High Court
Jharkhand High Court
Ranchi
The Jharkhand High Court was established in 2000, when Jharkhand was carved out of Bihar. It has jurisdiction over the state of Jharkhand.
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News & Updates Published
Order
Directs State to Make Human Rights Commission Fully Functional Within Three Months: Jharkhand High Court
The Jharkhand High Court has directed the State Government to fill all vacant posts of Chairperson and Members of the Jharkhand State Human Rights Commission (JSHRC) within three months. The order was passed in two Public Interest Litigations, W.P (PIL) No. 1252 of 2020 and W.P (PIL) No. 460 of 2022, by Chief Justice…
Order
Contractual Employees Cannot Face Adverse Consequences for Approaching Court, Reinstatement Directed: Jharkhand High Court
The Jharkhand High Court has ordered the reinstatement and regularisation of nine contractual employees who had worked for years in the Engineering Cell of the Department of Health, Medical Education and Family Welfare, Government of Jharkhand. Justice Deepak Roshan passed the order on 14.09.2026 in W.P.(S) No. 315 of…
Judgment
Desire to Make Husband a Gharjamai Not Cruelty, Visiting Parental Home Not a Ground for Divorce: Jharkhand High Court
The Jharkhand High Court has dismissed an appeal filed by Rahul Choubey challenging the Family Court’s refusal to grant him divorce from his wife, Poonam Pathak, on the ground of cruelty. The couple married on 21.11.2008 at Patna according to Hindu customs. They have one child. According to Rahul Choubey, differences…
Order
Property Sale Alone Cannot Justify Tenant Eviction, BSFC Must Follow Rent Laws: Jharkhand High Court
The Jharkhand High Court at Ranchi has held that tenants cannot be evicted from a property merely because the property has been sold in an auction by the Bihar State Financial Corporation (BSFC). The case was filed by five tenants—Kanti Lal Jain, Chandra Shekhar Verma, Jasraj Jain, Ashok Kumar Bhartiya @ Ashok…
Judgment
Former Railway Clerk’s Conviction Upheld in ₹100 Bribery Case, Jail Term Reduced: Jharkhand High Court
The Jharkhand High Court has upheld the conviction of Kali Shankar Dhobi, a former parcel clerk at Hatia Railway Station, in a corruption case dating back to 1995. The case began after a complaint to the CBI alleged that Dhobi demanded ₹100 in addition to the prescribed ₹203 charge for booking a motorcycle. A trap was…
Order
Predicate Offence Acquittal Must Attain Finality to End PMLA Proceedings, Appeal Cannot Act as a ‘Blanket Shield’: Jharkhand High Court
The Jharkhand High Court has dismissed a petition seeking quashing of an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) registered by the Directorate of Enforcement under Sections 3 and 4 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002. A Single Judge Bench of Justice Sujit Narayan Prasad was hearing the petition filed by…
Order
Interim Custody of 4-Year-Old Girl Granted to Mother, Family Court Order Set Aside: Jharkhand High Court
The Karkardooma Court in New Delhi has acquitted Aman Verma in a cheque dishonour case filed by Deepak Kumar. The complainant said he had given the accused financial help of ₹17,42,000 between December 2017 and November 2020 and that ₹16,67,000 remained unpaid after ₹75,000 was returned. The disputed cheque, for…
Order
Reporter Cannot Be Held Criminally Liable for Merely Publishing Report Based on Police Officer’s Statement: Jharkhand High Court
The Jharkhand High Court has dismissed an acquittal appeal filed by Bimlendu Narayan Ball, Head Clerk of A.S. College, Deoghar. The case concerned a Prabhat Khabar news report that the appellant said had lowered his reputation by reporting allegations about irregular admissions and an earlier FIR. A Judicial…
Judgment
Lifting a Woman’s Clothes After Entering Her House at Night Not Sufficient to Constitute Attempt to Rape: Jharkhand High Court
Quick Summary The Jharkhand High Court considered the conviction of Kamalendu Mahto @ Khokaa in a case arising from an incident on December 27, 1999. The prosecution alleged that he entered a woman’s house around midnight, came over her body, lifted her saree and attempted to rape her. The High Court found that the…
Order
Government Pleader’s Plea Against Termination Dismissed, Court Says Dignified Renunciation of Office Expected, Not Chase for Lost Briefs: Jharkhand High Court
The Jharkhand High Court has dismissed a petition challenging the termination of a government pleader's engagement, holding that the authorities were legally entitled to end the engagement by giving the notice prescribed under the applicable terms. Justice Deepak Roshan, sitting as a Single Judge Bench, observed that…
Order
Oral Evidence and Long Separate Possession Can Establish Family Oral Partition: Jharkhand High Court
The Jharkhand High Court has dismissed a long-running dispute concerning partition of family land, holding that there was no sufficient ground to interfere with the concurrent findings of the authorities below. The Court found that the claim of an earlier oral family partition was supported by evidence, admissions and…
Order
Seven-Year Consensual Relationship Cannot Be Treated as Rape Due to Subsequent Refusal to Marry: Jharkhand High Court
The Jharkhand High Court has ruled that a consensual physical relationship between two adults cannot, by itself, be treated as rape merely because the man subsequently refused to marry the woman. The Court held that where there is no specific allegation showing that the man had no intention to marry the woman at the…
