The Punjab and Haryana High Court cleared the path for a full trial. Justice Archana Puri said the allegations need evidence and a proper hearing. She noted that the court cannot stop the case at the initial stage.

Karan Singh Dalal filed the petition. He asked the court to cancel Gautam’s election and disqualify him for six years under Section 8-A of the Representation of the People Act. Gautam won the 2024 Assembly poll with 1,09,118 votes. Dalal received 75,513 votes.

Gautam’s counsel argued that his use of words like “Sanatan” or “Hindutva” did not qualify as corrupt practice. The court disagreed. It said the petition contains enough material facts to move forward.

Justice Puri explained that the context matters. She referred to videos from Bhagwat Katha and Khatu Shyam gatherings. She said the impact of the speeches must be examined during the trial.

Dalal’s senior counsel Mohan Jain also stressed the timing and location of the remarks. He said the full trial must assess the intention behind the words.

The case will now proceed, and both sides will present detailed evidence.

The post HC Allows Election Petition Against Gaurav Gautam appeared first on India Podcast.

The dispute began after the October election for the sarpanch’s post in Ferozepur district. Ramesh Kumar won initially with a margin of 72 votes. However, a recount changed the result and triggered a legal challenge. Kumar argued that the recount process lacked transparency and relied on vague claims, not evidence.

During the appeal hearing, Justice Pankaj Jain directed the staff to open the ballot box in court and sort the cancelled ballots booth wise. The court observed that 209 ballots were rejected—149 of them carried the bucket symbol assigned to Kumar. Many of these ballots showed double stamping, which raised concern.

Justice Jain noted that the pattern suggested possible interference with votes cast for the bucket symbol. He asked the state to submit an affidavit naming the official who handled the ballots before August 1. The panchayat vote count issue now stands at the center of further scrutiny.

The post High Court Flags Panchayat Vote Mishap appeared first on India Podcast.

The plea, filed by Navneet Kumar, raised concerns about the impartiality of the Chandigarh Police probe and highlighted that one of the officers investigating had also committed suicide. The petitioner argued the case involved complex issues of alleged caste-based persecution and a criminal conspiracy implicating senior IPS and IAS officers.

The court asked the petitioner to justify why the investigation should transfer to the CBI, emphasizing that transfers only occur under extraordinary circumstances. The SIT consists of around 14 members, including IPS and DSP officers, working daily on the case. The petition did not convince the bench to order a central agency probe.

The post Punjab and Haryana High Court Rejects CBI Probe Plea in IPS Officer Death appeared first on India Podcast.

Justice Tiwari confirmed, “The petitioner has assured this Court that he will mend his ways and will not repeat such misconduct in future.” The Court accepted the school’s conditions as rational, including no further bullying, aggression, harassment, or violation of school rules.

The student had challenged three show-cause notices issued by his school in July and August for alleged repeated misbehavior. His lawyer stressed that the concern was only “the future of the child” and promised no repetition of misconduct. The school, however, highlighted the need to maintain discipline and safeguard other students.

Under the Court-approved terms, the student must follow all rules, respect staff and peers, attend counseling, remain on strict probation, and submit a written apology. Any future serious misconduct could lead to immediate expulsion.

This Punjab-Haryana High Court student ruling reaffirms the Court’s role as a guardian of minors, showing that corrective measures can protect both school discipline and a child’s right to education.

The post Punjab-Haryana HC Gives Troubled Student a Second Chance appeared first on India Podcast.

The case involved an employee charge-sheeted in September 2014, just months before retirement. The inquiry officer cleared him, yet the punishing authority cut his pension by 5% for a year in October 2018 without explaining the disagreement. The appeal was dismissed without reviewing the inquiry report.

The court stressed that if the disciplinary authority disagrees with the inquiry officer, it must explain its reasons. Justice Brar noted that natural justice requires giving the officer a hearing before imposing punishment. Failing this, along with issuing the charge-sheet late, made the process arbitrary and abusive.

The High Court allowed the petition and quashed the punishment order. It directed the corporation to release all benefits due to the employee, with 6% annual interest from the date of filing until full payment.

The post High Court Quashes Delayed Disciplinary Action appeared first on India Podcast.

