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The Bombay High Court has referred an important legal question to a Larger Bench regarding whether landlords can seek condonation of delay when filing revision petitions under the Maharashtra Rent Control Act, 1999 after the prescribed 90-day limitation period has expired. The issue arose in a case filed by a retired Lieutenant Colonel whose eviction application against a tenant had been dismissed by the Competent Authority. Although the officer subsequently challenged that d

The Trump administration has told a federal court that a proposed $1.7 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund,” which became the subject of multiple legal challenges, will not be created, arguing that the lawsuits against the plan have therefore become unnecessary. In a court filing submitted by the US Department of Justice, government lawyers stated that comments made by Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche before Congress on June 2 are legally binding and confirm that the propose

The Allahabad High Court has held that a man who was kept in preventive custody for eight days under Sections 170, 126 and 135 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) was illegally detained and is entitled to ₹2 lakh compensation. The Court also expressed serious concern over the manner in which preventive detention powers are being exercised in Uttar Pradesh's police commissionerates, observing that thousands of individuals have been sent to jail under preventive pr

The Madras High Court has reaffirmed that the existence of a Dargah or shrine by itself does not automatically convert a property into waqf property. Setting aside a decision of the Tamil Nadu Waqf Board appointing a Mutawalli for a Chennai Dargah, the Court held that waqf status must be established strictly in accordance with the requirements of the Waqf Act and cannot rest merely on religious use or long-standing belief. Justice K. Govindarajan Thilakavadi delivered the rul

The United Nations has issued a stark warning that the worsening condition of the world's oceans is emerging as one of the greatest challenges facing humanity, with far-reaching consequences for climate stability, food supplies, biodiversity and public well-being. The warning comes as scientists report accelerating damage to marine ecosystems caused by climate change and unsustainable human activities. According to the UN, the coming decade will be critical for reversing the

The Kerala High Court has held that when a partition suit involves multiple immovable properties located in different jurisdictions, the presence of even one property or a part of any property within a court’s territorial limits is sufficient to confer jurisdiction under Section 17 of the Code of Civil Procedure (CPC). A Division Bench comprising Justices Sathish Ninan and P. Krishna Kumar dismissed an appeal challenging a preliminary partition decree and clarified the interp

The Madhya Pradesh High Court has held that a municipal authority cannot arbitrarily revoke a validly granted building permission after a property owner has substantially altered their position and invested significant resources in construction, unless there is proof of fraud or misrepresentation. The ruling came in Smt. Manju Chawla and Others v. Indore Municipal Corporation, where Justice Jai Kumar Pillai quashed the revocation of building permission and subsequent demoliti

The Karnataka High Court has held that merely reproducing the language of a statute in a provisional attachment order under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA), without demonstrating independent application of mind, is insufficient to satisfy the legal requirements of the Act. The ruling came in Jayamma v. Directorate of Enforcement, where Justice S. Sunil Dutt Yadav set aside a provisional attachment order issued by the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) against

The Kerala High Court has held that an accused cannot be convicted under Section 324 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) in the absence of a specific charge when the original charge was under Section 332 IPC, as Section 324 is not a “minor offence” of Section 332 within the meaning of Section 222 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC). The ruling came in Babu Avarachan v. State of Kerala, decided by Justice Jobin Sebastian. The case arose from a 2005 incident in which a police c

A federal court in the United States has invalidated a Trump administration policy that imposed a $100,000 fee on employers seeking H-1B visas for foreign skilled workers. The ruling marks a significant development in the ongoing legal debate over the limits of presidential authority in immigration matters. The decision was delivered by Judge Leo Sorkin of the US District Court for the District of Massachusetts while hearing a challenge brought by a coalition of Democratic st

The Kerala High Court has held that worshippers or next friends can maintain a suit on behalf of a temple deity when trustees act against the interests of the idol and fail to safeguard temple property. The Court clarified that while recovery of possession may not ordinarily be granted directly to a worshipper, courts are empowered to mould and restructure reliefs to protect the interests of the deity. The ruling came in a long-running dispute concerning properties belonging

The Madras High Court has declared DMK leader M. Appavu as the rightful winner of the 2016 Radhapuram Assembly election, nearly ten years after the poll was conducted. The Court set aside the election of AIADMK candidate I.S. Inbadurai and held that Appavu had in fact won by 103 votes after a judicial re-verification of postal ballots and counting records. Justice G. Jayachandran strongly criticised the prolonged delay in resolving election disputes, observing that statutory

The Kerala High Court has held that the availability of remedies under the Co-operative Societies Act does not prevent depositors and other creditors from seeking relief under the Consumer Protection Act. The Court observed that consumer remedies are additional in nature and remain available even when another statutory mechanism exists for recovery. The ruling came in a dispute involving a co-operative bank that failed to repay fixed deposits worth ₹5 lakh to a depositor desp

The Himachal Pradesh High Court has held that an Executive Magistrate is empowered under Section 147 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) to prohibit interference with a recognised right of user over land and, where necessary, direct the removal of obstructions. The Court clarified that such powers can be exercised when a dispute concerning the use of land is likely to cause a breach of peace. The ruling came in a case where villagers complained that two landowners had bl

The Madhya Pradesh High Court has dismissed a petition challenging operational guidelines issued under the TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyan, holding that demanding work schedules prescribed for radiographers cannot be termed arbitrary merely because they require intensive fieldwork. The petition was filed by Pragatisheel Radiographers Sangh, Madhya Pradesh, which challenged guidelines governing the use of ultraportable handheld X-ray devices for community-based tuberculosis screening.

The Madras High Court has issued significant directions aimed at ensuring the speedy disposal of applications filed under Section 14 of the SARFAESI Act, 2002. The Court clarified that Chief Metropolitan Magistrates, Chief Judicial Magistrates, and District Magistrates exercising powers under Section 14 perform only ministerial functions and cannot adjudicate disputes involving borrowers, guarantors, tenants, third parties, or secured creditors. The ruling came in a petition

The Madhya Pradesh High Court has directed authorities to release compensation worth ₹3.35 crore to landowners whose property was acquired for a National Highway project, holding that bureaucratic delays cannot be used to deny citizens the benefits guaranteed under the Constitution. A division bench of Justices Anand Pathak and B.P. Sharma passed the order while hearing a petition filed by Smt. Shanti Singh and other landowners from Shahdol district. Their land was acquired a

The Allahabad High Court has quashed proceedings initiated under the Uttar Pradesh Gangsters and Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act against a Ghaziabad family, holding that the allegations arose from private financial and property disputes and did not establish the existence of an organised criminal gang as required under the law. In a judgment delivered on June 3, Justice Vinod Diwakar set aside the Gangsters Act case registered against Rajendra Tyagi, his son Deepak Ty

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, has called for the immediate removal of recent United States sanctions targeting Cuba, warning that the measures are contributing to a worsening humanitarian situation across the island nation. According to a statement issued on June 9, the combined impact of fuel restrictions and expanded sector-wide sanctions has severely disrupted essential services in Cuba. Türk noted that fuel shortages have become so ac

The Kerala High Court has held that courts cannot ordinarily invoke their inherent jurisdiction under Section 151 of the Code of Civil Procedure (CPC) to decide questions relating to the custody or return of documents when specific statutory provisions already govern the matter. The Court clarified, however, that inherent powers may still be exercised in rare and exceptional circumstances where intervention is necessary to prevent abuse of the judicial process or avert manife