Supreme Court Weekly Round Up [November 10-16, 2025]

1. [Phalodi Accident] The Supreme Court directed the National Highways Authority of India to file a report before it over the recent accident in Rajasthan's Phalodi where a tempo traveller collided with a stationary bus on November 2, 2025. "18-19 lives have been lost. The reasons for such loss of life have been reported..they include bad road conditions..lack of parking space..in such circumstances it is essential to ask NHAI, Ministry of Highways and Transport to submit a report with respect to the Highways where the accident took place", court has ordered.
Case Title: IN RE: PHALODI ACCIDENT
Bench: Justices Maheshwari and Bishnoi
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2. [Contempt Case over allegations on High Court judge] A CJI led bench of the Supreme Court closed the contempt case initiated against litigant and lawyer who had filed a petition with scandalous remarks against a sitting Telangana High Court judge. Court was informed that an apology was submitted before the judge concerned who accepted the same. Highlighting the growing trend of making scurrilous and scandalous allegations against a judge when they don't pass favorable orders, the bench also comprising Justice K Vinod Chandran noted in its order, "Such a practice needs to be strongly deprecated. Majesty of law does not lie in punishment but forgiving when apology is made. Since the High Court judge has accepted the apology we do not intend to proceed further. With this apology is accepted and the contempt plea is closed."
Case Title: In re: N. Peddi Raju
Bench: CJI Gavai and Justice K Vinod Chandran
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3. [NSA detention] The Supreme Court refused to entertain a petition filed by jailed Khadoor Sahib Member of Parliament (MP) Amritpal Singh challenging his detention under the National Security Act (NSA), 1980. The Bench of Justice Aravind Kumar and Justice N.V. Anjaria, directed the Punjab MP to approach the jurisdictional High Court instead, while instructing that the matter be decided expeditiously; within six weeks, considering the duration of his continued detention. Amritpal Singh, currently lodged in Dibrugarh Jail in Assam, had moved the Supreme Court questioning the legality of his preventive detention and simultaneously sought permission to attend the upcoming session of Parliament in his capacity as an elected representative.
Case Title: Amritpal Singh v. Union of India
Bench: Justices Aravind Kumar and NV Anjaria
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4. [PIL] A public interest litigation has been filed by NGO Janshruti (People's voice) in the Supreme Court under Article 32 of the Constitution, seeking urgent reforms in the process of appointing judges to the higher judiciary. The petitioner has called for replacing the existing Collegium system with a transparent, objective, and criteria-based selection mechanism having constitutional or statutory backing.
Case Title: Janshruti (People's voice) vs. Union of India
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5. [AI in Judiciary] The Supreme Court has listed the PIL after two weeks which seeks regulated & uniform use of GenAI in the Judicial and quasi judicial bodies of India, in order to, ensure fairness, transparency, data-security, and protection of fundamental rights guaranteed under Articles 14,19, and 21of the Constitution of India. As the matter was taken up by a CJI Gavai led bench, the court observed that it had seen morphed pictures of it on the internet.
Case Title: Kartikeya Rawal vs Union of India
Bench: CJI Gavai and Justice Chandran
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6. [Akola Riots] The Supreme Court has stayed its decision constituting a Special Investigation Team to look into allegations regarding the State failure to probe an assault during the 2023 Akola Riots. A CJI BR Gavai led bench took up the matter after a bench comprising Justices Sanjay Kumar and SC Sharma delivered a split verdict last week. While Justice Sanjay Kumar has found no grounds for review, Justice SC Sharma has noted that "as review and recall has been sought of the judgment to the limited extent that “it directs or mandates the composition of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) on the basis of religious identity” requires consideration.
Case Title: THE STATE OF MAHARASHTRA & OTHERS Vs. MOHAMMAD AFZAL MOHAMMAD SHARIF
Bench: CJI Gavai, Justice Chandran and Justice Anjaria
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7. [Bail denied to terrorist Mamoor Ali] The Supreme Court has denied bail to terrorist Syed Mamoor Ali, accused of conspiring to promote ISIS ideology and carry out terror activities. A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta noted that inflammatory material was recovered from Ali and dismissed his SLP challenging the Madhya Pradesh high Court order. Senior Advocate Siddharth Dave, appearing for Ali told the court that only material recovered from his client was Islamic literature. The bench, however, noted that the case involved allegations of forming a WhatsApp group similar to that of ISIS.
Case Title: Syed Mamoor Ali vs Union of India
Bench: Justices Nath and Mehta
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8. [Women inclusion] A public interest litigation has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking directions to ensure proportional representation of women, queer persons, persons with disabilities, and lawyers from marginalized communities in the Bar Council of India (BCI) and State Bar Councils. The petitioner, Advocate Yogamaya MG has contended that despite the Advocates Act, 1961 being in force for over six decades, there has been no legislative or policy intervention to address the “gross underrepresentation” of women and other marginalized groups in these statutory bodies.
Case Title: Yogamaya MG v. Union of India & Ors.
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9. [Anti-conversion laws] The Supreme Court refused a plea made before it to urgently list a batch of petitions challenging the various anti-conversion laws of states across the country. A CJI BR Gavai led bench was told that the laws were being misused across the country. When the bench was asked to list the petitions next week, it said that the case will come up now in December.
Case Title: Citizens for Justice and Peace vs. State of Uttar Pradesh & Anr. & connected matters
Bench: CJI Gavai, Justices Chandran and Anjaria
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10. [Arrest of Advocate] The Supreme Court has ordered the release of an Advocate who was recently arrested the Haryana police in connection with a murder case. The Advocate had filed a writ petition challenging his arrest, which the court had agreed to take it up. A CJI BR Gavai led bench ordered release of Advocate Vikram Singh arrested by Haryana Special Task Force in connection with a murder case on furnishing bail bonds of Rs 10,000. "He is an Advocate and not likely to evade process..thus interim protection is granted..", the bench noted.
