RANGANATH MISRA

Thirty-two bus conductors employed on a daily‑wage basis by the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) alleged that the corporation, being a statutory body, is a "State" within Art 12 of the Constitution and that it had discriminated against them by regularising nineteen similarly placed conductors and gran…

The appellants, exporters of coffee, participated in a Coffee Board auction on 18 May 1977. Clause 10 of the auction terms provided that any increase or reduction in taxes or duties occurring within 45 days from the date of auction, inclusive of that day, would be shared equally between the Board and the purchasers. On…

The Haryana Public Service Commission advertised recruitment for District Food and Supplies Officers, requiring five/three years of experience as an executive officer. Inspectors and Sub‑Inspectors of the Food and Supplies Department applied, but the Commission demanded a certificate from the State Government confirmin…

The petitioners, forest officers promoted on an ad‑hoc basis due to the non‑availability of direct recruits, claimed that their continuous service of 5‑12 years should count towards seniority and that their appointments were a relaxation of the recruitment rules under Rule 27. The respondents, direct recruits, argued t…

The builder entered a permanent lease with the Board of Governors of La Martiniere School, which was opposed by the Old Martinians Association. While a High Court appeal was pending, the parties executed a compromise agreement on 12 September 1986, but the compromise petition was filed in the Supreme Court only in May …

A. Sudha, who had secured 54.7% in her B.Sc. but only 43.1% in the PUC (Physics, Chemistry, Biology), was admitted to a private medical college based on a letter from the college principal stating she was eligible for MBBS admission. The university later cancelled her admission, citing the requirement of at least 50% m…

The appellant, an electrical helper at Bharat Coking Coal Ltd., was charged with assaulting a supervising officer and faced both a criminal prosecution and disciplinary proceedings initiated by his employer. He filed a civil suit seeking an injunction to stay the disciplinary action pending the outcome of the criminal …

The Banwasi Seva Ashram filed a writ petition under Article 32 challenging the eviction of its members from areas declared reserve forest under Section 20 of the Indian Forest Act, 1927. The Supreme Court had earlier appointed commissioners to prepare land records, identify forest land and decide the final action, but …

The appellants filed a suit in a Subordinate Court seeking a declaration of ownership over 124 acres, asserting that the Gram Sabha had no interest. The trial court transferred the suit to the Assistant Collector under Section 13B of the Punjab Village Common Lands (Regulation) Act, 1961, on the ground that the dispute…

A writ petition before the Bombay High Court challenged a communication of the Municipal Corporation that barred development of a parcel of land near chemical factories. The High Court set aside the communication, thereby affecting the interests of the factory owners who were not parties to the writ petition. Those own…

The Supreme Court, hearing a public‑interest writ under Article 32, directed the Union of India to fill the vacancies in the Monopolies and Restrictive Trade Practices Commission within three weeks, later extending the deadline to 7 July 1990. The Union, represented by Secretary A.N. Verma, failed to appoint a Chairman…

A public interest writ petition under Article 32 sought enforcement of Articles 14 and 21 for juvenile delinquents, alleging denial of rights under the Juvenile Justice Act, 1986. The Supreme Court, having previously issued directions for implementation, was asked to order the setting up of Advisory Boards at both Stat…

The appellants were awarded 92 acres of forest land by a Kerala High Court decision in MFA No. 401/78 under the Kerala Private Forests (Vesting and Assignment) Act, 1971. The State returned part of the land but later realized it contained valuable timber and refused to issue transit permits for the trees. The appellant…

The Supreme Court clarified the procedure for appointing members of Administrative Tribunals under the Administrative Tribunals Act, 1985. It held that recruitment to the Central Administrative Tribunal must be overseen by a High‑Powered Selection Committee headed by a sitting Supreme Court judge nominated by the Chief…

The petitioners, staff artists of All India Radio and Doordarshan, challenged a 1982 government circular that bifurcated them into "artists" and "government servants" and required them to exercise an option to choose their status. They sought parity with regular civil servants, pension rights, and a declaration that al…

The appellant, a young clearing and forwarding agent, was detained under section 3(1)(i) of the Conservation of Foreign Exchange and Prevention of Smuggling Activities Act, 1974. At the Advisory Board hearing, he requested that a retired Assistant Collector of Central Excise assist him as a "friend," but the Board refu…

The All India Sainik Schools Employees Association filed a petition under Article 32 seeking a mandamus directing the Sainik School Society to grant its employees the same service benefits and equal pay as those of Kendriya Vidyalaya (KVS) staff. The Court examined whether the Society, a body registered under the Socie…

The Supreme Court revisited the Doon Valley mining dispute, where earlier orders (30 August 1988) had halted all mining except for a few cases and directed afforestation of the valley. Numerous applications were filed thereafter seeking permission to remove stacked material or extensions of time, which the Court had be…

The C.N.V.V. Sangam, a society of Tamil Nadu agriculturists, filed a writ petition under Article 32 seeking a direction to the Union of India to refer the Cauvery water dispute to a tribunal under Section 4 of the Inter‑State Water Disputes Act, 1956, and a mandamus restraining Karnataka from constructing dams. The res…

The Bhopal gas leak of December 2, 1984 killed about 2,660 people and injured tens of thousands. The Union of India and Union Carbide Corporation appealed against an interim compensation order of Rs.250 crores. The Supreme Court, considering the urgent need for relief, the range of offers (US$426‑500 million) and the g…

