DIPANKAR DATTA

Satbir Singh, an army serviceman, was stabbed and assaulted by Mukesh and several others during a volleyball match dispute. He filed an application under Section 319 of the CrPC to summon Rajesh Kumar, Neeraj, Sagar @ Bittoo and Ankit as additional accused. The Sessions Judge allowed the application, but the High Court…

The University outsourced clerical work to a service provider, engaging the first respondent as a clerk‑cum‑typist from May 2017 to March 2018 and issuing her an experience certificate countersigned by a department head. When the University later advertised Group‑C posts, the advertisement allowed up to 0.5 mark for ex…

The appellant was appointed as an Intermediate Trained Assistant Teacher in Palamau district after securing higher marks than the writ petitioner. Two years later, the petitioner filed a writ alleging that the appellant had manipulated his caste declaration by showing "Most Backward Class" (MBC) in his TET certificate …

The appellant, Punit Beriwala, alleged that a receipt‑cum‑agreement to sell dated 12 April 2004 was a fraudulent transaction in which the accused, Vikramjit Singh and Maheep Singh, misrepresented their authority as Karta of the HUF and induced the appellant to pay a large sum. The appellant filed a criminal complaint i…

The petitioner, an MSME, defaulted on a loan from NKGSB Co‑operative Bank and its account was classified as a non‑performing asset (NPA) with a demand notice issued under Section 13(2) of the SARFAESI Act. The petitioner contended that, under the 2015 Notification containing the ‘Framework for Revival and Rehabilitatio…

GBJ Hotels Private Limited had its bid of Rs.108 crore accepted in an auction under the SARFAESI Act for assets of defaulting borrowers who owed about Rs.135 crore to Edelweiss Asset Reconstruction Company Limited (ARCL). A third party, GRT Hotels, subsequently offered a higher amount of Rs.120 crore, prompting the Mad…

The respondent, a civil servant of Jharkhand, was dismissed after disciplinary proceedings for alleged misconduct, including financial irregularities and forgery. The draft charge‑sheet and a proposal to suspend him were placed before the Chief Minister, who approved the proposal on 21 March 2014, after which the charg…

The case concerned several Government Orders (GoMs) issued by the Andhra Pradesh (now Telangana) government that allotted public land at basic rates to a select class of persons – MPs, MLAs, All India Services officers, judges of the Supreme Court and High Courts, and journalists – through cooperative societies. The pe…

The Supreme Court examined an appeal by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Ltd. (GRSE) against a Division Bench order of the Calcutta High Court that disposed of a writ petition seeking compassionate appointments for union members. The writ petition had been de‑listed by a Single Judge pending a reference to a lar…

Dashrath was convicted under Sections 7 and 13(1)(d) read with 13(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 for demanding and accepting a bribe. He challenged the conviction on four grounds: the sanction to prosecute was mechanically granted, the investigation was conducted by an Inspector of Police contrary to Sect…

S. Lalitha, a Doordarshan employee, received second and third financial upgradations under the Modified Assured Career Progression (MACP) Scheme in 2010 and 2015. In 2016 she filed a representation seeking the second upgradation under the earlier Assured Career Progression Scheme (ACP) as of 2009 and the third upgradat…

The appellant, a borrower, defaulted on a loan from The Federal Bank and the bank classified the loan as a Non‑Performing Asset, invoking SARFAESI provisions. The High Court ordered the appellant to pay Rs.2 crore immediately and the balance in twelve instalments, which the appellant challenged by a Special Leave Petit…

Maharana Pratap Singh, a constable in the CID dog squad, was dismissed from service in 1996 following departmental proceedings that found him guilty of four charges, while he was later acquitted of the related criminal charges. The appellant challenged the dismissal, alleging denial of due process, vague charges, and t…

The plaintiffs, heirs of Dr. Karam Chand, sued the appellants for cancellation of two 1992 sale deeds and recovery of possession of a family house, alleging that the deeds were void because the vendor, Ramesh Chand, had no title and that a will favouring the plaintiffs had been admitted in earlier suits. The trial cour…

The deceased K. Raghunath, a successful realtor and close confidant of MP D.K. Adikeshavalu, was found hanging in 2019 under mysterious circumstances, leading his wife and son to allege murder by certain relatives who were also claimants to his property. Two wills – one dated 2016 favoring the wife and another posthumo…

