S S NIJJAR

Reliance Industries Ltd., Niko Resources Ltd. and British Petroleum entered into a Production Sharing Contract (PSC) with the Union of India. When a dispute arose over cost recovery, Reliance, acting as the operator, invoked the arbitration clause in Article 33 of the PSC and nominated an arbitrator. Two arbitrators, b…

The case concerned the purported unification of the First District Church of the Brethren (FDCB) with the Church of North India (CNI). The appellants claimed that the unification dissolved FDCB, making CNI its legal successor and entitled to its property, which was held in a public trust regulated by the Bombay Public …

The Supreme Court considered appeals against a Karnataka High Court order that declared the allotment of Civic Amenity Site No.2, originally earmarked for a bank, to Bharat Petroleum for a petrol pump null and void. The Court examined Section 38A(1) and (2) of the Bangalore Development Authority Act, 1976, which permit…

The plaintiff, Paragon Rubber Industries, filed a suit in the District Court of Kottayam seeking relief under the Copyright Act, 1957 and the Trade and Merchandise Marks Act, 1958. The defendants challenged the suit's territorial jurisdiction, arguing that the court lacked jurisdiction under the 1958 Act. The trial cou…

The Agricultural Market Committee of Andhra Pradesh initiated criminal proceedings against traders of M.K. Exports for non‑payment of market fees that were re‑assessed under Section 12‑8(5) of the A.P. Agricultural (Produce and Livestock) Markets Act, 1966. The traders filed petitions under Section 482 of the Code of C…

Gayatri Project Ltd, the main contractor, and Sai Krishna Construction, its sub‑contractor, entered into a 2001 agreement containing an arbitration clause. The parties later signed a document dated 6 June 2003 that the appellant claimed was a full and final settlement of all disputes, but the respondent did not accept …

Gurjant Singh (Janta) was seized with three gunny bags containing poppy husk while riding a tractor trolley. The police officer who stopped the vehicle offered the appellant the right to have the search conducted in the presence of a gazetted officer or magistrate as required by Section 50 of the NDPS Act, and the appe…

The Assam Public Service Commission advertised a combined competitive examination with a reservation of 3% for physically disabled candidates. Respondent No.1, a physically disabled applicant, applied under the original advertisement but did not submit the required disability certificate by the stipulated deadline, nor…

The Indore Development Authority (IDA) allotted a 7‑acre parcel of land to Mangal Amusement Park Ltd. for a children's amusement park under a document labeled a "license" for 15 years, with a provision for renewal. The State of Madhya Pradesh later changed the land‑use from "commercial" to "regional park" and directed …

The appellants were convicted under Sections 148, 302 read with 149, 341, and 323 of the IPC for the death of Khushal Salgar. The prosecution relied on the testimony of two eye‑witnesses, a dying declaration, and forensic evidence. The Supreme Court examined whether the evidence established a common object to cause mur…

Reliance Industries and BG Exploration entered into two Production Sharing Contracts (PSCs) with the Government of India for oil fields. Disputes arose over royalties, cess, service tax and a CAG audit, leading Reliance to issue a notice of arbitration under Article 33 of the PSCs. The parties agreed that the arbitrati…

Swiss Timing Ltd., a Swiss company, entered into a contract with the Commonwealth Games 2010 Organising Committee to provide timing and scoring services. The Committee failed to pay the agreed fees, prompting Swiss Timing to invoke the arbitration clause in the agreement. The Committee objected, claiming the contract w…

Usha Bharti, elected as Adhyaksh of the Zila Panchayat, Sitapur, challenged a motion of no confidence moved by 37 members under Section 28 of the Uttar Pradesh Kshettra Panchayat & Zila Panchayat Act, 1961. The High Court dismissed her writ petition and later her review petition, prompting a Special Leave Petition befo…

The Supreme Court dismissed Civil Appeals Nos. 1393‑1394 of 2002 filed by Madan Lal and others, which arose from writ petitions challenging the selection and appointment of District and Sessions Judges under the Jammu and Kashmir Higher Judicial Service Rules, 1983. The appellants did not contest any specific selected …

