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.
Distress in the Witness Box Is Not Evidence of Identity: A POCSO Life Sentence Set Aside
A Division Bench of the Delhi High Court (2026:DHC:6876-DB) acquitted a man serving life under Section 6 POCSO: contradictory identification, a negative FSL report and implication through a custodial disclosure in an unrelated case left the charge unproved.
Read → 30 August 2026 · Criminal LawRushing the Victim to Hospital: Post-Incident Conduct and Intention Under Section 307 IPC
In Nafe Singh v. State (2026:DHC:7091), the Delhi High Court allowed a 2004 appeal against an attempt-to-murder conviction — prompt medical help, a negative gastric lavage and a contradictory seizure record undercut the intention Section 307 requires.
Read → 30 August 2026 · Criminal LawRoping In the Family: The Supreme Court Quashes a False-Promise Case Against the Accused's Mother
In Ilaben v. State of Gujarat (2026 INSC 879), the Supreme Court quashed proceedings against a mother accused of connivance in her son's alleged false promise of marriage — the complainant's subsisting marriage and chat records left the allegations inspiring no confidence.
Read → 30 August 2026 · Commercial & CorporateHow Long Must You Wait? The Gap Between a Section 21 Notice and a Section 11 Petition
In Sugat Jain v. Amit Jain (2026:DHC:7161), the Delhi High Court held Section 11(6) prescribes no fixed waiting period after the arbitration notice — reasonableness depends on whether the agreed procedure has in fact failed — and appointed a sole arbitrator.
Read → 30 August 2026 · Commercial & CorporatePurchase Preference Is Not a Passport: MSE Relaxations in Health and Safety Procurements
In Althion Tech Innovations v. Union of India (2026:DHC:6904-DB), a Division Bench upheld a ₹33 crore turnover criterion in a hemodialysis equipment tender against an MSE challenge — health and safety procurements may decline MSE relaxations, though the tender's anomaly was flagged.
Read → 30 August 2026 · Commercial & CorporateSubstance Over Arithmetic: An EMD Shortfall Does Not Void a SARFAESI Auction
In Lakshmi Mohan v. Airtech Projects (2026 INSC 909), the Supreme Court upheld a 2009 auction despite a ₹35,000 earnest money shortfall — the Rule 9(3) 25% deposit was made the same day and no prejudice resulted — while directing the bank to refund the surplus with interest.
Read → 30 August 2026 · Civil & PropertyThe State Cannot Take a Shortcut: Summary Eviction Fails Where a Bona Fide Title Dispute Exists
In Circar Paper Mills v. District Collector, Nellore (2026 INSC 924), the Supreme Court held that land held under registered instruments since 1920 raises a bona fide title dispute the State must prove in properly constituted proceedings — not by summary eviction.
Read → 30 August 2026 · Matrimonial & FamilyThe One-Year Rule in Maintenance Arrears: Section 144(3) BNSS Explained
The warrant procedure for maintenance arrears, the one-year limitation on invoking it, imprisonment for wilful default and recovery strategy — the enforcement side of Section 144 BNSS (125 CrPC) explained.
Read → 30 August 2026 · Matrimonial & FamilyThe Decree-Based Divorce Grounds: Section 13(1A) of the Hindu Marriage Act
Divorce without re-proving fault: a year of non-resumption after judicial separation, or non-compliance with a restitution decree, opens Section 13(1A) — subject always to the own-wrong check of Section 23(1)(a).
Read → 30 August 2026 · Matrimonial & FamilyHer Property, Not the Family's: Stridhan and How It Is Recovered
Stridhan is the wife's absolute property. What it includes, why it is not dowry, and the three recovery routes Delhi practice uses — Section 19(8) DV Act, criminal breach of trust under Section 316 BNS, and the civil suit.
Read → 30 August 2026 · Criminal LawNo Custody, No Regular Bail: The Surrender Question in Bail Practice
Regular bail under Sections 480 and 483 BNSS presupposes arrest, appearance or surrender. What custody means, how a planned surrender works in Delhi courts, and how the choice between anticipatory and regular bail is actually made.
Read → 30 August 2026 · Criminal LawHearing the Other Side of Liberty: The Informant and Victim in Bail Proceedings
In specified sexual offences the BNSS makes notice to the Public Prosecutor and the informant's presence at bail hearings mandatory — and the victim's participation in bail and cancellation matters is now a settled feature of practice.
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.