C K PRASAD

Balbir Kaur died from severe burns allegedly after her mother‑in‑law and sister‑in‑law demanded additional dowry. Two dying declarations were recorded by an ASI and a magistrate, but the trial court rejected them as unreliable because the victim had 100% burn injuries. The High Court, relying on the victim's father's s…

The State of Andhra Pradesh appealed against the High Court's decision upholding the conviction of Viswanadula Chettri Babu and others under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989. The central issue was whether an investigation conducted by an Assistant Sub‑Inspector of Police co…

The Supreme Court examined the appeal of Chandra Sonia, convicted of double murder under IPC s.302 and sentenced to life imprisonment on two counts. The prosecution's case rested on an extra‑judicial confession made by the accused to a neighbor (PW 7) on the day of the murders and on the recovery of the alleged murder …

On 4 November 1991, at a restaurant in Pondicherry, Subramani and six others attacked PW1, his brother Tamilvendhan and friends, stabbing Tamilvendhan to death. PW1 survived with injuries and identified Subramani in a test identification parade. The trial court acquitted all accused, doubting PW1's presence, intoxicati…

An oral statement led to registration of a murder case, initially investigated by the police station officer-in-charge. The investigation was later transferred to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and an Inspector of CID conducted the inquiry and filed the charge‑sheet. The accused challenged the charge‑sheet…

Manish Trivedi, an elected municipal councillor and member of the Banswara Municipal Board, was charged under Sections 7 and 13 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 for demanding a bribe in connection with a kiosk allotment. He contended that, as an elected official, he was not a "public servant" and thus could no…

The appellants, wholesale vegetable and fruit vendors, were ordered by the Gauhati High Court to vacate the Machkhowa market in Guwahati to make way for an administrative building, and were directed to shift to a new market at Ganeshguri. They challenged the order, claiming a violation of their fundamental right to car…

The tenant filed a proceeding under s.32G of the Bombay Tenancy and Agricultural Lands Act, 1948 seeking a price determination of land he claimed to have purchased. The Additional Tahsildar held the land was leased for sugarcane and dismissed the case, but the Sub‑Divisional Officer on appeal reversed that finding, sta…

Amarjit Singh and co‑accused were convicted by a trial court for offences under Sections 306 and 498A of the IPC, read with Section 34, and sentenced to imprisonment. They appealed to the Punjab & Haryana High Court, where the single judge dismissed the appeal, stating there was no reason to re‑appreciate the evidence …

Four accused, including Baij Nath Sah, were tried for kidnapping a minor under Sec. 366-A IPC. The trial court convicted them, and the High Court reduced the charge to Sec. 363 and lessened the sentence. On special leave, the Supreme Court examined the sole evidence against Baij Nath Sah—a statement recorded under Sec.…

Ranjit Singh was charged with murdering his wife Gurmail Kaur on 1 September 1990, with the prosecution alleging that he, his sisters and his grandmother participated in the killing. The evidence consisted of a post‑mortem report indicating strangulation, an electric wire found near the body, and extra‑judicial confess…

Tara Singh was apprehended carrying 8 kg of opium in a gunny bag on his head. He was searched under Section 50 of the NDPS Act, samples were taken and sent to a laboratory, and he was convicted and sentenced to ten years' imprisonment and a fine. The High Court set aside the conviction on two grounds: non‑compliance wi…

The appellants, the in‑laws of Amani Moharana, were convicted by the trial court for murder based on two dying declarations of the deceased, one recorded by a doctor (PW‑8) and another by a police officer (PW‑9) under Section 161 of the CrPC. The High Court discarded the doctor’s declaration as a Xerox copy but upheld …

The appellant, Sudarshan Kumar, was convicted under Section 306 of the Indian Penal Code for abetting the suicide of his wife, Sudesh, who could not conceive a child and was repeatedly harassed, beaten, and sent away by him. The trial court sentenced him to seven years' rigorous imprisonment, a sentence upheld by the H…

The appellant, a kitchen employee of a hotel, attacked the managing director with a concealed sickle, inflicting multiple injuries. The victim, a known heart patient who had undergone angioplasty, died the following day; medical evidence attributed death to myocardial infarction and not to the injuries. The trial court…

The case involved three accused—Birappa (A‑1), Kareppa (A‑2) and Muttappa (A‑3)—charged with the murder of Gulappa. The trial court convicted Birappa based primarily on the testimony of a single eyewitness, PW‑1, the brother of the deceased, while acquitting the other two. On appeal, the High Court upheld Birappa's con…

