Journal
Weekly briefings on Indian law — Supreme Court judgments, regulatory changes, and practice insights for lawyers across India.
SC Sets 24-Hour Bail and 3-Month Judgment Deadlines for the High Courts
A CJI bench fixed binding timelines for every High Court — bail pleas within 24 hours, judgments within 3 months of reserving, automatic CJ escalation if pronouncement slips. Plus: SC upholds the Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls; §138 NI Act vs IBC heads to a larger bench; a CoC-approved plan binds the SRA.
Read this issueSC Refers the UAPA Bail Law to a Larger Bench in the Umar Khalid Case
This week's biggest developments — a Division Bench referred the correctness of the January 2026 order denying bail to Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam, and the working of Section 43D(5) UAPA against the binding KA Najeeb precedent, to a larger bench; the Court issued sweeping directions making a kidnapping FIR mandatory in every missing-child case and ordering a national anti-trafficking data grid; five Rajasthan Principal Secretaries appeared in person over illegal sand mining in the National Chambal Sanctuary; and the Court held that an extra-judicial confession untested by cross-examination is fatal to the prosecution.
Read this issueSC Holds a 'Loan' Can Be a 'Deposit' Under the MPID Act
This week's biggest developments — the nine-judge Sabarimala reference Bench reserved its verdict after 16 days of hearings, the Supreme Court held that a 'loan' can qualify as a 'deposit' and a private individual can be a 'Financial Establishment' under the MPID Act, the Court held that the 2005 amendment to Section 6 does not extinguish daughters' pre-existing Class I inheritance rights under Section 8, and the Court summoned five top Rajasthan bureaucrats personally over illegal sand mining in the National Chambal Sanctuary.
Read this issueSC Bars a Murder Accused From All Inheritance Routes
This week's biggest developments — the Supreme Court held that the Section 25 Hindu Succession Act bar on murder accused applies to both intestate and testamentary succession (and barred a benami real-owner from claiming via the benamidar's will in the same composite judgment), the CJI-led Bench directed States to set up exclusive NIA/UAPA courts on a defined caseload formula, the nine-judge Sabarimala reference moved on from temple entry to Parsi and Dawoodi Bohra excommunication practices, and the Court asked thirteen States and UTs to account for non-implementation of Section 12(1)(c) of the RTE Act.
Read this issueSC Takes Suo Motu of the 'Grim' NCLT Backlog
This week's biggest developments — the Supreme Court took suo motu cognisance of NCLT delays after data showed 383 pending resolution-plan applications with delays running to 738 days, the hate-speech Bench declined to issue fresh guidelines and held existing criminal law sufficient, the Court laid down a nine-point test for summary judgment under Order XIII-A CPC and decreed a Rs 16,491 crore refund against DDA, and a separate Bench held that an RP's admission of a claim is not acknowledgment of debt under the Limitation Act.
Read this issueSC Holds a DNA Test Trumps the §112 Legitimacy Presumption
This week's biggest developments — the nine-judge Sabarimala reference bench reserved judgment after concluding hearings, the Supreme Court held that a DNA test excluding paternity defeats the Section 112 presumption of legitimacy in maintenance claims, the Court issued a time-bound directive for states to implement minimum ICU standards, and the bench hearing ED v. Mamata Banerjee observed that a Chief Minister cannot interfere with a federal probe.
Read this issueCJI Calls the UCC a 'Constitutional Ambition'
This week's biggest developments — CJI Surya Kant observed that the Uniform Civil Code has 'nothing to do with religion' while hearing a challenge to Muslim inheritance law, the Supreme Court held that the word 'can' in an arbitration clause does not create a binding obligation, the nine-judge bench continued Sabarimala reference hearings, and the Court issued binding SOPs for legal aid appeals.
Read this issueSabarimala Reference Begins Before a 9-Judge Bench
This week's biggest developments — the Supreme Court's nine-judge bench commenced hearings on the Sabarimala reference involving seven constitutional questions on religious freedom, the SC refused to stay Adani's Rs 14,535 crore Jaiprakash Associates resolution plan while directing NCLAT to hear Vedanta's appeal, and CJI Surya Kant launched the Rs 7,210 crore e-Courts Phase III project.
Read this issueParliament Passes the IBC Overhaul and the Jan Vishwas Bill
This week's biggest developments — Parliament passed the IBC Amendment Bill introducing out-of-court resolution and cross-border insolvency, the Jan Vishwas Bill decriminalised 717 provisions across 80 Acts, the Supreme Court ruled states can withdraw tax exemptions with one year's notice, and the CJI-led bench reserved judgment on post-facto environmental clearances.
Read this issueSC Holds That Conversion to Christianity Ends Scheduled Caste Status
This week's biggest developments — the Supreme Court held that conversion to Christianity extinguishes Scheduled Caste status, the Corporate Laws Amendment Bill was introduced and sent to JPC, NHAI's Rs 29,000 crore retrospective compensation plea was rejected, and the government launched an AI legal aid chatbot on WhatsApp.
Read this issueSC Strikes Down the Adoption Cap
This week's biggest developments — the Supreme Court expanded maternity rights for adoptive mothers, condemned violent bar conduct in Barabanki, and the Vedanta-Adani insolvency battle reaches NCLAT. Plus: NIA busts drone warfare network, National Lok Adalat settles 2.84 crore cases.
Read this issue