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11.[Menstruation Checks] The Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) has filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) before the Supreme Court under Article 32 of the Constitution highlighting widespread violations of women’s dignity, privacy, and bodily autonomy in institutional settings, particularly in relation to their menstrual and gynaecological health. The petition, filed in public interest, cites recent and past instances of women and girls being subjected to invasive and humiliating “menstruation checks” in workplaces and educational institutions across India. The SCBA through AoR Pragya Baghel has urged the Court to frame guidelines to protect the fundamental rights of women under Articles 14, 19 and 21 of the Constitution.
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12. [Shoe-hurling at CJI] The Supreme Court said it would frame preventive measures to avert instances of misconduct inside and outside court premises, following the October 6 incident in which Advocate Rakesh Kishore allegedly attempted to hurl a shoe at Chief Justice of India BR Gavai in open court. The Bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi, hearing the Supreme Court Bar Association’s (SCBA) plea, said the issue went beyond the individual incident and required a structural response to protect the dignity and safety of court spaces.
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13. [Nithari Killings] The Supreme Court acquitted Surendra Koli, the domestic help convicted in the infamous Nithari serial killings, allowing his curative petition and setting aside his 2011 conviction for rape and murder. While doing so, a CJI Gavai led bench has said that it is a matter of deep regret that despite prolonged investigation, the identity of the actual perpetrator has not been established in a manner that meets the legal standards.
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14. [Mekedatu Project] The Supreme Court refused to interfere with the Mekedatu Reservoir Project proposed by the Karnataka government in Cauvery river. A CJI BR Gavai led bench refused to entertain the plea made by State of Tamil Nadu against the balancing reservoir at Mekedatu in Kanakapura Taluk of Bengaluru South District on the Karnataka-Tamil Nadu border. Tamil Nadu has been opposing the project, claiming that the reservoir would take away its share of Cauvery water.
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15. [Air India Crash] The Supreme Court issued notice on a petition filed by the father of deceased pilot Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, seeking an independent, court-monitored investigation into the Air India plane crash at Ahmedabad on June 12, which claimed 260 lives. Supreme Court sought the Centre’s reply on a plea filed by deceased pilot Sumeet Sabharwal’s father, who had challenged the AAIB’s preliminary report and demanded a court-monitored inquiry into the June 12 crash that killed 260 people.
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16. [Rahul Gandhi Hindu Remarks] The Supreme Court granted anticipatory bail to social media influencer Raushan Sinha, who was booked for allegedly misquoting a statement made by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi during his speech in Lok Sabha. The Bench of Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice Aravind Kumar observed that Sinha’s arrest was unnecessary and there was no justification for custodial interrogation. The Court set aside the Telangana High Court’s order refusing pre-arrest bail and allowed Sinha’s plea.
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17. [Saranda Forest] The Supreme Court has directed the Jharkhand state government to notify the area comprising of 126 compartments in Saranda Forest as a wildlife sanctuary within a period of three months. "We further direct the State of Jharkhand to give wide publicity to the fact that by this judgment, neither the individual rights nor the community rights of the tribals and the forest dwellers in the said area would be adversely affected. The State shall also give wide publicity to the fact that in view of the provision of Section 3 read with sub-Section (1) of Section 4 of the FRA all the rights of the tribals and the forest dwellers both individually as well as of community shall stand protected", a bench of CJI BR Gavai and Justice Vinod Chandran has ordered.
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18. [NCLT case transferred] The Supreme Court on ordered the transfer of a company appeal from the NCLAT Chennai Bench to the tribunal’s Principal Bench in New Delhi, days after judicial member Justice Sharad Kumar Sharma recused himself from the matter alleging that he had been approached by “one of the most revered members of the higher judiciary” to rule in favour of a litigant. The Bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi said the immediate priority was to ensure a fair and untainted adjudication of the underlying company appeal, which had been heard but not decided by the Chennai Bench.
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19. [SIR Phase 2] The Election Commission of India (ECI) has clarified before the Supreme Court that Aadhaar cannot be used as proof of citizenship and will serve only as proof of identity during the ongoing Phase II of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The clarification comes amid the revision exercise covering nearly 51 crore electors across nine states and three Union Territories. The Commission filed a detailed counter affidavit filed in response to a petition by Advocate Ashwini Upadhyaya, who sought a declaration that Aadhaar be used strictly for establishing identity under Section 23(4) of the Representation of the People Act (RPA), 1950, and not as proof of date of birth. He argued that permitting Aadhaar as proof of age in Form-6 under the Registration of Electors Rules was contrary to the UIDAI’s August 22, 2023 notification.
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20. [Punjab Judiciary Funds] The Supreme Court sharply criticised the AAP-led Punjab government for failing to create even basic judicial infrastructure in the newly formed Malerkotla district, while allegedly diverting central funds meant for the judiciary. The Bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi said the State had repeatedly ignored directions of the Punjab and Haryana High Court and appeared more interested in constructing residential quarters for its own officials than in building courtrooms and accommodation for judges.
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21. [Pendency details] The Supreme Court has directed all the High Courts through their Registrar Generals to submit details of the judgments reserved after 31.01.2025 and the dates of their respective pronouncement till 31.10.2025, along with the dates when they were uploaded on the website. The existing mechanism evolved by the High Court to bring into the public domain, the date when the judgment is reserved; the date of its pronouncement and the date when it is actually uploaded on the website, is also sought to be presented before the Supreme Court within four weeks.
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