S NATARAJAN

The petitioners, Class II engineering officers of Haryana, sought promotion to Class I (Executive Engineer) after the Supreme Court struck down a state amendment that made an engineering degree mandatory for such promotion. The Court had earlier directed the state to consider all eligible officers and complete promotio…

Durand Didier, a French national, was stopped by police in Goa after accelerating his motorcycle and falling without injury. A search of his bike and attached bag, witnessed by two pancha witnesses, uncovered brown sugar, ganja oil and opium concealed in various items. Samples sent to a chemical analyst confirmed the p…

Mohanlal Jatia was detained under the Conservation of Foreign Exchange and Prevention of Smuggling Activities Act, 1974 (COFEPOSA) on the basis of documents seized from his brother‑in‑law and statements recorded by R.C. Singh of the Enforcement Directorate. His wife, Pushpadevi Jatia, challenged the detention before th…

The Supreme Court clarified the method of computing the assessable value of processed fabric for Central Excise duty. It held that the assessable value equals the value of the grey cloth in the processor's possession plus the value of the job‑work performed and the processor's manufacturing profit and expenses, i.e., t…

The appellants challenged the sale of two properties of a public trust, alleging that the sales were made at a fraction of market value and without public notice. The sales were approved by the subordinate court under a scheme-decree issued in a suit filed under Section 92 of the Civil Procedure Code, which sought remo…

The appellant, a freedom fighter, sought a pension under the Swatantrata Sainik Samman Pension Scheme on the ground that he had permanently lost vision in his left eye due to a police lathi charge during the freedom struggle. Although medical certificates and recommendations from the District Collector and State Govern…

The State of Madhya Pradesh appealed the acquittal of lorry drivers, cleaners and a coolie who were intercepted while transporting fertiliser bags from Indore to Maharashtra without the permit required under the Fertiliser (Movement Control) Order, 1973. The trial court held that the prosecution had not proved mens rea…

The appellants challenged the interpretation of Section 4A of the Uttar Pradesh Imposition of Ceiling on Land Holdings Act, 1960, contending that "irrigated land" should be identified only where there is independent proof of assured irrigation and where two crops are grown on the entire extent of the land. The Supreme …

The landlords (Venkatlal G. Pittie & Anr.) sued their tenant (Bright Bros. Pvt. Ltd.) for eviction, alleging that the tenant had erected permanent structures in violation of clause (p) of s.108 of the Transfer of Property Act, 1882 and s.13(1)(b) of the Bombay Rents, Hotel and Lodging House Rates Control Act, 1974, and…

Prem Chand married Veena Rani in 1973 and repeatedly tormented her, demanding money and physically abusing her. On 15 September 1975, after a quarrel in which Prem Chand told her she could relieve his financial woes by dying that very day, Veena Rani set herself on fire and died of severe burns. The trial court convict…

The Supreme Court examined whether stacks of eucalyptus wood sold by the Madhya Pradesh Forest Department, after removal of poles and ballies, qualified as "Timber" under entry 32A of the Madhya Pradesh General Sales Tax Act, 1958, thereby attracting a 16% sales tax, or as "fire‑wood" under entry 12, attracting a 3% ta…

M.L. Jain, a retired Judge of the Delhi High Court, challenged the pension fixed by the Pay & Accounts Officer at Rs.26,000 per annum, contending that amendments to the High Court Judges (Conditions of Service) Act in 1986 and 1988 and related Office Memoranda entitled him to a higher pension. The Government of India, …

The Punjab Government had declared certain areas as notified areas under Section 241 of the Punjab Municipal Act, 1939 and later cancelled those notifications under Section 244. The office‑bearers of the notified‑area committees filed writ petitions challenging the constitutional validity of Section 244, arguing it gav…

Prithi Chand, an 18‑year‑old, was convicted of raping a girl aged 11‑12 years. The prosecution relied on the victim’s testimony, a medical certificate showing a torn hymen and profuse bleeding, and forensic analysis that found blood but no spermatozoa. The defence challenged the admissibility of a carbon copy of the me…