The appellant, Beere Gowda, was charged with murdering his two‑and‑a‑half‑year‑old daughter Pallavi by forcibly administering a mixture of nitric and sulphuric acid, obtained from a goldsmith, while his second wife Indramma was a co‑accused. The Sessions Court acquitted both, holding that the child might have ingested …

Six persons were tried and convicted for the double murder of Ram Swarup and Ram Pratap Singh under Section 302 read with Section 149 of the IPC. While the appeal was pending, four of the accused died, and the High Court dismissed the appeal of the two survivors, Shiv Singh and Deo Narain. Deo Narain challenged his con…

The appellant, Arumugam, murdered his step‑mother Saroja by strangling her with a rope. He made an extra‑judicial confession first to his step‑sister and shortly thereafter to the Village Administrative Officer, who recorded the statement and handed him over to police. The rope was recovered, and post‑mortem evidence s…

The original plaintiff, Faqir Chand, was a tenant under a 1968 lease that granted him the right to irrigate his 25+ kanals of land from a well situated on the landlord's property. When the Himachal Pradesh Tenancy and Land Reforms Act, 1972 came into force, Section 104(3) vested ownership of the leased land in the tena…

Vijender Kumar, son of a bus operator, suspected his helper Yogesh of stealing part of the bus fare. After a personal search recovered Rs 100, Kumar became angry, beat Yogesh and then retrieved a knife from a nearby scooter to stab him in the abdomen, causing Yogesh's death. He was convicted under Section 302 IPC for m…

The State of Rajasthan appealed against the High Court's commutation of a death sentence to life imprisonment for Jamil Khan, who was convicted of raping and murdering a girl under five years old and also convicted under IPC sections 376 and 201. The Supreme Court held that the High Court had not examined the aggravati…

The appellant, Chenoa (also known as Chanda Ram), was convicted under Section 302 IPC for the death of Ramgulal during a village quarrel and sentenced to life imprisonment. On appeal, the Supreme Court examined whether the killing qualified as culpable homicide not amounting to murder under Exception 4 to Section 300 I…

An FIR was lodged in April 1984 under the Prevention of Corruption Act and the Indian Penal Code alleging that the appellant, then Managing Director of a district agency, conspired with a Deputy Commissioner to award a contract to a private firm. The State Government denied sanction for prosecution on two occasions (19…

The plaintiff, Robert Zomawia Street, claimed ownership of a 4.261‑acre bungalow in Shillong Military Cantonment based on a 1980 will of St. John Perry and sought a permanent injunction against the Union of India and military authorities. The defendants contended that the land was an "old grant" under cantonment regula…

The Supreme Court examined a complaint alleging offences under Sections 323, 380 and 506 read with Section 34 IPC, where the accused resided outside the territorial jurisdiction of the Judicial Magistrate who had examined the complainant and two witnesses under Section 200 CrPC before issuing summons. The appellants co…

Mahipal Singh was accused of rigging entrance examinations for medical and veterinary courses and was charged under several IPC provisions. The CBI invoked Section 3 of the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) against him in four cases, leading to his remand under MCOCA. The Delhi High Court set aside the…

The appellants, brothers Daulat Ram and Mangilal, cultivated opium under a licence held by their mother and failed to declare the entire yield to the Lambardar as required by Rule 13 of the NDPS Rules. During a raid, concealed opium was recovered from pits they had dug, and both accused confessed to withholding the opi…

The appellant, a school teacher, was convicted under Section 376 of the IPC for raping a 15‑year‑old girl. The FIR was lodged three days after the alleged incident, and the medical examination, conducted after three days, did not conclusively prove rape, though it noted a minor finger injury and a missing hymen. The ap…

The case arose from a dispute over school land in Punjab where the village sarpanch, Jaswant Singh, was shot dead. The FIR described the killers as two Sikh youths aged 25‑30 wearing kurta pajamas, but no names were given. The two accused, Sukhbir Singh and Dilbagh Singh, were arrested six months later and identified f…

On 5 November 1988, the deceased, a neighbour, was persuaded by the accused and his friend to join them for drinks. After consuming alcohol, the accused got into a quarrel with his father, slapped him, and was subsequently rebuked by the deceased who intervened. In a sudden fit of anger, the accused stabbed the decease…

Four members of a family – the husband, his mother and two sisters – were charged with murdering the husband’s wife, who could not bear children. The prosecution relied on three independent eyewitnesses who testified to a prolonged quarrel and the beating of the victim, as well as medical testimony that the cause of de…

The appellant, Bahadur Singh, was apprehended during a police nakabandi and a bag he was carrying yielded 10 kg of opium. The trial court acquitted him, finding the prosecution story doubtful and noting that a press note about the seizure did not mention him. The High Court reversed, holding that Section 50 of the NDPS…

