ADARSH KUMAR GOEL

Mrs. Ivy C. Da Conceicao, a Grade‑I teacher with 21 years of service, claimed she was the most senior and qualified candidate for the post of principal in a minority‑run school in Goa, but the school appointed junior teachers in violation of the Goa School Education Rules. The school relied on its autonomy under Articl…

The appellant's wife died after a hysterectomy performed at a nursing home that lacked ICU facilities, despite her having uncontrolled high blood pressure and severe anemia. The appellant filed a complaint under the Consumer Protection Act, 1986 alleging medical negligence for proceeding with surgery without stabilisin…

The Supreme Court examined the admissibility of electronic evidence, particularly videography of crime scenes, in the petition Shafhi Mohammad v. State of Himachal Pradesh. It considered whether a certificate under Section 65B(4) of the Evidence Act is mandatory when the party producing the electronic record does not c…

The case concerned the murder of Bhagwan Singh in Sikar, Rajasthan, where twenty accused were tried and nine were convicted. The Supreme Court noted that after the examination-in-chief of a key witness, the trial was adjourned for over four months, leading to several witnesses turning hostile. The Court held that under…

Koshy Jacob, an advocate, filed a writ petition under Article 32 seeking a direction to the Union of India to implement the Supreme Court's guidelines issued in the 2009 Destruction of Public and Private Properties case. He alleged that frequent strikes and agitations were causing widespread destruction of public prope…

The petitioners sought a writ of mandamus directing the Union and other respondents to conduct the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) for admission to MBBS courses for the 2016-17 academic year. The respondents submitted that NEET would be held in accordance with the Medical Council of India and Dental Counc…

The petitioners, Asian Resurfacing of Road Agency and others, challenged the order of charge framed by a Special Judge under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, alleging that it was an interlocutory order barred by Section 19(3)(c) of the Act and by Section 397(2) of the CrPC. The Supreme Court examined whether suc…

Harita Sunil Parab, a practising advocate in Mumbai, filed FIRs in Delhi and Ghaziabad alleging offences under various IPC sections and later sought to have those cases transferred to Mumbai, claiming threats from the accused, fear of a biased investigation and personal inconvenience. The Supreme Court examined whether…

Krishanakan​t Tamrakar, convicted of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment, had been in custody for over ten years while his appeal against the conviction was pending before the Madhya Pradesh High Court. He applied for bail, arguing that the prolonged delay rendered the appeal meaningless. The Supreme Court, while…

The dispute concerned seniority of Uttar Pradesh Higher Judicial Service officers appointed as promotees (2008‑2009) and direct recruits (2007‑2009) after the Rules were amended in 2007 to introduce a suitability test and a quota‑rota system. Promotees argued that they should enjoy seniority from the date vacancies aro…

The Supreme Court examined a criminal appeal challenging the summoning of the husband’s relatives under Section 498A of the IPC in a dowry‑harassment case. It observed that a large number of 498A cases are filed in the heat of the moment, often without bona‑fide evidence, leading to uncalled‑for arrests and hardship to…

The Supreme Court heard a series of criminal appeals and special leave petitions filed by Naveen Kaushik against the Central Bureau of Investigation under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988. The principal issue concerned the interpretation of Section 19(3)(c) of the Act, which the Court revisited in light of its re…

The Supreme Court examined the Uttar Pradesh government's scheme of appointing 1.78 lakh "Shiksha Mitras" on a contractual basis and later attempting to regularise them as Assistant Teachers without meeting the statutory qualifications prescribed under the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009 (R…

The Supreme Court examined appeals filed by Ram Kumar Patel and others against the State of Uttar Pradesh challenging the High Court's order that quashed the Uttar Pradesh Basic Education (Teachers) Service (161st Amendment) Rules, 2012 on the ground of repugnancy with the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) …

The petitioners challenged the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) notification dated 29 July 2011 which made a 50% graduation mark mandatory for appointment of teachers, alleging arbitrariness and violation of Article 14 of the Constitution. They argued that earlier NCTE notification dated 23 August 2010 all…

The State of Uttar Pradesh amended its Basic Education Rules to incorporate the National Council for Teachers Education (NCTE) qualifications for elementary teachers, later revoking the weightage given to Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) marks. A writ petition challenged the revocation, and the Allahabad High Court set a…

Asian Resurfacing of Road Agency Ltd. and another appealed to the Supreme Court against a Delhi High Court order that stayed the framing of a charge under Section 19(3)(c) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988. The principal issue was whether the High Court had jurisdiction to grant such a stay in a challenge to th…

