Soumya Yadav, Author at SCC Times

Domestic Events & Collaborations India Digital ADR Summit

Building India’s Digital ADR Architecture: Panel calls for national AI regulation, institutional leadership and technology-enabled dispute resolution

At the India Digital ADR Summit 2026, Justice M R Shah, Justice Rajesh Bindal, Justice Soniaben Gokani and leading arbitration professionals discussed the need for a coordinated digital ADR framework, safeguards for human judgment, common cybersecurity standards, institutional control over technology and India’s potential to contribute to international rule-making.

Case Briefs High Courts

Lifting woman’s clothes, catching hold of her without specific overt act not attempt to rape: Jharkhand HC

The Court held that the evidence did not disclose any specific overt act towards the commission of rape under Sections 376/511 IPC but established an assault with the intention or knowledge that it was likely to outrage the prosecutrix’s modesty, warranting alteration of the conviction to Section 354 IPC while upholding the conviction under Section 452 IPC.

Case Briefs High Courts

‘Pious wife’ and ‘Bahu’ remarks unwarranted and regressive, cannot replace child-welfare assessment: Bombay HC sets aside family court’s interim custody order

The Court held that the Family Court had not appreciated the jurisdictional parameters of Section 12, Guardians and Wards Act and had failed to independently assess the physical, emotional, educational or psychological welfare of the child while directing change of interim custody.

Events & Collaborations GHAC Arbitration Week

India’s arbitration wish list: Finality, institutionalisation and judicial discipline at GHAC Arbitration Week 2026

Day 3, Session 1 of GHAC Arbitration Week 2026 brought together senior judges and jurists to examine what India’s arbitration framework should look like after three decades of legislative development, with the discussion focusing on judicial intervention, quality of arbitral awards, institutional arbitration, Section 11 appointments, Section 29A timelines, Section 34 challenges, consistency in Supreme Court jurisprudence and the need for greater professional and procedural discipline.

Events & Collaborations GHAC Arbitration Week

From legislative reform to institutional confidence: Rethinking India’s arbitration framework at GHAC Arbitration Week 2026

Session 2 on Day 1 of Gujarat High Court Arbitration Centre Arbitration Week 2026 examined India’s arbitration journey after the 2015 amendments, with leading judges and practitioners discussing judicial intervention, institutional arbitration, enforcement of awards, specialised arbitration courts, GIFT City as a potential preferred seat and the evolving standards of independence and disclosure under the IBA Guidelines 2024.

Domestic Events & Collaborations GHAC Arbitration Week

Strengthening confidence, reviving purpose: Perspectives on the evolving arbitration ecosystem from Justices V.M. Pancholi and N.V. Anjaria at GHAC Arbitration Week 2026

At the inaugural ceremony of GHAC Arbitration Week 2026, Justices V.M. Pancholi and N.V. Anjaria focused on strengthening India’s arbitration ecosystem by building institutional confidence and returning the process to its core values of independence, efficiency, accessibility, party autonomy and settlement.

CADRA International Arbitration Summer School Events & Collaborations International

“Bridging legal cultures”: Gary Born and Kristina Bittner on International Arbitration at CADRA International Arbitration Summer School 2026

The opening session of the CADRA International Arbitration Summer School 2026 brought together Gary Born and Kristina Bittner for an introduction to international arbitration, covering cross-border practice, legal cultures, the New York Convention, UNCITRAL Model Law, institutional arbitration, arbitration agreements and career opportunities for young practitioners.

GCAI-Drew & Napier Singapore Dialogue 2026

Events & Collaborations International Singapore Convention Week

From Contracts to Enforcement: Experts discuss making cross-border dispute resolution work for businesses at GCAI-Drew & Napier Singapore Dialogue 2026

The session brought together leading dispute resolution practitioners from India and Singapore to examine the practical choices businesses face in cross-border disputes, including mediation, arbitration, enforcement, interim reliefs, institutional arbitration, AI, legal education and India’s potential to emerge as a global dispute resolution centre.

criminal proceedings against consenting adult sex worker

Case Briefs High Courts

‘Sex workers entitled to equal protection’: Chhattisgarh HC quashes criminal proceedings under Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act against consenting adult sex worker

The High Court held that continuation of criminal proceedings against an adult woman under the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, 1956 would amount to abuse of the process of law where the material did not disclose any specific act constituting the alleged offences.

