Judgments of 2014

In Civil Appeal No. 9043 of 2014, the Supreme Court was informed by senior counsel Pallav Shishodia that a factual mistake existed in paragraph 44 of its judgment dated 22 September 2014, where the name "Jasveer Singh" was incorrectly stated. The Court exercised its inherent power to correct such errors and amended the…

The case concerned Group Captains in the Indian Air Force who were promoted either on a merit basis (Select) or on a time‑scale basis (Time Scale) and were subjected to different ages of superannuation – 54/57 years for Time Scale officers versus 57 years for Select officers. The respondents argued that, since both cat…

The Management of Doaba Arya Senior Secondary School advertised six JBT/ETT teacher posts but failed to require the statutory qualification of matriculation plus two years JBT training prescribed under the Punjab Privately Managed Recognised Schools Employees (Security of Service) Rules, 1981. The private respondents w…

Justice N.K. Mehrotra (retd.) was appointed Lokayukta of Uttar Pradesh in 2006 for a six‑year term that expired on 15‑03‑2012. The State amended the Uttar Pradesh Lokayukta and Up‑Lokayuktas Act, 1975 by the 2012 Amendment Act, extending the term to eight years and applying it retrospectively to the sitting Lokayukta. …

The petitioners, who had completed their MBBS/BDS degrees in Karnataka, were barred from appearing for the 2014 Post Graduate Entrance Test (PGET-2014) by a clause in the National Board of Examinations' Information Bulletins that required candidates to be of "Karnataka origin" as narrowly defined. They challenged this …

The Mount Everest Co‑operative Society, formed in 1994, purchased land and later, after discovering financial irregularities, its General Body resolved on 2 June 2002 to auction the land. The auction was conducted in 2003 under the supervision of a Board of Administrators and a Sales Committee, fetching a price above t…

The Supreme Court examined a criminal appeal filed by Rajat Prasad and Arvind Vijay Mohan, who were charged under Section 12 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 read with Section 120‑B of the Indian Penal Code for allegedly conspiring to conduct a sting operation that exposed a Union Minister taking a bribe. The …

The State alleged that Shyamal Saha and Prosanta (Kalu Kabiraj) abducted and murdered Paritosh Saha after taking him across the Ganges River. The trial court acquitted them, finding the prosecution's witnesses inconsistent and the basic fact of the victim boarding the boat doubtful, thereby granting the benefit of doub…

The Pune Municipal Corporation initiated land acquisition proceedings under the Land Acquisition Act, 1894, issuing a notification in 2004, a declaration in 2005 and making an award on 31 January 2008. The award was not paid to the landowners nor deposited in court; the compensation amount was instead placed in the gov…

The dispute arose from a Facilitation Deed containing an arbitration clause (Clause 9) that required disputes to be referred to ICC arbitration in Singapore. The respondent rescinded the deed alleging fraud and sought a temporary injunction restraining the arbitration. The Bombay High Court granted the injunction, hold…

The Supreme Court examined applications filed by the State of Uttar Pradesh seeking clarification on the number of pharmacist vacancies and the eligibility of candidates who had not applied to the 2007 advertisement. The Court reiterated its earlier decision in State of Uttar Pradesh v. Santosh Kumar Mishra that the be…

The case concerned a suit for partition of property belonging to a joint Hindu family after the death of the original owner, Ramachandra Reddy. One heir, the sole surviving male, had obtained occupancy rights over certain inam lands under the Andhra Pradesh (Telangana Area) Abolition of Inams Act, 1955, and claimed exc…

Sobran Singh, a guarantor for a loan, challenged recovery proceedings initiated under the Uttar Pradesh Public Moneys (Recovery of Dues) Act, 1972, arguing that Section 4(2) barred action against him until the principal borrower’s mortgaged property was sold. The High Court dismissed his writ petition, holding that the…

The Uttar Pradesh Avas Evam Vikas Parishad (Vikas Parishad), a statutory housing corporation, sought to replace its contributory provident fund with a pension/family pension and gratuity scheme for its employees. After receiving conditional approval from the State Government in 1996, the State later withdrew its permis…

The Supreme Court examined petitions filed by the People's Union for Civil Liberties challenging the authenticity of nearly 99 police encounters in Mumbai between 1995 and 1997, which resulted in about 135 deaths. The Court was asked to direct the State of Maharashtra to investigate these encounters, register FIRs, and…

The case concerned the selection for the vacant post of Chief Engineer in the U.P. Avas Evam Vikas Parishad. After a prior Supreme Court judgment removed a status‑quo on promotion, the Parishad, following the State Government’s advice, relaxed the five‑year service requirement under Regulation 20 to include additional …

The appellant, S. Mahaboob Basha, was convicted under Section 498A IPC for subjecting his wife, PW‑1, to cruelty and dowry harassment, along with other offences. The prosecution presented testimony of the wife, her brother, and mother, and documentary evidence establishing repeated ill‑treatment and unlawful dowry dema…

The appellant, a lecturer in Sociology, claimed seniority over two other lecturers for appointment as ad hoc principal of an inter college. The High Court, while examining the seniority dispute, also questioned the validity of the appellant’s earlier appointment, deeming the 4 February 1991 order of the District Inspec…

The respondents, a partnership that set up an industrial unit in 1981, were initially excluded from a 1992 land acquisition under the Land Acquisition Act, 1894. In 2004 the State of Haryana re‑issued acquisition notifications for two strips of their land to develop a residential‑commercial sector. The High Court quash…

The deceased Rajni died from severe burns after kerosene oil was poured on her and she was set alight. Her dying declaration named her husband Mahender Singh, her brother‑in‑law Prem Kumar Gulati and his wife Simla as participants, but did not specify who actually poured the oil or lit the fire. The trial court and Hig…

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…

Kripa Nano Singh was appointed as a political science teacher in February 1986 and was required to join within 21 days. The headmaster refused his posting due to lack of vacancy, and Singh did not seek alternative posting, remaining unjoined for five years until a new posting in July 1991. After ten years of service, h…

Dr. Rajeev Dhawan filed a criminal contempt petition alleging that statements made by VHP officials and published in the Indian Express and Khabardar India scandalised the Supreme Court while it was hearing the Ayodhya reference. The Court initially issued notices to the alleged contemners and ordered contempt proceedi…

The appellant issued a Rs 5,00,000 cheque to the respondent, which was dishonoured after the appellant instructed his bank to stop payment. The respondent filed a complaint under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act, alleging that the cheque was drawn to discharge a hand loan of Rs 1,75,000 that he had given t…

The appellants, Somnath Chakraborty and others, owned 11.659 cottah of land that was later notified as surplus under the Urban Land (Ceiling & Regulation) Act, 1976. The State of West Bengal leased the land to Appollo Gleneagles Hospitals Ltd. for 30 years. The appellants challenged the notification, and the Calcutta H…

