(941) MR. H.K. LAKSHMAN GOWDA Vs. STATE OF KARNATAKA AND OTHERS[KARNATAKA HIGH COURT] 21-04-2026 Mines and Geology Rules, 1994 — Rule 8(5)(iii) and Rule 3(2) — Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 — Section 2 — Withdrawal of No Objection Certificate (NOC) — Lease granted based on erroneous NOC — Quarrying operations stopped due to withdrawal of NOC after a decade of operation — Court held that while an NOC is required for granting a lease, its withdrawal does not automatically permit the State to India Law Library Docid # 2443522
(942) SURENDRA KUMAR Vs. STATE OF BIHAR[PATNA HIGH COURT] 21-04-2026 Penal Code, 1860 (IPC) — Sections 364 and 498-A — Kidnapping/Abduction with intent to murder and Cruelty by husband — Prosecution failed to prove charges beyond reasonable doubt — Acquittal of Appellant. India Law Library Docid # 2443682
(943) SHANKAR KUMAR JHA Vs. THE STATE OF BIHAR AND OTHERS[PATNA HIGH COURT] 21-04-2026 Bihar C.C.A Rules, 2005 — Rule 17(5)(c), 17(16) and 18(3) — Departmental proceeding — Violation of rules — Charge memo issued, but no Presenting Officer appointed — Enquiry Officer assumed the role of Presenting Officer — No second show-cause notice issued before punishment — Proceedings vitiated. India Law Library Docid # 2443683
(944) PUSHPA KUMARI Vs. THE STATE OF BIHAR[PATNA HIGH COURT] 21-04-2026 Administrative Law — Principles of Natural Justice — Violation of Audi Alteram Partem — Dismissal of Anganvadi Sevika without proper hearing is illegal — The authorities must provide an opportunity to be heard before passing any adverse order. India Law Library Docid # 2443684
(945) ITC LIMITED Vs. COMMISSIONER OF CENTRAL GST AND CENTRAL EXCISE, PATNA-1[PATNA HIGH COURT] 21-04-2026 Central Excise Act, 1944 — Sections 11A, 11AB, 11AC — Show Cause Notices (SCNs) issued in 2008 — Petitioners approaching High Court in 2026 seeking quashing of SCNs after 18 years — Plea of delay and laches on part of petitioner is apparent — Inordinate delay in filing writ application disentitles petitioner from India Law Library Docid # 2443685
(946) ANIL KAMAL AND OTHERS Vs. THE STATE OF BIHAR AND OTHERS[PATNA HIGH COURT] 21-04-2026 Constitution of India, 1950 — Articles 14 and 16 — Recruitment process — Adherence to advertisement conditions — Any deviation without power of relaxation and publicity is unconstitutional. India Law Library Docid # 2443686
(947) SRI PASHUPATI NATH JOSHI AND OTHERS Vs. THE STATE OF BIHAR THROUGH THE COLLECTOR, BHAGALPUR[PATNA HIGH COURT] 21-04-2026 Civil Procedure Code, 1908 — Order 7 Rule 11 — Rejection of Plaint — Stage of Admission — Court must confine itself strictly to averments in plaint and documents annexed thereto — All statements in plaint to be treated as true and correct — Disputed questions of fact cannot be adjudicated at this stage. India Law Library Docid # 2443687
(948) AMRIT @ DARAB @ PAPPU Vs. STATE OF RAJASTHAN[RAJASTHAN HIGH COURT (JAIPUR BENCH)] 21-04-2026 Criminal Procedure Code, 1973 (CrPC) — Section 313 — Evidence Act, 1872 — Section 106 — Homicidal death — Circumstantial evidence — Burden of proof on accused — In circumstantial evidence cases, the accused has the burden to provide a credible explanation for the death of the deceased, especially when they were the last India Law Library Docid # 2445126
(949) SMT. USHA GUPTA AND ANOTHER Vs. SMT. NUTAN MAHESWARI AND ANOTHER[UTTARAKHAND HIGH COURT] 21-04-2026 Uttar Pradesh Urban Buildings (Regulation of Letting, Rent and Eviction), 1972 — Sections 21 (1) (a) — Landlord's petition challenging judgments of Prescribed Authority and Additional District Judge in a release application for a shop — Petitioners sought release of the shop on grounds of bonafide need, which was India Law Library Docid # 2446866
(950) M/S ECO FRIENDLY FOOD PROCESSING PARK LIMITED AND ANOTHER Vs. STATE OF UTTARAKHAND AND OTHERS[UTTARAKHAND HIGH COURT] 21-04-2026 Constitution of India, 1950 — Article 226 — Land dispute — Standing crop — Petitioners sought permission to harvest standing sugarcane crop over land they possessed through lease deeds from a successor of original lessee, after State authorities took possession of the land due to lease cancellation proceedings — The Court held that this relief could not be granted in writ jurisdiction when petitioners India Law Library Docid # 2446867
(951) RAZMAT KHAN @ PALUWA AND OTHERS Vs. STATE OF UTTARANCHAL[UTTARAKHAND HIGH COURT] 21-04-2026 Criminal Procedure Code, 1973 (CrPC) — Sections 395, 412 IPC — Dacoity — Burden of proof — While the occurrence of a dacoity may be proved, the State must also establish, beyond reasonable doubt, the identity and participation of each accused individual in the commission of the offence. India Law Library Docid # 2446868