Judgment
Desire to Make Husband a Gharjamai Not Cruelty, Visiting Parental Home Not a Ground for Divorce: Jharkhand High Court
The Jharkhand High Court has dismissed an appeal filed by Rahul Choubey challenging the Family Court’s refusal to grant him divorce from his wife, Poonam Pathak, on the ground of cruelty. The couple married on 21.11.2008 at Patna according to Hindu customs. They have one child. According to Rahul Choubey, differences…
Judgment
Former Railway Clerk’s Conviction Upheld in ₹100 Bribery Case, Jail Term Reduced: Jharkhand High Court
The Jharkhand High Court has upheld the conviction of Kali Shankar Dhobi, a former parcel clerk at Hatia Railway Station, in a corruption case dating back to 1995. The case began after a complaint to the CBI alleged that Dhobi demanded ₹100 in addition to the prescribed ₹203 charge for booking a motorcycle. A trap was…
Judgment
Lifting a Woman’s Clothes After Entering Her House at Night Not Sufficient to Constitute Attempt to Rape: Jharkhand High Court
Quick Summary The Jharkhand High Court considered the conviction of Kamalendu Mahto @ Khokaa in a case arising from an incident on December 27, 1999. The prosecution alleged that he entered a woman’s house around midnight, came over her body, lifted her saree and attempted to rape her. The High Court found that the…
Judgment
CBI Conviction of BCCL Clerk in 1993 Bribery Case Upheld, Sentence Reduced to Period Already Undergone: Jharkhand High Court
In a significant judgment by the Jharkhand High Court, the case of Samir Kumar Choudhary, who was convicted under the Section 7 and Section 13(1)(d) read with Section 13(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, has been reviewed. The court upheld his conviction but reduced his sentence considering the facts and…
Judgment
PIL Closed After State Assures Annual Health Insurance Coverage for Lawyers: Jharkhand High Court
In a significant development concerning the welfare of advocates, the Jharkhand High Court disposed of a Public Interest Litigation seeking financial assistance, health insurance and life insurance benefits for practicing lawyers after the State Government assured the Court that annual health insurance coverage for…
Judgment
‘State Cannot Exercise Unfettered Discretion in Tender Matters or Deviate from Notice Conditions Without Reasons’: Jharkhand High Court
The Jharkhand High Court delivered a crucial judgment holding that the State cannot exercise unlimited or arbitrary powers in tender matters. The Court emphasized that government authorities must act fairly and cannot deviate from tender conditions without proper reasons, reinforcing the principles of transparency and…
Judgment
CBI Probe Ordered into FIR Against ED Officers Over Alleged Assault on Accused at Ranchi Office: Jharkhand High Court
The Jharkhand High Court delivered an important judgment concerning a dispute between officials of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Jharkhand Police during the investigation of the Peyjal Scam. The case was heard by Justice Sanjay Kumar Dwivedi in a criminal writ petition. The Court examined whether the FIR…
Judgment
State’s Bid to Stall Compliance of Court Orders by Citing Proposed SLP Before SC Termed ‘In Bad Faith’: Jharkhand High Court
The Jharkhand High Court passed a strong order criticizing the conduct of the State authorities for seeking adjournment on the ground of filing a Special Leave Petition before the Supreme Court. The matter arose from the seizure of a vehicle bearing Registration No. JH01FW 0020 in connection with Doranda P.S. Case No.…
Judgment
Senior Citizens Act Should Safeguard Parents’ Rights, Not Weaken Them: Jharkhand High Court
On February 10, 2026, the Jharkhand High Court at Ranchi delivered an important judgment safeguarding the rights of two elderly parents under the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007. The Court set aside an order passed by the Deputy Commissioner, Ramgarh, and reaffirmed that the special…
Judgment
Divorce Granted to Wife; Blackmail Using Private Photographs Held to Constitute Mental Cruelty: Jharkhand High Court
The Jharkhand High Court has delivered a significant judgment explaining the meaning of mental cruelty under Section 13(1)(i-a), Hindu Marriage Act. The Court held that emotional blackmail, humiliation, and misuse of a wife’s private photographs by the husband destroy the foundation of marriage and amount to mental…
Judgment
Pension Claim Raised After 16 Years Rejected; Court Upholds Bihar Government’s Stand in EPF vs Pension Dispute: Jharkhand High Court
The Jharkhand High Court has delivered a significant ruling clarifying the legal position on pension claims by employees who have opted for the Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) scheme. In State of Bihar vs. Savitri Devi & Others, the Court held that an employee who consciously opted for EPF and accepted all terminal…
Judgment
Bail Denied to Suspended IAS Officer Vinay Kumar Choubey in Land Scam Case; Court Says He ‘Abused Power of His Post’: Jharkhand High Court
The Jharkhand High Court on January 06, 2026 rejected the regular bail application filed by former Hazaribagh Deputy Commissioner and suspended IAS officer Vinay Kumar Choubey in a major alleged land scam case investigated by the Anti Corruption Bureau. The judgment was delivered by Hon’ble Justice Sanjay Kumar…
Order
Section 498A IPC Does Not Require a Dowry Demand; Any Unlawful Demand for Property or Valuables Is Covered: Jharkhand High Court