The appellants and respondents were embroiled in a series of suits and appeals concerning a sale deed of land and the validity of a mutation register entry. The trial court dismissed the plaint on the ground of rejection under Order VII Rule 11, and subsequently, the respondents sought production of the mutation regist…

The appellants, senior employees of Juniper Networks India, were accused by a former employee of forcibly terminating her employment, confiscating her laptop, and using "filthy language" while evicting her from the premises. The complainant filed a non‑cognizable report, followed by an FIR alleging offences under secti…

The appellant, a Forest Range Officer (FRO) appointed in 2006 and promoted to Assistant Conservator of Forests in 2020, sought to have FROs treated as members of the State Forest Service (SFS) for promotion to the Indian Forest Service (IFoS). The issue was whether the term "State Forest Service" in Rule 2(g) of the In…

Swapan Kumar Mullick worked for United Bank of India for 36 years and resigned in 2006 citing mental depression, opting for provident fund benefits rather than pension. A 2010 circular issued under a bipartite settlement offered a new pension option to employees who had not previously opted for pension, and Mullick app…

The appellants, a mother‑in‑law and her son‑in‑law, were convicted under Section 498‑A of the IPC for cruelty to a woman and sentenced to rigorous imprisonment and fine. They sought to replace the imprisonment with an enhanced fine, but the court held that fine cannot substitute imprisonment under Section 498‑A. The pr…

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) appealed against the High Court's order discharging Ramesh Chander Diwan of offences under Sections 120B and 420 of the IPC, on the ground that no sanction under Section 197 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) had been obtained. Diwan, originally appointed by the Governmen…

The State of Uttar Pradesh initiated disciplinary proceedings against Ram Prakash Singh, an Assistant Engineer, alleging embezzlement of Panchayat funds. The enquiry officer prepared a report without examining any witnesses, without furnishing the report or supporting documents to the respondent, and the disciplinary a…

The appellant filed a civil suit in 1987 seeking cancellation of a sale deed, but the respondents repeatedly obtained adjournments and were eventually set ex parte, leading to a decree in 1991. The respondents later filed applications under Order IX Rule 13 and the Limitation Act, which were dismissed, and their subseq…

The Tamil Nadu Housing Board (TNHB) allotted a prime commercial plot to S. Ganesan in 1994 after a series of bids, deposits, and payment arrangements, but the allotment was repeatedly cancelled due to his failure to pay the balance. Over three decades, Ganesan occupied the plot having paid only Rs.1,97,031 against a bi…

The appellant, Sumitraben Gamit, owned land in Tapi district of Gujarat, part of which was used for a canal without any acquisition proceeding or compensation. The Gujarat High Court held that the market value of the land should be fixed as of 1 January 2014, the date of commencement of the RFCTLARR Act, 2013, rather t…

The appellant, a senior medical officer about to retire, was served with a charge‑sheet alleging misconduct for taking leave without sanction, defying Election Commission directions, not participating in a pulse‑polio programme, and threatening a senior assistant. An inquiry officer found most charges unproved, yet the…

K. Prabhakar Hegde, a former officer of Vijaya Bank (later merged with Bank of Baroda), was dismissed after disciplinary proceedings for alleged irregularities in approving temporary overdrafts. He challenged the denial of the preliminary inquiry report, the failure of the Inquiry Officer to generally question him as r…

The appellant, Tapas Kumar Das, applied for an LPG distributorship at Haripal block, was selected in a draw, and submitted land documents for a showroom. HPCL later cancelled his candidature, alleging the land was in mouza Gopinagar, not the advertised location, and invoked clause 8A(n) of the Unified Guidelines. The a…

The appellants, six employees of the Kerala Water Authority who were promoted from Draftsman to Assistant Engineer under the 1966 Subordinate Service Rules, challenged the seniority list that placed them ahead of directly recruited Assistant Engineers in the degree quota. The dispute centered on whether Rule 4(b) of th…

The Supreme Court examined a massive batch of land‑acquisition disputes involving the Government of NCT of Delhi and its agencies versus private landowners, notably M/s BSK Realtors LLP. The core issues were whether the dismissal of a civil appeal by one authority in the first round barred other authorities from filing…

The Government of NCT of Delhi and the Delhi Development Authority filed a batch of review petitions challenging Supreme Court judgments that had dismissed civil appeals and special leave petitions which held land‑acquisition proceedings under the 1894 Act to be deemed lapsed under Section 24(2) of the 2013 Act, relyin…

