alleged irregularity in initial appointment — Village Revenue Assistant — Petitioner appointed in 2011 and worked continuously — In 2020, petitioner fell within zone of consideration for promotion to Village Revenue Officer Grade-II — Respondents withheld promotion and issued show-cause notices citing initial appointment violated VRA Service Rules — Held, no objection was raised regarding appointment for over a decade — Belatedly questio India Law Library Docid # 2453978
(266) M. YESAIAH AND OTHERS Vs. THE CHIEF SECRETARY, UNION OF INDIA AND OTHERS[ANDHRA PRADESH HIGH COURT] 22-09-2026 Constitution of India, 1950 — Article 226 — Service Law — Regularization of service — Engagement under Central Scheme — Petitioners engaged as "Gopalamithras" under the National Project on Cattle and Bovine Breeding sought regularization as Animal Husbandry Assistants — Held, regularisation or permanent absorption cannot be directed under Article 226 unless the appointment was made against sanctioned vacant posts through an open competitive recruitment process in accordance with statutory rules India Law Library Docid # 2453979
(267) SUDEEP Vs. STATE OF KARNATAKA[KARNATAKA HIGH COURT] 22-09-2026 Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 — Section 483 — Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 — Sections 310(4) and 310(5) — Regular Bail — Criminal Antecedents — Accused arrested for alleged assembly and preparation to commit dacoity while armed with weapons — State highlighted petitioner's involvement in earlier criminal cases — Held, pendency of earlier criminal cases wherein accused was granted bail cannot operate as the sole ground to reject regular bail if accused is otherwise entitled to relief India Law Library Docid # 2454069
(268) BASAVARAJU AND OTHERS Vs. AKKUR POLICE STATION AND ANOTHER[KARNATAKA HIGH COURT] 22-09-2026 Criminal Procedure Code, 1973 (CrPC) — Section 482 — Quashing of charge-sheet and proceedings — Offences under Sections 341, 323, 504, 506 read with Section 34 of IPC — Civil dispute given criminal colour — Parties entangled in dispute over immovable property — Earlier complaint on same incident was closed as non-cognizable — Impugned complaint lodged after an unexplained inordinate delay of ten months as a counterblast — Allegations were omnibus without attributing specific overt acts — Crimina India Law Library Docid # 2454070
(269) GIRIJAMMA SHEDTHI AND ANOTHER Vs. HERIYAKKA AND OTHERS[KARNATAKA HIGH COURT] 22-09-2026 Karnataka Land Reforms Rules, 1974 — Rule 17(8) and Rule 16 — Signing of order by Tribunal members — Mandatory requirement — Quorum under Rule 16 enables the Land Tribunal to transact business, but it does not dispense with the separate and mandatory requirement under Rule 17(8) that the final order must be signed by the Chairman and all members who heard the matter. The failure of any participating member or Secretary to sign the final order is not a mere technical or procedural irregularity, b India Law Library Docid # 2454104
(270) BIJU Vs. STATE OF KERALA[KERALA HIGH COURT] 22-09-2026 Criminal Procedure Code, 1973 (CrPC) — Sections 386, 397 and 401 — Powers of Appellate Court — Suo motu revision in appeal filed by accused — High Court cannot suo motu exercise revisional jurisdiction to enhance sentence or convict on another charge in an appeal filed solely by the accused, in the absence of an appeal or revision by the State or victim. The High Court, however, possesses the power to set aside the conviction and sentence, acquit the accused, reduce the sentence, or order a retr India Law Library Docid # 2454238
(271) ALEYAMMA CHACKO AND ANOTHER Vs. STATE OF KERALA REPRESENTED BY ITS SECRETARY AND OTHERS[KERALA HIGH COURT] 22-09-2026 Kerala Land Assignment Rules, 1964 — Rule 2(d) & Rule 8(1) — Kerala Government Land Assignment Act, 1960 — Section 8 — Conflict between Assignment Order and Patta — Condition against alienation — Striking off condition in Patta without authentication has no legal effect, as conditions in the Assignment Order prevail over Patta. Assignment Order prohibited alienation for 10 years. Assignee transferred land within 10 years to his married, employed daughter. Held, a non-dependent daughter does not India Law Library Docid # 2454242
(272) SANJU Vs. STATE OF KERALA[KERALA HIGH COURT] 22-09-2026 Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 — Section 14A — Penal Code, 1860 (IPC) — Sections 326A, 307 and 153 — Second regular bail application — Change in circumstances — Appellant sought regular bail for the second time following dismissal of earlier application confirmed by the High Court and Supreme Court — Alibi contention withdrawn after verifying the exact time of the offence — Accused was in custody for only ten months and supplementary final report h India Law Library Docid # 2454252
