(61) KUM. PRABHAVATHI ADENNAVAR Vs. THE STATE OF KARNATAKA[KARNATAKA HIGH COURT] 18-03-2026 Karnatka Civil Services (Appointment on Compassionate Grounds) Rules, 1996 — Rule 3(2) and Rule 5 — Amendment of Rules — Application for compassionate appointment by a certified guardian of minor children after death of both employee and spouse — Initial application rejected as per unamended rule — Subsequently appointed as guardian and rules amended to include certified guardian eligibility — Delay in filing application beyond prescribed period — Supreme Court decisions in N.C. Santosh v. State India Law Library Docid # 2441143
(62) MRS.KANIMOZHI AND OTHERS Vs. THE INSPECTOR OF POLICE UTHAMAPALAYAM POLICE STATION THENI DISTRICT[MADRAS HIGH COURT (MADURAI BENCH)] 18-03-2026 Criminal Procedure Code, 1973 (CrPC) — Section 156(3) — Application for registration of FIR — Requirement of affidavit — While an affidavit is generally advisable to ensure applicant responsibility, absence of an affidavit in an application under Section 156(3) Cr.P.C. is a procedural irregularity, not a fatal flaw that renders the Magistrate's order illegal or without jurisdiction — Supreme Court clarifications India Law Library Docid # 2441144
(63) ROZINA FIROZ HAJIANI AND OTHERS Vs. UNION OF INDIA[BOMBAY HIGH COURT] 18-03-2026 Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016 (IBC) – Securitisation and Reconstruction of Financial Assets and Enforcement of Security Interest Act, 2002 (Securitisation Act) – Misuse of IBC provisions by chronic defaulters to frustrate secured creditors and auction purchasers – Borrowers/guarantors initiating collusive proceedings under IBC after auction sale and issuance of sale certificate – Triggers moratorium under Section 96 IBC, bringing steps under Securitisation Act to a standstill. India Law Library Docid # 2441155
(64) BAIJNATH GANJHU Vs. UNION OF INDIA[JHARKHAND HIGH COURT] 18-03-2026 Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 (UAPA) — Section 43-D(5) — Bail — Rigors of Section 43-D(5) of UAPA — While statutory restrictions against bail are present, constitutional courts can grant bail if fundamental rights (like speedy trial) are violated — Delay in trial, if it leads to prolonged incarceration, can warrant bail — Section 43-D(5) is a possible ground for refusing bail but not the sole metric, India Law Library Docid # 2441166
(65) M/S. GAGAN ACE DEVELOPERS AND ANOTHER Vs. M/S. CHOICE AND OTHERS[BOMBAY HIGH COURT] 18-03-2026 Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996 — Section 36 — Stay of operation of arbitral award — Application for stay of award under Section 34 of the Act — Court has discretion to grant stay subject to conditions — Court to have due regard to provisions of CPC for stay of money decree — Unconditional stay only if prima facie case of fraud or corruption is made out — Where no such case, principles for stay of money decree apply India Law Library Docid # 2441105
(66) CORINNA VALENTINA D'SOUZA AND OTHERS Vs. UNION OF INDIA THROUGH THE GENERAL MANAGER, WESTERN RAILWAY[BOMBAY HIGH COURT] 18-03-2026 Railway Claims Tribunal Act, 1987 — Sections 124A, 124 — Untoward Incident vs —Trespassing — Application for compensation for death — Deceased was on his way to work and possessed a first-class season ticket — Wife's un-rebutted testimony established deceased's travel routine — Absence of eyewitness to the actual incident or boarding the train does not automatically prove trespass — If the deceased was hit by a moving train, India Law Library Docid # 2441106
(67) DR. ANU VERMA Vs. THE SECRETARY, MINISTRY OF HOME AFFAIRS AND OTHERS[BOMBAY HIGH COURT] 18-03-2026 Constitution of India, 1950 — Article 14 — Principle of fairness and transparency in public administration requires that all entries in the Annual Confidential Report (ACR) of a public servant must be communicated to him within a reasonable period —Non-communication of any entry, whether poor, fair, average, good, or very good, is arbitrary and violates Article 14 of the Constitution —This ensures that the employee has an India Law Library Docid # 2441107
(68) SAHAKAR GLOBAL LTD Vs. THE STATE OF MADHYA PRADESH AND OTHERS[MADHYA PRADESH HIGH COURT] 18-03-2026 Administrative Law — Cancellation of tender process — Public interest — High Court upheld the decision of the tender inviting authority to nullify the tender process, finding it to be reasonable and in larger public interest — The cancellation was based on the observation that the successful bidders in the current tender had also been successful bidders in a previous tender for the same blocks, where they had quoted significantly higher rates — After surrendering their previous contracts, they India Law Library Docid # 2441199
(69) M/S JAYSHRI GAYTRI FOOD PRODUCTS PVT LTD. Vs. DIRECTORATE OF ENFORCEMENT[MADHYA PRADESH HIGH COURT] 18-03-2026 Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA) — Section 3 — Proceedings under PMLA — Dependency on scheduled offence — ECIR held not to be FIR but an internal document of Enforcement Directorate — validity of ECIR not to be tested on same parameters as FIR — Directorate entitled to act on material from multiple sources India Law Library Docid # 2441200