The appellant, Ranjit Sarkar, lodged a complaint under Section 304‑A IPC alleging medical negligence, which led to the issuance of summons against the respondents. The High Court stayed the proceedings, but the Judicial Magistrate, ignoring the stay and a COVID‑19 SOP, called the case on 6 January 2021 and later dismis…

The appellant Bank of India issued a circular in August 2010 inviting eligible retired employees to opt for its Employees’ Pension Scheme by 30 October 2010. The respondent, a retired employee, returned to India before the deadline but failed to submit his application within the stipulated period, citing surgery and la…

The State of Karnataka appealed against the Karnataka High Court’s order quashing FIR No. 56 of 2023, which had been registered against public servant T.N. Sudhakar Reddy for alleged disproportionate assets under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988. The High Court had held that a preliminary inquiry was mandatory be…

The State Bank of India (SBI) had secured credit facilities from Tanya Energy Enterprises, which defaulted and faced recovery proceedings under the SARFAESI Act and the Recovery of Debts and Bankruptcy Act. SBI introduced a One Time Settlement (OTS) 2020 Scheme requiring a 5% up‑front payment for any application, but t…

Biswajit Das, a Development Officer of the Life Insurance Corporation of India, was convicted under several sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Prevention of Corruption Act for fraudulently obtaining insurance settlements by falsely claiming the insured were dead. He was sentenced to two years' rigorous imprisonm…

The appellant, Kesari Nandan Mobile, challenged two provisional attachment orders dated 13 November 2024 and 18 December 2024 issued by the Assistant Commissioner of State Tax under section 83 of the Central Goods and Services Tax (CGST) Act. The orders were issued after earlier attachment orders of October 2023 had au…

The State of Karnataka challenged the Karnataka High Court’s order that quashed criminal proceedings against former BBMP Chief Engineer B.T. Ramesh on the grounds that the chargesheet was filed more than four years after the alleged misconduct and that no sanction under Section 197 of the CrPC was obtained. Ramesh had …

The appellants were convicted under the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act (PoFA) for selling adulterated curd and various food items, receiving six months' imprisonment and fines. They sought release on probation under the Probation of Offenders Act, 1958, arguing that Section 20AA of PoFA, which excluded probation, …

The Uttar Pradesh Police Recruitment and Promotion Board (UPPRPB) issued a 2021 notification for sub‑inspector recruitment requiring OBC candidates to submit a caste certificate in a specific state‑prescribed format. Mohit Kumar and Kiran Prajapati, both OBC candidates, submitted certificates in the Central Government …

The case concerned eviction proceedings initiated by the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai against occupants who held premises on a licence basis. The respondents challenged the Inquiry Officer's authority and the High Court's order that framed nine specific points for the Officer to determine, alleging violation…

The State of Telangana allotted a parcel of government land to the Dr. Pasupuleti Nirmala Hanumantha Rao Charitable Trust under the Telangana Alienation of State Lands and Land Revenue Rules, 1975, subject to three conditions. The Trust later subdivided the land and sold plots, allegedly breaching those conditions. The…

Mahadeo Krishna Naik, a bus driver for Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC), was dismissed after a fatal accident in 1996. The Labour Court upheld his dismissal, but the corporation later obtained a Motor Accidents Claims Tribunal (MACT) award that placed sole blame on the lorry driver, a fact it failed…

The appellant companies, industrial units in Goa, claimed a 25% rebate on electricity tariffs under a 1991 notification that was later rescinded in 1995 and amended in 1996. They argued that their entitlement crystallised when they applied for power and that the State could not withdraw the benefit due to promissory es…

M/s. Krishna Mills Pvt. Ltd., the landlord, leased a property to K. Subramaniam who paid only a fraction of the agreed rent, leading the Rent Controller to fix a higher fair rent. The lessee contested the fair rent but did not obtain a stay of the order, and continued to pay only a portion of the amount, resulting in a…

The petitioners, two female candidates who ranked higher than a male candidate in the JAG Short Service Commission selection, challenged a notification that allotted only three vacancies for women against six for men, alleging violation of Articles 14, 15, 16 and 19 of the Constitution. The Court examined whether, afte…

The father of Ajithkumar G.K. died in service of Canara Bank in December 2001, and the son applied for a compassionate appointment under the bank's 1993 scheme. The bank rejected the claim on grounds of sufficient family pension, terminal benefits and the son's age exceeding the limit, prompting a writ petition that wa…

