Sikkim High Court Judgments & News

Sikkim High Court

Supreme Court Dismisses Appeals in Actress Prathyusha Death Case, Upholds Abetment Conviction

The Supreme Court of India has dismissed appeals in the 23-year-old death case of Telugu/Tamil actress Prathyusha, ruling out allegations of murder and rape.

A Bench of Justices Rajesh Bindal and Manmohan held that consistent eyewitness accounts and medical evidence established death by poisoning. The Court noted that Prathyusha and her boyfriend, Gudipalli Siddhartha Reddy, had consumed poison amid opposition to their relationship, though Reddy survived.

Rejecting the defence of accidental intake, the Court found Reddy guilty of abetment to suicide for procuring the poison and directed him to surrender within four weeks.

It also termed the postmortem conducted by Dr. Muni Swamy unprofessional.

[Gudipalli Siddharta Reddy v. State (C.B.I.)]

Read Details / 9 days ago

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Justice A Muhamed Mustaque appointed as Chief Justice of Sikkim High Court

Justice A. Muhamed Mustaque was sworn in as the Chief Justice of the Sikkim High Court on Saturday after the President approved his appointment.

Justice Mustaque is the senior-most judge of the Kerala High Court. He was appointed as a judge in January 2014 and is set to retire in May 2029. He had also served as Acting Chief Justice of the Kerala High Court in 2024.

The Supreme Court Collegium recommended his appointment on December 18, 2025. His elevation makes him the sixth Chief Justice appointed to a High Court within a week.

Recently, the Union government also cleared Chief Justice appointments to the Meghalaya, Patna, Jharkhand and Kerala High Courts, while one recommendation remains pending.

Read Details / a month ago

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Supreme Court Collegium Recommends Justice A Muhamed Mustaque As Chief Justice Of Sikkim High Court

The Supreme Court Collegium has proposed the appointment of a Kerala High Court judge as the Chief Justice of the Sikkim High Court.

The recommendation was made at a Collegium meeting held on December 18, 2025, where the names of five High Court judges were cleared for appointment as Chief Justices of different High Courts.

The post of Chief Justice of the Sikkim High Court fell vacant following the retirement of the incumbent on December 14, 2025.

The judge was appointed as an Additional Judge of the Kerala High Court in 2014, became a Permanent Judge in 2016, and also served as the Acting Chief Justice of the Kerala High Court from July 5, 2024.

Read Details / 2 months ago

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Sikkim High Court Allows Refund of Unutilized Input Tax Credit (ITC) Upon Closure of Business

The Sikkim High Court ruled that a registered assessee is entitled to claim a refund of unutilized Input Tax Credit (ITC) upon closure of business under Section 54(1) of the CGST Act.

The Court emphasized that the right to claim ITC is a substantive right and cannot be denied merely because there is no specific provision for a refund on business closure.

The case involved a taxpayer whose refund claim was denied despite surrendering registration.

The Court directed the tax department to process the refund claim, affirming that denial would amount to unjust enrichment by the state.

Read Details / 8 months ago

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Lottery Distributors Not Liable to Pay Service Tax to Centre: Supreme Court

Case Name: UOI & Ors. v. Future Gaming Solutions P.L.T.D and Anr.

The Supreme Court upheld the Sikkim High Court's ruling, stating that lottery distributors are not liable for service tax.

The Court ruled that the sale of lottery tickets by distributors does not qualify as a taxable service, as there is no agency relationship between the distributors and the State.

The Court affirmed that lotteries fall under "betting and gambling," which is exclusively within the State's authority to tax under Entry 62 of the State List.

The ruling follows a previous 2024 verdict in K.Arumugham V UOI, which also determined that selling lottery tickets is a revenue activity, not a service.

Court order / 1 year, 15 days ago

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