The appellants Zahoor, Subrati and Babu were originally convicted of murder under Section 302 IPC and sentenced to life imprisonment. The Allahabad High Court altered the conviction to culpable homicide not amounting to murder under Section 304(1) read with Section 34, imposing a fine. On appeal, the Supreme Court held…

The State of Andhra Pradesh appealed the acquittal of Thummala Anjaneyulu, who was charged with murdering Bhoomaiah during a village Panchayat after being provoked for allegedly ogling women. The trial court had convicted him under Section 302 IPC, but the High Court set him free, doubting the credibility of eyewitness…

The case concerned a BSF constable and a commandant who, after a quarrel with local youths, caused the death of a teenager. The State of Jammu & Kashmir sought to have the accused tried in a criminal court, while the BSF exercised its power under Section 80 of the Border Security Force Act to transfer the case to a Sec…

The appellants Vijay Singh and Hari Singh were part of a group that assaulted the deceased with various weapons, each inflicting one injury—Vijay with a ballam to the face and Hari with a farsa to the neck. The deceased sustained five injuries and died from excessive bleeding and shock, as per the post‑mortem report. T…

The appellant was accused of raping his daughter-in-law in the family home on 2 April 1989, an incident allegedly witnessed by several family members and resulting in the victim's bleeding. The trial court convicted him under Section 376 of the Indian Penal Code and sentenced him to seven years' rigorous imprisonment. …

The Central Bureau of Narcotics alleged that Bahadur Singh, a servant in a dhaba, was found with a key that opened a locked box containing 17.45 kg of opium. The trial court convicted him under Sections 8 and 18 of the NDPS Act, but the Rajasthan High Court acquitted him, holding that there were no reliable independent…

The appellant was charged under Section 376 of the Indian Penal Code for raping a girl aged 10‑12 years. The trial court acquitted him due to lack of medical proof, but the High Court set aside the acquittal, finding the victim’s and her mother’s statements credible and interpreting the medical report as indicating par…

Dr. Kunal Saha filed a consumer complaint after his wife died while being treated for toxic epidermal necrolysis at AMRI Hospital. The National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission held the hospital and four doctors negligent but reduced the claim, deducted 10% for alleged contributory negligence and awarded only Rs.…

The appellant, Swapan Kumar Senapati, assaulted his uncle Satkari Senapati by sitting on his chest and allegedly striking his head with a stone. The victim died three days later from intracranial hemorrhage, with no external injuries found at autopsy. The FIR was lodged three days after the incident, citing Sections 34…

The deceased Prakash was assaulted after a marriage ceremony by members of two rival groups of the Dalit Mukti Sena. He sustained a buttock wound and later developed internal injuries, leading to his death after eighteen days of hospitalization. The trial court convicted the accused of murder (s.302/149 IPC) and other …

The case arose from the suicide of a 21‑year‑old woman, Sunita, who alleged that the accused, Amit, had exploited her sexually after promising marriage and threatening to expose her. The trial court convicted Amit under IPC s.306 (abetment of suicide) and s.376 (rape), sentencing him to life imprisonment for the latter…

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 …

Mary, the successful bidder in an auction for the privilege to vend arrack in two shops in Kalady, deposited 30% of the bid amount and executed a temporary agreement under the Kerala Abkari Shops (Disposal in Auction) Rules, 1974. Due to mass local resistance, she could not open the shops and sought a refund of her dep…

The petitioners, Kachchh Jal Sankat Nivaran Samiti & Ors., filed a public interest litigation alleging that the State of Gujarat allocated an inadequate share of water from the Sardar Sarovar Dam to the drought‑prone Kachchh district. The Gujarat High Court dismissed the writ, holding that water allocation is a policy …

Umesh Singh was convicted for the murder of Shailendra Kumar, who was shot with a revolver and rifle by Singh and several co‑accused. The prosecution relied on the eye‑witness testimony of the victim’s cousin (PW2) and corroborating statements of other witnesses, while the defence challenged the validity of the FIR (ar…

The case arose from a violent clash over disputed land in Jind, where several accused, armed with pistols, lathis and other weapons, assembled and attacked a group of persons, resulting in the death of Krishan and injuries to others. The trial court convicted the appellants under Sections 302, 307, 323, 324, 148, 449 I…

The respondents were appointed on an ad‑hoc basis in 1988 and were regularised in 2004 under the Uttaranchal Regularisation of Ad‑Hoc Appointments (Posts under the Purview of Public Service Commission) Rules, 2002. They claimed that, for seniority purposes, their service should be counted from 1988. The High Court allo…