Mahavir Singh and co‑accused Jagbir Singh were convicted under IPC §§302, 1208 and 201 for murdering Suraj Mal at the behest of the deceased's wife, Sudesh Rani. The prosecution relied on circumstantial evidence, including the "last seen" theory, medical testimony that the death occurred about a week before the post‑mo…

The Punjab Public Service Commission’s chairman was found to have taken bribes and manipulated the recruitment of executive, allied services and judicial officers between 1998‑2002. Consequently, the State terminated the services of all appointed officers. The High Court upheld the termination, treating the entire sele…

The case involves the murder of Ramasamy, for which 17 persons, including the appellants Paulmeli and Chockaiah, were alleged to have assembled with a common object (aruval) and inflicted multiple incised wounds, causing death. The victim's wife (PW‑1) positively identified the appellants despite claims of darkness, an…

The appellants Sudarshan and others were convicted for the murder of two persons at a holiday resort, based on an FIR that was lodged at a police station outside the incident’s jurisdiction after the complainant first consulted an advocate 15 km away. The Supreme Court examined the abnormal conduct of the complainant, …

The State of Jharkhand terminated the services of several ad‑hoc Assistant Engineers who had been employed continuously since 1987, alleging their appointments were irregular. The employees challenged the termination, invoking the principle from Secretary, State of Karnataka v. Umadevi that employees who have rendered …

The appellants challenged a Calcutta High Court judgment in a second appeal concerning a land title dispute, alleging that the High Court failed to frame the substantial question of law at the time of admitting the appeal under Section 100 of the CPC. The Supreme Court examined whether such an omission invalidates the …

The appellant, Puran Chand, was convicted under Section 376 IPC for raping a 17‑year‑old girl who later attempted suicide. He appealed, claiming false implication due to enmity, a 20‑day delay in filing the FIR, and that the medical report showing an intact hymen created reasonable doubt. The Supreme Court held that th…

The Supreme Court heard public‑interest writ petitions filed by Common Cause and other societies seeking a mandamus to restrain the Union and State governments from using public funds for advertisements that promote political personalities or parties. The petitioners alleged that such advertisements violate Articles 14…

Advocate Anjani Kumar Chaudhary was assaulted by a group demanding money for a Holi celebration; the assailants used lathis, rods, and sharp weapons, threatened to kill him, and inflicted multiple injuries. An FIR was lodged charging several offences including Section 307 IPC (attempt to murder). The Sessions Court, an…

The father of the appellant, an Executive Engineer earning a gross salary of Rs.26,950 per month, died in a motor accident. The Motor Accidents Claims Tribunal computed his net monthly income by deducting contributions to the General Provident Fund, house rent, GIS and income tax, arriving at Rs.15,784 and awarded Rs.1…

Alber Oraon, a mason and civil‑works contractor, was engaged by Pushpa Devi to construct a house. During the work they became intimate and Oraon lived with her, posing as her husband. Pushpa and her two minor children later disappeared; their bodies were recovered from a soak‑pit that Oraon had dug and sealed with bric…

Metro Exporters exported steel coils and, based on a SWIFT message, received a credit of US$199,959.74 in its EEFC account in November 2006. The credit was later discovered to be a mistake, as the funds were intended for the Bank of India and had been recalled by Bank of America, with the amount never actually belongin…

M/S Mamta Surgical Cotton Industries, a dealer under the Rajasthan Sales Tax Act, purchased raw cotton and processed it into surgical cotton. The assessing authority taxed the surgical cotton at 4% for AY 1992-93, treating it as a separate commodity, and the Rajasthan Tax Board upheld this view for AY 1993-94 to 1998-9…

The petitioners challenged the Gujarat Government's permission to allow Indigold Refinery Ltd. to sell agricultural land, previously purchased for industrial use, to Alumina Refinery Ltd. despite the original purchaser's failure to commence any industrial activity. The High Court dismissed the writ on grounds of delay …

The appellants, owners of hotels and beach resorts in Goa, challenged demolition orders based on a series of government "guidelines" that prohibited construction within 500 metres of the high tide line. The Supreme Court examined whether these guidelines, issued between 1981 and 1986, qualified as law enforceable under…

Swan Gold Mining Ltd, an Australian company, entered into a contract with Hindustan Copper Ltd for the operation of a mine, agreeing that the successful bidder would be liable for taxes as per the Notice Inviting Tender (NIT) and subsequent Work Order. After completing work, the appellant sought reimbursement of excise…

Vijay Shankar Pandey, an IAS officer, was charged under the All India Services (Conduct) Rules for filing a writ petition that criticised the government’s handling of black‑money issues. An enquiry officer exonerated him, but the Uttar Pradesh government rejected the report and ordered a fresh two‑member inquiry board …

The appellant, K. Prakash, sued B.R. Sampath Kumar for specific performance of a 2003 agreement to sell a Bangalore property for Rs.16.10 lakh, having paid Rs.5.45 lakh as advance. The respondent contended the agreement was signed under mental pressure and that the price was far below market value, seeking to set aside…

The case involves a brutal murder of Dr. Rajveer Singh, his sons, and his brother over a land dispute, for which six accused were tried. The trial court convicted them under various IPC sections and sentenced five of them to death. On appeal, the Allahabad High Court held that the case did not fall within the "rarest o…

The case involves Tej Pal, who was convicted of murder under IPC sections 302 and 149 arising from a land dispute, and sentenced to life imprisonment. Tej Pal appealed the conviction before the Supreme Court, while a separate Special Leave Petition (SLP) filed by co-accused Narendra had already been dismissed. The Cour…

The husband filed a petition for divorce under Section 13(1)(ia) of the Hindu Marriage Act, alleging mental cruelty by his wife, who refused to consummate the marriage and displayed hostile behaviour. The trial court dismissed the petition, but the Madras High Court allowed it, finding the wife's conduct amounted to me…

The appellants were allotted surplus agricultural land by the State of Madhya Pradesh in 1973 under Section 35 of the Madhya Pradesh Ceiling on Agricultural Holdings Act, 1960, which conferred Bhumiswami rights. Within two years they purportedly sold the land to the respondent by a deed that the appellants claim was wi…

The Supreme Court considered applications filed by the contemnors, Sahara India Real Estate Corporation Ltd. and Sahara Housing Investment Corp., who were in judicial custody for contempt after failing to comply with SEBI‑directed bail conditions requiring a deposit of Rs 10,000 crore, half in cash and half as a bank g…

The Supreme Court examined appeals filed by the State of Uttar Pradesh challenging the High Court's grant of bail to several convicts who had been sentenced to life imprisonment for serious offences under the IPC and the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, 2013. The central issue was whether, at the post‑conviction stage, th…

