MOHAN M SHANTANAGOUDAR

The appellants, a slum dwellers' society and a co‑operative housing society, obtained a Letter of Intent (LOI) on 5 January 2005 to carry out a slum rehabilitation scheme on land within a Coastal Regulation Zone, subject to clearance from the Coastal Zone Management Authority. The LOI stipulated a validity of three mon…

Alkem Laboratories Ltd, the marketer of a "sugarless" jelly manufactured by another company, was implicated after a food inspector seized samples from a retailer and a public analyst found sugar, constituting misbranding. The retailer later moved an application under Section 20A of the Prevention of Food Adulteration A…

The New Okhla Industrial Development Authority (NOIDA) appointed respondent No.4 as Project Engineer (Electrical) on deputation from the U.P. Power Corporation in February 2014 and later absorbed him in May 2015. The appellants, who were Assistant Project Engineers, challenged the appointment and absorption, arguing th…

The appellants, owners of several plots in Gondia, challenged the reservation of their land for a shopping complex and vegetable market under the Maharashtra Regional and Town Planning Act, 1966. The original Development Plan came into force on 24‑08‑1984, and a declaration under Section 126(4) was published on 03‑09‑1…

The cement manufacturer M/s J.K. Cement Works insured its coal stock under a Standard Fire and Special Perils policy that covered "Flood and Inundation". Heavy rains on 29-30 August 2003 caused water to accumulate and wash off some coal, and the insurer's surveyor affirmed the loss was payable, but the insurer later re…

The case involved a 1986 agreement to sell land between the original vendors (appellants) and original vendees, followed by four 1987 agreements where the vendees purportedly assigned their rights to the plaintiffs (respondent No.1). The plaintiffs sought specific performance of both the 1986 and 1987 agreements, claim…

The appellant purchased a plot by a registered sale deed in 1994. The father of the second respondent died in 1997, and the respondent filed a civil suit in 2008 seeking cancellation of the deed, alleging fraud but not forgery. In 2012 the respondent filed a criminal complaint alleging forgery and impersonation under I…

The Supreme Court examined whether Star India (P) Ltd and Bharti Airtel Ltd, who jointly conducted the 'Har Seat Hot Seat' (HSHS) contest on the TV programme KBC, engaged in an unfair trade practice under Section 2(1)(r)(3)(a) of the Consumer Protection Act, 1986 by allegedly funding the prize money from the higher SMS…

The petitioners challenged the interpretation of Article 233 of the Constitution concerning the eligibility criteria for appointment of District Judges by direct recruitment. They argued that a candidate who has completed seven years of practice as an advocate should remain eligible even if he/she is in Union or State …

The Supreme Court dismissed the Special Leave Petition filed by Brijesh Kumar challenging his conviction, finding no merit to interfere with the trial and high court judgments. While disposing the petition, the Court noted that the counsel appointed as amicus curiae for the petitioner was only given the impugned judgme…

The Supreme Court considered a Special Leave Petition filed by Rekha Sengar seeking bail under Section 439 of the CrPC after being charged in a non‑bailable offence under the PC&PNDT Act for alleged prenatal sex determination and sex‑selective abortion. A sting operation led to the seizure of an unregistered ultrasound…

The appellant, a widow, sought to have her private counsel assist the prosecution in a murder trial by making oral arguments, examining and cross‑examining witnesses, invoking Section 301 read with the proviso to Section 24(8) of the CrPC. The trial court and the Calcutta High Court rejected the application, holding th…

The case concerned the selection of two vacancies in the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) for non‑State Civil Service officers in 2014. Baidyanath Yadav (appellant) was recommended by the Department of Agriculture and subsequently selected by the UPSC, while Aditya Narayan Roy (respondent No.1) challenged the proces…

The plaintiff filed a suit for specific performance and the defendant filed a written statement followed by a counter‑claim. The trial court allowed the counter‑claim, but the High Court quashed it, prompting a reference to the Supreme Court on the interpretation of Order VIII Rule 6A of the CPC. The Court held that Ru…

Amitabha Dasgupta, a locker holder, complained that United Bank of India had inadvertently broken open his locker despite his rental dues being cleared, and that only two of the seven ornaments he claimed to have deposited were returned. The District Consumer Forum found a deficiency of service and awarded compensation…

M/s Dyna Technologies entered into a contract with M/s Crompton Greaves for construction work on an aquaculture project, which was terminated prematurely, leading Dyna to claim compensation for loss of profit, idle charges and unproductive use of machinery. The arbitral tribunal awarded Rs 27,78,125 for the unproductiv…