The State alleged that Dr. Mahender Singh Dahiya strangulated his wife Namita during their honeymoon in Brussels, dismembered her body and disposed of the parts, while the prosecution failed to produce a weapon, reliable forensic identification of the body parts, or a clear motive. The trial court convicted Dahiya unde…

Gurpal Singh, a Judicial Magistrate First Class in Rajasthan, was suspended on 20 December 1985 after being arrested in connection with the murder of an advocate. He was acquitted by the trial court in May 2002 and the CBI's appeal was dismissed by the Delhi High Court on 27 September 2005, but his suspension continued…

The Tamil Nadu Rural Development Engineers Association, whose members were originally appointed as Overseers in the Highways Department, were absorbed into the Rural Development (RD) Department as Overseers and later promoted to Assistant Engineers. They contended that their prior service should be counted for seniorit…

In Civil Appeal No. 3867 of 2014, the Supreme Court noted an error in its earlier judgment dated 14 March 2014 where a sentence confirmed the trial court's decision on Issue No. III. The Court held that this sentence was erroneous and should be removed. No substantive legal reasoning was provided beyond the observation…

Jagabandhu Panda was appointed as Ore Dressing Engineer in 1984. He claimed the post was a cadre position and sought promotion, filing representations soon after joining. The government treated the post as ex‑cadre, later upgrading it temporarily but refusing further promotion. The State appealed the Administrative Tri…

The parties entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on 25 September 2007 containing an arbitration clause. Although the MOU stipulated a trial period ending 31 December 2007, the petitioner unilaterally extended it until its termination on 25 September 2009, after which the respondent commenced legal proceedin…

Hukam Chand Gupta, a retired Assistant Administrative Officer of the National Dairy Research Institute, claimed that his pay scale should have been revised in line with the pay scale of Superintendents at the ICAR headquarters and that a junior colleague, J.L.P. Madan, should not have received a higher pay scale. The C…

Avinash Sadashiv Bhosale, a State Bank of India branch manager, was prosecuted under IPC sections 120B, 420, 467, 468, 471 and 201 for alleged fraud of Rs 12 crore, but was acquitted by the criminal court. Simultaneously, the bank instituted departmental proceedings under the SBI Officers Service Rules, 1992, charging …

The Supreme Court examined whether a voluntary open offer made by Akshya Infrastructure Ltd. under Regulation 11 of the SEBI Takeover Regulations could be withdrawn under Regulation 27 when the offer became economically unviable. The Court held that Regulation 27 applies equally to voluntary and triggered public offers…

The appellant, a developer of a single‑unit Special Economic Zone (SEZ), entered into a power purchase agreement (PPA) with Sterlite Energy to obtain electricity for its plant and was directed by the Odisha Electricity Regulatory Commission to pay a cross‑subsidy surcharge (CSS) to WESCO, the distribution licensee in t…

Sri Ram Builders entered into a BOT agreement with the Madhya Pradesh Road Transport Corporation (MPRTC) to construct a bus‑stand‑cum‑commercial complex on land leased by the Indore Development Authority (IDA). The High Court ordered MPRTC to hand over possession of the land and directed specific performance, but the o…

The appellants challenged the constitutionality of Section 43 of the Gujarat Tenancy and Agricultural Lands Act, 1948 and the 2008 Gujarat Government Resolution that imposed a premium (initially 80%, later reduced to 40%) on the transfer of agricultural land for non‑agricultural purposes, arguing it violated Article 30…

The petitioners, trained teachers, filed writ petitions under Article 32 seeking appointment as Assistant Teachers in Jharkhand government schools in order of seniority and with total age relaxation, invoking the Supreme Court's decision in Ram Vinay Kumar v. State of Bihar. The State of Jharkhand had framed its own re…

Larsen & Toubro (L&T) entered into a main contract with SCOPE and subcontracted work to M/s. Mohan Lal Harbans Lal Bhayana (respondent). The subcontract contained an arbitration clause (Clause 25) for disputes between L&T and the respondent. Subsequent supplementary agreements (1990, 1993, 1995) altered the dispute‑res…

The appellant, Aayush Buildwell Pvt. Ltd., applied for a half‑acre institutional plot advertised by the Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) and paid earnest money, but was unsuccessful and had the money refunded. The High Court set aside the allotments made to private respondents, finding procedural irregulariti…