A family dispute arose after the daughter Nindo was teased, leading eight accused to raise a lalkara and attack members of the rival family with knives and lathis. Baljinder Singh received a deep stab wound to the abdomen, a vital organ, and died shortly thereafter; Rajwinder Singh was also injured. The accused were tr…

The appellant Ganesha was acquitted by a trial court of offences under IPC sections 341, 323, 324 and 504 read with 34. On the informant's petition, the Karnataka High Court, in revision, set aside the acquittal and convicted Ganesha under s.324 IPC, imposing six months' simple imprisonment and a fine. Ganesha appealed…

The appellant, an Indian Army soldier, fired three shots at a member of a Quick Reaction Team during a night security duty after a stone‑throwing incident, killing Naik Jityu Yadav at a distance of 8‑10 feet. Despite being warned by a fellow sentry not to fire, he shot the victim and, when apprehended, said “I did what…

Balaji Gunthu Dhule was convicted under IPC sections 302 and 34 for the death of Ranga Rao during a quarrel, based primarily on the testimony of several eye‑witnesses. The High Court upheld the conviction relying chiefly on PW‑10’s testimony and the appellant’s own statement under CrPC section 313, inferring that PW‑10…

The case involved a matron employed at a government women’s college hostel who alleged that the hostel night‑watchman raped her. The trial court convicted the accused under Section 376 of the Indian Penal Code and sentenced him to seven years’ imprisonment; the Sessions Court affirmed this sentence. The High Court, exe…

The appellant, a truck driver, was charged with causing death and injuries when his stone‑laden truck overturned on a state highway, leading to convictions under IPC sections 304‑A, 279, 337 and 338. The prosecution relied primarily on the testimony of three injured witnesses who were in the vehicle, alleging that the …

The Uttar Pradesh Avas Evam Vikas Parishad (the Board) conducted a public auction of a plot, where Om Prakash Sharma was the highest bidder and deposited earnest money. The Housing Commissioner later rejected his bid, prompting Sharma to sue for a declaration that the auction was binding and the rejection illegal. The …

Yogendra Nath Arora, a Deputy General Manager of a Uttar Pradesh state undertaking, was on deputation to a Uttarakhand government undertaking when he was arrested for accepting a bribe. The Uttarakhand State Government repatriated him to his parent organization and granted sanction for prosecution under the Prevention …

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…

Vishweshwar K. Kol was accused of pouring kerosene on his second wife and four daughters, resulting in their deaths. The eldest daughter, Jyoti, gave a dying declaration to the police after a doctor certified her fitness to testify. The trial court convicted Kol under Section 302 IPC and sentenced him to death based on…

The State of Rajasthan appealed against a High Court order that had discontinued criminal proceedings in Dholpur under Section 186 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), on the ground that the same offence was already being tried in courts at Sagar and Chanderi, Madhya Pradesh. The three FIRs (No. 161/2010, 310/2010…

The Supreme Court examined complaints filed under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act against Gujarat State Fertilizer Co. Ltd. and its directors, including A.K. Singhania and Vikram Prakash, for dishonour of cheques. The key issue was whether the complaints specifically alleged that the directors were "in ch…

The appellant Ajit Seth was convicted for the brutal burning to death of two children, aged three and seven, and sentenced to death under IPC 302 and to ten years' rigorous imprisonment under IPC 364. The High Court commuted the death sentence to life imprisonment, directing that the appellant not be released until he …

The appellants owned a plot leased to Caltex India Ltd. for 20 years from July 1960, with a clause allowing renewal for another 20 years upon two months' notice. The property was mortgaged in 1962 and redeemed by the appellant in April 1983. The appellant served a notice under Sections 106 and 111(g) of the Transfer of…

The appellant Safi Mohammad was arrested on suspicion of supplying secret information about the Indian Armed Forces to Pakistani intelligence. During a search of his railway quarter, police seized a blue diary (1982) and a hand‑drawn map (Ex.D‑3) which were deemed by the Air Force to be useful to an enemy. He was convi…

The wife filed a petition for judicial separation and custody under Section 10 of the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955. The husband contested the petition’s maintainability, arguing that both parties, being Swedish citizens domiciled in Australia, were outside the Act’s territorial scope. The Supreme Court examined the extent …

The Kachchh Jal Sankat Nivaran Samiti filed a public‑interest writ petition challenging the Gujarat government's allocation of water from the Sardar Sarovar Project to the Kutch district, alleging violation of Articles 39(b) and 38(2) of the Constitution. The High Court dismissed the petition, holding that the allocati…

