Benefit of Doubt Prevails Where Prosecution Evidence Raises a Reasonable Hypothesis of Innocence: Supreme Court Acquits Murder Convicts

Introduction: The Supreme Court has reiterated that a criminal conviction cannot be sustained merely on suspicion when the prosecution evidence, viewed as a whole, leaves a reasonable possibility consistent with the accused’s innocence. In Ashok Upadhyay & Anr. v. State of Bihar, 2026 LiveLaw (SC) 917, a Bench comprising Justice J.B. Pardiwala and Justice Vinod […]

Religious Opinion Cannot Replace Judicial Authority: Chhattisgarh High Court on the Limits of Private Sharia Bodies

Introduction: The Chhattisgarh High Court, in X v. Union of India & Ors., WPC No. 795 of 2022, has reaffirmed an important constitutional principle concerning the limits of private religious institutions in matters affecting the legal status and rights of individuals. Justice Amitendra Kishore Prasad held that a private religious body styling itself as the […]

Free Speech and Defamation: Calcutta High Court Reinforces the Bonnard Principle Against Premature Injunctions

Introduction: The Calcutta High Court has reaffirmed the importance of protecting free speech while dealing with applications for interim injunctions in defamation proceedings, holding that courts must exercise exceptional caution before restraining allegedly defamatory statements at the interlocutory stage. In Anil Kaushik and Another v. Surabh Khemani, FMAT No. 220 of 2026, a Division Bench […]

Calcutta High Court Reinforces Bonnard Principle in Defamation Injunctions

Introduction: The Calcutta High Court has set aside an interim injunction restraining two individuals from circulating emails containing allegations concerning the management of a company, holding that courts must exercise exceptional caution before restricting allegedly defamatory speech at the interlocutory stage. A Division Bench comprising Justice Sabyasachi Bhattacharyya and Justice Sandip Kumar De held that […]