The Administrator General of West Bengal appealed the award of compensation for the acquisition of the Gopal Lal Villa estate in Varanasi. The Land Acquisition Officer had valued the land at Rs.200 per decimal, the building at Rs.57,660 and the tree growth at Rs.355.85. The appellant sought higher valuations, solatium …

Gopal Singh challenged a notice under the Uttar Pradesh Imposition of Ceiling on Land Holdings Act, 1960, claiming that 12.35 acres gifted to his adult, unmarried, disabled daughter should be excluded from the ceiling calculation. The Prescribed and Appellate Authorities held that the gift was not made in good faith an…

The Supreme Court considered a Special Leave Petition filed by Tek Chand against Sat Narayan under the Haryana Urban (Control of Rent & Eviction) Act, 1973. The issue was whether the exemption provided in Sections 1(3) and 13 of the Act continues for a fixed period of ten years and remains effective until the suit is f…

The State of Jammu & Kashmir appealed against a Jammu & Kashmir High Court order that declared Sections 8 and 14 of the Evacuee (Administration of Property) Act, 2006 to have outlived their utility and directed that no future applications under Section 8 be entertained. The dispute arose from a sale of a property that …

The appellants, six members of an unlawful assembly, were convicted for the murder of two infant girls while attempting to kill the father, Baharan Mian. The trial court sentenced the two principal assailants (Accused Nos. 1 and 2) to death and the others to life imprisonment, later altering some convictions under Sect…

Shivaji Patil was charged under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code for the murder of Tulashiram Sutar. The prosecution's case rested solely on the testimony of the deceased's wife, Parvatibai, who claimed to have seen Patil strike her husband with a stick but did not disclose his identity to the police or anyone else…

The Commissioner of Gift Tax appealed against the Gujarat High Court’s order that upheld a valuation of 480 unquoted shares of an English private company using the break‑up method based on the 31 March 1963 balance sheet. The assessee had argued for an average break‑up value from the 1964 and 1965 balance sheets, while…

The Andhra Pradesh State Electricity Board was required under the Emergency Risks (Factories) Insurance Act, 1962 to insure its distribution and transmission lines against war‑risk damage. The Director of the Emergency Risks Insurance Scheme fixed a balance premium of Rs 47,59,109, which the Board contested on four gro…

The appellants challenged a Mysore High Court order that condoned substantial delays in filing appeals against land acquisition awards, invoking Section 5 of the Limitation Act, 1963. They argued that the delay, caused by negligence of Government Pleaders, could not be deemed "sufficient cause" and that the condonation…

The appellant company, Jenson and Nicholson (India) Ltd., had taken a flat on a leave‑and‑licence basis for its employees. The first respondent, Atul Kalra, a divisional sales manager, signed the agreement as the company’s attorney and occupied the flat as an employee. After three years he filed a civil suit claiming t…

Surinder Kumar was convicted of murder under Section 302 IPC for stabbing PW 2 and his brother Nitya Nand, who died. He appealed, claiming the incident was a sudden quarrel and that Exception 4 to Section 300 IPC applied, reducing the offence to culpable homicide not amounting to murder. The Supreme Court examined the …

Non‑graduate Excise Preventive Officers challenged an amendment to Special Rule 2 of the Kerala Excise & Prohibition Subordinate Service Rules that introduced a 1:3 ratio favouring graduates for promotion to Second Grade Excise Inspector. The Kerala High Court and a Division Bench held the amendment violated Articles 1…

Fertilizers & Chemicals Travancore Ltd entered into a 1948 agreement with the princely State of Travancore for electricity at a fixed rate, later succeeded by the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB). In 1968 KSEB raised the tariff for the appellant to Rs.200 per kW per year under Regulation 11 of the 1966 General Tar…

The Haryana State Agricultural Marketing Board contracted a builder to construct an office building and stipulated that any dispute would be arbitrated by the Board's Superintending Engineer. Shri D.P. Gupta was appointed arbitrator, but the Board's Chairman ordered his reversion to his parent department on 4 April 198…