Bhagwati Developers Pvt. Ltd. sought registration of 14,120 shares of Peerless General Finance & Investment Co. that it had acquired as repayment of a loan. Peerless refused, alleging the transfer violated the Securities Contracts (Regulation) Act, 1956. The Company Law Board and the Calcutta High Court held that the s…

The plaintiff Rohit Chauhan sued to declare that his father's sale and release deeds alienating 104 kanals of land were void, arguing that the land was ancestral coparcenary property. The father, Guiab Singh, had received the land in a partition of his father's estate and later, after Rohit's birth in 1982, became a so…

The appellant, wife of a man detained under the Conservation of Foreign Exchange and Prevention of Smuggling Activities Act, 1974 (COFEPOSA), challenged the order of preventive detention on the grounds of an alleged inordinate delay between the alleged smuggling of red sanders (17 Nov 2012) and the issuance of the dete…

The appellant, Rajesh Patel, was convicted under Section 376 of the Indian Penal Code for raping his class‑mate who was working as a nurse. The prosecution's case rested solely on the prosecutrix's testimony, allegedly corroborated by her mother, while key witnesses – a friend who claimed to have rescued the victim and…

The accused entered a residential house at midnight armed with knives, intending to commit robbery. When confronted by the deceased, a scuffle ensued; A2 stabbed the deceased in the abdomen and a witness, while A1 also stabbed the deceased and threatened other occupants. The deceased died on the way to the hospital. Th…

The Supreme Court heard a civil appeal filed by the Union of India challenging a Central Administrative Tribunal order that directed the Railway Board to devise a scheme to induct employees of the Railway Employees Consumer Co‑operative Society Ltd. into regular Group ‘D’ posts, a direction that had been upheld by the …

The workmen employed in the canteen of Air India, which was operated by Chef Air, a unit of the Hotel Corporation of India (HCI), claimed they were regular employees of Air India. Air India argued that HCI was a separate legal entity and that it had no control over the workers' hiring, wages, or discipline. The Supreme…

Babulal Sahu was convicted under Section 302 IPC for strangling his wife Basanti Bai after she refused his demand for sexual intercourse. The appellant argued that the killing fell within Exception 4 to Section 300 IPC, which would reduce the offence to culpable homicide not amounting to murder under Section 304. The C…

The Reserve Bank of India appealed against two orders of the Gujarat High Court that, in a bail application under Section 439 of the CrPC, directed a cooperative bank to repay deposits of poor depositors (those with balances up to Rs 10,000) from funds recovered from accused persons. The bail had been granted to the ex…

Jabar Singh shot Sarnam Singh on 13 November 1984, inflicting a wound that was not fatal. The victim died fourteen days later from peritonitis, which the medical experts attributed to inadequate medical care rather than the gunshot injury. The trial court acquitted the accused due to identification doubts, but the High…

The petitioner, Neeti Malviya, sought to transfer a divorce petition from the Family Court in Bangalore to the Family Court in Hoshangabad. The parties had reached a settlement in Supreme Court Lok Adalat, agreeing that the husband would pay Rs. 65 lakh and that a joint application for divorce by mutual consent would b…

S.K. Kool, a clerk of Bank of Baroda, was punished for gross misconduct by being removed from service with "superannuation benefits as would be due otherwise" under clause 6(b) of the 2002 Bipartite Settlement. The Bank denied his pension and leave encashment, relying on Regulation 22 of the Bank of Baroda (Employees) …

Neelam Kumari married Anil Kumar in 1998 and later demanded additional dowry amounts, first Rs.20,000 in 2000 and subsequently Rs.50,000 in 2003. The latter demand was made solely by the husband shortly before Neelam's death, and the parents‑in‑law (Rakesh Chand and Pushpa Devi) were accused of involvement under Sectio…

The Supreme Court examined a gang‑rape and murder case where an FIR dated 25‑05‑2000 led to the conviction of six accused under sections 302, 376(2)(g), 201, 404 and 506 IPC. The trial court and the Punjab‑Haryana High Court relied heavily on the testimonies of witnesses PW‑8, PW‑9 and PW‑7, the latter providing an ext…

Two cooperative housing societies, Sarvpriya Sahakari Avas Samiti Ltd. (registered 1981) and Shivalik Sahakari Avas Samiti Ltd. (registered 1982), purchased land that was later declared an industrial development area under the Uttar Pradesh Industrial Area Development Act, 1976, forming part of NOIDA. They sought alter…

Gambhirsinh R. Dekare, a Taluka Mamlatdar, complained that the Gujarati daily "Sandesh" published a defamatory news item alleging his illicit relationship with a doctor's wife. The complaint specifically alleged that the Editor (Falgunbhai Patel) and the Resident Editor (Navinbhai Chauhan) deliberately published the st…

