Law & Justice This Week: Big Wins, Court Orders & Legal Milestones [December 1- December 7, 2025]
Key Judicial Developments of the Week In India
1. Fresh FIR in National Herald Case Against Sonia & Rahul Gandhi: ED has registered a new money-laundering FIR tracing an alleged Rs 988-crore financial trail linked to the National Herald companies. The fresh case expands the probe into transactions attributed to the Gandhis and associated entities.
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2. Section 498A IPC Applies to Void Marriages or Live-ins Too: The Karnataka High Court has held that cruelty/dowry laws under Section 498A can be invoked even if the “marriage” is void, voidable or basically a live-in relationship, provided the woman was led to believe they were married and was subjected to cruelty.
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3. Neha Singh Rathore Denied Anticipatory Bail in Pahalgam Tweet Case: Allahabad High Court refused pre-arrest bail to the folk singer booked over tweets allegedly connected to the Pahalgam terror attack. The court found no grounds to grant protection under Section 438.
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4. Digital Arrest Scams: The Supreme Court directed Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to conduct a pan-India probe into digital-arrest scams, granting it full authority to examine bankers, freeze accounts and take action under the Prevention of Corruption Act wherever mule-accounts are involved.
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5. Gauhati HC Quashes NSA Detention of MLA Accused of ‘Pulwama Conspiracy’ Remark: Court struck down MLA Aminul Islam’s preventive-detention order, holding that the material did not justify invoking the NSA. It noted lack of cogent grounds for the serious constitutional deprivation involved.
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6. Open Letter to CJI on Rohingya Remarks: Former judges and senior lawyers criticised the Supreme Court’s recent oral remarks about Rohingyas as “dehumanising". Their letter urges the judiciary to avoid language that could stigmatise vulnerable communities. On December 2, during the hearing in a habeas corpus petition, the CJI had remarked, "We have a very sensitive border in the North India side. If an intruder comes, do we give them a red carpet welcome saying we would like to give you all facilities?"
7. [PMLA Bail] SC Rules Section 45 Cannot Justify Indefinite Detention: The Supreme Court granted bail to former Rajasthan minister Mahesh Joshi, holding that PMLA’s twin conditions cannot be used to perpetually incarcerate an accused without trial progress. Court stressed constitutional limits on pre-trial detention.
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8. Thiruparankundram Deepam Row Escalates as State Moves Supreme Court: Following the Madras High Court’s order permitting Deepam atop the ancient pillar and rejecting the dargah claim, the Tamil Nadu government sought urgent relief from the Supreme Court. Multiple connected petitions triggered parallel proceedings
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9. Delhi Red Fort Blast Case: NIA Custody Extended for Key Accused: A Delhi court extended NIA custody of Jasir Bilal Wani by seven days after investigators cited need for further interrogation. Wani is alleged to be linked with the group behind the 2000 Red Fort attack.
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10. WhatsApp Message on Beef-eating: The Madhya Pradesh High Court refused to quash FIR against a journalist who allegedly circulated a WhatsApp message stating that beef-eating was part of Hindu rituals, rejecting his plea for relief. The bench held that the statements warranted investigation under relevant laws.
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11. Al-Falah University Chairman: A Delhi court remanded its founder Jawad Ahmed Siddiqui to 14 days’ judicial custody after the Enforcement Directorate linked a Rs. 415 crore money-laundering probe to a terror-linked investigation. The ED alleges that the university falsely claimed accreditation and diverted student fees through shell entities, proceeds now treated as crime-derived funds.
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