(952) SADHANA AND OTHERS Vs. STATE OF UTTARAKHAND AND ANOTHER[UTTARAKHAND HIGH COURT] 21-04-2026 Public Employment — Selection Process — Eligibility Criteria — Courts cannot determine relevancy or suitability of qualifications for a post; this is for the employer/recruiting body — Candidates must possess the exact qualifications prescribed in the advertisement or rules, not just equivalent or higher qualifications, India Law Library Docid # 2446869
(953) ANIL KUMAR @ KALLU Vs. THE STATE (NCT OF DELHI)[DELHI HIGH COURT] 21-04-2026 Penal Code, 1860 (IPC) — Sections 302, 394, 34 — Murder and Robbery — Circumstantial Evidence — Homicidal death proved by medical evidence establishing cause of death due to shock from injury to neck vessels. India Law Library Docid # 2442591
(954) SANDEEP KUMAR Vs. PRINCIPAL COMMISSIONER OF CUSTOMS (IMPORT) AIR CARGO COMPLEX[DELHI HIGH COURT] 21-04-2026 Customs Act, 1962 — Section 28(9) — Extension of time for adjudication — Non-communication of extension order to noticee — Held, not fatal to adjudication as Section 28 does not mandate such communication, though prudent for the department to do so — Reliance placed on this Court's decision in Pranij Heights India Pvt Ltd vs. The Joint Commissioner of Customs. India Law Library Docid # 2442592
(955) AJAY MAHTO Vs. STATE[DELHI HIGH COURT] 21-04-2026 Criminal Procedure Code, 1973 (CrPC) — Sections 313, 374 and 391 — Appeal against conviction — Murder charge under Section 302, IPC — Circumstantial evidence — Last seen theory — Requirement to prove complete chain of circumstances excluding all possibilities of innocence — Conflicting statements of prosecution witnesses regarding crucial details, including non-disclosure of material India Law Library Docid # 2442593
(956) SMT. PREM LATA SUREKHA Vs. SH. CHAKRADHARI SUREKHA AND OTHERS[DELHI HIGH COURT] 21-04-2026 Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996 — Section 37 — Appeal against order dismissing Section 34 application — Scope of interference limited to grounds under Section 34 — Not an independent assessment of award merits — Appellate court must ascertain if Section 34 court exceeded its scope — Concurrent findings of Arbitrator and Section 34 court should be disturbed with extreme caution — Mere India Law Library Docid # 2442594
(957) SHIVA NAND Vs. SUKH LAL SHARMA AND OTHERS[HIMACHAL PRADESH HIGH COURT] 21-04-2026 Easement by Prescription and Necessity — Plaintiff claimed right of way through common passage over defendants’ land by prescription and necessity, asserting it was the sole access to his property — Evidence showed plaintiff had provided an affidavit from landowners permitting use of alternative passage and admitted the claimed passage was more convenient but not absolutely necessary — Court held that for easement by necessity, absolute necessity, not mere convenience, must be proven, and an alt India Law Library Docid # 2442743
(958) DR. SAJAD AHMAD BHAT Vs. UT OF J&K AND OTHERS[JAMMU AND KASHMIR AND LADAKH HIGH COURT (SRINAGAR BENCH)] 21-04-2026 Employment Law — Provisional Engagement — Security Clearance — An employee engaged on a provisional basis, subject to security clearance, cannot claim reinstatement or refute termination based on an adverse report if they accepted these conditions at the India Law Library Docid # 2443108
(959) SRI BOYINA VENKATESWARA RAO [DIED] PER LRS. Vs. STATE OF ANDHRA PRADESH[ANDHRA PRADESH HIGH COURT] 21-04-2026 Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 — Section 13(2) read with Section 13(1)(e) — Disproportionate Assets — Burden of Proof — Prosecution must prove that properties in wife's name were acquired by the accused public servant, not from wife's own income, especially when wife was also a public servant during the check period. India Law Library Docid # 2443125
(960) DR. PACHIPALA NAMRATHA @ ATHALURI NAMRATHA Vs. THE UNION OF INDIA[TELANGANA HIGH COURT] 21-04-2026 Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA) — Section 19 — Arrest — Validity — Grounds of arrest and reasons to believe must be based on material in possession and demonstrate conscious involvement of the arrestee in money laundering — Mere suspicion, unverified allegations, or mechanical reproduction of statutory phrases are insufficient — Arrest made without tangible, corroborated India Law Library Docid # 2443324