Saurabh Kumar was arrested in connection with a land‑dispute case and was produced before the Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate, who remanded him to judicial custody under an order dated 1 July 2013. The petitioner filed a writ of habeas corpus under Article 32, alleging illegal detention, police brutality and claim…

Shyam Narain Pandey, a school principal, was convicted under IPC sections 147, 148, 302/144 read with 120B and sentenced to life imprisonment. He applied for a stay of his conviction under Section 389(1) of the Code of Criminal Procedure, arguing that the conviction would deprive him of his livelihood, but the High Cou…

R.P. Singh, an Assistant Engineer in CPWD, faced departmental proceedings for alleged misconduct. The Inquiry Officer found the charges unproved, but the Disciplinary Authority disagreed, sought advice from the UPSC, received a recommendation to reduce his pay, and imposed the penalty, communicating the UPSC advice onl…

Amar Nath filed a suit for possession of agricultural land, alleging that the order of the Consolidation Officer dated 14‑02‑1970 was obtained by fraud and that he was entitled to a half‑share as the son of Vaij Nath. The trial court dismissed the suit, holding it barred by the Uttar Pradesh Zamindari Abolition and Lan…

The petitioner, an orthopaedic surgeon, filed a writ petition under Article 32 seeking the Supreme Court’s intervention to enforce the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 and related regulations to curb the high incidence of road accidents in India and to improve post‑accident care. The Court examined the extensive data on accide…

Bhushan Power & Steel Ltd. (BPSL) entered into a 2002 MOU with the Odisha State Government, which obliged the State to recommend iron‑ore mining leases for its steel plant. The Supreme Court, in a 2012 appeal, directed the State to act on the MOU for both the Thakurani and Keora areas. While the State complied for Thak…

The plaintiff, admitted as an indoor patient suffering from high fever and delirium, was found injured on the ground floor after falling from a hospital window, resulting in paraplegia. He sued the hospital trust for negligence, asserting that the hospital owed a duty of care for his safety. The trial court applied the…

Kalpanaraj, the legal representative of a deceased 46‑year‑old motorcyclist, filed a claim for compensation under s.166 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 on behalf of his wife and two minor children. The Motor Accident Claims Tribunal had awarded Rs.20.90 lacs based on a monthly income of Rs.15,000 and a multiplier of 18…

The Municipal Committee framed a Town Planning Scheme in 1975 that required part of Sepal Hotel's land for a road. The hotel owner was served notice to demolish the boundary wall, leading to multiple writ petitions and civil suits. The High Court held the scheme final, but the Supreme Court’s decision in Yogender Pal d…

The borrower defaulted on a loan and the bank, under the SARFAESI Act, took possession of the mortgaged hotel and attempted to sell it by public auction. The auction purchaser, Vasu P. Shetty, obtained the highest bid, but the High Court set aside the sale because the public notice did not give the statutorily required…

Three union officials, declared as protected workmen, were dismissed after the employer alleged they had filed a false police complaint against senior officers. The criminal court had acquitted the officers, and the employer issued a charge‑sheet without conducting a departmental inquiry, relying on the magistrate's ju…

Sheikh Hussein executed a gift deed on 26‑04‑1952 gifting an immovable property to his wife Banu Bibi. The deed contained conditions restricting alienation and stipulating that the property would revert to the donor or his heirs if Banu Bibi had no children. After Banu Bibi sold the property to V. Sreeramachandra Avadh…

The case involved a usufructuary mortgage executed in 1903 where the mortgagee claimed ownership after the statutory 30‑year limitation period had elapsed, while the mortgagor sought declaration of title by prescription. The trial and appellate courts held that, under Section 62 of the Transfer of Property Act, the mor…

M/s. Gira Enterprises imported cyanuric chloride from China, declaring a value of US$5,001 per metric ton. The Customs Commissioner, relying on a computer printout that allegedly showed other imports of the same chemical at US$1,950 per metric ton, reassessed the value to US$1,860 per metric ton under Rule 5 of the Cus…

The case concerned the murder of Bhavna Tripathi, the daughter‑in‑law of accused No.1 (Shashi Tripathi), who was alleged to have hired contract killers (accused Nos.2 and 4) to kill her over a domestic dispute. The sole eyewitness, a 13‑year‑old servant (PW‑21), identified the accused and described how accused No.4 cau…

Hitender Kumar Soni, a temporary employee on probation, absented himself from duty and submitted a resignation on 7 October 1997, which was accepted by the Government on 16 June 1998. He later sought to cancel the resignation, but the request was denied and the matter proceeded through the Central Administrative Tribun…

The appellant, a Tamil Nadu State Civil Service officer, challenged the promotion of the first respondent to the Indian Administrative Service, alleging that the State Government had illegally withheld the respondent’s Annual Confidential Reports (ACRs) for five years and had dropped disciplinary proceedings against hi…

The case concerns a pre‑planned terrorist attack on the police guarding the American Centre in Calcutta on 22 January 2002, which resulted in five police deaths and multiple injuries. The accused, including Md. Jamiludin Nasir and Aftab Ahmed Ansari, were convicted under the waging‑war provisions of the IPC and various…

The Supreme Court examined whether land in village Karoran, notified under Section 3 of the Punjab Land Preservation Act, 1900 and regulated by Sections 4 and 5, automatically qualifies as "forest land" under Section 2 of the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980. The High Court had held that the entire 3,700‑acre village wa…

The petitioner, a lifetime trustee of the Lilavati Kirtilal Mehta Medical Trust, alleged that respondent No.6 failed to give notice of a Board of Trustees meeting as ordered by this Court on 14 February 2014, constituting willful contempt. The Court had earlier stayed the meeting scheduled for 7 February 2014 and order…

The respondent, a District Manager of the Food Corporation of India, was penalised under Regulation 60 of the FCI (Staff) Regulations, 1971 for alleged neglect of duties, resulting in a fine and censure. He challenged the disciplinary order, contending that the Chairman‑cum‑Managing Director had not complied with Regul…

The petitioner, an advocate, filed a Special Leave Petition challenging observations made by the Madras High Court that a valid marriage does not necessarily require adherence to all customary rights and that long‑term cohabitation creates a presumption of marriage, rendering children legitimate. The Supreme Court exam…

The employee was initially appointed as librarian in 1964 but was terminated for a year of unauthorized absence and later re‑appointed on a temporary basis in November 1967. He repeatedly made representations seeking seniority to be counted from his original appointment, all of which were rejected, and finally filed a …

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 Indian Bank Association and other banking entities filed a writ petition under Article 32 seeking uniform guidelines for the trial of cheque‑dishonour cases under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881, alleging that despite the 2002 amendment (Sections 143‑147) courts were not following a uniform summ…

