#Constitutional Law

The Court held that legislative validation cannot cure a recruitment process vitiated by systemic corruption and nepotism once a constitutional court has annulled it, as this would violate separation of powers. The 2022 Karnataka Act attempting to revive the 2011 Gazetted Probationers recruitment was struck down, with directions for fresh recruitment granting age relaxation to untainted candidates.

The court invalidated Rule 3(7) for granting unguided discretion to the State in engaging law officers, violating Article 162 read with the void-for-vagueness doctrine. While the ₹20,000 monthly retainer for Law Research Officers was upheld, the State must reassess its adequacy within three months, impacting contractual legal appointments across Jharkhand.

The Madras HC upheld writ courts' review jurisdiction under Article 226 via HC Writ Rules, ruling that a proposed accused has no pre-FIR hearing right. It also held the State may withdraw a legally untenable review without breaching rule of law, bolstering prosecutorial discretion in PMLA and corruption matters.

The Bombay High Court quashed Scrutiny Committee orders rejecting Scheduled Tribe caste validity certificates, ruling that a pre-Independence birth record cannot be dismissed as interpolated without expert handwriting analysis. The court directed issuance of certificates within three weeks, safeguarding applicants' rights against arbitrary rejection of historical documentary evidence.

A Jharkhand-SC migrant’s caste is judged by Odisha’s Presidential notification, which labels Bhuiya caste as a tribe, denying him ST benefits. The Orissa HC held that migrants cannot export their home state’s SC/ST status, affecting reservation claims.

The Rajasthan High Court held that contractual workers satisfying the Maternity Benefit Act’s eligibility criteria cannot be denied statutory maternity leave, striking down a refusal based solely on service conditions. This ruling secures 180 days’ paid leave with interest for contract employees in state appointments.

The Delhi High Court allowed medical termination of pregnancy for a 16-year-old rape survivor at 31 weeks, ruling that her reproductive autonomy under Article 21 outweighs the 24-week ceiling in the MTP Act. The decision expands access to safe abortion for minor survivors of sexual violence facing grave mental injury.

The Supreme Court held that a person’s conversion from Hinduism to Islam does not automatically carry forward their former Hindu backward-caste status for claiming Muslim reservation benefits under Article 16(4). The ruling clarifies that caste identity is religion-specific and cannot be transferred across faiths, affecting individuals seeking community certificates after conversion.

The Karnataka HC struck down the state’s move to raise SC/ST reservation to 56%, ruling it violates the 50% ceiling. The verdict impacts SC/ST aspirants for jobs and education in Karnataka, upholding the equality-affirmative action balance.

The Uttarakhand HC held that adults in a live-in relationship are entitled to Article 21 protection and must register under Section 381(1) of the Uttarakhand UCC, 2024, while police assess threats and provide protection.

The SC held that Article 22(1) breach needs written grounds & judicial sanction for re-arrest, while Article 22(2) breach draws State compensation. Victims need not sue officials; State liable and police must follow safeguards before re-detention.

The Telangana High Court held that an MLA who fights LS polls on another party’s ticket is deemed to have given up membership under the Tenth Schedule, resulting in disqualification from the date of nomination, impacting legislators.

Gauhati HC held that on a cyber complaint of a suspicious transaction, a bank may only lien that sum and let the account holder use the rest. It protects traders’ livelihood under Article 21 by barring arbitrary full-account freezes.

The Supreme Court held that Maharashtra Poisons Rules 18A and 18B, which mandated denaturing methanol to curb hooch tragedies, lack a proximate nexus to the objective and impose a disproportionate burden on industries, thus violating Articles 14 and 19(1)(g). The ruling protects chemical manufacturers and traders from arbitrary state regulation while affirming the proportionality test in economic legislation.

The SC ruled that a night-time vehicle seizure without seven-day notice violates RBI Guidelines and Articles 14 & 21, directing the financier to close the loan, refund ₹4.5 lakhs at 6 % interest and pay ₹10 lakhs compensation.