The appellants were daily‑wage employees of the Bihar Agriculture Produce Marketing Board who had worked for many years and claimed that, under Section 6 of the Bihar Agriculture Produce Market (Repeal) Act, 2006, they were entitled to be absorbed and regularised as permanent officers. The questions before the Court we…

The father of a slain environmental activist filed a writ petition seeking transfer of the investigation into his son’s murder from the Gujarat police to an independent agency, alleging bias and protection of the accused, who was a sitting MP. The Gujarat High Court, after finding the state investigation unfair, partia…

The petitioners sought Supreme Court monitoring of a CBI investigation into the alleged police encounter killing of Dara Singh, claiming the investigation was incomplete. The CBI had completed its inquiry, filed a charge‑sheet against 16 accused, and the trial had commenced in the Sessions Court. The respondents argued…

The case concerned the merger of Bihar's Subordinate Education Service teachers into the Bihar Education Service (Class‑II) following a 1977 notification and a 2006 state resolution. After multiple rounds of litigation, the Supreme Court held that the 7 July 2006 resolution was a lawful policy decision, not violative o…

Shobha Sinha, an Assistant in the Bihar Government, was dismissed for alleged misconduct in a departmental enquiry concerning a bitumen allotment proposal. The High Court Single Judge set aside the dismissal, citing procedural flaws such as non‑supply of documents and lack of witness examination, and directed the gover…

Both parties were minors when they allegedly married. The wife filed two suits—one to restrain the husband from remarrying and another seeking a perpetual injunction against alienation of property, claiming a one‑third share for herself and her daughter. She also filed a petition under Section 9 of the Hindu Marriage A…

The appellant, an Executive Engineer in Jammu and Kashmir's Rural Engineering Wing, was prematurely retired on the recommendation of a High Powered Review Committee that alleged he owned assets disproportionate to his known income and had issued back‑dated technical sanctions. The appellant challenged the retirement, a…

Ram Ashish Dixit, an officer of Gorakhpur Kshetriya Gramin Bank, was found guilty of irregularities in loan disbursement and was punished with stoppage of one increment for three years. He was considered for promotion from Junior Management Grade‑I to Middle Management Grade‑II in 1995, 1997 and 1999 but was not promot…

Bhushan Power & Steel Ltd. (BPSL) entered into a 2002 MOU with the Odisha State Government, which obliged the State to recommend iron‑ore mining leases for its steel plant. The Supreme Court, in a 2012 appeal, directed the State to act on the MOU for both the Thakurani and Keora areas. While the State complied for Thak…

The Municipal Committee framed a Town Planning Scheme in 1975 that required part of Sepal Hotel's land for a road. The hotel owner was served notice to demolish the boundary wall, leading to multiple writ petitions and civil suits. The High Court held the scheme final, but the Supreme Court’s decision in Yogender Pal d…

The borrower defaulted on a loan and the bank, under the SARFAESI Act, took possession of the mortgaged hotel and attempted to sell it by public auction. The auction purchaser, Vasu P. Shetty, obtained the highest bid, but the High Court set aside the sale because the public notice did not give the statutorily required…

The decree dated 7 August 1969 in a title suit was executed in 2009. The State of West Bengal raised objections under Section 47 of the CPC in 2010 and again in 2011, both of which were dismissed. The State later filed a civil revision challenging the 2010 order and sought condonation of delay under Section 5 of the Li…

The Dayanand Anglo Vedic (DAV) College Trust and Management Society, a Hindi‑speaking institution, sought recognition as a linguistic minority educational institution in Maharashtra. Although initially granted, the state withdrew the status on the ground that most trustees resided outside Maharashtra and therefore were…

The Kandla Port Trust cancelled a 2005 tender for lease‑hold plots after a five‑year delay in obtaining Coastal Regulation Zone clearance, prompting the successful bidder, Rishi Kiran Logistics, to claim that a Letter of Intent (LOI) constituted a concluded contract and that the Trust was estopped from cancelling. The …

The State of Karnataka charged eight persons with robbery and dacoity under Section 397 read with Section 120‑B IPC, alleging they conspired and used deadly weapons on a KSRTC bus. The trial court acquitted all accused, finding the prosecution failed to prove conspiracy and the identification of the accused was unrelia…

