Keeping Pace with Legal Change
A major milestone was when Enforcement Directorate recalled a summons issued to Senior Advocate Pratap Venugopal on the ground of supposed irregularities in the ESOP allocation by Care Health Insurance Ltd. The move highlights the provision of security to protesters the section 132 of the Bhartiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023.
NLU Jodhpur maintains a 25% domicile quota for Rajasthan students for 2025 admissions, upheld by the High Court. This reservation, common among NLUs, aims to balance national excellence with local educational access, impacting CLAT cutoffs significantly for in-state and out-of-state candidates.
Advocate Chandra Sen Yadav has filed a review petition in the Supreme Court challenging its May 20 judgment reinstating a mandatory three-year legal practice requirement for civil judge (junior division) exams. The petition argues this rule violates Articles 14 (equality) and 16 (equal opportunity in public employment) of the Indian Constitution, disproportionately excluding recent graduates who prepared under prior eligibility criteria.
Recently, the Madhya Pradesh High Court discussed whether or not evidence that was collected unlawfully might be admitted into court in cases involving marital conflicts. It found that WhatsApp communications, even if they were purportedly obtained without authorization, are admissible in Family Courts if they are significant. This decision upheld Section 14 of the Family Courts Act, which relaxes rigorous evidentiary requirements for the sake of effective conflict settlement.
In a classic case, the Supreme Court set aside criminal cases against distant relatives, who had been falsely dragged into a dowry harassment case. The ruling adds strength to the point that general and lackluster claims of criminality are not sufficient to allow trial that will weaken innocent family members against the frivolous use of the law.
In this case, the Supreme Court struck down a penalty imposed on a senior retired Assistant Engineer, Ram Prakash Singh, under Rule 27 of Tripura Administrative Services Rules on procedural lapse and violation of due process, leaving it clear that departmental inquiry is subject to strict adherence to due process which entails production of evidence, timely conclusions and fair hearing opportunities.
The Supreme Court set aside the rejection of Maharana Pratap Singh on basis of denial of due process, broad allegations and absence of fair inquiry. It gave rewards to compensation, stating that the, due process, and following natural justice is an imperative in departmental exercises of discipline.
The Supreme Court in this case clarified that a person not party to a document is not obligated to seek its cancellation. It restored the plaintiff’s title based on a valid gift deed, setting aside the High Court’s erroneous interpretation of Section 31 and 34 of the Specific Relief Act, 1963.
The Supreme court in a landmark decision dissolved the marriage of a couple who had been separated for more than ten years saying irretrievable breakdown was a valid ground to grant divorce under Article 142 of the Constitution. The case shows that the Court, as an arm of the constitution, has the right to give full justice when there is no statute on the matter.
In Chellammal & Anr. V. State of Tamil Nadu (2025), the Supreme Court reviews the fundamentals of jurisprudence regarding sentencing, which lacks a mention of the legal obligation imposed on the courts to seek probation. The case enriches our knowledge of Section 498A IPC and the Probation of offenders Act 1958.
