Law & Justice This Week: Big Wins, Court Orders & Legal Milestones [October 27- November 2, 2025]

1. 2020 Delhi riots case: Senior advocate Siddhartha Dave told the Supreme Court of India that Sharjeel Imam’s speeches in Dec 2019/Jan 2020 called only for a peaceful “chakka jam” against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 and did not incite violence. However, Delhi Police told the Supreme Court, Umar Khalid’s alleged role in orchestrating the 2020 riots was part of a coordinated plan to destabilize the government and internationalize the CAA issue during Trump’s visit

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2. Separatist J&K leader Shabir Shah bail: Solicitor General Tushar Mehta opposed bail for separatist leader Shabir Shah in a matter of terror funding linked to separatist activities in Jammu & Kashmir. Shah was arrested by the NIA on June 4, 2019, in connection with a 2017 case registered against 12 individuals for raising funds to disrupt public order and wage war against the central government.

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3. Minors’ consent to sex immaterial: The Supreme Court held that mere consent by a minor to sexual intercourse is immaterial for the purposes of conviction under rape laws. Court upheld the conviction of a man for raping a 15-year-old girl.

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4. Women under the POCSO Act: The Supreme Court is set to examine whether a woman can be prosecuted under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 (POCSO) for penetrative sexual assault. Court will hear a plea by a Bengaluru woman accused of sexually assaulting a minor boy, raising questions on gender neutrality under POCSO.

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5. Guidelines for COVID insurance claims by doctors who died in service: The Supreme Court said “society will not forgive us” if justice is not done to the families of doctors who died on COVID duty and announced it will frame comprehensive guidelines for pending insurance claims. The bench noted delays and inconsistencies in ex-gratia payments across states.

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6. Digital arrest scam: The Supreme Court issued notices to all states and Union Territories over the rise of “digital arrest” scams where victims are extorted by callers impersonating police or government officials. The bench called it a nationwide cybercrime menace needing coordinated investigation.

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7. Framing of charges under BNSS: The Supreme Court observed that months-long and even years-long delays in framing charges defeat the intent of Section 251(b) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), and said it will soon issue nationwide guidelines to ensure timely trials.

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8. Academic standards in Madarsas: The Allahabad High Court held that madrassas cannot claim blanket immunity from regulation and must adhere to “reasonable regulations” regarding academic standards. Court quashed an advertisement issued by Nazime Ala/Manager of Madarsa Arabiya Shamshul Uloom, Sikariganj (Ehata Nawab) for recruitment of 5 teachers and a clerk.

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9. Crypto is property: The Madras High Court has held that cryptocurrency constitutes “property” under Indian law and cannot be dismissed as mere computer code. The judgment came while hearing a plea related to the confiscation of digital assets in a criminal case.

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10. Kashi Vishwanath temple aarti: The Allahabad High Court has quashed the 25-year-old termination of Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri awardee and Sanskrit scholar Dr. Devi Prasad Dwivedi from his duties as Acharya at the Kashi Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi, allegedly over his refusal to allow special rituals for a senior official. Court reinstated Dr. Dwivedi’s right to perform the Shringar-Bhog Aarti.

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11. DeepSeek AI: The Delhi High Court has asked the Central Government to clarify how it plans to address the concerns over misuse of the Chinese-owned artificial intelligence chatbot DeepSeek.

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