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The Delhi High Court has ruled that a show-cause notice issued under Section 20(3) of the Comptroller and Auditor General’s (CAG) Act cannot be challenged at the initial stage, holding that BSES Rajdhani Power Ltd. (BRPL) and BSES Yamuna Power Ltd. (BYPL) must first submit their objections before seeking judicial intervention. The Court observed that a notice proposing a CAG audit does not determine any legal rights or liabilities and is only the beginning of the statutory pr

The Delhi High Court has held that government-owned companies cannot suspend or debar businesses from participating in future tenders without first providing them an opportunity to be heard. The Court ruled that such actions have serious civil and commercial consequences and must comply with the principles of natural justice. A Division Bench of Justice Tejas Karia and Justice Madhu Jain delivered the judgment while partly allowing a petition filed by Grew Energy Private Limi

The Bombay High Court has dismissed a review application filed by an LL.M. student of Maharashtra National Law University, holding that review proceedings cannot be used as a substitute for an appeal. The Court observed that the student was merely attempting to reopen issues already decided in her earlier writ petition challenging the university’s attendance requirements. A Division Bench comprising Justice Vibha Kankanwadi and Justice Ajit B. Kadethankar was hearing the plea

California has filed a lawsuit against the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), accusing the federal government of unlawfully interfering with the state’s authority to enforce its own environmental and vehicle emission standards. The dispute centers on four Clean Air Act waivers previously granted to California, which allow the state to adopt stricter pollution and greenhouse gas emission regulations than those required under federal law. Last week, the EPA submitted the

The Patna High Court has restored long-standing land records in Katihar district, holding that the State cannot cancel a person's jamabandi through summary proceedings without issuing notice or providing an opportunity of hearing. The Court emphasised that property rights recognised for decades cannot be taken away by administrative action alone. Justice Sourendra Pandey allowed a writ petition filed by Sunita Rani Sah after finding that the authorities had cancelled Jamaband

The Madhya Pradesh High Court has ruled that women who migrate to Madhya Pradesh after marriage cannot claim OBC reservation benefits in State government employment solely on the basis of caste certificates issued by authorities in other States. The Court held that such candidates must obtain a caste certificate from the competent authority in Madhya Pradesh before seeking reservation benefits. Justice Vishal Dhagat delivered the judgment while dismissing a petition filed by

The Karnataka High Court has held that a private individual cannot directly maintain a criminal contempt petition without first obtaining the written consent of the Advocate General, as required under the Contempt of Courts Act, 1971. In the absence of such consent, the petition can only be treated as information placed before the Court for considering whether suo motu contempt proceedings should be initiated. A Division Bench of Justice Anu Sivaraman and Justice Venkatesh Na

The Bombay High Court has held that the doctrine of constructive res judicata applies even to writ petitions filed under Article 226 of the Constitution, preventing litigants from repeatedly raising issues that were already decided or could have been raised in earlier proceedings. A Division Bench of Justice G.S. Kulkarni and Justice Aarti Sathe dismissed a writ petition filed by Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL), which challenged the levy and recovery of octroi/exp

A US federal judge has ruled that the Trump administration unlawfully created a voter verification database that collected and shared the personal information of American citizens, finding that the system violated several federal privacy and administrative laws. The case concerned changes made to the federal Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) database following Executive Order 14248 issued by President Donald Trump. The administration modified the system to

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has proposed a comprehensive framework to regulate the use of artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and automated decision-making systems in the financial sector, making banks and non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) fully accountable for outcomes generated by such technologies. In its draft Guidance on Regulatory Principles for Model Risk Management, 2026, the RBI has clarified that regulated entities cannot avoid responsibil

The Madhya Pradesh High Court has ruled that a bank account cannot remain frozen indefinitely merely on the basis of communications from investigating agencies. While granting relief to a private company, the Court directed IDFC First Bank to unfreeze its account and simultaneously safeguard the disputed amount through fixed deposits. Justice Subodh Abhyankar passed the order in a petition filed by Dekain Perfect Tech Ksolution Private Limited, which challenged the lien place

The Patna High Court has strongly criticised the Bihar Government for attempting to cancel longstanding land records through summary proceedings, describing the action as “autocratical” and beyond the jurisdiction of revenue authorities. Justice Sourendra Pandey was hearing a petition filed by Krishna Kumar Goenka, whose rent receipts had suddenly been stopped despite being regularly issued for nearly six decades. The petitioner argued that the land was covered by a longstand

The Bombay High Court has held that a Gram Panchayat cannot arbitrarily withdraw from a settlement agreement merely because elected representatives later change their position. The Court observed that public interest and village welfare cannot be left to the whims and fancies of a Sarpanch or other elected officials. A Division Bench of Justice G.S. Kulkarni and Justice Aarti Sathe was hearing a petition filed by Weikfield Agro Products Ltd., which challenged property tax dem

A federal judge in the United States has dismissed a lawsuit filed by the Trump administration challenging Los Angeles’ sanctuary city policy, marking a significant legal victory for the city. The decision was announced by Los Angeles City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto, who said the ruling reaffirmed the authority of local governments to decide how their resources and personnel are used. The case was dismissed by US District Judge Fernando Olguin, who rejected the federal gov

The Karnataka High Court recently reaffirmed a fundamental principle of criminal justice while refusing to cancel the bail granted to several accused persons in the Renukaswamy murder case. The Court emphasized that personal liberty cannot be curtailed merely because a case has attracted widespread public attention or involves well-known personalities. The State had approached the High Court seeking cancellation of bail orders passed by the trial court. It argued that the gra

The Gujarat High Court has reiterated that a complainant in a cheque dishonour case under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act is also a “victim” under criminal law and therefore has the right to challenge an acquittal before the Sessions Court under Section 372 of the Criminal Procedure Code. Justice Hemant M. Prachchhak was hearing an appeal filed by a complainant against a trial court judgment acquitting the accused in a cheque bounce case. The Court noted that th

The Kerala High Court recently dismissed a writ petition arising from an unusual dispute between two neighbours over a coconut tree situated on one neighbour’s property. While deciding the matter, Justice P.V. Kunhikrishnan adopted a light-hearted yet meaningful approach, observing that if the coconut tree had the ability to laugh, it would probably laugh at the neighbours fighting over its existence. The petitioner had approached several authorities, including the Panchayat,

The Madhya Pradesh High Court has ruled that a retired government employee’s pension cannot be reduced unless authorities first establish serious misconduct through a lawful process and record clear reasons for imposing such a penalty. The case involved a retired Executive Engineer of the Water Resources Department whose pension was reduced by 5% for three years following a departmental inquiry into alleged irregularities during his service. Challenging the punishment, the re

A UK court has sentenced two men to prison for carrying out surveillance activities against Hong Kong pro-democracy activists living in the United Kingdom and passing information to authorities linked to Hong Kong. The case was heard at the Central Criminal Court, commonly known as the Old Bailey. Justice Cheema-Grubb imposed prison sentences of ten years and eight years on Chung Biu Yuen and Chi Leung Wai respectively. The court found that the pair had gathered information o

The Gujarat High Court has ruled that a mere phone conversation between an advocate and his client cannot be treated as evidence of criminal conspiracy in the absence of independent material establishing an unlawful agreement. The Court quashed an FIR against advocate Mohammad Bilal Gulam Rasul Kagazi, who had been accused of conspiring in an assault case registered in Surat. The prosecution alleged that the advocate had threatened the complainant at the Surat District Court