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 498A and Live-In Relationships – Advocate Manish Jha
In Dr Lokesh B.H. v. State of Karnataka (3 August 2026), the Supreme Court holds that Section 498A IPC extends to live-in relationships in the nature of marriage between consenting adults, while mandating strict Arnesh Kumar safeguards.
Read → 4 August 2026 · Civil & PropertyAccident Compensation for Child Victims – Advocate Manish Jha
The Supreme Court enhances a paraplegic child's motor accident award to Rs. 83.38 lakh, holding that functional disability, skilled-worker notional income and the multiplier of 18 govern claims for catastrophically injured children.
Read → 4 August 2026 · Matrimonial & FamilyAdultery Plea at Interim Maintenance Stage – Advocate Manish Jha
In Himanshu Chordia v. State of Rajasthan (31 July 2026), the Supreme Court holds that a Section 125(4) CrPC plea of adultery must be examined at the interim maintenance stage where the material ex facie establishes the disqualification.
Read → 4 August 2026 · Criminal LawEvidence Against an Absconder: SC Limits – Advocate Manish Jha
Acquitting a man convicted of a 1999 murder, the Supreme Court holds that a deposition recorded in an absconder's absence is inadmissible against him unless a formal Section 299 CrPC order was passed at the time.
Read → 3 August 2026 · Cyber & FraudSuspicion Is Not Reason to Believe: PMLA Freezing
The Supreme Court has dismissed the Enforcement Directorate's challenge to a Delhi High Court judgment holding that bank accounts cannot be frozen under the PMLA on mere suspicion, without the recorded reason to believe the statute requires.
Read → 3 August 2026 · Civil & PropertyReach Stacker Is Not a Motor Vehicle: MACT Limits
A reach stacker operating inside the custom-bonded Inland Container Depot at Tughlakabad is not a motor vehicle and depot roads are not a public place, the Supreme Court has held, restoring the Delhi MACT's rejection of the claim.
Read → 3 August 2026 · Criminal LawLimits on Quashing an FIR: Supreme Court – Advocate Manish Jha
Restoring quashed corruption FIRs in State of Karnataka v. Prabhu Shankar (30 July 2026), the Supreme Court reiterates that a High Court cannot conduct a mini-trial at the threshold: the only question is whether the FIR prima facie discloses a cognizable offence.
Read → 3 August 2026 · Civil & PropertyProperty in a Wife's Name and Succession – Advocate Manish Jha
In Shakuntala v. Robert Anthony (30 July 2026), the Supreme Court holds that property purchased in the names of the two wives devolved as each wife's own estate — Sections 35 and 38 of the Indian Succession Act, 1925 governed, not Section 33.
Read → 3 August 2026 · Criminal LawConviction in Appeal: Revision, Not Appeal
The Supreme Court has held that no appeal lies under Section 374 CrPC or Section 415 BNSS where a Sessions Court reverses an acquittal and convicts an accused for the first time. The remedy is criminal revision, to be examined with greater scrutiny.
Read → 3 August 2026 · Matrimonial & FamilyAnnual Rise in Maintenance Upheld
The Delhi High Court has upheld a five per cent yearly increase built into a Family Court maintenance order, holding it a lawful means of preserving the real value of the award against inflation.
Read → 3 August 2026 · Criminal LawReview of Sanction Under Section 19 PC Act
A considered refusal of sanction to prosecute a public servant cannot be reopened on the same material. The Supreme Court declined to interfere with the quashing of a sanction granted after a reference from the Chief Minister's office, and imposed costs.
Read → 3 August 2026 · Criminal LawParity in Bail: A Delhi High Court Order
An order of 31 July 2026 illustrates three considerations that most often decide a regular bail application: the role attributed to the applicant, the position of co-accused already released, and the stage the trial has reached.
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.