Key rulings of the year in the judicial landscape of the state

The judicial landscape of Rajasthan in 2024 was marked by significant decisions that upheld justice and stirred public debate.

- Dinesh Bothra

JODHPUR: Among the most notable was the sentencing of six convicts to life imprisonment in the Ajmer sex scandal, bringing closure to a case that had haunted the state for over three decades. Similarly, a TADA court acquitted 81-year-old Syed Abdul Karim Tunda in the 1993 Ajmer bomb blasts case due to lack of evidence while sentencing two other accused to life, sparking discussions on delayed justice.

In this year, the courts also dealt with sensitive cultural and environmental issues.

A civil court in Ajmer issued notices in a lawsuit alleging that a Hindu temple existed beneath the Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti shrine, while the Supreme Court ordered legal protection for sacred groves or Orans, ensuring their conservation as "forests."

Several high-profile cases drew attention this year. The Rajasthan high court quashed sedition charges against Sikh preacher Tejender Pal Singh Timma, emphasizing the protection of dissent while Bollywood actor Shilpa Shetty was cleared of charges under the SC/ST Act, and Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat received a clean chit in the Sanjivani Credit Society scam.

A look at the 10 major cases that shook the state this year:

TADA court acquits Syed Abdul Karim Tunda