The appellant, an illiterate widow with two minor children, sought regularisation of a residential plot originally allotted to her deceased husband by the Mysore Urban Development Authority. After making partial payments, she mistakenly underpaid the balance due to illiteracy, leading the Authority to cancel the allotm…

The State of Assam filed a Special Leave Petition (SLP) under Article 136 of the Constitution challenging only the Gauhati High Court's order dismissing its review petition, without challenging the original judgment of the Writ Appeal dated 20 November 2007. The Court examined whether an SLP can be entertained when the…

The appellants, DLF Universal Ltd. and another, were licensed under the Haryana Development and Regulation of Urban Areas Act, 1975 to develop residential colonies and entered into private agreements with plot and flat buyers that included clauses for extension fees and maintenance charges. The Director, Town and Count…

M/s Informetrics Valuation and Rating Pvt. Ltd. applied to SEBI for registration as a credit rating agency, submitting a chartered accountant's net‑worth certificate based on a bank’s confirmation rather than audited accounts of its promoter. SEBI demanded audited accounts of the promoter for the five years preceding t…

The Union of India entered into a contract with PAM Development for constructing an industrial loco shed, which was later terminated for delay and inferior work. The contractor invoked an arbitration clause, and the Calcutta High Court appointed a former judge as sole arbitrator under Section 11(6) of the Arbitration a…

Senior Laboratory Assistants in West Bengal sought a higher pay scale, leading to a High Court order granting scale 11. Subsequent pay commissions fixed lower scales, and the State framed statutory rules (ROPA Rules) reflecting those scales. Research Assistants later applied to the State Administrative Tribunal for pay…

The Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) supplied gas to Ambica Mills Ltd., a member of a gas‑consuming association, under a 1987 Supreme Court interim order that fixed the gas price and required the company, then in liquidation, not to charge, encumber or alienate its immovable assets without court leave. After the …

The appellants, former employees of the Overseas Communication Service (OCS), were transferred to Videsh Sanchar Nigam Limited (VSNL) and later to Tata Communications Limited (TCL) after the government's disinvestment. They challenged the termination of their services, arguing that VSNL/TCL was a "State" or "other auth…

Harnek Singh filed a suit claiming he was the adopted son of the deceased Sarup Singh and that a gift deed executed by Sarup Singh in favour of Pritam Singh and Surjan Singh was void. The plaintiff was about 23 years old and married with children at the time of the alleged adoption in 1982. Under the Hindu Adoption and…

The Supreme Court heard a writ petition concerning the exploitation of children in orphanages in Tamil Nadu and the failure of several States and Union Territories to implement protective legislation. Earlier orders dated 3 January 2013 and 7 February 2013 had directed the States to operationalise the Protection of Chi…

Integrated Finance Co. Ltd., a non‑banking financial company, was inspected by the RBI which found multiple violations and issued a circular prohibiting it from accepting deposits. The company, facing profitability problems, proposed a scheme of compromise under Section 391 of the Companies Act to convert deposits into…

Arathi Sandi and Sandi Jagadrakshaka Rao, a married couple residing in the United States, fought a divorce and child‑custody dispute. The US Superior Court initially granted primary custody of their US‑citizen son to the mother, later modifying the order to make the father the custodial parent and issuing a writ of hab…

The petitioners, including M/s. Jindal Stainless Ltd., challenged the validity of various State entry tax statutes on the ground that they violated Articles 301, 302, 303 and 304 of the Constitution. The Division Bench observed that several High Courts had treated Article 304(a) and 304(b) as independent, concluding th…

The Supreme Court entertained review petitions filed by the Union of India challenging its earlier decision on reservation in faculty posts at AIIMS. The issue centered on whether Articles 15, 16 and 335 of the Constitution permit reservation in super‑specialty faculty positions. The Court clarified that the power to d…

Tulip Star Hotels Ltd. and its Executive Director were alleged to have sold US$147,000 and £1,000 to Hotel Zam Zam in 1997 through persons not authorized under the RBI's Foreign Exchange Management (FLM) memorandum, violating sections 6(4), 6(5), 7 and 8 of the Foreign Exchange Regulation Act, 1973 (FERA) and paragraph…