The drivers employed by the Government of Tamil Nadu claimed parity with about 3,000 similarly placed drivers who had been granted higher Selection Grade and Special Grade pay scales of Rs 5000‑8000 and Rs 5500‑9000 under G.O. No. 162, invoking Article 14 of the Constitution. The High Court had allowed the claim, but t…

MMTC Ltd., a consignment agent for Vedanta Ltd., supplied copper rods to Hindustan Transmission Products Ltd. (HTPL) under an amended agreement and failed to collect and remit payment, prompting Vedanta to invoke the arbitration clause of their 1993 agreement. The arbitral tribunal awarded Vedanta a sum of money, which…

The appellant, a mother, gave birth to a baby girl in a Delhi hospital; the infant died shortly after being handed to her, and the prosecution alleged she strangulated the child because it was female. The trial court and the High Court convicted her of murder under Section 302 IPC based largely on circumstantial eviden…

The Chandigarh Housing Board (CHB) and M/s Parasvanath Developers entered into a Development Agreement and a Tripartite Agreement with flat buyers. The flat buyer filed a complaint before the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission seeking refund of the deposit, interest, and compensation. The Commission ordere…

Hooghly Mills Company Ltd., a corporate entity, sought possession of a residential flat that had been occupied by its former director, Bal Binode Bajoria, after his retirement. The company filed a criminal complaint under Section 630(1) of the Companies Act, 1956 and an application under Section 630(2) for dispossessio…

Mr. M. Hariharasudhan, who runs a hotel, sued the respondents for damages after they damaged his property and stole cash. The trial court decreed damages, but the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court set aside the decree, holding that the Tamil Nadu Property (Prevention of Damage and Loss) Act, 1992 implicitly barred…

The Supreme Court examined two Special Leave Petitions filed by IDBI Bank Ltd. challenging a High Court order that dismissed its application to execute a sale deed of KOFL's sole immovable property and revived winding‑up proceedings against KOFL. The Court held that the winding‑up petition must be revived because the m…

The appellant, convicted of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment, was released in 2019 under a Haryana Government policy granting special remission to elderly convicts who had served a minimum period. The policy was implemented by the Governor under Article 161 of the Constitution without placing the individual fa…

The case concerned a suit land that was a Paragana watan property leased to a permanent Mirashi tenant, Ramchandra, who mortgaged the land in 1947. The Bombay Paragana and Kulkarni Watans (Abolition) Act, 1950 later resumed the land to the Government, but the tenant's lease subsisted under the proviso to Section 3(3) a…

The Himachal Pradesh government framed the Primary Assistant Teacher (PAT) Scheme (2003), the Para Teachers Policy (2003) and the Gram Vidya Upasak Yojna (2001) to fill vacant teaching posts in remote, tribal areas. Several teachers appointed under these schemes challenged the appointments, alleging that they violated …

The case concerned two sub‑plots (3/14 and 6/11) that were shown as open‑space/garden in a layout approved in 1967 for a 46,850‑sq‑yard parcel allotted to Anjuman E‑Shiate Ali Trust. The Trust later sought to construct on these plots, relying on a 1999 development plan prepared by MHADA for the larger 5,80,000‑sq‑yard …

The petitioners, officers of the Orissa Administrative Service‑II, were senior to SC/ST officers appointed to reserved vacancies and were later promoted to OAS‑I (JB). After the 85th Constitution Amendment amended Art.16(4A) to permit states to grant promotion with consequential seniority to SC/STs, the State of Orissa…

The Supreme Court considered two Special Leave Petitions filed by the High Court of Madras challenging its own order that granted a refund of court fees to M.C. Subramaniam, who had withdrawn appeal suits after reaching a private out‑of‑court settlement. The key issue was whether Section 69‑A of the Tamil Nadu Court Fe…

The dispute concerned a suit for possession and mesne profits of a Delhi industrial property. The High Court had earlier settled that the petitioner was in possession of the entire 5,472 sq ft. and issued a consent decree directing hand‑over of possession and payment of mesne profits, but erroneously recorded a 10% ann…

The case concerned a joint family property in Ullal village that was declared excess land under the Urban Land (Ceiling and Regulation) Act, 1976. The appellant claimed to have purchased a portion of the land in 1994 from a family member and sought restoration of his name in the land records under the Repeal Act, 1999,…

The appellants alleged that consent forms for land acquisition were obtained on blank documents in 1989, after which the State took possession and paid only 80-90% of the agreed compensation. The State delayed issuing a notification under Section 4 of the Land Acquisition Act, 1894 until 1996 and passed consent awards …

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) acquired land for a metro project under the Land Acquisition Act, 1894, completed the acquisition and paid full compensation before the 2013 Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act (RFCTLARR Act) came into force. The la…