(273) SREE SUBRAHMANIA KSHETERA SEVA SAMITHI AND ANOTHER Vs. UNNIKRISHNAN M AND OTHERS[KERALA HIGH COURT] 22-09-2026 Civil Procedure Code, 1908 (CPC) — Section 100 — Doctrine of Merger — Execution of Decree — Statutory Second Appeal dismissed as not pressed — Applicability of merger — Judgment debtor challenged execution of mandatory injunction decree contending that dismissal of Second Appeal as "not pressed" without adjudication on merits did not merge the lower appellate decree — Held, when a party avails a statutory remedy under Section 100 CPC and gets it dismissed as not pressed, it amounts to an affirma India Law Library Docid # 2454257
(274) SHAN BABY AND ANOTHER Vs. ROSHNY SHAN[KERALA HIGH COURT] 22-09-2026 Evidence Act, 1872 — Section 3 and Section 114 — Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023 — Section 2(1)(j) and Section 119 — Standard of proof in matrimonial claims — Preponderance of probabilities — Judicial notice and presumptions — Proof does not require rigid mathematical demonstration, but such evidence as induces a prudent person to act upon the supposition of a fact's existence — While assessing oral evidence regarding entrustment, courts can apply intelligent reasoning and draw permissive infe India Law Library Docid # 2454259
(275) KUNAL YADAV AND OTHERS Vs. MANAN KUMAR MISHRA AND OTHERS[DELHI HIGH COURT] 21-09-2026 Constitution of India, 1950 — Article 226 — Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (BNSS) — Writ of Mandamus for registration of FIR and investigation — Maintainability — Availability of alternate efficacious remedy — Petitioners approached High Court seeking directions to CBI to register FIR and investigate alleged assault without exhausting statutory procedure — Held, extraordinary writ jurisdiction is discretionary and governed by self-imposed restrictions — Exhaustion of statutory remedies India Law Library Docid # 2452932
(276) BAJAJ ALLIANZ GENERAL INSURANCE COMPANY LIMITED Vs. UMA DEVI AND OTHERS[HIMACHAL PRADESH HIGH COURT] 21-09-2026 Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 — Section 173 — Practice and Procedure — New plea in appeal — Maintainability — Appellant-Insurance Company contended for the first time in appeal that the accident occurred due to rash and negligent driving of the deceased while under the influence of liquor — Held, it is a settled position of law that parties cannot urge new facts or grounds in appeal that were never raised before the Tribunal below — In the absence of any averment or contention in its written r India Law Library Docid # 2453051
(277) UT OF J&K AND OTHERS Vs. RAMESHWAR DUTT AND OTHERS[JAMMU AND KASHMIR AND LADAKH HIGH COURT AT JAMMU] 21-09-2026 Service Law — Regularisation — Ad-hoc or temporary employment — Utilization of services for over three decades — Parity with similarly situated employees — Respondent was appointed on ad-hoc basis as Junior Assistant in 1993 along with two others performing identical duties — Co-appointees were granted regular service benefits, whereas Respondent was kept ad-hoc and disengaged after nearly thirty years — Held, while prolonged ad-hoc service does not automatically confer a right to regular India Law Library Docid # 2453054
(278) DR. ABDUL HAMID MIR Vs. UT OF JAMMU AND KASHMIR AND OTHERS[JAMMU AND KASHMIR AND LADAKH HIGH COURT AT JAMMU] 21-09-2026 Service Law — Alteration of date of birth — Principles of natural justice — Recovery of salary for overstayed service — Petitioner's date of birth in newly reconstructed service book was recorded as 27.03.1949 instead of 27.03.1947 — Based on Vigilance report, Government deemed petitioner superannuated retrospectively from 31.03.2005 and ordered refund of salary drawn for overstay period — Tribunal dismissed petitioner's challenge — Held, orders passed without issuing show-cause notice or India Law Library Docid # 2453055
(279) BIOSTADT INDIA LTD. Vs. UNION OF INDIA AND OTHERS[JAMMU AND KASHMIR AND LADAKH HIGH COURT AT JAMMU] 21-09-2026 Central Excise Act, 1944 — Refund of Education Cess — Exemption Notification No. 56/2002-CE — Subsequent overruling of precedent — Assessee was granted refund following SRD Nutrients, which was later declared per incuriam in Unicorn Industries — Revenue sought recovery of refunded cess — Held, refunds that stood settled on the basis of the law prevailing at the relevant time are not recoverable merely because the earlier precedent was subsequently overruled — A change in legal position ca India Law Library Docid # 2453056
(280) SITA DEVI Vs. THE STATE OF BIHAR AND OTHERS[PATNA HIGH COURT] 21-09-2026 Bihar Panchayat Raj Act, 2006 — Section 70(4) — Removal of Adhyaksha — No-confidence motion — Statutory procedure and majority threshold — Elected members submitted a requisition for a special meeting, which was rejected by the petitioner-Adhyaksha — District Magistrate acted within jurisdiction in convening the special meeting within the stipulated period — Resolution of no-confidence was validly passed by a majority of the elected members — Section 70(4) requires support of more than half of t India Law Library Docid # 2453127