These notes are written for litigants and for younger members of the Bar. They explain procedure as it operates in the Delhi courts — the sequence of steps, the timelines that matter, and the points at which a matter is commonly lost. They are general information, not advice on any particular case.
Section 42 NDPS: Substance Over Form – Advocate Manish Jha
Upholding a conviction for 200 kg of poppy husk, the Supreme Court in Kashmir Ram v. State of Punjab (2026 INSC 854) explained when substantial compliance with Section 42 NDPS Act suffices — and when its breach remains fatal.
Read → 16 August 2026 · Criminal LawJuvenility Found Late: What Survives? – Advocate Manish Jha
In Dinesh Kumar v. State of Haryana (2026 INSC 842), a juvenility finding placed on record decades after a 1998 murder left the conviction intact — but every adult sentence was set aside as incapable of operating.
Read → 16 August 2026 · Criminal LawBail When Trial Evidence Weakens: DHC – Advocate Manish Jha
Two Delhi High Court orders of 13 August 2026 granted bail in a stabbing and a firing case after the trial record itself weakened the prosecution — a complainant who resiled and a ballistics report matching a different weapon.
Read → 15 August 2026 · Criminal LawAnticipatory Bail in Fraud FIRs – Advocate Manish Jha
Two Delhi High Court orders of 13 and 14 August 2026 — one refusing anticipatory bail in a ₹1.65 crore gold fraud, the other directing notice before arrest in an online investment scam — show that pre-arrest protection turns on the state of the evidence and the real need for custody.
Read → 14 August 2026 · Criminal LawNDPS Bail: Two Delhi HC Orders – Advocate Manish Jha
On 12 August 2026 the Delhi High Court granted bail in two NDPS cases from the same investigation — one because call records and co-accused disclosures alone could not establish complicity, the other because custody of almost five years with 8 of 22 witnesses examined violated the right to a speedy trial.
Read → 14 August 2026 · Criminal LawNotice Before Arrest: Delhi HC – Advocate Manish Jha
Where the accused had joined the investigation and the IO saw no present need to arrest, the Delhi High Court disposed of an anticipatory bail plea by directing two weeks' prior notice before any arrest, preserving recourse to the Sessions Court.
Read → 13 August 2026 · Criminal LawAlibi and Quashing an FIR: Supreme Court – Advocate Manish Jha
In Rahul v. State of Uttar Pradesh, 2026 INSC 825, the Supreme Court quashed a dowry death prosecution on the strength of BSF service records, holding there is no inflexible rule that an alibi can be proved only at trial.
Read → 11 August 2026 · Criminal LawPMLA Bail After a Compromise: Delhi HC – Advocate Manish Jha
On 10 August 2026 the Delhi High Court refused bail in a money laundering case, holding that a compromise in the predicate offence does not erase PMLA proceedings and applying the Section 45 twin conditions.
Read → 11 August 2026 · Criminal LawAcquittal Reversed Under S.354A: Delhi HC – Advocate Manish Jha
The Delhi High Court reversed a 2016 acquittal, convicting under Section 354A IPC while holding POCSO inapplicable for want of proof of age — with directions on dignity in cross-examination.
Read → 10 August 2026 · Criminal LawBail in Murder Trials: Two Delhi HC Orders – Advocate Manish Jha
On 7 August 2026 the same bench refused bail in one murder case and granted it in another. What the contrasting orders teach about evidence, parity and long custody.
Read → 10 August 2026 · Criminal LawQuashing FIRs After Settlement: Delhi HC – Advocate Manish Jha
The Delhi High Court quashed cross-FIRs from a road rage incident after the parties settled, subject to costs of Rs. 20,000 each. How compromise quashing works under the BNS and BNSS.
Read → 9 August 2026 · Criminal LawPreventive Detention Safeguards: SC – Advocate Manish Jha
In Alfiya A v. State of Kerala, 2026 INSC 810, the Supreme Court quashed a PITNDPS detention because the detenu was never told of his right to represent directly to the detaining authority.
Read →What Is Covered Here
The chamber writes on the areas in which it appears: criminal procedure under the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, bail practice, matrimonial and family proceedings before the Delhi Family Courts, cheque dishonour and recovery, and proceedings before the NCLT and the Motor Accident Claims Tribunals. Notes on reported judgments of the Supreme Court of India and the High Court of Delhi are published with a link to the official text of the decision, so that a reader can verify the position rather than rely on a summary.
No article on this page identifies a client or discusses a pending matter conducted by the chamber. Where a statutory provision is cited, the section number is given so that a reader can verify it against the bare Act.