The husband instituted two suits before the Family Court—one for divorce and another seeking permanent and temporary injunctions restraining the wife from entering the matrimonial home, in which an ex parte ad interim injunction was granted. The wife prayed for consolidation of the two suits, but the Family Court rejec…

The borrowers (respondent Nos. 1 and 2) defaulted on loans from State Bank of India, leading the bank to invoke the SARFAESI Act and issue demand and possession notices. The bank later approved a private‑treaty sale of the mortgaged immovable assets to the appellants for a consideration barely above the reserve price. …

The parties belonged to a Hindu undivided family that effected a family arrangement and partition on 22 April 1985, allocating specific shares of agricultural lands and houses among the coparceners. The plaintiffs later sued for partition of a house at Nageshwarwadi (SI No. V), claiming it was joint family property, wh…

The parties to a joint venture executed an Intellectual Property License Agreement (IPLA) containing an arbitration clause, but the appellants argued that the IPLA was not a concluded contract and therefore no arbitration agreement existed. The Supreme Court held that the arbitration clause is separable from the underl…

The appellants challenged the compensation awarded by the Land Acquisition Collector and affirmed by the Additional District Judge for land acquired under a 2001 Section 4 notification of the Land Acquisition Act, 1894 in Tohana, Fatehabad, Haryana. They argued that the market value should be enhanced beyond the assess…

The petitioners, representing Scheduled Tribes employees, sought a direction that Himachal Pradesh implement its own policy of reservation in promotions with consequential seniority under the 85th Constitutional Amendment, relying on data already collected. The State argued that implementation should be deferred pendin…

Ramesh Ahluwalia, an administrative officer of the private unaided DAV Public School, was removed from service following a disciplinary inquiry in which the principal, who also acted as a management witness, participated. Ahluwalia challenged the removal by filing a writ petition under Article 226, contending that the …

The appellant, a Sub‑Inspector of Uttar Pradesh Police, was ordered to withhold his integrity certificate for 2010 on the ground that he failed to record the past criminal history of an accused in a bailable offence. He challenged the order, arguing that withholding the certificate was not a punishment contemplated und…

The National Aluminium Company Ltd. (NALCO) had a scheme to provide employment to persons displaced by its land acquisition. The deceased brother of the petitioner, Trilochan Behera, was appointed as a mazdoor under this "land displaced persons" scheme and later died in a road accident. The petitioner sought a similar …

The appellant, a promoter/shareholder of Relectronics Ltd., challenged the Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board’s termination of a lease‑cum‑sale agreement for two industrial plots allotted to the company, arguing that the company owned the land and that the Board required prior court permission under the Compa…

The dispute arose between M/s Today Homes & Infrastructure Pvt. Ltd. (and Mapletree Properties) and the Ludhiana Improvement Trust over a joint‑venture agreement dated 24‑05‑2005, which the Trust later claimed was void. The developers filed an application under Section 11(6) of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 199…

In Arun Kumar Agrawal v. Union of India & Ors., the Supreme Court considered interlocutory applications filed in a writ petition under Article 32. The petitioner sought to have certain disparaging remarks about his bonafides, made in paragraph 63 of the judgment, expunged, arguing they were irrelevant to the decision. …

The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and a public‑spirited petitioner sought a writ directing the preservation of the Bade Baba Jain Temple at Kundalpur, Madhya Pradesh, alleging illegal construction by the Jain Temple Trust and claiming the site was a protected monument of national importance under the Ancient Mon…

Kisan Shankar Kathore was elected to the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, but a voter filed an election petition under RPA s.100(1)(d)(i) and (iv) alleging that Kathore’s nomination was improperly accepted because he failed to disclose government dues, his wife’s bungalow and vehicle, and his interest in a partnership…

Nirma Industries Ltd. and its associate sought to withdraw a public open offer made under SEBI's Takeover Code after discovering alleged fraud and a sharp fall in the target company's share price. SEBI rejected the withdrawal request, and the Securities Appellate Tribunal (SAT) upheld the rejection. The appellants argu…

