Law & Justice This Week: Big Wins, Court Orders & Legal Milestones [September 8- 14, 2025]

1. Presidential Reference: The Supreme Court has reserved its verdict on the presidential reference over governors’ powers in assenting to bills after weeks of arguments. During the hearing in the matter this week, CJI BR Gavai contrasted India’s constitutional stability with unrest in Nepal, while the Centre claimed the issue of withheld bills arose only under the AAP government. The bench questioned if governors must formally declare when withholding assent, as Karnataka argued they cannot act as an “all-pervading authority” and Punjab insisted they are not constitutional filters to test laws.

Read more about the verdict reserved here, CJI on Nepal here, Centre on AAP here, formal declaration here, Karnataka stand here, and Punjab stand here

2. Aadhaar as Valid ID in Bihar SIR: The Supreme Court on September 8, directed the Election Commission to accept Aadhaar as the 12th valid identity document for voter list inclusion, while clarifying it is not proof of citizenship. The order came after complaints that officers were rejecting Aadhaar, disproportionately affecting poor voters. The bench stressed Aadhaar’s authenticity can be verified and genuine citizens must not be disenfranchised.

Read more here

3. POSH Six-month Bar: The Supreme Court ruled that complaints under the POSH Act must be filed within six months; belated complaints are time-barred. Court said that incidents of alleged sexual harassment on the part of the V-C may be forgiven, but allowed to haunt the wrongdoer forever.

Read more here

4. Judicial Cadre for Special Statutes: The Supreme Court on September 12 urged the government to increase the number of judicial officers and establish dedicated courts to hear special statute trials under laws such as UAPA, MCOCA and those handled by the NIA, citing significant delays and long undertrial custody. It argued that simply reallocating existing judges isn’t sufficient

Read more here

5. Quota Rule, Reserved vs General: The Supreme Court on September 9 held that SC/ST candidates who avail relaxations in age, physical measurements, or qualifying marks under reserved category rules cannot be shifted to general (unreserved) seats even if their scores exceed the general cut‐off. This is based on Standing Order No. 85 (2009). Court overturned a High Court order that had permitted certain SC/ST candidates in the Railway Protection Force to be appointed to unreserved posts because they had high marks, finding that the recruitment rules themselves prohibited this.

Read more here

6. Black Money & Political Parties: The Supreme Court on September 12 issued notice on a PIL by Adv Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay seeking stricter regulation of political parties, highlighting misuse of black money, lack of transparency in funding, and the fact that many registered parties neither contest elections nor maintain internal democracy. Court suggested including major national parties as respondents to avoid legal challenges later.

Read more here

7. Firecracker Ban: The Supreme Court on September 12 suggested that firecrackers should be banned nationwide, not just in the Delhi NCR, during the MC Mehta case on air pollution. CJI Gavai questioned why only certain zones get clean‐air protections, pointing out major pollution in other cities too. Court asked for a report from the Commission for Air Quality Management, and will hear further on September 22.

Read more here

8. POCSO, Death Penalty Set Aside: The Supreme Court on September 11 set aside the death sentence of Akhtar Ali, convicted under the POCSO Act for the 2014 rape and murder of a minor in Uttarakhand. Emphasizing that capital punishment is irreversible and should only be applied in the "rarest of rare" cases, court ruled that even the slightest doubt must favor the accused.

Read more here

9. Film Ban for Mocking Religions: The Delhi High Court upheld the Central Board of Film Certification's (CBFC) decision to deny certification to the Hindi film Masoom Kaatil. The film's portrayal of vigilantism, gruesome killings, and derogatory remarks about religions were deemed incompatible with public exhibition standards in a secular society.

Read more here

10. Student Suicides & Ragging: The Delhi High Court on September 10 expressed deep concern over the rising number of student suicides, emphasizing the urgent need for a functional and effective anti-ragging helpline. Court highlighted that delays in implementing such a helpline have already cost young lives, underscoring its necessity to prevent further tragedies.

Read more here

11. Section 498A IPC Misuse: The Gujarat High Court recently quashed criminal proceedings against a mother-in-law, sister-in-law, and brother-in-law accused under Section 498A IPC in a dowry harassment case. Court emphasized that broad accusations against in-laws, without concrete evidence, amount to an abuse of legal process.

Read more here