(70) OM PRAKASH SHARMA Vs. STATE OF UTTARAKHAND AND OTHERS[UTTARAKHAND HIGH COURT] 18-03-2026 Public Interest Litigation (PIL) — Adjudication of — Previous writ petition filed by the temple itself, seeking similar relief, has already been disposed of by the court on the basis of undertaking given by the Development Authority that the main temple building would not be disturbed — Subsequent PIL, praying for similar relief, is thus not maintainable as the issue has already been decided and the same apprehension expressed India Law Library Docid # 2441236
(71) GO DIGIT GENERAL INSURANCE COMPANY LIMITED Vs. SMT. C. RANEELA AND OTHERS[TELANGANA HIGH COURT] 18-03-2026 Employees' Compensation Act, 1923 — Section 2(1)(dd) — Definition of "employee" held to be wide and includes persons engaged on temporary or casual basis if the work is connected with the employer's trade or business — Evidence of deceased being engaged in loading and unloading goods onto a vehicle for transportation, which is directly connected to the trade of the vehicle owner, establishes them as employees under the Act, India Law Library Docid # 2441455
(72) SMT. N. SAROJA Vs. ASSISTANT COMMISSIONER OF INCOME TAX, CENTRAL CIRCLE-II, TIRUCHIRAPALLI[MADRAS HIGH COURT] 18-03-2026 Income Tax Act, 1961 — Section 132(4) and (4A) — Presumption from loose sheets — Loose sheets with entries of monetary transactions are considered trustworthy if corroborated, especially when the assessee is in the habit of making contemporaneous business records — The onus is on the assessee to disprove these entries — Vague denial India Law Library Docid # 2441548
(73) NIKULBHAI CHOTABHAI PATEL Vs. STATE OF GUJARAT[GUJARAT HIGH COURT] 17-03-2026 Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (BNSS) — Section 482 — Anticipatory Bail — Applicant sought anticipatory bail alleging delay in FIR lodging, civil nature of dispute, death of main accused, and lack of concrete evidence linking applicant — Court considered factors including nature of accusation, delay, death of co-accused, non-production of evidence and previous rejected petition — While acknowledging India Law Library Docid # 2440815
(74) KAUSHIK PANJA AND OTHERS Vs. THE STATE OF WEST BENGAL AND ANOTHER[CALCUTTA HIGH COURT] 17-03-2026 Bharatiya Nagarik Surakhsha Sanhita, 2023 (BNSS) — Section 175(3) — Scope of Magistrate's inquiry before directing police investigation — Before directing an investigation, a Magistrate must exercise sound judicial discretion and follow a structured procedure — This includes verifying prior approaches to the police and Superintendent of Police, ensuring the application is supported by an affidavit, India Law Library Docid # 2440816
(75) BIJAYALAXMI OJHA Vs. STATE OF ODISHA AND OTHERS[ORISSA HIGH COURT] 17-03-2026 Land Allotment — Legitimate Expectation — Petitioner allotted a residential plot and subsequently occupied an adjacent unused patch of land belonging to the Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) for over 22 years — The BDA issued an advertisement in 2020 for the disposal of such leftover lands to contiguous plot India Law Library Docid # 2440817
(76) THE STATE OF JHARKHAND AND OTHERS Vs. NABIN NARAYAN AND OTHERS[JHARKHAND HIGH COURT] 17-03-2026 Jharkhand Pension Rules, 2000 – Rule 139 – Power to reduce pension – Can only be exercised if the entire service record of the pensioner is found to be unsatisfactory or if there is proof of grave misconduct – A single instance of irregularity is not sufficient to deem the entire service unsatisfactory. India Law Library Docid # 2440818
(77) PADMAJA KUMARI PARMAR Vs. LAKSHYARAJ SINGH MEWAR AND OTHERS[DELHI HIGH COURT] 17-03-2026 Indian Succession Act, 1925 — Section 278 — Petition for Letters of Administration on intestacy — Maintainability — Petitioner seeking Letters of Administration on intestacy despite acknowledging existence of a Will — Petition dismissed — Validity of a testamentary instrument to be adjudicated in proceedings India Law Library Docid # 2440821
(78) YOGESH PREMJIBHAI SUVARIYA AND ANOTHER Vs. STATE OF GUJARAT AND ANOTHER[GUJARAT HIGH COURT] 17-03-2026 Penal Code, 1860 (IPC) — Sections 406 and 420 — Criminal breach of trust and cheating — For an offence under Section 406, there must be an entrustment of property — A contract for sale and purchase of property for consideration does not amount to entrustment — Prima facie, Section 406 was not made out. India Law Library Docid # 2440889
(79) STATE OF GUJARAT Vs. RANUBHAI DHUDABHAI MENIYA AND OTHERS[GUJARAT HIGH COURT] 17-03-2026 Criminal Procedure Code, 1973 (CrPC) — Section 378 — Appeal against acquittal — Appellate court’s powers in an appeal against acquittal are extensive, but should give proper weight to the Trial Court's view, especially regarding witness credibility and the presumption of innocence in favor of the accused — Interference is warranted only if the India Law Library Docid # 2440890
(80) RAVI K.S. Vs. STATE OF MAHARASHTRA[BOMBAY HIGH COURT] 17-03-2026 Indian Forest Act, 1927 — Section 41, 52(1), 52(2), 61-A, 61-C, 61-D, 69 — Forest produce transit without valid pass — Confiscation of vehicle and produce — Petitioners transporting red sanders logs in a vehicle, transport pass expired during transit — Vehicle intercepted, property marks on logs did not match permit — Authorities confiscated vehicle and produce — Lower courts upheld confiscation — India Law Library Docid # 2441151