The recent press release by the U.S. Department of Justice marks a decisive policy shift in the administration of capital punishment in the United States, signalling a renewed commitment to the federal death penalty after a period of relative dormancy. At the core of the announcement is the formal rescission of the earlier moratorium on federal executions and a directive to actively pursue and implement capital sentences in cases deemed appropriate. The Department has reinsta

In every criminal courtroom, the most misunderstood figure is often the defense attorney. Public perception frequently equates defense with endorsement of crime but that view misses the very foundation of a fair justice system. At its core, the principle is simple: everyone has a right to defense . This is not about proving innocence at all costs, but about ensuring that the State armed with immense power meets its burden lawfully and fairly. A criminal defense lawyer acts

A judge of the International Criminal Court has reported being unable to use credit cards or access online services after facing U.S. sanctions linked to arrest warrants against Benjamin Netanyahu. Legally, this raises serious concerns. Sanctioning a sitting judge for judicial acts challenges the core principle of judicial independence and risks turning international law into a space influenced by geopolitical power. The move also highlights how deeply global financial syst

The Supreme Court, in Sandeep Yadav v. Satish & Ors. (2026 INSC 301), has delivered a significant ruling on the interplay between procedural irregularities and substantive justice in criminal trials, firmly reiterating that criminal procedure cannot be weaponised to derail long-standing trials on technical grounds. What's the Matter? The dispute arose from a 2007 FIR involving serious offences under Sections 302, 307, and 120B IPC . Charges were initially framed in 2009; h

The Supreme Court’s recent decision in Gabbar Singh alias Devendra Pratap Singh v. State of Uttar Pradesh (2026 INSC 271) is a sharp reaffirmation of a foundational principle of criminal jurisprudence: when the law prescribes a procedure, particularly one that curtails personal liberty, it must be followed strictly and not merely in form but in substance. What's The Matter? The judgment, though arising from a seemingly technical defect in the preparation of a “Gang Chart” (

(हिंदी अनुवाद नीचे है) The order in Vishvjeet and Others v. State of Uttar Pradesh (2026 INSC 254) is not merely a bail determination it is an institutional indictment. It exposes a fracture within the justice delivery system where those entrusted as “custodians of justice” themselves became instruments of coercion, effectively paralysing the accused’s access to legal representation and thereby striking at the heart of Article 21. What's The Matter? At its core, the case ar

The Supreme Court’s judgment in this case revisits a constitutional fault line that has repeatedly surfaced in recent years the misuse of criminal law to penalise speech and the delicate balance between public order and individual liberty. The decision does not merely determine the fate of one prosecution; it clarifies the boundaries of State power when invoking penal provisions against expression that is controversial, critical, or uncomfortable . The case arose from the r

The Supreme Court’s decision in this Case revisits a recurring tension in criminal jurisprudence the extent to which procedural lapses or evidentiary inconsistencies can erode the presumption of guilt in serious criminal prosecutions. What's The Matter? The case arose out of a prosecution that rested substantially on circumstantial evidence, the alleged murder of a close family member within the domestic sphere, where suspicion fell upon the accused primarily on the basis o

The Supreme Court’s decisions in Babasaheb Maruti Kamble v. State of Maharashtra occupy a significant place in India’s evolving death penalty jurisprudence, not merely for the ultimate commutation of a death sentence but for the constitutional principles articulated on judicial responsibility, review powers, and the sanctity of human life within criminal procedure. The case reflects a deeper judicial introspection on how capital punishment is imposed, reviewed and justified

The Supreme Court’s decision in offers a careful reminder of the limits of criminal law at the stage of bail, particularly in emotionally charged cases involving allegations of suicide, marital discord and dowry-related offences. While the facts of the case evoke deep sympathy for the deceased, the judgment reiterates that bail jurisprudence cannot be driven by moral outrage or post-event suspicion alone , but must remain anchored in evidentiary thresholds and procedural fair

The recent judgment in Bharat Mittal case marks an important moment in the evolving jurisprudence under the Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881 , particularly on the uneasy interface between vicarious criminal liability and appellate conditions of deposit. At its core, the case raises a deceptively simple but legally fraught question: can an appellate court insist on a mandatory 20% deposit under Section 148 of the NI Act from a convicted director when the company the jurist

The Supreme Court’s decision in this case , revisits the uneasy balance between personal liberty and the gravity of criminal culpability once a conviction has been recorded. Setting aside the Patna High Court’s orders suspending sentence and granting bail to two convicts sentenced to life imprisonment for murder, the Court has sent out a clear message: suspension of sentence in cases under Section 302 read with Section 149 of the Indian Penal Code cannot be treated as a ro

The first person has been sentenced in the federal case connected to the 2023 ketamine overdose death of actor Matthew Perry. On December 3, 2025, Dr. Salvador Plasencia was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison for distributing the controlled substance. The licensed physician, who operated an urgent care clinic, admitted to providing ketamine to Perry and teaching the actor's personal assistant, who had no medical training, how to administer it. In a text exchange with a

The Supreme Court’s decision in Samadhan S/o Sitaram Manmothe v. State of Maharashtra marks yet another significant reaffirmation of the doctrinal boundaries governing prosecutions for rape on the allegation of “false promise to marry.” The judgment, delivered by Nagarathna J., scrutinises a long-term intimate relationship between a married woman and an advocate, ultimately concluding that the invocation of Section 376 including its aggravated form under Section 376(2)(n) I

In a judgment of immense consequence for the legal fraternity and the criminal justice system, the Supreme Court has drawn a clear constitutional and statutory line against the practice of investigating agencies summoning lawyers for questioning merely because they represented an accused or gave a legal opinion. The Court, speaking through Justice K. Vinod Chandran, emphatically held that such summons, without falling within the narrow exceptions of law, are illegal and an a

In a significant move to address public safety concerns, the Canadian government has introduced the Bail and Sentencing Reform Act, proposing the most substantial changes to the Criminal Code’s bail system in decades. The reforms aim to make it harder for individuals accused of certain violent and repeat offences to be released while awaiting trial. A key feature is the introduction of new "reverse onus" provisions for charges like violent car theft, break and entering, and

In a significant pronouncement in Shivkumar @ Baleshwar Yadav v. State of Chhattisgarh (Criminal Appeal No. 4502 of 2025), the Supreme Court reaffirmed the evidentiary discipline required under Section 154 of the Evidence Act (now Section 157 of the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023), while upholding a conviction under the Indian Penal Code, the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, and the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities)

In Rahul Agarwal v. State of West Bengal & Anr. , the Supreme Court revisited the enduring intersection of criminal procedure, technology, and constitutional protection against self-incrimination under Article 20(3). The case arose from a dowry-related death where investigators sought the voice sample of a key intermediary allegedly involved in extortion threats. What's The Matter? The Magistrate permitted the sample’s collection, but the Calcutta High Court quashed the order

The recent decision by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals to halt the execution of Robert Roberson is more than a last-minute reprieve; ...

In a significant reaffirmation of the principles governing circumstantial evidence, the Supreme Court in Nazim & Ors. v. State of...