Affidavit of Evidence of an Attesting Witness of a Will
IN THE COURT OF THE MUNSIFF AT THIRUVANANTHAPURAM (Filed under Order XVIII Rule 4 read with Section 151 of the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908) O.S. No. _______ of 2026…
Post-Conviction Remand v. Suspension of Sentence by Magistrate Courts
When a Magistrate Court convicts an accused, the rule that "bail is the rule and jail is the exception" no longer applies. Under Section 389(3) of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) / corresponding Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) provisions, the trial court may suspend a short sentence (not exceeding 3 years) and grant brief post-conviction bail to allow the convict time to file an appeal.
Guidelines on Mandatory Notice for Under-7-Year Offences in 2026 Satender Kumar Case
In Satender Kumar Antil v. Central Bureau Of Investigation [2026 INSC 115], the Supreme Court considered whether notices under Section 35(3) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (BNSS, 2023) are to be mandatorily issued in all cases, qua an offence punishable with imprisonment up to 7 years.
Supreme Court’s 2022 Guidelines on Arrest and Bail in Santender Kumar Case
In the landmark judgment in Satender Kumar Antil v. Central Bureau of Investigation (2022) the Supreme Court issued a comprehensive set of guidelines aimed at reforming the process of granting bail, and preventing the unnecessary arrest and incarceration of individuals:
The Sale of Indivisible Property under the Partition Act
Partition suits unfold in two key steps. First, a Preliminary Decree determines everyone's legal percentages. Second, a Court-appointed Commissioner inspects the property to see if it can be physically split. With compact or complex structures—like a single house, a tight commercial shop, or an irregular plot—a physical division is rarely practical.
Partition: Its Law, Principles & Practices
Partition is the division of jointly held properties, along with the associated rights, into different portions and delivery thereof to the respective persons. In partition, the joint ownership comes to an end and the respective parties are vested with their eligible shares.
Marking of a Document does not Prove its Contents: Supreme Court
Mere marking or exhibiting of a document in a court does not does not establish the legal validity or dispense with formal proof of its content, reaffirmed the Supreme Court in Sangeetha & Ors. v. Tmt. P. Ponni [2026 INSC 813].
Court Fee Is Payable on the Principal Relief, Not the Ancillary Relief: Kerala High Court
In Madathil Pakruti v. T.P. Kunjanandan [2025: KER:80993], the Kerala High Court has held that where a suit challenges multiple documents relating to the same property, a declaratory relief against a subsequent document — whose fate depends entirely on the outcome of the challenge to an earlier document — is merely ancillary. The Court fee in such case need be computed only on the principal relief, in terms of the proviso to Section 6(1) of the Kerala Court Fees and Suits Valuation Act, 1959.
Husband’s Right in the Intestate Property of the Deceased Hindu Wife
When a married Hindu woman passes away intestate, the Hindu Succession Act, 1956 treats the inheritance of her estate differentially, based on how she acquired the property.
A Grama Panchayat is Entitled to Cut or Remove a Tree or its Branch only When it Poses an Imminent Danger.
The High Court of Kerala, in Gopinath R v. Ombudsman for Local Self Government Institutions ([2026: KER: 44156]), observed that Section 238 of the Kerala Panchayat Raj Act, 1994, empowers a Grama Panchayat to cut or remove any tree, branch, portion, or fruit if it is likely to fall and endanger any person, structure, or cultivation.