Law & Justice This Week: Big Wins, Court Orders & Legal Milestones [August 4- August 8]
![Law & Justice This Week: Big Wins, Court Orders & Legal Milestones [August 4- August 8]](https://lawbeat.in/h-upload/2025/08/08/1500x900_2072838-law-and-justice-this-week-august-4-9.webp "Law & Justice This Week: Big Wins, Court Orders & Legal Milestones [August 4- August 8]")
1. SC Criticizes Rahul Gandhi’s Remarks on Armed Forces
The Supreme Court, on August 4, came down heavily on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for his alleged remarks against the Indian Army during the 2022 Bharat Jodo Yatra, questioning the basis of his statements and asserting that such comments were unbecoming of a “true Indian.” The Bench of Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice A.G. Masih was hearing Gandhi’s plea challenging a defamation case filed over his comments made on December 16, 2022, in the aftermath of a clash between Indian and Chinese troops in Arunachal Pradesh. He had said, “Chinese soldiers are beating up Indian Army personnel.” At one point during the hearing, Justice Datta remarked sharply, “If you were a true Indian, you would not say all these things".
Case Title: Rahul Gandhi v. State of Uttar Pradesh & Anr.
Read report here
2. SC Expresses Alarm Over Himachal’s Ecological Decline
In a striking intervention, the Supreme Court expressed deep concern over the ecological deterioration in Himachal Pradesh and directed its Registry to register a writ petition suo motu in larger public interest to examine the environmental challenges plaguing the State. Observing that "the day is not far when the entire State of HP may vanish in thin air from the map of the country," the court emphasised the urgent need for sustainable development and ecological preservation
Case Title: M/s Pristine Hotels and Resorts Pvt. Ltd. vs State of Himachal Pradesh & Anr
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3. SC Slams Allahabad HC Judge for Misusing Criminal Law to Settle Civil Disputes
The Supreme Court on August 4 asked the Chief Justice of Allahabad High Court to immediately withdraw the present determination of Justice Prashant Kumar. The concerned judge should be made to sit in a division bench with a seasoned senior judge of the High Court, the apex court directed. Court was dealing with a challenge to a judgment by Justice Kumar of the Allahabad High Court, where he held that criminal proceedings initiated by the complainant in what was essentially a civil dispute were justified, as recovering the balance amount through a civil suit could take significant time. The Supreme Court found this reasoning “shocking” and “disturbing". However, on August 8, court expunged the remarks stating that it had no intention to cause embarrassment to the judge.
Case Title: M/s Shikhar Chemicals vs. State of U.P. and Another
4. 'Repackaged Sedition'
Retired Major General S.G. Vombatkere has moved the Supreme Court challenging Section 152 BNS as a veiled return of sedition law. Court issued notice, tagged plea with pending challenge to Section 124A IPC. A bench of Chief Justice BR Gavai, Justice K. Vinod Chandran and Justice NV Anjaria on August 8, issued notice and tagged the matter with WC 682 of 2021.
Case Title: S.G. Vombatkere v. Union of India
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5. RG Kar Hospital Rape-Murder Case
The Supreme Court on August 5 directed the National Task Force (NTF) to respond to reports and suggestions filed by states and stakeholders in the suo motu case concerning the rape and murder of a young doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, West Bengal. Court said the matter would be listed for detailed hearing after eight weeks on a non-miscellaneous day at 2 PM, to ensure presence of all counsel.
Case Title: In Re: Alleged Rape and Murder incident of a trainee doctor in RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, Kolkata and related issues
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6. Udaipur Files' release on August 8
The Delhi High Court on August 7, 2025 cleared the decks for the release of Udaipur Files, rejecting a plea by the Kanhaiya Lal murder case accused Mohd. Javed who sought stay on the film. The movie, which is based on the 2022 murder of Udaipur tailor Kanhaiya Lal, is now set to release as scheduled on Friday, August 8. The movie has already undergone 55 cuts, six additional edits, and carries a detailed disclaimer.
Case Title: Mohammed Javed v. Union of India
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7. Reservation for transgender & intersex persons
While applauding the Tamil Nadu government for its newly notified State Policy for Transgender Persons, 2025, the Madras High Court on August 4, asked it to to take immediate steps to address critical gaps, most notably, the lack of clarity on reservations, marriage registration, and recognition of partnerships. Referring to Clause 3.7 of the policy, which mentions the “Right to Representation in Employment and Educational Institutions”, court pointed out that it does not clarify whether it guarantees horizontal reservation. Therefore, it directed the government to take a decision so that transgender and intersex persons “need not knock on the doors of this court every time".
Case Title: Mrs. S.Sushma and Another vs. Director General of Police Tamil Nadu Police Department and Others
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8. ITR and Social Media Influencers
The recently introduced Income Tax Bill, 2025, has endeavoured to bring social media influencers under the tax net, subtly hinting towards increased scrutiny in the ever-expanding digital ecosystem. The Income Tax Return (ITR) for Financial Year 2024–25 (Assessment Year 2025–26) has included a special profession code 16021 for social media influencers. So, if you are someone who has been earning through social media through various ways, including promotions, product endorsements, or digital content creation, you will have to use this code while filing your ITR.
Read details here