The Jharkhand High Court has clarified that an offence under Section 498A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) does not specifically require an allegation of demand for “dowry”. The Court held that any unlawful demand for property or valuables, coupled with harassment to coerce a woman, can constitute cruelty under this…
Order
Reservation Benefit Cannot Be Denied Due to Caste Certificate Issued in Husband's Name When Error Was Committed by State: Jharkhand High Court
The Jharkhand High Court has directed the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) to reconsider the candidature of Chanchala Kumari, whose candidature for the 7th-10th Jharkhand Combined Civil Services Examination, 2021 was not considered because the caste certificate uploaded by her had been issued in her…
Order
Mere Assault on Woman Without Specific Overt Act Towards Rape Does Not Constitute Attempt to Rape: Jharkhand High Court
The Jharkhand High Court has held that merely assaulting or pushing a woman, without a specific act showing an intention or attempt to commit rape, cannot automatically amount to an attempt to rape under Sections 376/511 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860. In Shankar Ram v. State of Jharkhand, Justice Pradeep Kumar…
Order
Husband's Loans Cannot Diminish His Maintenance Obligation Towards Wife: Jharkhand High Court
The Jharkhand High Court has held that a husband cannot ordinarily reduce his maintenance or permanent alimony liability by relying upon voluntary loans taken for creating future wealth or assets. The Court made it clear that repayment of loans taken for asset creation cannot automatically be treated as an unavoidable…
Order
Family Court Cannot Ignore Mother's Main Plea for Interim Custody and Grant Only Restrictive Visitation Rights: Jharkhand High Court
The Jharkhand High Court has delivered a significant judgment emphasizing the importance of proper consideration of custody applications in family law. The court held that a Family Court cannot overlook the main plea of a parent seeking interim custody and should not restrict the parent only to limited visitation…
Order
Being Wife of an Alleged Extremist and Present at the Encounter Site With a Child Cannot Justify Conviction Without Proof of an Overt Act: Jharkhand High Court
The Jharkhand High Court has acquitted Pramila Devi in a criminal appeal arising out of a 2004 police encounter case in Gumla district. The Court held that merely because she was present at the place of occurrence with her one-and-a-half-year-old daughter and happened to be the wife of an alleged extremist, she could…
Order
Administrative Order Passed to Maintain Law and Order Amid Land Dispute Not Interfered With: Jharkhand High Court
The Jharkhand High Court has refused to interfere with an administrative order passed by the Sub-Divisional Officer for maintaining law and order during a land dispute. The Court held that disputed questions relating to land ownership, encroachment, possession, and identification of property cannot be decided in…
Order
Adultery No Longer a Crime; Constable's Dismissal Over Alleged Adulterous Relationship Quashed: Jharkhand High Court
The Jharkhand High Court has quashed the dismissal of Jharkhand Armed Police constable Bharat Pathak @ Bharat Kumar Pathak, holding that the disciplinary authority illegally removed him from service on a ground that was never included in the departmental charge-sheet. The Court also observed that adultery is no longer…
Order
Criminal Case Against Hemant Soren Over 2014 Election Speech Quashed; No Offence Made Out: Jharkhand High Court
The Jharkhand High Court has quashed the entire criminal proceedings initiated against former Chief Minister Hemant Soren in connection with a speech delivered during the 2014 Jharkhand Assembly election campaign. The Court held that even if the allegations made by the prosecution were accepted in their entirety, they…
Order
Husband Must First Prove 'Non-Access' During Marriage; DNA Test Refused in Divorce Case: Jharkhand High Court
The Jharkhand High Court has refused to interfere with a Family Court order rejecting a husband's request for a DNA test of a child in a matrimonial dispute. The Court held that merely alleging adultery is not enough to seek a DNA test. A husband must first establish a strong prima facie case by specifically pleading…
Order
Peon Dismissed Over Allegations of Taking Tea and Biscuits from Office Reinstated: Jharkhand High Court
The Jharkhand High Court has ordered the reinstatement of contractual peon Ranjeet Kumar Himanshu after holding that his dismissal from service over allegations of taking tea powder and biscuits from the office was legally unsustainable. The Court ruled that the action violated the Principles Of Natural Justice…
Order
Advocate Granted Anticipatory Bail in School Management Dispute Between Two Lawyers: Jharkhand High Court
The Jharkhand High Court has granted anticipatory bail to advocate Abhay Kumar Mishra, observing that the mere filing of a chargesheet cannot by itself be a ground to reject an application for anticipatory bail. The Court held that every application under Section 438 of the Code of Criminal Procedure corresponding to…
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About the Jharkhand High Court
The Jharkhand High Court was established in 2000, when Jharkhand was carved out of Bihar. It has jurisdiction over the state of Jharkhand.
Seat
Ranchi
State / UT
Jharkhand
Region
East India