The Kandla Port Trust cancelled a 2005 tender for lease‑hold plots after a five‑year delay in obtaining Coastal Regulation Zone clearance, prompting the successful bidder, Rishi Kiran Logistics, to claim that a Letter of Intent (LOI) constituted a concluded contract and that the Trust was estopped from cancelling. The …

The State of Karnataka charged eight persons with robbery and dacoity under Section 397 read with Section 120‑B IPC, alleging they conspired and used deadly weapons on a KSRTC bus. The trial court acquitted all accused, finding the prosecution failed to prove conspiracy and the identification of the accused was unrelia…

The State of Tamil Nadu, through Chennai Metro Rail Ltd., sought to resume land (Survey Nos. 43/2 and 41) that had been granted in 1898‑99 for a choultry and later leased to N. Ismail, who built hotels on it. The original grant contained a condition that the land would revert to the Government if not used for its inten…

The respondents, appointed as part‑time sweepers in the School Education Department from 1987 to 2001, worked for more than ten years and filed writ petitions seeking regularisation of their services. The Madras High Court ordered their regularisation on a full‑time basis. The State appealed, contending that a court ca…

The Supreme Court entertained a batch of writ petitions filed under Article 32 by death‑row convicts and their families alleging that the executive had unreasonably delayed the disposal of their mercy petitions under Articles 72 and 161, and that other supervening circumstances such as mental illness, solitary confinem…

The Indian National Congress (INC) filed a suit to declare its title and obtain possession of the Congress Bhavan in Bangalore, a property originally gifted to the Bangalore City Congress Committee in 1949. After the 1969 split of the INC into Congress (J) and Congress (O), the Election Commission of India (ECI) recogn…

The Supreme Court examined whether disciplinary proceedings against employees of M/s Stanzen Toyotetsu India Ltd. could be stayed pending the criminal trial arising from the same incident. The Court held that there is no legal bar to conducting disciplinary and criminal proceedings simultaneously, but a stay is only ju…

Biswanath Bhatiacharya, who had been detained under COFEPOSA in the 1970s, was served a notice under Section 6(1) of the Smugglers and Foreign Exchange Manipulators (Forfeiture of Property) Act, 1976 (SAFEMA) to explain the source of his wealth, and later a forfeiture order was passed under Section 7. He challenged the…

The plaintiff sought a declaration of title over a one‑acre parcel of land in Malur and the removal of an unauthorised school building constructed by the State Government and its pre‑university college. The trial court held the plaintiff to be the owner, ordered removal of the construction and granted a permanent injun…

The plaintiff obtained a decree declaring a 1982 gift deed void. The respondents appealed and the High Court set aside that decree on the basis of a compromise recorded under Order XXI Rule 3 of the CPC. The plaintiff contended that the compromise was forged and void, and filed a suit (OS No.5236 of 2005) seeking to se…

India Yamaha Motor Pvt. Ltd., the management of a manufacturing unit, challenged the competence of 113 workmen to be represented before the Industrial Tribunal by five elected workmen. The dispute centered on whether Section 6‑1 of the Uttar Pradesh Industrial Disputes Act, 1947 and Rule 40 of the Uttar Pradesh Industr…

The suit involved a self‑acquired, intestate property of the deceased Pemmada Venkateswara Rao, which devolved equally among his wife, three sons and three daughters under the Hindu Succession Act. The plaintiffs sought specific performance of a sale agreement that was executed only by two of the six co‑heirs, who did …

P. Holding Asia Singapore Ltd. and its holding company acquired 53.46% of Andhra Pradesh Paper Mills Ltd. from the Bangur group for Rs. 523 per share, also paying an exclusivity fee and a non‑compete fee of about Rs. 277.95 crore. SEBI directed the acquirers to increase the public offer price by adding the non‑compete …

The Supreme Court examined the High Court's order that condoned a 9‑day delay in filing regular first appeals and a 1727‑day delay in refiling those appeals filed by Nahar Exports Ltd. and others. The Court held that the respondents failed to provide a bona‑fide explanation for the inordinate delay, showing gross negli…

Satvir Singh, an Inspector Customs, was accused of demanding and accepting a bribe from complainant Ramesh Suri in 1989. The trial court acquitted him, finding that the prosecution had not proved the demand, acceptance, or recovery of illegal gratification and that the presumption under Section 20 of the Prevention of …

Shivgiri Associates filed a complaint under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act in the Gurgaon court, alleging dishonour of cheques drawn on Axis Bank, Bangalore and presented for encashment at Standard Chartered Bank, Bangalore. The legal notice of demand was dispatched from Gurgaon on the respondent's instr…

The Akalakunnam Village Service Co‑op Bank issued a notification to fill one Attender and three Peon posts, reserving one for SC/ST candidates, and conducted a written test and interview. Three applicants filed a writ petition challenging the notification, alleging non‑compliance with Rule 182(5) of the Kerala Co‑opera…

The landlord, Krishna Kumar Rastogi, filed an application under Section 21(1)(a) of the Uttar Pradesh Urban Buildings (Regulation of Letting, Rent and Eviction) Act, 1972 seeking the eviction of tenant Sumitra Devi so that his son could occupy the shop. The Prescribed Authority allowed the landlord’s application, but t…

The victim, Pasupuleti Siva Ramakrishna Rao, the president of a lorry workers' union, was attacked in the union office by four accused who, angry over his collection of donations, struck him with a bottle, tied a telephone wire around his neck and strangulated him, and beat him with an iron rod. The trial court convict…

The appellant, Anil @ Anthony Arikswamy Joseph, was convicted of murdering a 10‑year‑old boy after subjecting him to pederasty, under Sections 302, 377 and 201 of the IPC and sentenced to death. The Supreme Court examined the reliability of the prosecution's circumstantial and DNA evidence, finding it trustworthy and s…

The State of Haryana granted Bharti Teletech Ltd. a sales‑tax exemption under Rule 28A of the Haryana General Sales Tax Rules, 1975 for the period 13‑Dec‑1991 to 12‑Dec‑1998, conditioned on the unit maintaining average production for five years after the exemption. After the exemption expired, the Deputy Excise and Tax…

The Supreme Court upheld the conviction of six accused, including the appellant Joshinder Yadav, for the dowry death of Bindula Devi under IPC sections 302 r/w 149, 498A and 201. The Court found that the father and brother of the deceased gave reliable testimony of continuous cruelty and harassment for dowry, and that …

The appellant, Perumal, was acquitted of offences under Sections 417 and 506(i) IPC after a charge‑sheet filed by Sub‑Inspector Janaki alleged his involvement in a pregnancy that a medical report had disproved. Perumal then lodged a private complaint under Section 190 CrPC seeking to try Janaki for an offence under Sec…

The husband and wife were married in 1989; the wife later filed a criminal complaint against the husband and his family under several IPC provisions and the Dowry Prohibition Act, which led to their arrest. The husband filed for divorce on the grounds of cruelty and alleged irretrievable breakdown, and the wife was lat…

