Supreme Court Weekly Round Up [March 16-22, 2026]

1. [Illegal Sand Mining In Chambal] The Supreme Court came down heavily on authorities in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh over continued illegal sand mining in the National Chambal Sanctuary, observing that officials may be held vicariously liable for destruction of protected wildlife habitats due to their “lethargy and inaction.” The bench of Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Sandeep Mehta was hearing a suo motu matter concerning rampant illegal sand mining in the sanctuary and its impact on endangered aquatic species, including the gharial.
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2. [Appointment of Election Commissioners] The Supreme Court indicated that the petitions challenging the constitutional validity of the Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Act, 2023 will be placed before a bench in which no judge are in line to become Chief Justice of India. A bench of CJI Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi, and Justice Vipul Pancholi was hearing a batch of pleas challenging provisions of the Act which removed the Chief Justice of India from the selection panel appointing Election Commissioners (ECs).
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3. [Bramhophobia] The Supreme Court refused to entertain a writ petition seeking recognition of alleged hate speech targeting the Brahmin community; termed as “Brahmophobia”, as a punishable form of caste-based discrimination, underscoring that hate speech against any community is unacceptable and must be addressed through broader societal values of fraternity and tolerance. The bench of Justice B V Nagarathna and Justice Ujjal Bhuyan initially dismissed the petition after a brief hearing. However, the petitioner, Mahalingam Balaji, who appeared in person, subsequently sought permission to withdraw the plea with liberty to approach an appropriate forum. The Court allowed the request and dismissed the petition as withdrawn.
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4. [NCERT Textbook Case] The Supreme Court has been informed that an Expert Committee is being constituted by the Central Government to review the NCERT's controversial chapter on judicial corruption. "We have formed the committee to draft the chapter. Mr Venugopal will be a member, Justice Indu Malhotra will also be a part. We have also requested Justice Aniruddha Bose from the National Judicial Academy to be there..," Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told a CJI led bench.
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5. [Definition of Industry] A nine-judge bench of the Supreme Court led by CJI Surya Kant has reserved its judgment in the case that will determine whether a 1978 judgment was right in expanding the definition of 'Industry' to include workers in government departments, universities, and hospitals. In his closing remark to the three-day long hearing, Attorney General R Venkataramani said, “We are moving into a globalized world and we have to manage our domestic economy. Caution may be kept in mind by the court as defining forest department, irrigation department, research bodies as industry gives rise to a serious concern.”
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6. [Kahaani 2] The Supreme Court quashed criminal proceedings against National Award-winning filmmaker Sujoy Ghosh in a copyright infringement case alleging that his film Kahaani 2: Durga Rani Singh was based on a stolen script. The bench of Justice Pamidighantam Sri Narasimha and Justice Alok Aradhe allowed Ghosh’s plea and set aside the criminal case pending before the Chief Judicial Magistrate in Hazaribagh, Jharkhand.
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7. [2003 Jaggi Murder Case] The Supreme Court of India has granted bail to Yahya Dhebar, a convict in the 2003 murder case of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Ram Avatar Jaggi, suspending his life sentence after nearly two years in custody. The bench of Justices Sanjay Kumar and K Vinod Chandran ordered Dhebar’s release on bail, subject to payment of fine and compliance with conditions to be imposed by the trial court. "The sentence of imprisonment imposed upon the applicant, Yahya Dhebar, that stood confirmed by the High Court, shall stand suspended on payment of the fine amounts. The applicant shall be released on bail on such appropriate terms and conditions as may be fixed by the trial Court," the bench ordered.
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8. [Snake venom Case] The Supreme Court quashed the FIR and all subsequent proceedings against YouTuber Elvish Yadav in the 2023 snake venom case registered by the Uttar Pradesh Police, holding that the prosecution could not be sustained in law. The bench of Justices M M Sundresh and N Kotiswar Singh found multiple legal infirmities in the case, including the absence of a complaint by an authorised person under the Wildlife (Protection) Act.