The husband filed a petition for divorce under Section 13 of the Hindu Marriage Act, alleging that his wife had made false and defamatory complaints against him, his family and colleagues, which amounted to cruelty. The wife had lodged multiple complaints with various authorities and the media, all of which were later …

An FIR was lodged for corruption and a charge‑sheet was filed against 16 persons, while three individuals—Girish Sharma, Arvind Singh Dhruv and Jeet Ram Yadav—were recorded as witnesses under Sections 161 and 164 of the CrPC and not named as accused. Some of the accused applied under Sections 193/319 to have these thre…

The petition challenged the operation of multinational accounting firms (MAFs) in India through Indian chartered accountant firms (ICAFs) that used the same brand name, alleging violations of Sections 25 and 29 of the Chartered Accountants Act, the Companies Act, FDI policy, RBI and FEMA regulations, and the ICAI Code …

The dispute concerned the execution of a works contract which was referred to an arbitrator who awarded in favour of M/s Lion Engineering Consultants. The State of Madhya Pradesh challenged the award under Section 34 of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996 and sought to amend its objections after three years, whi…

The State of Bihar challenged the appointment of an arbitrator under Section 11(6) of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996, arguing that the Bihar Public Works Contracts Arbitration Tribunal Act, 2008 excluded the Central Act for works contracts. The parties had a contract dated 22 June 2012 containing an arbitra…

The Supreme Court entertained applications seeking clarification of its earlier judgment (3 November 2017) that held engineering degrees awarded by deemed‑to‑be universities through distance education illegal. The applicants, who had obtained such degrees and subsequently secured employment or promotions, contended tha…

The State of Haryana acquired large tracts of land for an industrial model township, vesting the land in the State after the Collector’s award. The Haryana State Industrial Development Corporation (HSIDC) later allotted part of this land to Maruti Suzuki India Ltd (MSIL) under a deed that required the allottee to pay a…

Canara Bank granted a loan to N.G. Subbaraya Setty, who signed an unregistered assignment deed transferring the trademark "Eenadu" to the bank as security. The bank later cancelled the deed, invoking the Banking Regulation Act, and both parties litigated in 2004 – the bank seeking to declare the deed void and the respo…

The appellant, Dr. Subhash Kashinath Mahajan, a senior government official, was charged under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act for refusing sanction to prosecute two senior officers who had made adverse entries in his service record. He sought anticipatory bail and the quashing o…

Unsuccessful candidates of the 2010 Civil Services Preliminary Examination filed a writ petition under Art. 226 seeking the UPSC to disclose raw and scaled marks, cut‑off marks, scaling methodology, model answers and the complete result. The Delhi High Court, both Single and Division Benches, directed UPSC to provide t…

The Supreme Court upheld the conviction of cinema owners Sushil Ansal and Gopal Ansal for negligence that caused the death of 59 persons in the Uphaar cinema fire, finding them guilty under IPC sections 304A, 337, 338 read with 36. The Court affirmed a sentence of two years' rigorous imprisonment for each accused. Howe…

M/s Essel Infra Projects Ltd. appealed against the State of Madhya Pradesh seeking directions for speedy disposal of proceedings under the Madhya Pradesh Madhyastham Adhikaran Adhiniyam, 1983, alleging that tribunal cases were taking up to five years. The Supreme Court examined the object of the legislation, which is t…

The appellant, R.A.H. Siguran, was charged under the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, 1956 for procuring minor girls for prostitution. The investigation was conducted by an officer who was not a Special Police Officer as required by the Act, leading the respondent to invoke Section 482 of the CrPC to have the proceedi…

The Sisters of St. Joseph of Cluny, a society that had established Cluny Women’s College as a secular institution, later applied to the National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions (NCMEI) for a minority status certificate, which was granted in 2007. The society and the college’s governing body subsequentl…

The State of Madhya Pradesh and others filed a civil appeal (No. 4016 of 2018) challenging the High Court's dismissal of a revision petition filed by M/s Keti Construction. The appeal hinged on the applicability of a precedent set in Va Tech Escher Wyass Flovel Ltd. v. MPSE Board, which the High Court had relied upon. …

The Supreme Court considered an appeal by the Madhya Pradesh Rural Road Development Authority challenging a High Court order that had invoked Section 11 of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996 to adjudicate a dispute. The dispute concerned the applicability of the Madhya Pradesh Madhyastham Adhikaran Adhiniyam, 1…

Puri Constructions entered into a 1984 agreement to construct an assembly building in Madhya Pradesh. A dispute led the Delhi High Court to appoint an arbitrator who rendered an award in 1989, which was later made a rule of court and executed in 1991. The appellant appealed the execution, and the Delhi High Court linke…