Schlumberger Asia Services Ltd. entered into a contract with Oil & Natural Gas Corporation Ltd. (ONGC) for oilfield equipment and services. After alleged non‑payment of invoices, Schlumberger sent several notices to ONGC from 2008 onward, invoking arbitration under Clause 27 of the contract. ONGC failed to respond, and…

The Supreme Court considered appeals by several Regional Rural Banks challenging a High Court order that set aside two bank circulars which barred employees who had received a Grade ‘D’ performance rating or disciplinary punishment in the preceding five years from being considered for promotion. The Court examined the …

The appellant, a Soil Conservation Officer, was initially suspended in 1998, the suspension was revoked in 1999, and he was later removed from service in 2003. The removal order was set aside by the High Court on grounds of procedural irregularities, and the department subsequently invoked Rule 12(4) of the Orissa Civi…

Manoj H. Mishra, a tradesman and union leader at Kakrapar Atomic Power Project, wrote a letter to a newspaper describing a flood‑induced accident and alleging corruption. He was charged with unauthorised communication to the press, criticism of project management and breach of confidentiality, and admitted all charges …

The appellant was convicted under Section 324 IPC for an offence committed on 23 July 1986 and sentenced to six months' imprisonment. The Gujarat High Court upheld the conviction and rejected the appellant's application to compound the offence. After the conviction, the victims filed an affidavit expressing their willi…

The wife of a deceased patient filed a consumer complaint alleging medical negligence against two doctors who had performed an operation. The doctors contended that, per the Supreme Court’s decision in Martin F. D'Souza, a complaint could not be entertained without an expert opinion, and they sought to stay the proceed…

Denel (Proprietary) Ltd. entered into a contract with the Ministry of Defence for supply of Base Bleed Units. Disputes arose over rejected goods and the parties could not resolve them, leading to the appointment of a sole arbitrator, A.K. Jain, by the Director General of Ordnance Factory (DGOF) as per the contract clau…

The widow of Madan Tamang, a political leader murdered in public, filed a writ petition under Article 32 seeking quashing of charge‑sheets and a fresh investigation by an independent Special Investigation Team, alleging that the State police, CID and CBI investigations were faulty. The Supreme Court examined the adequa…

Shiv Nandan Mahto was appointed as a clerk in a school in 1979, but an inspection report mistakenly recorded him as a librarian. When the school was taken over by the State of Bihar in 1983, his services were not transferred because the librarian post was not approved. Despite representations, he was not posted to any …

The appellant, Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport Undertaking (BEST), challenged an order of the Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission (MERC) directing Tata Power Company Limited (TPC) to supply electricity to a consumer who wished to switch from BEST. The issues were whether MERC had jurisdiction to…

Two business groups that had entered into a joint venture fell out over shareholding and director appointments, leading to a cascade of more than 80 proceedings, including company law petitions, contempt suits and criminal complaints under Section 340 Cr.P.C. The Supreme Court noted the deadlock and, rather than adjudi…

National Aluminium Company Ltd. (NALCO) had established two schools for the children of its employees and entered into management agreements with external trusts. The school staff filed writ petitions claiming they were employees of NALCO and entitled to parity of pay with NALCO's own workers. The High Court held that …

Al Jazeera Steel Products Company SAOG (the applicant) entered into a sale‑purchase contract with Mid India Power & Steel Ltd. (the respondent) for 2,000 metric tonnes of prime alloy steel billets. The billets delivered were found to be defective, leading the applicant to notify the respondent and request a joint inspe…

BIPROMASZ BIPRON Trading SA entered into a purchase order with Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL) for gyro units, but BEL halted supplies, rejected goods and alleged contractual breaches. The contract’s arbitration clause required disputes to be referred to BEL’s Chairman‑cum‑Managing Director (CMD) or his nominee. The petit…

The State of Uttar Pradesh, through the Meerut Development Authority (MDA), acquired 246.931 acres of land under the Land Acquisition Act, 1894 for a planned residential/commercial scheme. After the award and possession were taken, the MDA resolved in 1997 to withdraw acquisition of 204.912 acres, but the State Governm…

The case concerned T.D. Viswanath, who claimed to have worked as a Lecturer in a junior college from 1990 without ever receiving a formal appointment letter. In July 1995 the college orally informed him that his services were terminated, after which he sought reinstatement and regularisation of his employment. The Educ…