The case arose when a guest's car, parked under the valet service of Taj Mahal Hotel, was stolen after three young men entered the premises and took the keys from the valet. The guest's insurer, United India Insurance, settled the claim and, together with the car owner, filed a consumer complaint against the hotel. The…

Lilavati Kirtial Mehta Medical Trust (the appellant) purchased 29 flats from M/s Unique Shanti Developers in 1995 to provide hostel accommodation for nurses employed at its hospital. The flats became dilapidated, were vacated in 2002, and the Trust filed a consumer complaint seeking compensation, which was dismissed by…

The Association of Engineers appealed against the Tribunal’s order directing that vacancies for Assistant Engineer be filled in a 3:1 ratio of direct recruitment to recruitment by transfer. The dispute centered on whether the 1985 Tamil Nadu Engineering Service Special Rules, which govern promotion and recruitment, per…

M/s Baspa Organics Ltd. (appellant) purchased a chemical plant and continued a fire‑and‑special‑perils insurance policy issued by United India Insurance Ltd. (respondent). After a fire in January 2002, the insurer denied the claim, alleging that the appellant had over‑valued the plant and had failed to disclose that it…

The Subhechha Welfare Society, a registered welfare society, filed two consumer complaints on behalf of 8 and 12 allottees respectively, alleging that Earth Infrastructure Pvt. Ltd. failed to deliver possession of booked housing units despite full payment. The National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC) dis…

Monu Kumar and 32 other consumers filed a joint consumer complaint under Section 12(1)(c) of the Consumer Protection Act, 1986, alleging deficiency of service by M/s. Metromax Infrastructure. They sought the Commission's permission to file the joint complaint through a separate application. The National Consumer Disput…

The Sobha Hibiscus Condominium, a statutory body created under the Karnataka Apartment Ownership Act, 1972, filed a complaint before the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC) against the managing director of Sobha Developers Ltd. The NCDRC dismissed the complaint, holding that the condominium was neit…

The petitioner, MD Mannan, was convicted of rape and murder of an eight‑year‑old girl and sentenced to death by the trial court, a decision affirmed by the High Court and the Supreme Court. He filed a review petition which was dismissed by circulation, but the Supreme Court reopened it following the Mohd Arif decision …

Saurashtra Chemicals Ltd. (now Nirma Ltd.) bought a standard fire and special perils policy with an additional premium covering loss from spontaneous combustion. After the factory reopened, part of its coal and lignite stock was destroyed by spontaneous combustion and the company claimed Rs. 1.4 crore. The insurer appo…

The Supreme Court examined appeals arising from the acquisition of 561.38 acres in Haryana where the High Court had fixed compensation at Rs.1.46 crore per acre by applying a 15% cumulative annual increase and relying heavily on the Swaran Singh judgment. The Court held that such reliance was improper because prior awa…

The Tamil Nadu Medical Officers’ Association challenged the amendment to Regulation 9(4) and (8) of the Post‑Graduate Medical Education Regulations, 2000, which allowed reservation of 50% of state‑quota seats for in‑service medical officers. The petitioners argued that such reservation exceeded the legislative competen…

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) appealed against the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) and the Madras High Court, which had ordered the appointment of M. Sathyia Priya to the Indian Police Service (IPS) by directing that her Annual Confidential Reports (ACRs) from 2003‑2008 be considered. The Supreme Cou…

The case involved Bhima Razu Prasad, who was charged with offences under the IPC, PC Act and alleged to have concealed disproportionate assets. During investigation, accused No.2 and No.3 claimed the seized money was held in escrow, producing a fabricated sale deed to shield Prasad. The trial and High Courts convicted …

National Bulk Handling Corp., a collateral management company, stored pledged commodities and had taken a fidelity guarantee insurance policy from Oriental Insurance. When 601 barrels of mentha oil were found to have been substituted with water, the company lodged a claim alleging employee dishonesty, which the insurer…

The case concerned the murder of Sarman Singh, for which six accused were charged under sections 147, 148, 149, 302, 449 and 452 of the IPC. The trial court acquitted all accused, but the High Court convicted three of them (Ramji Singh, Laxman Singh and Lala Ram) based on the testimony of two eye‑witnesses (PW‑1 and PW…

The Andhra Pradesh Public Service Commission (APPSC) conducted a recruitment test for Junior Lecturer in Mathematics and selected G.V. Ramakrishna Sagar, who later declined to join. The next‑highest scorer, Respondent No.1, waited four years and filed an application before the AP Administrative Tribunal in 2016 seeking…

The case concerned employees of the Central Hospital, Kalla who were transferred to Eastern Coalfields Ltd. (ECL) and opted for absorption under the company's pay scales. The employees were assured that neither their basic salary nor total emoluments would be reduced. After fitment, the basic salary was lowered while t…