The Supreme Court considered an appeal by M/s Gangotri Enterprises Ltd. against the Madhya Pradesh Road Development Corporation concerning the interpretation of the Madhya Pradesh Madhyastham Adhikaran Adhiniyam, 1983. The Court clarified that the term “ascertained money” in Section 2(d) includes not only amounts alrea…

The State of Madhya Pradesh appealed against an order of the Madhya Pradesh High Court that relied on an earlier judgment concerning the jurisdiction of arbitration tribunals under the Madhya Pradesh Madhyastham Adhikaran Adhiniyam, 1983. The Supreme Court observed that the earlier High Court judgment had been overrule…

The Madhya Pradesh Rural Road Development Authority filed a civil appeal against Backbone Enterprises Limited challenging the High Court's order that relied on the Va Tech judgment to decide the jurisdiction of the arbitration tribunal. The Supreme Court observed that the Va Tech decision (Va Tech Escher Wyass Flovel L…

The State of Chhattisgarh appealed against an order of the High Court that had directed the parties to approach the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996 for resolution of a dispute with M/S KMC Construction Limited. The Supreme Court examined whether the Madhya Pradesh Madhyastham Adhikaran Adhiniyam, 1983 (MP Act) c…

The appellants, bona‑fide tenants of a property owned by Krishna Budha Gawde, challenged the forfeiture of that property under the Smugglers and Foreign Exchange Manipulators (Forfeiture of Property) Act, 1976 (SAFEMA). Gawde had been detained under COFEPOSA and his property was declared “illegally acquired” and forfei…

The petitioners, private medical colleges, sought a direction that admissions for the 2016-17 academic session in both undergraduate and postgraduate courses be made solely on the basis of the Common Entrance Test conducted by the APDMC, and requested an extension of the examination deadline to 31 March 2016. The Court…

The Supreme Court heard a batch of writ petitions filed by the Supreme Court Advocates‑on‑Record Association seeking reforms in the collegium system for appointing judges to the higher judiciary. Various stakeholders, including senior counsel and the Bar Council of India, submitted suggestions on transparency, eligibil…

The case concerned the computation of dearness relief (DA) on pension for United Bank of India retirees. The retirees argued that the bank’s practice of granting a higher, tapering DA rate to those who retired before 1 Nov 2002 and a lower flat rate of 0.18% to post‑Nov 2002 retirees was arbitrary and violated the 1993…

The Supreme Court dismissed the appeals filed by R. Balakrishna Bhat and others against Bank of Baroda, holding that the controversy over pension and dearness allowance was identical to that decided in Union Bank of India v. United Bank of India Retirees’ Welfare Associations. The Court noted that the High Court's deci…

The Bar Council of India appealed against orders allowing foreign law firms and lawyers to operate in India, arguing that the Advocates Act, 1961 restricts the practice of law to advocates enrolled with the Bar Council, covering both litigation and non‑litigation work. The Supreme Court examined whether foreign entitie…

The petitioners, including the political party Swaraj Abhiyan, filed writ petitions under Article 32 seeking a court‑ordered investigation into the purchase of an Agusta A‑109 Power helicopter by the Government of Chhattisgarh, alleging a sham tender, excess payment of about Rs 65 lakh and that the excess was routed to…

Aravali Power Company Pvt. Ltd. (appellant) and M/s. Era Infra Engineering Ltd. (respondent) entered into a contract for constructing a township for a thermal power project, which contained an arbitration clause (Clause 56) stipulating that disputes be referred to the Project In‑charge or, failing that, to a person app…

The appellant, a Central Excise Superintendent, filed a complaint alleging that Reliance Industries Ltd. evaded excise duty by taking credit without complying with Rule 56A of the Central Excise Rules, 1944. After Rule 56A was omitted by a 1994 notification, the respondent sought discharge, but the trial court framed a…

Amardeep Singh filed a civil appeal challenging the Family Court's order granting a waiver of the six‑month cooling‑off period under Section 13B(2) of the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955, for a mutual‑consent divorce. The parties had been living separately for over eight years, had settled all pending disputes including a mas…

The appellant, B.H. Khawas, was appointed as a Chemical Examiner in the Customs and Central Excise Department on a provisional basis subject to verification of his Scheduled Tribe (ST) status. After the Caste Certificate Scrutiny Committee determined that he did not belong to the Halba ST but to the Koshti community, h…