Case Briefs High Courts

Orissa HC denies pre-arrest bail to media editor accused of making false bribery allegations against minister

The High Court denied pre-arrest bail to a media editor accused of falsely alleging that a Minister attempted to bribe him, holding that the materials on record did not warrant the exceptional remedy of pre-arrest bail.

Case Briefs High Courts

SARFAESI Act | Writ remedy not maintainable where efficacious DRT remedy available against sale of mortgaged property: Bombay HC

The High Court held that in view of the alternative, efficacious statutory remedy under the SARFAESI Act, the writ petition was not maintainable and the question of law raised under the IBC was nothing but another desperate attempt to avoid steps being taken by the secured creditor under the SARFAESI Act.

Voter-list entry not conclusive proof of marriage

Case Briefs High Courts

Proof of Hindu marriage requires ceremonies; Voter-list entry alone not conclusive: Patna HC

The High Court held that the appellant failed to prove the alleged marriage under Section 7, Hindu Marriage Act, as neither the marriage nor the requisite ceremonies were established, and that voter-list entries and maintenance proceedings could not conclusively prove a valid matrimonial relationship.

Case Briefs High Courts

Bombay HC on Why Retirement Timing Doesn’t Cost Employees Their Annual Increment

The High Court held that employees who have worked for six months or more in a particular year would be entitled to the benefit of annual increment and their retiral benefits would be calculated by reckoning such increment while calculating their last drawn wages.

Tejas Karia SIAC closing remarks SIAC Annual India Conference 2026

Events & Collaborations

“India is not using international arbitration, it is helping to shape it”: Justice Tejas Karia at SIAC Annual India Conference 2026

Justice Tejas Karia delivered the closing remarks at the SIAC Annual India Conference 2026 – Delhi, highlighting the inauguration of SIAC’s Delhi Liaison Office, India’s expanding contribution to international arbitration and the importance of preserving trust, innovation and institutional excellence as arbitration continues to evolve alongside global commerce.

Delay does not defeat urgent interim relief

Case Briefs High Courts

Delay alone doesn’t defeat urgent interim relief: Bombay HC restores suit rejected under Section 12-A Commercial Courts Act

The High Court held that the enquiry under Section 12-A(1), Commercial Courts Act is limited to whether the suit genuinely contemplated urgent interim relief and that the plaint must be examined holistically without adjudicating the merits of the interim relief.

Case Briefs High Courts

From Apology Emails to CCTV Timestamps: How the Bombay High Court read the evidence differently from the Trial Judge to Convict Tarun Tejpal

The High Court held that the victim’s testimony was natural, credible and inspiring of confidence, while the trial court’s appreciation of evidence was not only unreasonable but perverse, rendering its conclusions untenable and contrary to any possible view of the evidence.

Case Briefs High Courts

Registered Sale Deed Cannot Be Contradicted by an Unregistered Agreement; Trial Court Cannot Act as a Mere Post Office of the Prosecution: Bombay High Court

The Court held that a registered sale deed supported by receipt of consideration and transfer of title cannot be contradicted by an unregistered agreement, and in the absence of dishonest intention from inception, no offence of cheating under Section 420 IPC is made out.

Bar Council response criminal cases against advocates

Case Briefs High Courts

30 to 40 Cases a Day: Madras HC Seeks Response from Bar Councils on Increasing Criminal Cases Against Practising Advocates

The Court held that while mere registration of an FIR does not attach stigma and every accused is presumed innocent, the increasing criminal cases involving practising advocates warrant institutional attention and policy consideration by the Bar Councils.

Justice A.G. Masih Justice H.R. Khanna Memorial Symposium

Events & Collaborations Justice H.R. Khanna Memorial National Symposium

“Justice cannot be weighed in retweets, Constitutional Morality cannot be settled by algorithms”: Justice Augustine G. Masih at 5th Justice H.R. Khanna Memorial National Symposium

Speaking at the 5th Justice H.R. Khanna Memorial National Symposium organised by the CAN Foundation, Justice Augustine G. Masih reflected on Justice H.R. Khanna’s enduring constitutional legacy and examined how judicial independence is being tested in an era shaped by social media, artificial intelligence and unprecedented digital visibility.

Commonwealth Peace Mediation Conference 2026

Events & Collaborations

‘Peace is not the absence of law’: Chief Justice of India Justice Surya Kant charts a new vision for mediation at the Commonwealth Peace Mediation Conference 2026

From ancient village panchayats and the Mahabharata to the Mediation Act, 2023 and modern commercial disputes, Chief Justice of India Justice Surya Kant outlined why mediation must become a central pillar of India’s justice delivery system and the Rule of Law.