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9. [Sheena Bora Murder Case] The Supreme Court has allowed a nine-month extension for the completion of the trial in the Sheena Bora murder case. A letter was received by the Supreme Court from the Special Judge, CBI, City Civil & Sessions Court, Greater Bombay seeking extension of time to conclude the trial. "Considering the prayer made, the time to conclude the trial stands extended by 9 months while making it clear that no further prayer seeking extension of time will be entertained," a bench of Justices MM Sundresh and NK Singh has ordered.
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10. [Barabanki Lawyers Violence] The Supreme Court came down heavily on members of the Bar in Uttar Pradesh’s Barabanki for indulging in violence, including storming a fellow lawyer’s office and setting his furniture on fire, after he chose to represent toll plaza employees accused of assaulting an advocate. The bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta described the episode as a “very sorry state of affairs,” observing that members of a noble profession had “turned into perpetrators of violence.”
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11. [Bihar Liquor Prohibition] The Supreme Court said it will examine whether the police can enter a person’s home and subject them to a breath analyser test under the Bihar prohibition regime, while expanding the scope of an ongoing appeal to test the constitutional validity of key provisions of the law. The bench of Justice Sanjay Karol and Justice N Kotiswar Singh was hearing a plea filed by the State of Bihar challenging a judgment of the Patna High Court, which held that a breath analyser test alone cannot be treated as conclusive proof of alcohol consumption.
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12. [Unclaimed funds] The Supreme Court sought fresh affidavits from the Central government and the Reserve Bank of India on a public interest litigation seeking the creation of a centralised system to help families trace and claim over ₹1 lakh crore lying unclaimed in financial instruments of deceased persons. The bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta directed the authorities to file updated counter affidavits within four weeks, posting the matter for further hearing on May 5.
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13. [5-year law degree] While stressing on the importance of strengthening the quality of legal education in the country, the Supreme Court expressed its unwillingness to interfere with the duration of the five-year integrated LLB course, saying such policy matters cannot be decided by courts. A bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi observed that while legal education is a critical issue, decisions on the structure and length of professional programmes require wider consultation among academic institutions, regulators, and other stakeholders.
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14. [Murshidabad Violence] The Supreme Court has refused to interfere with a Calcutta High Court judgment that declined to quash the NIA probe into the violence at Beldanga in Murshidabad district under terror-related sections of the UAPA. A bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi said it found no reason to interfere with the order passed by a high court division bench on February 26. CJI Kant said the high court had passed a reasoned order.
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15. [Delay in Pronouncing Judgments] The Supreme Court has sought responses from high courts across the country on draft guidelines to ensure timely pronouncement of high court and trial court judgments after they are reserved. “These guidelines are only to enhance accountability in our system and strengthen the judicial institution,” said a bench of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi as it heard a case concerning reserved judgments of appeals from life convicts that have been pending for years before the Jharkhand high court.
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16. [Ravi Nair] The Supreme Court refused to entertain a plea filed by journalist Ravi Nair challenging a notice issued to him by the Gujarat Crime Branch in connection with a complaint allegedly made by Adani Ports and SEZ Ltd. The bench of Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Sandeep Mehta dismissed the petition as withdrawn after asking Nair to approach the jurisdictional High Court for relief.
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17. [Operation Sindoor Remarks] The Supreme Court was informed that Haryana government has refused to provide sanction for prosecuting Ashoka University professor Ali Khan Mahmudabad who was facing multiple FIRs over his social media posts related to ‘Operation Sindoor’. Additional Solicitor General SV Raju informed a CJI Kant led bench, "As a one time magnanimity, the sanction is refused. The chapter is closed. He can be warned that this is not repeated again".
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18. [Excise Policy Case] Former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has approached the Supreme Court challenging the decision of the Delhi High Court Chief Justice rejecting his request to transfer the excise policy case from the bench of Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma to another judge. According to reports, Kejriwal has filed a petition under Article 32 of the Constitution of India. Along with this petition, he has also filed a Special Leave Petition challenging Justice Sharma’s order dated March 9.
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