In 1981, Kishore Bhagat was shot dead after a series of altercations involving several accused. Akaloo Ahir, the appellant, fired a shot that missed the victim, while another co-accused fired the fatal shot. All were charged under Sections 302, 307 and 34 of the IPC and Section 27 of the Arms Act. The Supreme Court exa…

Three Naval Officers were arrested for offences under the Indian Penal Code and were remanded to judicial custody. The Commanding Officer of their naval unit applied to the magistrate for the accused to be handed over for trial under the Navy Act, 1957 (court‑martial). The magistrate rejected the application, holding t…

Kamleshwar Paswan was convicted for the murder of his two young sons and the attempted murder of a third child after a neighbour witnessed him beating the children with a wooden stick. The trial court sentenced him to death under Sections 302 and 307 of the Indian Penal Code, a sentence confirmed by the High Court. On …

The appellants C. Ronald and Anil Kumar were caught with counterfeit Rs.100 notes after a gambling incident; the police seized numerous fake notes from their possession and homes. The trial court acquitted them, but the Calcutta High Court reversed the acquittal, convicted them under the provisions relating to circulat…

The plaintiffs, as legal heirs of the deceased Ponnangatti Gounder and his predeceased wife, sued for declaration and injunction over two properties (Schedule A – ancestral, Schedule B – self‑acquired). The trial court decreed in their favour for both properties. The first appellate court reversed the decree concerning…

The Registrar of Companies filed a complaint alleging that V.L.S. Finance Ltd. misrepresented land holdings in its balance sheet, an offence punishable under Section 211(7) of the Companies Act, 1956. While criminal prosecution was pending, the company and its managing director applied to the Company Law Board (CLB) fo…

In 1978, appellant Ram Naresh shot at Ram Vilas, injuring him; the FIR was lodged the next morning at a police station 9 km away. The trial court and the Allahabad High Court convicted the appellant under Section 307 IPC and sentenced him to five years' rigorous imprisonment. On appeal, the Supreme Court examined wheth…

Punjab University and Punjab Agricultural University invested in Unit Trust of India's Institutional Investors Special Fund Unit Scheme‑1998, expecting a guaranteed 13.5% return and repurchase at par. When the maturity proceeds fell short, they filed complaints before the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission…

Shree Ram Urban Infrastructure Ltd., a tenant of the immovable property "Dev Ashish" in Bombay, challenged an eviction suit filed by the Court Receiver appointed by the High Court. The appellant argued that the Receiver had no authority to sue without prior leave of the court, that the notice under Section 106 of the T…

The Coffee Board, a statutory body, failed to provide International Coffee Organization (ICO) export stamps to Ramesh Exports, causing loss of shipment and recall costs. The exporter filed two suits: O.S. No.3150 of 1985 for loss due to delayed shipment and O.S. No.4763 of 1986 for costs arising from the recall. The tr…

The Supreme Court examined the convictions of Ohan Raj and Badal for murder and robbery, which were based primarily on circumstantial evidence, the extra‑judicial confession of a co‑accused, and the recovery of a briefcase and wrist‑watch. The Court held that the co‑accused’s confessions were inconsistent—naming differ…

The appellant, Atmaram, was convicted under Sections 306 and 498A of the IPC for the alleged suicide of his second wife, Purnabai, based on the presumption of abetment under Section 113A of the Evidence Act. The trial court and High Court held that the appellant had subjected the deceased to cruelty, relying on a writt…

The appellant, Bhola Singh, was a co‑owner of a truck in which police discovered 16 bags of poppy husk. He had given a false residential address at the time of purchasing the vehicle, but there was no evidence that he knew the truck would be used for drug trafficking. He was convicted under Sections 15, 25 and 35 of th…

The appellant was recorded as a witness under Section 161 of the CrPC in a police case concerning an assault, and later named as an accused in a separate complaint case arising from the same incident. He sought to invoke Article 20(3) of the Constitution to refuse to give testimony in the police case, claiming a blanke…

The appellant, Harsha, claimed ownership of 14 cents of land in Attavar village and argued that his mother had leased the land to Bhagirathi Bai in 1953. Bhagirathi, the respondent, sought registration as an occupant under Section 45 of the Karnataka Land Reforms Act, 1961, asserting that she was a tenant‑agriculturist…

The plaintiffs filed a suit for specific performance, possession and injunction based on an agreement to sell dated 27 December 2000, which recited that physical possession of the land had been handed over to them. The defendants denied the execution of the agreement and the delivery of possession. The trial court held…