The case concerned seniority disputes in the Punjab Police Service DSP cadre between promotees and direct recruits. The Supreme Court examined whether the earlier judgment in Paramjit Singh, which held that the quota rule must apply both at recruitment and at confirmation, should be followed or displaced by the later C…

The Valtas Employees Cooperative House Building Society purchased a one‑acre plot in 1982 using funds contributed mainly by 11 founder members. In 1996 the society admitted 37 new members, a decision later contested by the founders who claimed exclusive rights to the land. Numerous writ petitions and appeals ensued, ra…

The Bihar State Government Sec. SCL. Teachers Association, representing BSES teachers, sought enforcement of a Supreme Court‑mandated merger of the Bihar Subordinate Education Service (BSES) with the Bihar Education Service (BES). Although the Court had restored the 2006 merger resolution and quashed a 2007 notificatio…

The case concerned the integration of Leprosy Inspectors into the Tamil Nadu Health Department as Health Inspectors Grade I. The State issued G.O. No. 320 (1997) re-designating Leprosy Inspectors as Health Inspector Grade IB and later G.O. No. 382 (2007) attempted to grant them seniority and pay but placed them at the …

The petitioners, two cousins, claimed membership in the Thakar Scheduled Tribe and sought a caste certificate, which was rejected by the Scheduled Tribe Certificate Scrutiny Committee. The Committee, after examining documentary evidence and a vigilance enquiry, found that the family’s historical records listed castes s…

Lingaram Kodopi and Soni Sori, a nephew‑aunt duo, were arrested in Chhattisgarh on allegations of acting as conduits for financing Naxalite activities, charged under IPC sections 121, 124(1), 120B, the Chhattisgarh Jansuraksha Act and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. Their bail applications were rejected by th…

The plaintiffs claimed ownership of a property purchased from the defendant, although the sale deed was unregistered, and filed a suit for permanent injunction together with an application under Order 39 Rules 1 and 2 of the CPC for interim relief. The trial court granted an interim injunction protecting the plaintiff …

The plaintiff, Sudish Prasad, filed a title suit claiming the entire property left by her father Sukai Mahto. The property had been managed by Bal Kishun Mahto, appointed guardian of the minor Sukai, who allegedly executed deeds and claimed an oral gift of a portion of the land. The trial court awarded the plaintiff on…

M/s Kalinga Mining Corporation (appellant) challenged the grant of a mining lease to the legal heirs of the deceased Dr. Sarojini Pradhan (respondent No.10). The High Court had earlier allowed the substitution of the legal heirs, dismissed an SLP against that order, and later upheld the lease grant. The appellant argue…

Rangi International Ltd appealed against orders of the Competition Commission and the Competition Appellate Tribunal that dismissed its claim of unfair trade practice under the Monopolies and Restrictive Trade Practices Act, 1969. The Supreme Court observed that both the Commission and the Tribunal perform important qu…

The appellants had entered into two agreements in July 1999 and deposited earnest money with the respondents, who later offered to return the money. The appellants rejected the offer and sued for specific performance; the trial court granted it, but the Patna High Court denied specific performance and ordered a refund …

The petitioners sought compliance with the Supreme Court's order in Lafarge Umiam Mining Private Limited v. Union of India, which directed the Central Government to appoint a National Regulator under Section 3(3) of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 for independent appraisal and monitoring of environmental clearan…

The respondent alleged that the appellant borrowed Rs.1,50,000 and issued a cheque which later bounced, invoking Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act. The trial court acquitted the appellant, finding the complainant's evidence riddled with contradictions and gaps, particularly regarding the loan amount, date, …

Sister Mina Lalita Baruwa, a Catholic nun, alleged assault, molestation and gang rape during communal violence in Kandhamal. During the trial, PW‑18, a Sub‑Divisional Judicial Magistrate who conducted the test identification parade, gave a statement that conflicted with the official parade record (Exhibit‑8). The victi…

The Union of India challenged the quashing of charge sheets issued to senior income‑tax officers under Rule 14(3) of the Central Civil Services (Classification, Control & Appeal) Rules, 1965, arguing that the Finance Minister's approval for initiating disciplinary proceedings under Rule 14(2) also sufficed for the char…

