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The Supreme Court in 2025: Deference, technicality and the retreat from rights
From citizenship and reservation to encounter accountability, privacy, environmental protection and minority rights, the Court's most contentious judgments of 2025 reveal an increasing preference for institutional deference and procedural compliance over substantive constitutional justice
CJP Team -
Second Case in a Month: Another minor alleges torture in Gujarat police custody, cop and sanitation worker booked
A viral video showing a sanitation worker pulling out a Muslim minor’s hair as a police constable records and laughs has triggered outrage in Gujarat. This is the second case of alleged custodial torture of a minor in the state within a month, exposing systemic patterns of impunity, cruelty, and disregard for juvenile protection laws
SC acquits two men accused of rape of a minor; terms the case an example of shabby and lacklustre investigation
Acquitting two accused of gang rape due to a poor prosecutorial case and poor collection of evidence, the outcome in Putai vs. State of Uttar Pradesh means a double tragedy, failure of justice and closure to the minor victim and her family
CJP files complaint to Maharashtra DGP, SP Jalgaon over police participation in communal rally amid Suleman Pathan lynching probe
CJP Team -
Citizens for Justice and Peace demands disciplinary action against Jamner police officers seen marching with Shiv Pratisthan Hindustan — the same outfit linked to the accused in Suleman Pathan’s lynching, calling it a grave breach of constitutional neutrality and investigative integrity
Violence & Sanatan Dharma: Now suspended lawyer defends shoe attack on CJI Gavai, claims it was a protest against ‘bulldozer’ remark”
71-year-old lawyer who hurled shoe at CJI B.R. Gavai during live SC hearing defends the act as protest against ‘insult to Dharma’ and attributes his angst at the CJI’s recent remark in Mauritius — claims divine guidance, expresses no regret post-release; gets publicity from pro-government media channels
Liberty, Evidence and Cooperation: A legal analysis of Jugraj v. State of Punjab
The judgment in Jugraj is a textbook application of the Sibbia doctrine: Faced with a classic scenario Section 438 was designed to address: an individual facing arrest based on weak, potentially inadmissible evidence; by looking past the State's procedural objections to the substantive merits, the Court exercised its wide discretion to protect the appellant's liberty
A Proposal on Collegium Resolutions: Towards a single comprehensive format
This article calls for a uniform, enduring format for collegium resolutions as this is not merely a procedural plea but a constitutional necessity
SC fines Uttarakhand Election Commission Rs. 2 Lakh for flouting voter roll rules
Supreme Court raps Uttarakhand State Election Commission for defying settled legal provisions on voter rolls, slaps Rs. 2 lakh costs for allowing nominations despite duplicate entries, “You can’t override the law with a clarification,” observed the top court sternly
Calcutta High Court quashes arbitrary deportation, orders return of West Bengal families from Bangladesh
In two significant rulings, Justices Tapabrata Chakraborty and Reetobroto Kumar Mitra castigated Delhi Police and FRRO authorities for acting “in hot haste” and violating Articles 14, 20(3), and 21, directing the Union to repatriate the deported citizens within four weeks
Detention not explained away by visitation: Gauhati HC questions state on justification for continued detention of Majibur Rehman and Abdul Sheikh
CJP Team -
Bench rejects State’s claim that petitions are “served” after granting visitation rights; final hearing on legality of detention set for October 14
Free speech, even in bad taste, is protected if no incitement to violence: HP HC
Himachal Pradesh HC grants bail in Farooq Ahmad v. State, reaffirming that free speech, though in bad taste, is protected if it doesn't incite violence or disturb public peace.
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