The case concerned a suit for eviction and recovery of arrears of rent under the Uttar Pradesh Urban Buildings (Regulation of Letting, Rent and Eviction) Act, 1972. An ex‑parte decree against the original tenant was set aside after the court found that summons had not been served, and the tenants deposited the arrears …

The petitioner sought a declaration that the All India Muslim Personal Law Board's efforts to establish Dar-ul-Qaza courts and issue Fatwas constitute an illegal parallel judicial system and that such Fatwas are unenforceable under the Constitution. The Court examined whether Dar-ul-Qaza is a court of law and whether a…

Mis. Kanchanganga Sea Foods Ltd., an Indian exporter of seafood, chartered fishing vessels from a Hong Kong company and agreed to pay the charter fee as 85% of the gross earnings from fish sales. The catch was brought to Chennai, valued, and customs duties were paid before the non‑resident company received its share. T…

A complaint under Section 19 of the Standards of Weights and Measures Act, 1976 alleged violations of Rules 2, 4, 6, 8, 9 and 23 of the Packaged Commodities Rules, but failed to identify the individual(s) responsible for the day‑to‑day affairs of the company. The appellant, then Deputy General Manager, and the company …

Eight legal heirs sold a Delhi property to Kuldeep Singh in 1980, with the balance consideration to be paid after obtaining permission from the Land & Development Officer. A minor heir, Rajinder Kumar, challenged the agreement, and Kuldeep Singh filed a suit for specific performance which was decreed ex parte in 1984 a…

The State of Gujarat charged Kishanbhai with kidnapping, rape, murder and theft of a six‑year‑old girl, Gomi, alleging that he abducted her, amputated her legs to steal her anklets and killed her. The trial court convicted him and sentenced him to death, but the Gujarat High Court acquitted him, citing numerous gaps in…

An eight‑month‑pregnant woman was found dead with severe abdominal injuries and the foetus removed. The husband, Mission Suklabaidhya, and his friend, Uttam Chakraborty, were convicted of murder; the husband received the death penalty and the friend life imprisonment. Both appealed to the Supreme Court, which examined …

The police seized a vehicle carrying 47 cartons of illicit liquor and filed an FIR under Sections 33(a) and 58 of the Delhi Excise Act, 2009. The Metropolitan Magistrate refused the owner’s application for release of the vehicle, but the Delhi High Court, invoking Section 482 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), o…

The husband, Nandlal Wasudeo Badwaik, challenged a maintenance order under Section 125 of the CrPC granted to his wife Lata Badwaik and their daughter, asserting that he was not the biological father of the child. He obtained two DNA test reports, both excluding him as the father. The trial courts had upheld maintenanc…

The State of Tamil Nadu challenged the discharge orders passed by a Special Judge and affirmed by the Madras High Court against former ministers and their relatives accused of possessing assets disproportionate to their known income under Section 109 IPC and Sections 13(1)(e) & 13(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act…

The dispute concerned the calculation of Hill Development Allowance (HDA) for workers of Kichha Sugar Company Limited, where the workmen claimed that overtime wages and leave encashment should be included in the basic wage base for the 15% HDA. The employer argued that HDA should be computed only on the basic wage, exc…

M.B. Suresh and his father were charged with murder, attempt to murder and offences under the Arms Act arising from a shooting incident over a land dispute. The trial court acquitted them, but the Karnataka High Court convicted Suresh under Section 302 IPC and sentenced him to life imprisonment. On appeal, the Supreme …

The appeal arose from a search and seizure conducted on 3 September 1987, where the investigating officer failed to record the information received in writing and did not forward a copy to his immediate superior as required by Section 42(2) of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985. The State argued t…

The case concerned three accused charged with an offence under Section 307 read with Section 34 of the Indian Penal Code. The trial court acquitted one accused and convicted the other two. On appeal, the Allahabad High Court acquitted Siyaram on the ground that his shot did not cause injury and reduced Jiya Lal’s sente…

The Income Tax Officer appealed the acquittal of a partnership firm and its partner, Hem Raj, who were convicted under Sections 276C(i), 277 and 278 of the Income Tax Act for filing false returns. The firm had filed a revised return for AY 1988-89, which the prosecution alleged was signed and verified by Hem Raj, leadi…

The plaintiffs, owners of a building, filed three eviction suits against the same tenant. The first two suits (2004) sought eviction on the ground of non‑use for several years, while the third suit (2010) sought eviction on the ground of non‑use for a continuous period of at least six months immediately before the suit…

The appellant, Jayanta Sil, was alleged to have murdered Kandarpa with a sharp cutting weapon while returning from a feast. The prosecution relied on the testimony of six eyewitnesses, including the deceased's wife (PW1) and two other eye‑witnesses (PW5, PW6), as well as corroborative statements from PW2, PW3 and PW11,…