P. Gunasekaran, a Deputy Office Superintendent in Central Excise, was dismissed after a departmental inquiry found him guilty of falsifying attendance records and impersonating an executive officer. Although he was later acquitted of related criminal charges, the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) upheld the dismiss…

The Supreme Court examined an appeal by the Diesel Loco Shed Employees & S.E. Railway Employees House Building Co‑op Society Ltd. challenging a High Court review that set aside orders declaring surplus land vested in the State and the allotment of 6 acres to the society. The Court held that the heirs of the deceased de…

The wife and her minor daughter sought maintenance under Section 125 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) and Section 24 of the Hindu Marriage Act. The Family Court initially granted interim maintenance but later awarded maintenance only to the daughter, denying the wife on the ground that she could earn a liveliho…

Baljinder Kaur, the sister‑in‑law of the deceased Sharanjit Kaur, was convicted under Section 304B IPC for dowry death based on a demand for a gold karra made two months after the marriage. The deceased died of poisoning, and the prosecution relied on a dying declaration that she was beaten and poisoned by the accused.…

The Rajkot District Cooperative Bank Ltd. and other specified cooperative societies challenged the delimitation of constituencies for elections to their managing committees under Gujarat Specified Co‑operative Societies Election to Committee Rules, 1982, specifically Rule 3‑A sub‑rules (8) and (9). They argued that the…

The CBI prosecuted Vikram Doshi and others for fraud involving bank loans, forged letters of credit, and diversion of funds to fictitious companies, alleging offences under IPC sections 420, 406 and others. The bank later settled the civil dispute, paid a sum and issued a "no due certificate", after which the Bombay Hi…

The Institute of Law was allotted 5.75 acres of land in Chandigarh at a nominal rate, prompting Neeraj Sharma to file a public‑interest writ petition challenging the allotment as arbitrary and violative of Article 14. The Punjab & Haryana High Court Division Bench cancelled the allotment in two separate but concurring …

The deceased Harpal Kaur was burnt to death in her matrimonial home within months of her marriage. Her father and a panchayat member found her body and reported the incident, leading to the arrest of her husband, his parents (Sri Chand and Darshan Kaur) and brother. The trial court convicted all four under Sections 304…

The appellant filed a complaint under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act against the respondent for dishonoured cheques, after serving a notice on 23 September 2008 but before the statutory 15‑day period expired (complaint filed on 7 October 2008). The trial magistrate took cognizance, which the Allahabad Hi…

The appellant was originally granted a quarry lease in 1978, which was renewed in 1983 and later, after a lapse, a fresh lease was issued on 26 June 1991 under Rule 3 of the Karnataka Minor Mineral Concession Rules. That 1991 lease, along with the Government Order of 18 June 1991, was subsequently quashed by the High C…

The plaintiffs filed a suit to cancel a sale deed alleging fraud, contending that the deed was executed for Rs 1 lakh while the market value of the property was Rs 19.36 lakh. The trial court and the appellate courts held that, under Section 37 of the Andhra Pradesh Court Fees and Suits Valuation Act, the court fee sho…

The State of Orissa appointed thousands of unemployed graduate engineers as Stipendiary Engineers on an ad‑hoc basis and later as Assistant Engineers, later regularising them through the Orissa Service of Engineers (Validation of Appointment) Act, 2002. Several writ petitions challenged the Act on the grounds that it w…

Shabnam Hashmi filed a writ petition under Article 32 seeking a declaration that the right to adopt and to be adopted is a fundamental right under Article 21 and that adoption should be permitted irrespective of religion, caste or creed. The petition also asked the Union of India to enact an optional law on adoption. T…

The appellant, an Assistant Engineer of the Ujjain Municipal Corporation, was prosecuted under sections 13(1)(d) and 13(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 for alleged irregularities in a building contract. He argued that, because he was appointed by an Administrator, only the Administrator or the State Govern…

The appellant, Maya Devi, filed an objection under Order XXI Rule 58 to execution proceedings initiated by the decree holder, Lalta Prasad, who had obtained an ex‑parte money decree for Rs 3.40 lakh based on an alleged agreement for sale dated 3 Nov 2003 between him and the judgment debtor, Prem Chand Verma. Maya Devi …

The respondent, Binani Cement Ltd., set up a new cement plant in Rajasthan and claimed a Fixed Capital Investment (FCI) of Rs.532.52 crores, seeking exemption from sales tax under the "Sales Tax New Incentive Scheme for Industries, 1989". The State Level Screening Committee granted only a 25% exemption, treating the un…

The deceased, Chander Kalan, suffered 40-45% burns after an alleged kerosene incident on 18 June 1998 and died on 4 August 1998 from septicemia. The trial court acquitted the accused of Section 3048 IPC (death caused by burns) but convicted them under Section 498A IPC (dowry harassment). The High Court reversed the acq…

The appellants, Jagmohan Bahl and another, were charged under IPC sections 420 and 34 for alleged cheating in a property transaction. Their first anticipatory bail application under Section 438 of the CrPC was rejected by Additional Sessions Judge‑6, but a second application was later allowed by a different Additional …

The parties were partners in a firm and a civil suit was filed concerning partnership property. The partnership deed contained an arbitration clause, but the civil court, after hearing the parties, held that it had jurisdiction to try the suit and declined to refer the matter to arbitration under Section 8(1) of the Ar…

The State of Punjab sought recovery of monetary benefits that had been mistakenly overpaid to a large group of government employees, including the appellant Rafiq Masih. The employees had received the excess amounts due to an administrative error and had not committed any fraud or misrepresentation. The Supreme Court e…

The Supreme Court examined whether the Karnataka State Government, while modifying road‑transport schemes under section 102 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, must record reasons for its decision. The Court held that modification of a scheme is a quasi‑judicial function and, therefore, the State must give a reasoned orde…

The petitioner, a former Additional District and Sessions Judge, alleged sexual harassment and victimisation by a sitting High Court judge and challenged the inquiry process initiated by the Chief Justice of the High Court. The Chief Justice had constituted a two‑judge committee to conduct an in‑depth probe, which the …

The appellants were recruited as Steno Sub‑Inspectors in the Bihar Police and, after five years of service, were appointed on reversion to the general line as Sub‑Inspectors. They claimed that their seniority in the general line should be counted from their original appointment dates as Steno Sub‑Inspectors, relying on…

K.K. Saksena, a former Secretary of the International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage (ICID), challenged his termination in a writ petition under Article 226, alleging arbitrariness and violation of Article 14. The Delhi High Court dismissed the petition, holding that ICID is not a "State" within Article 12 and d…

The case concerned a dispute over the partition of family property involving the appellants Baburao Marutrao Mane and his daughter Lata and the respondent Ramchandra Balasaheb Mane, an adopted son. The trial court and successive appellate courts held that no partition had been effected, so succession did not open at th…