The appellants owned land in Virupapura Gaddi, an island near the Hampi World Heritage site, and constructed hotels, restaurants and guest houses between 1990 and 2000. The State Government had, under the Mysore Ancient and Historical Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1961, issued a 1988 notification …

The respondent, a member of the Khasi Scheduled Tribe, was charged with murder and concealment of dead body under Sections 302 and 201 of the IPC and was initially ordered to stand trial before the Sessions Court. He filed a petition seeking transfer of the case to the District Council Court of the Khasi Hills Autonomo…

The respondents‑plaintiffs claimed ownership of a house adjoining the Sri Ram Mandir in Jagtial, relying on municipal permissions, tax receipts and an entry in the Endowments Department's book of endowments that demarcated the temple boundaries. The appellant‑defendant, the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the temp…

Petitioners Mahavir and others claimed that compensation for 100 acres of land acquired in the Raisina‑Lutyens zone in 1911‑12 had never been paid and sought relief under Section 24 of the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Settlement Act, 2013, which deems acquisition p…

The appellants, Krishna Lal Chawla and others, challenged a private complaint filed in 2018 by their neighbour (Respondent No.2) under Section 200 CrPC, which alleged offences arising from a 2012 altercation. The complaint was filed six years after the incident, despite a charge‑sheet already being filed against the co…

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…

Chander Bhan Singh filed a writ petition in 2002 alleging his son was killed by police and sought registration of a criminal case. The CBI investigated and filed a closure report, which the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate rejected, taking cognizance against 13 police officers. After a series of petitions, the High Court …

Hardev Singh married Harpreet Kaur on 17 April 2010 without parental consent. The appellant was 17 years old at the time, while the wife was an adult. The Punjab & Haryana High Court initially granted police protection but later recalled its order and directed registration of an FIR under Section 9 of the Prohibition o…

The Supreme Court examined writ petitions filed by Indian Oil Corporation and several state road transport corporations challenging the Government of India's decision to cease diesel subsidies for bulk consumers. The petitioners argued that the withdrawal of subsidy was arbitrary, violated Article 14, and would impair …

M/s Oudh Sugar Mills Ltd., a sugar manufacturer in Sitapur, Uttar Pradesh, challenged the Central Government's decision to place its factory in the Central Zone for levy‑sugar price fixation for the 1984‑85 and 1985‑86 crushing years, seeking parity with two other factories in the same district that were placed in the …

The appellant, a cargo importer, obtained a marine cargo cover note and later a policy from the respondent insurer for a shipment carried on the vessel Khalijia‑III. The vessel was not classed with an IACS‑member society as required by the Institute Classification Clause (ICC) and the appellant failed to give prompt no…

The appellant insurer denied a claim for the death of a passenger who was on a motorised glider sightseeing flight, arguing that the glider was not a standard aircraft and the passenger was not a fare‑paying traveller in a regular airline or charter. The National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission held that the gli…

The petitioner, a landlord, sought to resume four acres of land from tenants under the Mysore Land Reforms Act, 1961. A compromise deed dated 02‑03‑1970, recorded before the Munsiff/Tribunal, indicated that the respondents had already handed over possession of the land to the petitioner. The High Court held the petitio…

The appellant, a seed company, entered into a tripartite agreement with the respondent, a small landholder, to sell her wet musli seeds and to buy back the harvested crop at a guaranteed minimum price. When the appellant failed to honour the buy‑back, the respondent filed a consumer complaint, which was initially dismi…

The Maharashtra State Co‑operative Bank Ltd. (the Bank) took possession of mortgaged property of Vainganga Sahakari Sakhar Karkhana Ltd. (the Karkhana) after the Karkhana defaulted on a loan and later sold the property to Wainganga Sugar and Power Ltd. The Karkhana’s employees obtained a recovery certificate under the …

The Municipal Corporation of Kanpur, governed by the Uttar Pradesh Municipal Corporation Act, sought to limit gratuity payments to its employees to the rates prescribed under the 1962 Retirement Benefits and General Provident Fund Regulations, arguing that the Payment of Gratuity Act, 1972 did not apply to local bodies…

The brothers inherited a house under their mother's will, which allocated the ground floor to Rajan Sethi, the first floor to Sajan Sethi, and the second floor to be shared equally. Rajan filed a suit for partition of the second floor and terrace, but Sajan, in his written statement, also claimed rights over common are…

The dispute concerned the office of mutawalli of the historic Andrott Jumah mosque in Lakshadweep. The senior members of the Pattakal family claimed a hereditary customary right to the office, tracing it to Saint Ubaidulla, the mosque’s founder, while the appellants, representing island residents, argued that the right…