Law & Justice This Week: Big Wins, Court Orders & Legal Milestones [July 20- July 26, 2026]

1. NEET Row: Union Education Minister Pradhan Resigns, SC to Hear Protest Cases as Govt Pushes Reforms

The NEET-UG 2026 controversy saw a series of major developments last week. President Droupadi Murmu accepted Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation, while the Supreme Court agreed to hear matters relating to alleged police excesses during student protests and the Centre defended surveillance measures before the Delhi High Court. The government also cleared a stricter anti-paper leak law, announced fast-track courts and highlighted sweeping NTA reforms. Separately, courts rejected bail pleas of key accused and Madhya Pradesh designated special courts for paper leak trials.

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2. Court Hearing Videos

The Supreme Court directed that audio or video recordings of court proceedings cannot be uploaded or circulated on social media without prior permission. The order aims to regulate the use of official recordings and prevent misuse of judicial proceedings on digital platforms. However, court said fair use of clips is allowed for news reporting.

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3. ANI vs OpenAI

The Delhi High Court declined ANI's plea for an interim injunction seeking to restrain OpenAI from using its content to train ChatGPT. Court decided not to grant immediate relief while the copyright dispute continues to be heard.

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4. Rajasthan Industrial Pollution

Expressing concern over continuing environmental degradation, the Supreme Court directed the Rajasthan government to explain the alleged industrial pollution and sought details of regulatory action taken. The matter remains under the court's monitoring.

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5. Raja Raghuvanshi Murder Case

The Supreme Court cancelled the bail granted to Sonam Raghuvanshi in the Raja Raghuvanshi murder case. During the hearing, the Bench also remarked on the growing erosion of trust between spouses while considering the circumstances surrounding the case.

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6. Salary Slips Must Be Examined Before Fixing Maintenance

The Madhya Pradesh High Court held that courts should ascertain the actual income of the parties, including by examining salary slips and other financial records, before determining maintenance under Section 125 CrPC.

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7. Muslim Man Cannot Contract Second Marriage Under Special Marriage Act

The Karnataka High Court held that a Muslim man cannot solemnise a second marriage under the Special Marriage Act if his first marriage continues to subsist, reiterating that the Act mandates monogamy.

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8. FIR Quashed Against CM Chandrababu Naidu

The Andhra Pradesh High Court quashed the FIR registered against Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu in the Amaravati land pooling case, bringing an end to criminal proceedings arising from the allegations.

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9. Split Verdict on Extra Safeguards Against Bulldozer Action

A Division Bench of the Allahabad High Court delivered a split verdict on whether additional procedural safeguards should be imposed before demolition drives, leaving the issue open for further consideration.

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10. TCS Nashik Case

A Nashik court granted bail to TCS Internal Committee member Ashwini Ashok Chainani, accused of failing to act on a sexual harassment complaint. The case concerns alleged lapses in handling workplace harassment complaints under the POSH framework. In a separate but connected case, another sessions court on July 20 granted bail to Danish Ejaz Shaikh, who is facing multiple FIRs arising out of allegations of harassment and religious offence at TCS.

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11. High Cost of Living Abroad Not a Ground for Higher Maintenance

The Bombay High Court ruled that a spouse cannot seek enhanced interim maintenance solely by citing the higher cost of living in a foreign country. Court said maintenance must be assessed on the facts and financial circumstances of each case.

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