Commissions of Inquiry Act, 1952

The Supreme Court examined whether mining leaseholders in Goa, whose second renewal leases were set aside, could transport iron ore that had been mined before the cut‑off date of 15 March 2018. The Court held that paragraph 154.6 of the Goa Foundation‑II judgment only prohibited mining after that date and did not bar t…

Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated in 1948 and nine individuals were tried, resulting in convictions of seven and acquittals of two; the High Court later upheld five convictions. In 2016, Dr. Pankaj Kumudchandra Phadnis filed a writ petition seeking to reopen the case, questioning the existence of a fourth bullet and requ…

The Supreme Court examined an editorial published by Arun Shourie that criticised a report of a Commission of Inquiry headed by a sitting Supreme Court Judge, Justice Kuldip Singh. Dr. Subramanian Swamy filed contempt petitions alleging that the editorial scandalised the Court. The Court was asked to decide (i) whether…

The Supreme Court examined public‑interest petitions concerning illegal iron‑ore mining in Goa, the validity of the Justice Shah Commission report, and the status of mining leases deemed to have arisen from pre‑1961 Portuguese concessions. It held that the Commission’s report could not be quashed for procedural lapses,…

The Committee for the Protection of Democratic Rights filed a writ petition in the Bombay High Court seeking a declaration that the Commission of Inquiry appointed under the Commissions of Inquiry Act, 1952 was not a court of law and directing the Maharashtra government to prosecute those responsible for the Bombay rio…

Ghanshyam Upadhyay, a lawyer, filed a criminal miscellaneous petition seeking the dissolution of a Commission of Inquiry that was set up to investigate the alleged encounter killing of Vikas Dubey. He alleged bias and conflict of interest against the Commission's Chairman, Justice B.S. Chauhan, and its member, K.L. Gup…

A Committee of Inquiry was constituted to investigate incidents involving lawyers and police officers. The Committee directed that the petitioners, Kiran Bedi (DCP) and Jinder Singh (SI), be cross‑examined at the beginning of the inquiry, while three other officers who had received notices under Section 8‑B of the Comm…

Petitioners filed a writ petition under Article 32 challenging the Uttar Pradesh Government's failure to act on the Parekh Commission Report on the 1982 Meerut riots, which had been submitted in 1988. The State Cabinet eventually decided to table the report, not take any further action, and consign it to records, citin…

Shri R.L. Gupta, a member of the Delhi Higher Judicial Service, was sent on deputation as Secretary to a Supreme Court‑led Commission of Inquiry in 1985. While on deputation, the Delhi High Court placed seventeen junior officers on probation, effectively superseding Gupta, and later placed Gupta himself on probation in…

The Supreme Court entertained a public‑interest writ filed by Victim Families Association on behalf of relatives of 1,528 alleged fake‑encounter victims in Manipur, holding that third‑party petitions are maintainable where access to justice is denied. It ruled that the State must investigate alleged extrajudicial killi…

Petitioners, police personnel of Manipur Police, filed writ petitions under Article 32 seeking a mandamus to quash oral observations made by the Supreme Court on 30 July 2018 in the EEVFAM case and to obtain the bench's recusal, alleging that those observations would prejudice the investigations and trial. The Court ex…

The State of Maharashtra appointed Justice B. Lentin as a one‑man Commission of Inquiry to investigate the death of 14 patients at J.J. Hospital. The Commission found the appellant, Dr. Baliram Waman Hiray, gave contradictory evidence and issued a show‑cause notice for perjury under s.193 IPC read with s.340 CrPC, dire…

The case examined whether a sitting High Court judge appointed as President of a State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission could continue to function as a judge. A group of advocates challenged the appointment, arguing it created a master‑servant relationship and threatened judicial independence, while the governmen…

The Supreme Court examined the conviction of V.C. Shukla and Sanjay Gandhi for alleged conspiracy to destroy the film "Kissa Kursi Ka" under various sections of the Indian Penal Code. The Court held that the Special Courts Act, 1979 – which created special courts for offences by persons holding high public or political…

The petitioners, comprising the Extra Judicial Execution Victim Families Association and a human‑rights trust, alleged that the Manipur police and Union armed forces carried out fake encounters and extra‑judicial killings of civilians, many of whom were in custody, and that no FIRs were registered. They sought, under A…

The Supreme Court entertained a writ petition under Article 32 seeking implementation of the Srikrishna Commission's recommendations on the 1992-93 Mumbai riots, including compensation for victims, tracing of missing persons, and police reforms. The Court observed that while the Commission's report is not binding, the …

A press communique issued from Rashtrapati Bhawan on 23 January 1992 announced that the President would confer the Bharat Ratna posthumously on Subhash Chandra Bose. Petitioners filed a writ petition seeking recall, cancellation and revocation of the award, and also demanded information on Bose's whereabouts. The Gover…

The Supreme Court examined a petition by Kiran Bedi and Jinder Singh challenging orders of a Committee of Inquiry that compelled them to appear for cross‑examination at the outset of the inquiry and led to complaints against them under Section 178 of the IPC. The Committee had treated them differently from three other …

The Madhya Pradesh Government constituted a single‑member Commission of Inquiry to investigate the Churhat Children’s Welfare Society, appointing Justice S.T. Ramalingam. After his retirement, the State replaced him by notifications appointing retired judges G.G. Sohani and later Kamlakar Choubey. Writ petitions challe…

The Supreme Court examined a massive illegal mining scandal in Odisha involving 187 iron and manganese ore leases, many of which operated without environmental or forest clearances, exceeded mining plans, or violated statutory provisions. The Court rejected the lease‑holders' claim that the Justice M.B. Shah Commission…

Justice P. Venugopal, a retired Madras High Court Judge, sought re‑fixation of his pension by claiming that periods he served as a Commission of Inquiry, ad hoc Judge and Commissioner of Payments (1981‑1988) should be counted as judicial service. The Supreme Court examined whether the High Court Judges (Salaries and Co…