The decision comes after police registered an FIR and suspended the licences of two accused lawyers. The Association warned that any member who appears in court during the strike will face immediate expulsion from membership.

The Executive Committee will meet today at 11:00 p.m. to decide the next steps. Leaders of the Association urged members to follow the strike call and stand united.

“All members must strictly follow the decision. Any violation will lead to strict action,” the Association said.

In case of emergencies, lawyers have been asked to contact the Bar Association office. The strike is expected to disrupt proceedings in the Punjab & Haryana High Court for the day.

The post Punjab & Haryana High Court Bar Association Calls for Strike appeared first on India Podcast.

On Tuesday (September 16, 2025), a Bench of Justices M.M. Sundresh and Satish Chandra Sharma said the Supreme Court would not interfere with the earlier decision of the Punjab and Haryana High Court. The High Court had quashed the summoning order on December 19, 2023, after concluding that Rathee failed to prove Chautala made the alleged statements.

The High Court pointed out that Rathee’s complaint and testimony did not show any evidence of malice, prior ill-will, or intent to harm his reputation. It said the allegations lacked substance and that continuing the case would amount to misuse of the judicial process.

The legal battle began in 2010 when a Gurugram court summoned Chautala based on Rathee’s complaint. An additional district and sessions court upheld that order, but Chautala then approached the High Court. After reviewing the evidence, the High Court ruled that the case did not establish any clear intent to defame.

With the Supreme Court dismissing the plea against quashing of summons to Abhay Chautala, the matter has now reached its conclusion after more than fifteen years. The decision reinforces the principle that defamation cases must show clear intent and evidence of malice before they proceed further.

The post SC Dismisses Plea Against Quashing of Summons to Abhay appeared first on India Podcast.

A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta said the meaning of a tweet or retweet could not be settled in a quashing petition. Ms. Ranaut’s counsel argued that she only retweeted a post already shared by many. The bench noted that she “added spice” by adding her own words.

The farmers’ protest tweet case started in 2021. Mahinder Kaur, a 73-year-old farmer from Bathinda, filed a complaint. She alleged that Ms. Ranaut compared her to a Shaheen Bagh protestor and made remarks that hurt her dignity.

The high court dismissed Ms. Ranaut’s plea earlier. It said specific allegations existed and could not be ignored. The Supreme Court added that any clarification must go before the trial court. It also said the complaint could not be called mala fide since it sought to protect reputation.

The post Added Spice: SC Tells Kangana as She Withdraws Plea appeared first on India Podcast.

Justice Jain warned that citizens are misusing their rights by lodging false and malicious complaints. He said people must remember that while they enjoy fundamental rights under the Constitution, they also have a duty to speak the truth. False FIRs, he noted, put life and liberty at risk.

The case in question involved a young woman who accused several people of drugging, selling, and raping her for 22 days. Later, she withdrew her statement, reached a compromise, and married one of the accused.

The accused, arrested in November 2024 at Mehtapur police station in Jalandhar, applied for bail. His lawyer argued that the FIR was fabricated. The complainant herself filed an affidavit stating she no longer wished to pursue the matter.

The High Court said such shocking misuse of law highlights the urgent need for clear SOPs in sensitive cases.

The post HC Calls for SOP to Curb False FIRs appeared first on India Podcast.

A Bench of Chief Justice Sheel Nagu and Justice Sanjiv Berry stressed that relief work must come first. They said officials should not waste time drafting replies while rescue teams are active on the ground. The court allowed six weeks for the affidavit.

The judges noted that government bodies, private groups, the Army, and disaster relief teams are working hard in flood-hit areas. They asked petitioners not to create hurdles during operations.

State Advocate-General MS Bedi said the Supreme Court already took note of the floods and is hearing a similar case.

One petition came from Shubham, a lawyer from Fazilka. He sought timely relief, health safeguards, floodplain zoning, and audits of flood-control structures. He also requested a court-monitored committee for oversight.

Another lawyer, Angrej Singh, argued that Punjab failed in its legal duties and coordination. He later withdrew his plea to move the Supreme Court. Other petitions remain listed for October 28.

The post HC Directs Punjab to File Flood Relief Affidavit After Crisis appeared first on India Podcast.