The Supreme Court examined a public‑interest writ petition filed by civil‑society activists alleging that the State of Chhattisgarh, with the Union's financial support, was employing thousands of barely literate tribal youths as Special Police Officers (SPOs) and arming them to combat Maoist/Naxalite insurgents, thereb…

The Supreme Court considered three appeals challenging orders of the Election Commission that disqualified elected candidates under Section 1OA of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 for allegedly failing to lodge true and correct accounts of election expenses. The Court examined the statutory scheme, the Conduc…

The Supreme Court examined a detention order issued under the Andhra Pradesh Prevention of Dangerous Activities Act, 1986 against Munagala Anjaiah, who was alleged to be a bootlegger violating the Andhra Pradesh Prohibition Act, 1995. The appellant's wife challenged the order, and the High Court upheld it, reasoning th…

The Supreme Court entertained a writ petition filed by former Union Law Minister Ram Jethmalani and others alleging that large sums of unaccounted money were being held by Indian individuals and entities in foreign banks, notably involving Hassan Ali Khan and the Tapurias, and that the Union of India had been sluggish …

In Civil Appeal No. 3867 of 2014, the Supreme Court observed that a clerical error had omitted the phrase confirming the trial court's findings on Issue III in paragraph 22 of its earlier judgment dated 14 March 2014. The Court directed that the omitted line be restored, thereby amending the judgment to read that the t…

The appellant, a power distribution company, entered into a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with the respondent, a power generator, and disputed accounting details and rebate claims arising from monthly invoices. The dispute was taken before the Tamil Nadu Electricity Regulatory Commission (State Commission) which adjud…

The appellant's husband, Yumman Somendro, was arrested in January 2011 for murder and, while in police custody, was served with a detention order under the National Security Act (NSA) dated 31 January 2011, which was later confirmed by the Governor for twelve months. The order was based solely on the subjective satisfa…

The Supreme Court examined the recruitment of Junior Engineers in Uttaranchal, where the 2001 emergency recruitment rules did not grant any preference to trained apprentices, but the 2003 amendment rules introduced a 10‑mark bonus for apprentices. The Court held that the 2003 rules could not be given retrospective effe…

The Union of India (Railway administration) entered into contracts with M/s Concrete Products & Construction Co. for supplying concrete sleepers. Overpayments were identified and the railway sought recovery, leading to arbitration where the arbitrator ordered the railway to refund the amounts with interest at 18% per a…

The petitioner, Thota Venkateswarlu, married Parvathareddy Suneetha in India and later moved with her to Botswana, where she alleged cruelty and dowry demands. A complaint was lodged in India invoking IPC sections 498‑A and 506 (alleged to have occurred abroad) and Dowry Prohibition Act sections 3 and 4 (alleged to hav…

The appellant, the Executive Engineer, had taken possession of land belonging to the respondents on 3 June 2001, but the preliminary notification under Section 4(1) of the Land Acquisition Act, 1894 was issued only on 30 December 2006. The respondents claimed compensation, rent, and interest for the period before the n…

The wife and relatives of a truck driver who died in a road accident filed a claim under the Workmen's Compensation Act, 1923 for compensation and 12% interest from the date of the accident. The Workmen's Compensation Commissioner awarded the compensation with interest from the accident date, but the Gujarat High Court…

The petitioner challenged the appointment of U.K. Sinha as Chairman of SEBI on grounds that he failed to satisfy the statutory requirement of "high integrity" under Section 4(5) of the SEBI Act, alleging mis‑representation, irregular deputation, false declarations, and a conspiracy to secure his selection. The Court ex…

The claimants, the dependants of a deceased motorcyclist, were awarded compensation by the Motor Accidents Claims Tribunal after a fatal accident involving a Maxi Cab. The insurer, United India Insurance Co., appealed, arguing that the driver, who held a licence for light motor vehicles but not an endorsement for comme…

The appellants challenged an arbitral award that had been set aside by the Delhi High Court. The High Court held the award invalid for lack of notice and hearing to the respondent, invoking Section 34(2)(a)(iii) of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996, and also made extensive remarks on the parties' conduct. The …