Sudarshan Rajpoot, a driver employed permanently by the Uttar Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation, suffered grievous injuries in a vehicle accident caused by a mechanical defect. The corporation struck his name off the contract roll, alleging negligent driving, and terminated his services without complying with st…

The appellant, a former president of the Poona Employees Union, sought cancellation of the union's registration certificate alleging fraud or mistake, filing a petition under Section 10 of the Trade Unions Act, 1926. The Additional Registrar cancelled the certificate, the Industrial Court set aside that cancellation, a…

The appellant, Juveria Abdul Majid Patni, married Atif Iqbal Mansoori under Muslim rites in 2005 and alleged physical abuse and cruelty, leading her to file an FIR under Sections 498A and 406 IPC in 2007. She obtained an ex parte Khula (divorce) from a Mufti on 9 May 2008, which the respondent contested in family court…

The Supreme Court examined an election petition challenging the election of P.K. Basheer on the ground that a leaflet (Exhibit‑P1) and various audio‑visual recordings were published to malign the petitioner, Anvar P.V., constituting a corrupt practice under the Representation of the People Act, 1951. The Court held tha…

Meena Chaudhary, married in 1973, claimed that her husband (Respondent No.4) deserted her in 1989 and that subsequent divorce decrees from Bhutan, England and Jorhat were invalid. She filed a suit under the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005 seeking protection, residence, monetary relief and compensat…

Bonnie Anna George, a medical student, sought a writ of mandamus to compel Christian Medical College, Ludhiana and the Medical Council of India to allow her to shift from MD Pathology to a vacant MD General Medicine seat under the NRI quota. The college denied her request, citing its counselling schedule and procedural…

The Supreme Court was approached by several private medical colleges whose recognition for the 2014-15 academic session had not been renewed, risking a large number of vacant MBBS seats. The petitioners argued that defects identified in earlier inspections had been remedied and sought permission to admit students. The …

The case concerns the cancellation of a dealership allotment for petroleum products. Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) had prepared a panel of candidates for a SKO-LDO dealership, with Neelam Kumari as first and Sunita Kumari as second. Following a news report alleging political patronage in allotments nationwide, the gover…

The case arose from twin bomb blasts in Surat in 1993 for which several accused were convicted under the Indian Penal Code, the Explosives Substances Act and the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act (TADA). The trial court recorded the offences under TADA after obtaining approvals from the Additional Ch…

The Faculty Association of AIIMS challenged the application of reservation policy to specialty and super‑specialty faculty posts at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, invoking Articles 15, 16 and 335 of the Constitution. The Court examined whether the rule of reservation could be extended to these highly tech…

The Union of India entered into a contract with PAM Development for constructing an industrial loco shed, which was later terminated for delay and inferior work. The contractor invoked an arbitration clause, and the Calcutta High Court appointed a former judge as sole arbitrator under Section 11(6) of the Arbitration a…

The appellants, Dr. Atma Ram and Vijay Kumar, were convicted for murder and related offences under Sections 1208, 302, 460 and 382 IPC based solely on circumstantial evidence that the deceased midwife was killed and her ornaments were stolen. The prosecution relied on four circumstances: homicidal death, a threat by th…

Three death‑row convicts (V. Sriharan @ Murugan, T. Suthendraraja @ Santhan and A.G. Perarivalan @ Arivu) filed mercy petitions under Articles 72/161 of the Constitution. The Governor of Tamil Nadu rejected the petitions in 2000 and the President finally rejected them in August 2011 after an inordinate delay of more th…

The appellant, Rameshchandra Ambalal Joshi, issued a cheque dated 31 December 2005 to repay a loan of Rs.1,00,000. The cheque was presented for payment on 30 June 2006 and was dishonoured for insufficiency of funds, leading to a prosecution under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act. The appellant contended th…

The State of Sikkim integrated three separate police forces into a single Sikkim Police Force under the 2000 Rules, fixing seniority of officers at the sub‑inspector level to address promotion inequities. The High Court struck down Rule 9(iv) and the seniority list, holding that the retrospective deemed promotions viol…

The Supreme Court examined a criminal complaint filed by Monica under Sections 498A and 406 IPC against her parents‑in‑law and later her husband. The appellants sought quashing of the complaint under Section 482 CrPC, arguing that the allegations did not constitute cruelty or entrustment. The Court held that the compla…

M/s. Ram Bara Singh & Co. appealed against a Division Bench order that set aside a Patna High Court judgment allowing its writ petition under Art. 226. The respondents argued that an arbitration clause in the 1989 contract made the writ petition non‑maintainable, even though the contract had been completed and payments…

The State of Punjab sought to prosecute two retired public servants, Sikandar Singh and Labh Singh, for alleged corruption and related offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 and the Indian Penal Code. The department had refused sanction to prosecute them both before and after their retirements, yet a cha…

The State of Punjab challenged the tax treatment of battery chargers sold by Nokia India with cell phones, arguing that they should attract the concessional VAT rate of 4% under entry 60(6)(g) of Schedule B of the Punjab Value Added Tax Act, 2005. The Assessing Authority, Appellate Authority and the VAT Tribunal held t…

The case concerns the murder of Satnam Singh in Ludhiana in 2002. Seven persons were charged; two (Charanjit Singh and Surjit Singh) were convicted under Section 302 IPC and Section 25 of the Arms Act, while five others were acquitted by the High Court. The State appealed the acquittals and the two convicted appealed t…

The appellant Rajinder Singh was convicted for the murder of Suraj Mal and Shri Ram and for violating Section 27 of the Arms Act after a violent altercation following a Holi celebration. The incident involved a quarrel between a juvenile and another party, after which the appellant allegedly fired his licensed double‑b…

International Amusement Ltd (operator of "Appu Ghar") held a licence from the India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO) to occupy land in Pragati Maidan. Clause 28 of the licence agreement provided that any dispute would be referred to arbitration by the Chairman of ITPO or his nominee. After the licence expired, ITPO …

A four‑year‑old boy was electrocuted when a live wire fell on his roof, resulting in triple amputation and 100% permanent disability. The parents sued Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam Ltd. under Section 68 of the Electricity Act, 2003 for compensation. The Single Judge of the High Court awarded Rs 60 lakhs, directing R…

The widow of a bank clerk who had served for over 34 years filed a petition after the bank treated his October 8, 2007 letter as a resignation, thereby forfeiting his pension. The Supreme Court examined whether the letter was a resignation or a request for voluntary retirement under the Central Bank of India (Employees…

The appellant, a non‑executive director of M/S Elite International Pvt. Ltd., was charged under Section 138 read with Section 141 of the Negotiable Instruments Act for the dishonour of cheques issued by the company. She had resigned from the board on 17‑December‑2005, while the cheques were dishonoured in 2008. The com…