The Haryana Government issued a notification under the Land Acquisition Act, 1894 to acquire land for an industrial township, after which many landholders sold their land to private builders at inflated prices. The State later dropped the acquisition on 24 August 2007 and again on 29 January 2010, allegedly to benefit …

The accused Roopendra Singh was acquitted of offences under Sections 342, 376(2)(b) and 506 IPC. The victim, the widow of the deceased, filed a criminal appeal under Section 372 of the CrPC, which the Gauhati High Court admitted without requiring leave under Section 378(3). The State challenged this, citing the Supreme…

The respondent Ramanand was charged with the deaths of his wife Anita and daughter Ekta, alleged to be caused by strangulation with the bodies later set on fire. Post‑mortem reports established that death resulted from asphyxia due to strangulation and that the burns were post‑mortem, contradicting the initial claim of…

The Supreme Court entertained review petitions filed against its own 18 July 2013 judgment in the Christian Medical College case. The petitioners argued that the earlier decision ignored binding precedents and was pronounced without intra‑bench discussion. The Court, invoking the principle from Sheonandan Paswan that a…

The appellant, Sharad Kumar Sanghi, Managing Director of Sanghi Brothers (Indore) Ltd., was charged under Section 420 IPC for allegedly cheating a buyer by delivering a vehicle with a replaced engine after an accident. The complaint, filed under Section 200 of the CrPC, primarily alleged wrongdoing by the company but d…

Manohar Lal Sharma filed a writ petition seeking a Supreme Court direction for the CBI to investigate Indian offshore account holders disclosed in the Panama Papers and to register FIRs against SEBI officials. The petitioner alleged that SEBI and other authorities had failed to act, causing financial loss and facilitat…

The Supreme Court examined a claim for compensation under Sections 124 and 124A of the Railways Act, 1989 filed by Rina Devi for the death of her husband who fell from a train while boarding. The Court clarified that compensation is payable as of the date of the accident with reasonable interest, and if that amount is …

The consortium of banks sought recovery of large debts from respondents, including guarantor Respondent No.3, who received US$40 million and was ordered by the Supreme Court on 7 April 2016 to disclose all assets. Respondent No.3 failed to disclose the overseas account used for the transfer and subsequently transferred…

Private unaided medical and dental colleges, along with some states, sought modification of the Supreme Court's order directing that the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) be conducted for the 2016-17 academic year. The Court examined whether the NEET regulation infringed on the constitutional rights of stat…

The appellants, who were in custody for several years—one under trial for an offence under Section 21(c) of the NDPS Act and another convicted under Section 302 of the IPC—challenged the denial of bail, invoking their fundamental right to a speedy trial under Article 21. The Supreme Court examined whether bail must be …

The wife, residing in Hyderabad with her minor daughter, sought transfer of a divorce proceeding filed by her husband under Section 13 of the Hindu Marriage Act in the Family Court of Jabalpur, citing hardship in traveling to the forum. The petition raised whether a transfer under Section 25 of the CPC was appropriate …

The Supreme Court examined the Karnataka Determination of Seniority of Government Servants Promoted on the Basis of Reservation Act, 2002, which granted consequential seniority to SC/ST government servants promoted under reservation and protected seniority accorded since 1978. Petitioners challenged the Act as violativ…

The case involved the interpretation of Section 24 of the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013, and Section 31 of the Land Acquisition Act, 1894. The main issue was whether non-deposit of compensation in court under Section 31(2) of the 1894 Act resu…

The Supreme Court considered an appeal where the accused, charged under IPC 376, sought a summons under CrPC s.91 for investigation material omitted from the charge‑sheet. The trial court dismissed the application, but the High Court allowed it, prompting the appeal. The Court examined whether, at the charge‑framing st…

The Supreme Court, hearing Special Leave Petition (Civil) No. 15804 of 2017 (Rojer Mathew v. South Indian Bank Ltd.), examined the need to restructure India's tribunal system to ensure speedy, inexpensive, and accessible justice. Relying on earlier judgments (R.K. Jain, L. Chandra Kumar, Union of India v. R. Gandhi, Ma…

The appellant, B. Sunitha, issued a cheque to the respondent advocate for legal fees, which the advocate later claimed were 16% of the compensation awarded by a Motor Accident Claims Tribunal. The cheque was dishonoured and the advocate filed a complaint under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act. The appellan…

The appellants, M/s. Meters and Instruments Private Ltd. and others, were charged under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act for issuing a dishonoured cheque to the complainant, Kanchan Mehta. The complainant refused to accept a demand draft, while the accused offered to pay the cheque amount with interest and…

