Law & Justice This Week: Big Wins, Court Orders & Legal Milestones [February 16- February 22, 2026]
Key Judicial Developments of the Week In India
1. Supreme Court Flags ‘Freebies’ Culture: The Supreme Court on February 19 raised concerns over the growing culture of pre-election freebies, observing that such measures are hampering India’s long-term development and pushing states into financial deficit. The issue was discussed in the context of fiscal responsibility and economic sustainability.
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2. Supreme Court Stays Order Making Tamil Nadu Waqf Board Defunct: The Supreme Court on February 19 stayed a Madras High Court order that had rendered the Tamil Nadu Waqf Board defunct, terming the reasoning flawed at this stage. The matter relates to governance and functioning of the statutory religious body.
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3. ‘Pyjama String’ Verdict: The Supreme Court set aside the Allahabad High Court’s controversial ruling which had diluted charges in a sexual assault case, restoring a stricter interpretation of attempt to rape. The high court had ruled that grabbing the minor victim’s breasts, breaking the string of her pyjama, and attempting to drag her beneath a culvert before fleeing did not amount to rape or an attempt to rape
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4. Supreme Court to Examine Muslim Women’s Right to Divorce by Khula: The Supreme Court has appointed an amicus curiae to assist in examining whether Muslim women can independently seek divorce through khula. In 2021, the Kerala High Court had overruled a 49-year-old judgment that effectively barred Muslim women from resorting to extrajudicial modes of dissolving marriage. Against the judgment, a special leave petition has been filed before the Apex Court.
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5. ‘Nobody Should Believe Anybody Before Marriage’, Says SC: During a bail plea hearing in a rape case based on false promise to marry, the Supreme Court observed that courts should caution that one must not accept claims at face value before marriage. The Bench of Justice B.V. Nagarathna and Justice Ujjal Bhuyan orally said that it “failed to understand” pre-marital intimacy between a man and woman who are “strangers”.
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6. Delhi HC Says Open Garbage Bin, Public Urinal in Residential Area Violates Right to Life: The Delhi High Court held that the presence of an open garbage bin and public urinal in a residential locality violated residents’ right to life under Article 21. It directed civic authorities to take corrective action.
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7. MP High Court Denies Bail to Doctor in Coldriff Syrup Deaths Case: The Madhya Pradesh High Court on February 17 refused bail to a paediatrician accused in the Coldriff cough syrup case, noting that continued prescription of the toxic medicine despite warnings and a ban led to over 26 child deaths.
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8. Chhattisgarh High Court Says Ejaculation Without Penetration Is Only Attempted Rape: The Chhattisgarh High Court on February 16 set aside a rape conviction from a 2004 case, holding that ejaculation without penetration does not legally constitute rape and amounts only to an attempt, reducing the sentence accordingly.
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9. Madras High Court Upholds Parents' Life Sentence in Mentally Ill Child's Murder Case: The Madras High Court affirmed life sentences given to parents for murdering their child, rejecting the plea that the child’s mental disability justified the act, and held such disability is no ground to take a child’s life.
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10. Allahabad High Court Awards Monthly Maintenance Despite Wife’s Salary: The Allahabad High Court ruled that a wife’s income does not bar her from maintenance if there is a significant lifestyle gap between spouses, upholding an order for ₹15,000 monthly maintenance. The bench observed that lifestyle and standard of living are relevant in fixing maintenance.
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11. UP Court Awards Death Sentence to Two for Sexual Assault of 33 Minor Boys: A Uttar Pradesh court sentenced two men to death for sexually assaulting 33 minor boys in a case that shocked the state. The court held the crime to be among the rarest of rare cases warranting capital punishment.
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