Suresh was appointed as a peon on a daily‑wage basis on 1 July 1994 and was terminated on 4 March 1996 without any retrenchment compensation. He approached the Labour Court, which ordered his reinstatement with continuity of service but without back wages; the High Court affirmed this award. The employer appealed to th…

The Supreme Court examined writ petitions filed under Article 32 challenging the constitutional validity of Section 6A of the Citizenship Act, 1955, which was inserted to give effect to the Assam Accord. The petitioners, representing the people of Assam, argued that illegal migration from Bangladesh threatened the sove…

The case involved the murder of Satinder Sekhon, for which A‑10 (Balkar Singh) was convicted under Sections 120B (conspiracy) and 302 read with 34 of the IPC, based largely on circumstantial evidence. The trial court and the Punjab & Haryana High Court upheld the conviction, while the accused argued that there was no m…

The appellant, Kuldeep Kaur, the mother‑in‑law of Jagpreet Kaur, was convicted under Section 306 of the Indian Penal Code for abetment of suicide after the bride died by hanging within four months of marriage. The prosecution alleged dowry demands and harassment, but the trial court found no specific evidence of dowry …

The appellant, N. Soundaram, lodged a complaint alleging that the accused, P.K. Pounraj, and a group of men forcibly entered her residence, confined her and her mother‑in‑law, and seized documents related to a monetary dispute. An FIR was registered under Sections 147, 447, 395 and 506(II) of the IPC, but the police la…

The appellant, Gunmala Sales Private Ltd., challenged the Calcutta High Court’s order quashing criminal complaints under Section 138 read with Section 141 of the Negotiable Instruments Act against several directors of the accused company. The Supreme Court held that a complaint must specifically aver that a director wa…

The appellants, Maj. Gen. Kapil Mehra and others, challenged the compensation awarded by the Delhi Development Authority for land acquired under the Land Acquisition Act, 1894. The High Court had fixed the market value at Rs.14,974 per square yard by averaging four perpetual lease deeds, adding 20% for free‑hold conver…

The Supreme Court examined whether employees whose appointment orders were cancelled in 1987 could claim the benefit of a later judgment that restored similar employees to service. The respondents waited nine years before filing a claim, arguing that they were similarly situated to those who had earlier obtained relief…

The appellants owned agricultural land that was transferred from Bihar to West Bengal under the Bihar and West Bengal (Transferred Territories) Act, 1956, and the West Bengal Land Reforms Act, 1955 was extended to the transferred territories. The Calcutta High Court, in a 1984 writ petition, quashed the vesting of the …

The Supreme Court considered appeals by Bank of Rajasthan challenging the High Court's order that two civil suits filed by VCK Shares & Stock Broking Services be removed from the High Court's file. The bank had obtained a recovery certificate from the Debt Recovery Tribunal (DRT) under Section 19 of the Recovery of Deb…

Renikuntla Rajamma (donor) executed a registered gift deed in favour of K. Sarwanamma (donee) but reserved for herself a life interest to occupy the property and receive its rents. She later executed a revocation deed, which lower courts held void, affirming the validity of the original gift. The Supreme Court examined…

The Jaipur Shahar Hindu Vikas Samiti filed public interest litigations seeking a declaration that the Galta Peeth/Thikana properties are public trust assets, clarification of succession, and a direction for the State to take over its management. The Rajasthan High Court, noting that the same questions were pending befo…

The Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) supplied gas to Ambica Mills Ltd., a member of a gas‑consuming association, under a 1987 Supreme Court interim order that fixed the gas price and required the company, then in liquidation, not to charge, encumber or alienate its immovable assets without court leave. After the …

The appellant, M/s. Soma Isolux NH One Tollway Pvt. Ltd., entered into a BOT concession agreement with the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to construct, operate and maintain a six‑laning of NH‑1. The High Court, while entertaining a public‑interest writ, cancelled the concession agreement, imposed heavy fin…

The Supreme Court examined whether the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) could audit the accounts of private telecom service providers under the Unified Access Services (UAS) licences to verify revenue sharing with the Union. Service providers argued that the CAG’s powers under Article 149 of the Constitut…

The appellants, Hari Nandan Prasad and Govind Kumar Chaudhary, were casual daily‑wage workers of the Food Corporation of India who were terminated after more than 240 days of continuous service without notice, pay in lieu of notice or retrenchment compensation, violating Section 25‑F of the Industrial Disputes Act, 194…

Ram Kishan, a former Under Secretary (Legal) of Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam Ltd., was compulsorily retired and later obtained reinstatement with all consequential benefits, but without back wages, from the High Court. The Supreme Court subsequently granted him back wages, yet the employer denied him the re‑desig…

Mahesh Jogi was convicted for an offence committed on 20 January 1985 when he was 17 years and 4 months old. The conviction and sentence were imposed before the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2000 came into force. The Supreme Court was asked to determine whether Jogi qualified as a juvenile und…

The Supreme Court examined an appeal against a High Court order that granted bail to Mitthan Yadav, a history‑sheeter accused of multiple serious offences including murder, under several IPC sections. The High Court had relied on the principle of parity, noting that a co‑accused, Ashok Kumar, had previously been releas…

The petitioners, retired government employees who later enrolled as advocates, challenged the proviso in Section 16 Explanation II (5) of the Tamil Nadu Advocates' Welfare Fund Act, 1987 that denied a lump‑sum payment of Rs 2 lakh to the nominees of advocates already receiving pension or other terminal benefits, allegi…

The appeal concerned a dispute between Govind Rubber Ltd. (appellant) and Louids Dreyfus Commodities Asia Pvt. Ltd. (respondent) over two sales contracts for natural rubber that contained an arbitration clause referring disputes to the Singapore Commodity Exchange. The appellant argued that no valid arbitration agreeme…

The case involves the death of Saroj, a married woman, within four months of her marriage. Her father alleged that the husband, his father, brother and brother‑in‑law demanded dowry, threatened her and subsequently murdered her and attempted to burn the body. The trial court acquitted all accused, but the High Court co…

Harish Kumar was married to Manisha, who suffered severe burn injuries on 13 September 1993 and died five days later. He was charged under Sections 304B (dowry death) and 498A (dowry cruelty) of the IPC. The trial court convicted him on both counts; the High Court upheld the convictions. On appeal, the Supreme Court ex…

The petitioner, convicted under Section 302 of the IPC for a murder committed on 18 June 1997, claimed that he was only 17 years old at the time of the offence and therefore entitled to the benefits of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2000. The Supreme Court examined documentary and oral evid…

The appellants were convicted under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act for issuing dishonoured cheques. The trial magistrate recorded evidence and a successor magistrate delivered the judgment, leading the Gujarat High Court to order a de novo trial on the ground that the case was a summary trial and Section…