Chander Mohan gifted a house to his nephew Gian Chand in 1937 and later sued to cancel the gift. The dispute was referred to arbitration, resulting in a family settlement award that was accepted by the court, granting Chander Mohan a life‑time right of enjoyment, Gian Chand and the sons of Mohinder Mohan each one‑third…

The Supreme Court examined the court‑assisted settlement of the Bhopal gas‑leak disaster claims, where Union Carbide Corporation (UCC) agreed to pay $470 million and all civil and criminal proceedings were to be terminated. The Court held that under Article 142 of the Constitution it had jurisdiction to withdraw the ma…

The Union of India sued Union Carbide Corporation (UCC) in the US District Court, which ordered a $5 million interim relief to be paid to the Indian Red Cross Society for Bhopal gas victims, stating the amount was an advance payment and would be set‑off against any final judgment. After the US case was dismissed on for…

The Supreme Court examined a garnishee order issued under section 226(3)(x) of the Income Tax Act, 1961, which sought payment of Rs.8,56,377.55 despite the notice specifying only Rs.2,86,450. The Court held that because the amount in the order was not mentioned in the notice, the garnishee order was a nullity and any s…

The Supreme Court was asked to consider objections raised by several states to the implementation of a Court‑approved scheme that reserved 15% of MBBS/BDS seats for an All‑India Entrance Examination. The states sought a further deferment of the scheme, arguing lack of uniform syllabus, language barriers, and law‑and‑or…

The Supreme Court was approached by officers of public sector enterprises seeking implementation of the High Power Pay Committee's recommendations on pay scales, dearness allowance and other benefits for Class I and II officers. The Court had earlier ordered interim reliefs and the constitution of the Committee, whose …

Vincent Panikurlangara, an advocate and General Secretary of a public‑interest law service society, filed a writ petition under Article 32 seeking a total ban on the import, manufacture, sale and distribution of certain drugs that had been recommended for prohibition by the Drugs Consultative Committee, along with canc…

The petitioners, casual labourers employed for 10-16 years in the Northern Railway's construction department, filed writ petitions alleging they were denied temporary status, equal pay, and regularisation despite continuous service. The respondents contended that some petitioners had already been empanelled or given te…

The State of Maharashtra charged Anand Chintaman Dighe under the Indian Penal Code and the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act (TADA) for the murder of a municipal corporator, alleging that Dighe had incited violence against political opponents through statements to the press. The Designated Court init…

ELD Parry (India) Ltd. retired several employees who claimed a pension (retiring allowance) under General Office Order No. 26, 1943. The 1956 settlement between the company and the employees' union allowed workers to choose either gratuity or, in lieu of gratuity, a retiring allowance, but did not expressly abolish the…

Electronics Corporation of India Ltd entered into an agreement with a Norwegian firm for technical services and sought a No Objection Certificate under s.195(2) of the Income Tax Act, 1961 to remit payments without tax deduction. The Commissioner rejected the application, holding that s.9(1)(vii) deemed the fees to acc…

Rabinarayan Mohapatra was appointed as a Hindi teacher in an aided school on an 89‑day contract starting 12 July 1982, with successive short‑term renewals and one‑day breaks, but was not paid salary for summer vacations. After 1986 his appointment was not approved by the education authorities, yet he continued to serve…

The petitioners, a group of government compositors, sought to be placed in the "highly skilled" Grade‑I category with backdated benefits, relying on a Himachal Pradesh High Court decision in T.R. Thakur’s case that had held seniority‑based classification unreasonable. The Supreme Court examined whether that High Court …

The appellants, who were promotees in the Punjab Superior Judicial Service, challenged a seniority list prepared by the Punjab & Haryana High Court that gave seniority to direct recruits appointed before the 1976 amendment of the service rules. The dispute centered on whether seniority should be calculated from the dat…

The appellants, long‑time tenants of a plot that was reconstituted under a town‑planning scheme, challenged the scheme on the ground that the Town Planning Officer failed to serve the special notice required by Rule 21(3) and to give a reasonable opportunity as mandated by Rule 21(4) of the Bombay Town Planning Rules, …

The Bihar State Government issued a notification on 18 November 1986 bifurcating the single Secondary Education Service cadre into separate cadres, allegedly to provide quicker promotional avenues for lower‑ranked teachers. The notification was challenged before the Patna High Court, which held that the bifurcation vio…

The Supreme Court had directed the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) to grant conditional approval to Delhi Cloth Mills Ltd.'s (DCM) redevelopment scheme for 63 acres, subject to removal of objections. DDA raised three objections: conformity with the 2001 Master Plan, the incorrect assumption that DCM owned the entire …

C.D. Ailawadi, an Audit Officer in the Defence Services, challenged his compulsory retirement order issued under rule 56(j)(i) of the Civil Services Fundamental Rules, claiming he had an unblemished record and that no review had been conducted six months before he turned 50 or completed thirty years of service, entitli…

The landlord sought eviction of the tenant under Section 14(1)(c) of the Delhi Rent Control Act, 1958, alleging that the premises were let for a composite residential and office purpose, which would disqualify the tenancy from protection. The lease deed contained a clause stating the premises were to be used for "Resid…