The Supreme Court examined the appointment of Dr. Anil Khurana, Director General of the Central Council for Research in Homeopathy, as Chairperson of the National Commission for Homeopathy. The appellant, Dr. Amaragouda L. Patil, challenged the appointment on the ground that the respondent did not satisfy the statutory…

The case arose from two second appeals concerning specific performance suits where the respondents died during pendency. The heirs of the deceased respondents filed substitution applications, but the High Court dismissed applications for condonation of delay and held the appeals abated. The Supreme Court examined the p…

Arvind Kejriwal, the Chief Minister of Delhi, was arrested on 21 March 2024 by the Directorate of Enforcement in connection with alleged offences under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act and related statutes. He challenged the arrest before the Supreme Court, arguing that the legality of his detention was sub judic…

The appellants, three teachers appointed in 2015, were terminated in 2016 on the ground that they had not secured the required percentage of marks in their intermediate examination and that their graduation certificates were invalid. They contended that, as Scheduled Tribe candidates, they were entitled to a 5% relaxat…

Dr. Sharmad, an Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery in Kerala's Medical Education Service, was promoted to Associate Professor on 6 February 2013. The promotion was challenged by a third respondent who argued that the promotion required five years of physical teaching experience as an Assistant Professor after obtainin…

The Inspector of the Railway Protection Force alleged that Mathew K. Cherian created numerous fraudulent IRCTC user IDs to procure and sell railway e‑tickets for profit, while Ramesh, an authorised railway ticketing agent, was accused of using multiple IDs to supply tickets. The central question was whether such conduc…

A High Court judge (the petitioner) was implicated after a fire in his bungalow revealed burnt currency notes, prompting the Supreme Court's in‑house Procedure. A three‑member committee found serious misconduct and the Chief Justice of India (CJI) forwarded the report to the President and Prime Minister, after which th…

Rakesh Kumar Verma and Deepti were employees of HDFC Bank whose appointment letters contained an exclusive jurisdiction clause stating that any dispute would be decided by the courts in Bombay. Both were terminated for alleged fraud and filed civil suits in Patna and Delhi respectively challenging the termination. HDFC…

The appellant, a private hospital, entered into a software implementation agreement with the respondent, a digital health‑technology firm, which contained Clause 8.28 purportedly providing for arbitration. After repeated technical failures, the appellant invoked the clause and sought appointment of a sole arbitrator un…

The appellants, a trust operating a hall on land allotted by the Cochin Devaswom Board, challenged the Board's unilateral increase of the annual licence fee from Rs.227.25 to Rs.1,50,000 and the subsequent demand for arrears. The High Court upheld the fee increase but, beyond the scope of the writ petition, directed th…

The Assam government advertised 104 constable posts in 2014, conducted selection in 2016, and after a change of political regime, the incumbent PCCF highlighted serious anomalies, leading the government to cancel the select list. Two writ petitions challenged the cancellation and a fresh advertisement; the Gauhati High…

The case concerned whether private operators could be granted stage‑carriage permits on inter‑State routes that overlapped portions of intra‑State routes notified under a scheme under Chapter VI of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, in light of an Inter‑State Reciprocal Transport (IS‑RT) Agreement executed under Section 88.…

The appellant, Abhishek Gupta, was allotted a fair‑price shop licence after the licence of respondent No.1 was revoked for breach of conditions. The revocation and its affirmation were challenged by respondent No.1 in a writ petition under Art.226, where the appellant was not impleaded. The Single Judge set aside the r…

The appellant, a beneficiary under the original seller's will, challenged a decree granting specific performance of an unregistered agreement to sell, alleging that the agreement had been cancelled by the seller before the suit was filed. The buyer had paid an earnest money deposit and post‑dated cheques, but after rec…

Mrs. Shailja Krishna, a majority shareholder and former executive director of Satori Global Limited, alleged that the company’s board had fraudulently obtained her signature on a gift deed and share transfer forms, thereby oppressing her and mismanaging the company. The NCLT had earlier granted her relief under Section…

The Supreme Court examined whether the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) must be mandatory for teachers in minority educational institutions and for in‑service teachers appointed before the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act (RTE Act) came into force. The Court considered the interplay between Article …

The Kerala Public Service Commission advertised 12 Boat Lascar vacancies requiring a current Lascar's licence, but the appellant, holding a higher Syrang's licence, applied and was placed first in the ranked list and advised for appointment. While the appointment was pending, two applications were filed before the Kera…