In conversation with Vishavjeet Chaudhary on his journey as the Barrister-at-Law, Professor and Advocate
Interviewed by Dikshi Arora
Criminal Trial
Inside Supreme Court verdict on effect of acquittal in criminal trial on order of dismissal passed in departmental enquiry
Supreme Court said that allowing the orders of disciplinary authority and the appellate authority to stand, will be unjust, unfair and oppressive, as the charges were not just similar, but identical and the evidence, witnesses and circumstances were all the same.
Supreme Court, in a balancing act, commutes Death Sentence to 20 Years Imprisonment in Indiscriminate Firing case that killed 6
The Supreme Court held that the Court cannot be limited only to two punishments, one a sentence of imprisonment, for all intents and purposes, of not more than 14 years and the other death.
Is Second Petition under Section 482 CrPC maintainable on grounds available at the time of First Petition? Supreme Court determines
The Supreme Court was deciding the appeal against Allahabad High Court’s order wherein it had held that the petitioner could not continue to challenge the proceedings when he had not raised objections to the charge sheet or cognizance order in his first petition under Section 482 Cr.P.C.
2023 SCC Vol. 8 Part 4
Criminal Law — Criminal Trial — Proof — Burden and Onus of proof — Recourse to S. 106 of the Evidence Act
Supreme Court acquits Death row convicts: The 15-year-old’s brutal murder case that sparked call for code of investigation for Police to avoid technical acquittals
“It is high time that a consistent and dependable code of investigation is devised with a mandatory and detailed procedure for the police to implement and abide by during the course of their investigation so that the guilty do not walk free on technicalities, as they do in most cases in our country.”
2023 SCC Vol. 8 Part 1
Advocates — Senior Advocates — Designation of: Guidelines issued by Supreme Court in Indira Jaising, (2017) 9 SCC 766 for greater objectivity
“Where women are respected Gods live there”; Supreme Court cancels bail of Rajasthan MLA’s son in 15-year-old’s gang-rape case
The Supreme Court was of the opinion that the Rajasthan High Court seemed to have been primarily swayed by the delay in filing the complaint i.e. 13 months for granting bail in favour of the accused, without considering other important facts.
Inside the Supreme Court Verdict: How Ex-RJD MP Prabhunath Singh was Convicted in 1995 Double Murder Case
With Ex-RJD MP Prabhunath Singh’s highhandedness and the police, the public prosecutor and the Judiciary failing in their duty, the Supreme Court called the case an “exceptionally Painful Episode of Criminal Justice System”.
2023 SCC Vol. 6 Part 5
Criminal Law — Criminal Trial — Circumstantial Evidence — Generally: Principles reiterated relating to essential conditions that must be fulfilled before conviction
Further Investigation permissible even after the final report laid before the Magistrate has been accepted: Supreme Court
The Supreme Court made clear that further investigation cannot be put at par with prosecution and punishment and hence, the principle of double jeopardy would not apply.
No proper opportunity given to Defence Council for defending rape convict; Orissa High Court set aside conviction order
Orissa High Court said that a criminal trial is not an IPL T20 match where every ‘substitute player’ can be an ‘impact player’, engaging a new State Defence Council without providing him police papers is gross illegality.
Supreme Court February 2023| Full strength of 34 judges; AIBE; Decriminalisation of adultery; Compensation for bad haircut; DNA test in Divorce cases; and more
This roundup revisits the analyses of Supreme Court’s judgments/orders on validity of AIBE; ex-communication of Dawoodi Bohras; decriminalisation of adultery; permissibility of DNA test of children to prove allegations of adultery; and more. It also covers reports on the career trajectory & important decisions of Justice Surya Kant and Justice Dipankar Dutta and the newly appointed 7 judges of the Supreme Court; Explainers on important law points; and Cases Reported in SCC Weekly in the month of February.
2023 SCC Vol. 2 Part 2
Constitution of India — Art. 14 — Right to equality — Reasonable accommodation of disabled or differently-abled persons — Requirement of: There
Evidence can be appreciated best only when it is recorded in the language of the witness: Supreme Court
The observation of the Supreme Court came in a case where the deposition of the prosecutrix was recorded by the trial court in English language though she had deposed in her vernacular language.
‘Each breach of promise to marry is not a false promise’; Supreme Court acquits man accused of rape by a mother of three
The Supreme Court observed that the prosecutrix had betrayed her husband and three children by having relationship with the accused during the subsistence of her marriage and had continued to live with the accused even after finding out that he was a married man having children.
Right to Information| Chargesheets and final reports not equivalent to FIRs; can’t be published on State Websites for public access: Supreme Court
The prayer seeking free public access to chargesheets and final reports was made relying on ruling in Youth Bar Association of India v. Union of India, (2016) 9 SCC 473, wherein the Supreme Court had directed copies of FIRs to be published within 24 hours of their registration on the police websites or on the websites of the State Governments.
Explained | Why Supreme Court transferred former Andhra Pradesh Minister Y.S. Vivekananda Reddy’s murder trial to CBI Special Court at Hyderabad
Supreme Court observed that the principles of Administration of Justice states that justice should not only be done but it should be seen to be done and free and fair trial is sine qua non of Article 21 of the Constitution.