The Supreme Court examined the applicability of the Uttaranchal Government Servants (Criterion for Recruitment by Promotion) Rules, 2004 to promotions from Group D to Group C posts. It held that Rule 1(3) excludes the need for Public Service Commission consultation for such promotions, and Rule 2 gives the 2004 Rules a…

The petitioners sought an extension of the time schedule for online counselling and admission to technical courses of Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, arguing that many seats remained vacant and AICTE had not adhered to its prescribed timetable. The University had issued a notification for supplementary couns…

The petitioners, canteen workers at the Mess/Canteen of the S&T Training Centre of Northern Railway, sought regularisation as railway employees, claiming they worked in a non‑statutory recognised canteen. The Central Administrative Tribunal held they were employed in a non‑statutory non‑recognised canteen because no sa…

The case concerned the procurement of Damp Proof Cement by North Eastern Hill University (NEHU) where the Chief Engineer (A‑1) and other officials were alleged to have colluded to obtain the material at an inflated price of Rs.42.75 per kg, far above the market rate of Rs.5‑10 per kg. The prosecution proved that A‑1, a…

The Union of India entered into a construction contract with U.P. State Bridge Corp. Ltd. that contained an arbitration clause under the General Conditions of Contract 2001, Clause 64. An arbitral tribunal of Railway officers was constituted in 2007 but failed to complete the proceedings for four years due to transfers…

The petitioners, leaders of a human‑rights NGO, filed a writ of mandamus under Article 32 seeking a CBI or SIT investigation into the violent clash between Dalit and Thevar students at Dr. Ambedkar Government Law College, Chennai on 12 November 2008, alleging police inaction and subsequent harassment. They also complai…

The appellant Munna was convicted under Sections 376 and 450 IPC for allegedly raping the prosecutrix at knife point, based primarily on the testimonies of the prosecutrix, her husband (PW‑2) and a village Kotwar (PW‑3). The High Court upheld the conviction, but the Supreme Court examined whether the prosecutrix's test…

K. Srivatsan, a government employee on deputation to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, was suspended on 3 December 2007, the suspension was revoked, and he was again suspended on 29 February 2008, remaining under suspension until his superannuation on 30 June 2008. After retirement, the CBI investigated alleged finan…

The case involved the murder of Narinder Singh, for which nine persons were charged under Sections 302, 149 and 148 of the IPC. The prosecution's case hinged on the testimony of the victim's father (PW‑6) and his brother (PW‑7), who identified Dilawar Singh (A‑1), Yash Pal (A‑3) and Shamsher Singh (A‑7) as the assailan…

The appellant, Srihari (deceased) through his legal representatives, challenged a High Court order that amended a preliminary decree in a partition suit to allocate specific shares among co‑heirs. The amendment was made under Section 152 of the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908, which permits correction of clerical or acci…

The complainant filed a complaint under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act alleging that a cheque issued by the respondent bounced and that a demand notice had been sent by registered post. The High Court quashed the complaint on the ground that the complaint did not specifically state that the notice had be…

Chaman Lal, a former truck driver employed by the Fish Farmers Development Agency (a society) and later absorbed into a government department, sought retirement benefits based on his total service. The lower courts dismissed his claim, and he argued that a similarly situated individual, Charanjit Lal, had obtained a pe…

The Supreme Court heard civil appeals arising from a public interest litigation filed by the Cricket Association of Bihar challenging the constitution of a probe panel by the BCCI to investigate betting and spot‑fixing allegations in the 2013 IPL. The Court noted that the Justice Mudgal Committee had submitted two repo…

The Supreme Court examined the convictions of six accused in the 2002 Akshardham temple terrorist attack, which were based largely on confessional statements recorded under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA), testimony of accomplices, and two Urdu letters allegedly recovered from the terrorists' pockets. The Court …

The appellant was convicted under Sections 376 and 506 of the Indian Penal Code for raping and intimidating the prosecutrix. The trial court and the High Court upheld the conviction based on medical testimony that semen was found on the victim's underwear and that the accused sustained injuries consistent with a strugg…

The Supreme Court examined illegal mining in Odisha where numerous leaseholders were operating without environmental or forest clearances and without renewal under the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957. The Central Empowered Committee identified 102 non‑working leases, 29 rejected or lapsed leas…

The petitioners challenged notices terminating leases granted by the Kolkata Port Trust, arguing that the Land Manager lacked authority to issue ejectment notices. The Board of Trustees had, under Section 21 of the Major Port Trusts Act, 1963, delegated to the Chairman the power to terminate leases and to issue ejectme…

The appellants, tenants of a shop in Delhi, were ordered by the Rent Controller to pay arrears and future rent under Section 15(1) of the Delhi Rent Control Act, 1958. They delayed payment of the future rent, prompting the landlords to invoke Section 15(7) to have the tenants' defence in the eviction suit struck out. T…

Shamim Bano, a Muslim wife, filed an application under Section 125 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) for maintenance before her divorce. While the application was pending, the divorce was finalized on 5 May 1997, after which she also filed an application under Section 3 of the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights …

The appellant, a former employee of Bhavnagar Electricity Company, sought correction of his date of birth from 27‑06‑1937 to 27‑06‑1940 based on a municipal birth certificate and other documents, but the employer rejected the change and later terminated him on the basis of the original date. The Labour Court held that …

The Supreme Court examined the conviction of seven accused under Sections 148 and 302 read with Section 149 of the Indian Penal Code for the murder of Prabhu Dayal. The appellants argued that the FIR was unduly delayed, that there was no proof that Om Prakash ran over the victim with a tractor, and that no specific ove…

The appellant, DAV Public Schools in Odisha, sought to revise its fee structure to meet higher salary obligations arising from the 6th Central Pay Commission. The High Court held that, as private unaided institutions, the schools were subject to the Orissa Education Act, 1969 and could not unilaterally raise fees. The …

The late Maharaja Vikramsinhji of Gondal created several foreign trusts in the United States and the United Kingdom. After his death, the Income Tax and Wealth Tax authorities assessed tax on the income of the UK trusts, arguing that they were specific trusts whose income accrued to the settlor and later to his son. Th…

The Supreme Court entertained review petitions filed by the Union of India challenging its earlier decision on reservation in faculty posts at AIIMS. The issue centered on whether Articles 15, 16 and 335 of the Constitution permit reservation in super‑specialty faculty positions. The Court clarified that the power to d…

Tulip Star Hotels Ltd. and its Executive Director were alleged to have sold US$147,000 and £1,000 to Hotel Zam Zam in 1997 through persons not authorized under the RBI's Foreign Exchange Management (FLM) memorandum, violating sections 6(4), 6(5), 7 and 8 of the Foreign Exchange Regulation Act, 1973 (FERA) and paragraph…