The appellant, a lawyer, was charged with murdering a married Scheduled Caste mid‑wife by setting her on fire after an alleged attempted rape. Three dying declarations were recorded: two (to a magistrate and to police) stated the burns were accidental, while a third (by the husband) alleged homicide. The High Court rej…

The Superintendent of a district jail was prosecuted under Section 16(1)(a) of the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, 1954 after a food inspector found rice and turmeric stored for prisoners to be adulterated. The prosecution alleged that the jail official had "stored" adulterated food, which under the Act is punisha…

Hari Singh was convicted for the murder of Ashok Kumar on 22 May 1989, based on the testimony of two eye‑witnesses who saw the shooting at a village well. The FIR was lodged within two hours of the incident. The appellant challenged the conviction on grounds of the long lapse (8‑9 years) before the witnesses were recor…

The case arose from a land‑use dispute in Lagadwadi village where the accused assaulted the complainant (PW4) and his father with a cycle chain and stones, causing the father's death. The trial court convicted the accused under Sections 302 and 324 read with Section 34 of the Indian Penal Code, relying on the testimony…

Swarn Kaur, the wife of the deceased Jeet Singh, appealed against the Himachal Pradesh High Court’s acquittal of five accused who were convicted by the trial court for the death of her husband. The prosecution proved that the accused, who had taken the deceased as a cook on a pilgrimage, beat him brutally, tied his han…

The accused were charged with gang rape under IPC s.376(2)(g) after the prosecutrix alleged that she was assaulted on 30 August 1984. The FIR was lodged 60 hours later at a police station 22 km from the crime scene, and the victim insisted on a medical examination at a hospital 55 km away, where no injuries were found.…

The appellant, Babubhai Bhimabhai Bokhiria, was summoned as an accused under Section 319 of the CrPC after the trial court relied on a letter written by the deceased a year earlier, in which the deceased alleged the appellant intended to kill him. The Supreme Court examined whether the letter qualified as a dying decla…

Balbir Kaur, a married woman, was found dead from poisoning. The prosecution alleged that her husband and parents-in-law demanded dowry and subjected her to cruelty, leading to her suicide. The trial court convicted the parents-in-law under Section 3048 (dowry death); the High Court acquitted them of that charge but co…

The appellant, a daily‑wage workman, was terminated in 1999 after being implicated in a criminal case, later acquitted, and filed an industrial dispute alleging violation of Section 25(f) of the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947. The Labour Court ordered his reinstatement with 50% back wages. The State of Haryana filed a w…

The State of Uttar Pradesh appealed against the Allahabad High Court’s reduction of a death sentence to life imprisonment for Alok Verma, who brutally murdered his wife and four children with a knife and axe, aided by a hired accomplice. The trial court had imposed death based on compelling circumstantial evidence and …

The appellant, Ravindra Tukaram Hiwale, was convicted for abetment of suicide under IPC s.306 and cruelty under s.498‑A after his wife Alka died by self‑immolation following a domestic quarrel. The trial court sentenced him to four years for s.306 and one year for s.498‑A. The State appealed, and the High Court enhance…

Arnesh Kumar, husband of Sweta Kiran, was charged under IPC s.498-A and the Dowry Prohibition Act s.4. He sought anticipatory bail, which was denied by the trial court and the High Court, prompting a petition before the Supreme Court. The Court examined the statutory framework governing police arrests without a warrant…

The State of Punjab filed a prosecution under Section 3048 of the Indian Penal Code for dowry death, summoning Gurmit Singh as an accused. Singh contended that he could not be tried under this provision because he was not a "relative of the husband" of the deceased woman. The Punjab & Haryana High Court agreed and quas…

The appellant, U.P. State Textile Corporation Ltd., a defunct organization, had appointed the respondent, Suresh Kumar, as Deputy Manager (Export) for a fixed tenure of three years starting 7 September 1987, with a clause allowing termination on three months' notice without cause. The respondent was terminated on 26 Ap…

Gulbarga University advertised a Lecturer post in the MCA programme, stipulating that candidates must possess a postgraduate degree in the "relevant subject" with at least 55% marks. Ganpath Singh (appellant) held an M.Sc. in Mathematics, while respondent No.3, Shivanand, held an MCA degree. The University’s Board of A…

The Supreme Court examined an appeal by Bhilwara Dudh Utpadak Sahakari S. Ltd. against judgments of the Rajasthan High Court that upheld a Labour Court finding that certain workmen were employees of the appellant, not of a contractor. The Labour Court had determined that the workmen were under the appellant's officers'…