Madras HC Confirms Death Sentence under POCSO: 'Rarest of Rare' Case Involving 3 Girls

Madras HC Directs TN Chief Secretary to Form Panel on POCSO, Juvenile Justice Gaps

The Madras High Court has directed the Tamil Nadu government to form a committee of Home, Health, and Law Secretaries to address systemic gaps in implementing the POCSO and Juvenile Justice Acts. The court made key suggestions including gender-neutral application of POCSO, avoiding criminalizing consensual adolescent relationships, and establishing protocols for medical termination of pregnancy and child witness deposition rooms. This is crucial for UPSC aspirants as it touches upon child rights, judicial activism, and state governance.

Madras HC Confers Legal Personhood on Tamirabharani River via Deity Status to Bypass SC Ruling

The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court has ruled that the Tamirabharani river can be treated as a legal person by categorising it as a deity, effectively circumventing the Supreme Court's 2023 decision that non-human entities cannot be granted legal personhood. This allows the court to enforce pollution control measures against religious waste dumping, balancing Article 25 (religious freedom) and Article 21 (right to healthy environment).

SC to Decide on Tamil Nadu’s Power to Grant Reservation to Muslim Converts from Backward Classes

The Supreme Court will soon pronounce judgment on whether Tamil Nadu can provide reservation benefits to individuals who convert to Islam from backward classes, most backward classes, denotified communities, and Scheduled Castes. This case challenges the constitutional validity of a 2024 Government Order that aims to preserve affirmative action despite religious conversion, and has implications for secularism and equality under Articles 15(4) and 16(4).

Madras HC: No Sanction Needed Under BNSS Section 218 for Disproportionate Assets Cases

The Madras High Court has ruled that no prior sanction is required under Section 197 CrPC or Section 218 BNSS to prosecute public servants for disproportionate assets, because such an offence has no nexus with official duty. The ruling, which refused to discharge former DMK Minister M.R.K. Panneerselvam and his family, clarifies a key examiner-relevant dimension of the Prevention of Corruption Act.

Madras HC Calls for Amendment to Section 15 Hindu Marriage Act: Right to Marry is Human Right

The Madras High Court has urged Parliament to amend Section 15 of the Hindu Marriage Act, recommending that a spouse appealing a divorce decree must obtain an interim stay within two months, or the other spouse should be free to remarry. The Court held that the right to marry is a human right and prolonged appeals should not leave remarriage uncertain for years.

Patna HC Rules Religious Freedom Under Article 25 Subject to Public Order and Morality

Patna High Court holds that the right to profess and practise religion under Article 25 is not absolute and can be restricted for public order, morality, and health. This reiterates the essential religious practices doctrine and clarifies that constitutional protection does not extend to every mode of exercise. A plea for 300 devotees in a religious procession in Siwan, Bihar, was dismissed citing past law-and-order incidents.

SC Quashes NEET Protest FIRs Under Article 142, Orders Compensation Policy for Suicide Victims

Supreme Court used Article 142 to quash all FIRs registered against NEET protesters across India, while ordering compensation policy for families of students who died by suicide. This judgment underscores the balance between protest rights and criminal liability, and the government's commitment to address exam leak issues.

Orissa High Court: Brothel Customer Not Liable Under Immoral Traffic Act; Kerala HC Takes Contrary View

The Orissa High Court has ruled that a customer found in a brothel cannot be prosecuted under the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, 1956, as the Act does not penalize customers. This creates a conflict with the Kerala High Court's recent contrary ruling, making it a key exam point for judicial interpretation and legal provisions.