Advocate Mahipal Singh Rana threatened a civil judge in Etah on two occasions, leading the Allahabad High Court to convict him of criminal contempt under the Contempt of Courts Act, 1971 and impose two months' imprisonment, a fine, and a ban on appearing in Etah courts until he purged the contempt. The High Court also …

The dispute arose from an arbitration under Clause 70 of a contract, where the arbitrator issued an award without recording any reasons, merely noting "sustained", "partly sustained" or "not sustained" in the column titled "findings". The Delhi High Court set aside the award, holding that the term "findings" required a…

The case arose from the Karnataka Public Service Commission's (KPSC) selection for Group ‘A’ and ‘D’ posts, where allegations of bribery and irregularities in examinations and interviews led to an FIR against KPSC officials. After a CID interim report, the Karnataka Government ordered the annulment of the written exami…

The appellant, Ramakant Dwivedi, sought renewal of a minor‑minerals lease on 27 April 2013 based on a Government order dated 26 February 2013. The Allahabad High Court, in a PIL, held that the renewal violated two earlier judgments—Nar Narain Mishra v. State of U.P. (2013) and Sukhan Singh v. State of U.P. (2014)—which…

The Supreme Court examined whether deemed‑to‑be universities could award engineering degrees through open‑distance learning without the approval of the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE). It held that AICTE is the exclusive authority to lay down norms for technical education and that the Distance Educati…

The Rustom Kerawalla Foundation runs Vibgyor High School in Mumbai and pays an annual lease rent of Rs 2.5 crore for a building on land allotted by MHADA under a 2% discretionary quota, i.e., not through competitive bidding. The Deputy Director of Education disallowed the rent as part of the school’s fee structure unde…

Colonel Ran Singh Dudee, an army officer, was tried by a General Court Martial (GCM) and sentenced to cashiering and imprisonment, but the proceedings were later annulled under Section 165 of the Army Act, 1950, and he was reinstated with loss-of-salary benefits. He was promoted to Lt. Colonel and later given a time‑sc…

The Supreme Court considered the use of videography at crime scenes as a tool to improve criminal investigations. Submissions highlighted international practice, the benefits of body‑worn cameras, and the need for safeguards under evidentiary law. The Court examined prior judgments on electronic evidence and the admiss…

The Union of India appealed against several High Court judgments that set aside the dismissal of CRPF constables on the ground that no Presenting Officer was appointed and the Inquiry Officer acted as prosecutor, violating natural justice. The respondents had been dismissed following departmental inquiries under Rule 2…

The petitioners, senior CRPF pharmacists posted in the North Eastern Region but whose headquarters were in Gwalior, claimed Special (Duty) Allowance under a 1987 Government Order that extended the benefit to CRPF personnel serving in the North East. The Department denied the allowance, citing that the headquarters must…

The appellants, a group of private unaided medical and dental colleges, challenged the Madhya Pradesh Niji Vyavasayik Shikshan Sanstha (Pravesh Ka Vinimayan Avam Shulk Ka Nirdharan) Act, 2007 and the accompanying admission and fee fixation rules, alleging that the provisions on common entrance test (CET), fee regulatio…

The Supreme Court heard extensive arguments in State of Uttar Pradesh v. Jai Bir Singh (Civil Appeal No. 897 of 2002). The Court examined the correctness of the view expressed in Bangalore Water Supply & Sewerage Board v. A. Rajappa (1978) 2 SCC 213, which had been questioned in a prior reference order. Recognising the…

The appellants' land was acquired in 1981 for a dam project. In 2011 they sought release of the land, relying on a 2001 Government resolution that allowed re‑grant of land deemed no longer needed for public purpose. The Gujarat High Court rejected the petition, holding that once land is acquired for public purpose it c…

The CBI filed a charge sheet alleging a false insurance claim and charged several persons, including advocate M. Sivamani, under IPC sections 182, 120‑B, 420, 468, 471 and the Prevention of Corruption Act. Sivamani moved a petition invoking CrPC s.195(1)(a)(i), contending that the court could not take cognizance of the…

The petitioner, Dilawar, was arrested for alleged participation in mob violence, arson and looting of a cabinet minister's house. His bail applications were rejected by the Sessions Court and the High Court, and the Supreme Court directed that the trial be concluded within six months. The Central Bureau of Investigatio…

The appellants' land was acquired under the Land Acquisition Act, 1894 for a railway line, with compensation paid and a reference for higher compensation awarded in 1988. They later filed a writ petition challenging the validity of the acquisition award, alleging it was not a proper award and seeking fresh compensation…