Gratuity — Withholding of gratuity due to non-vacation of company-allotted accommodation — SAIL Gratuity Rules, 1978, Rule 3.2.1(c) expressly empowers management to withhold gratuity for non-compliance with company rules, including non-vacation of accommodation — No interest payable on gratuity withheld for period of unauthorized occupation — Management is entitled to adjust penal rent accrued for retention beyond permissible period from gratuity amount — Order of March 31, 2017 in Ram Naresh Singh’s case was a concession based on specific facts and not binding precedent, unlike the order of December 15, 2020 in S.L.P — (C) No — 11025 of 2020 which clarified principles of penal rent adjustment
2026 INSC 263 SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH THE MANAGEMENT OF STEEL AUTHORITY OF INDIA AND OTHERS Vs. SHAMBHU PRASAD SINGH AND OTHERS ( Before : Pankaj Mithal and…
Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 — Section 166 — Motor Accidents Claims Tribunal (MACT) — Assessment of compensation — Functional disability vs — Physical disability — High Court reduced functional disability from 63% assessed by Medical Board to 30% without providing cogent reasons, constituting an erroneous appreciation of evidence and misapplication of legal principles — Such reduction, without convincing evidence impeaching medical certificates and without assigning adequate reasons, was unjustified — Supreme Court, to do complete justice and avoid further delay, examined functional disability on merits, considering medical and neuropsychological reports indicating severe cognitive impairment, partial blindness, and orthopedic limitations — Held, functional disability for calculating loss of earning capacity should be assessed at 100% given the claimant’s managerial role and the profound impact of injuries on his cognitive and functional abilities — Compensation recalculated accordingly, enhancing the award from Rs — 35,61,000/- to Rs — 97,73,011/-.
2026 INSC 260 SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH R. HALLE Vs. RELIANCE GENERAL INSURANCE COMPANY LIMITED ( Before : Prashant Kumar Mishra and Sandeep Mehta, JJ. ) Civil Appeal…
Criminal Procedure Code, 1973 (CrPC) — Sections 221 and 222 — Conviction for offence not charged — High Court rightly reversed the conviction under Section 364 of IPC when the charge was for Section 302 of IPC, as Section 364 is not a minor or cognate offence to Section 302, making conviction without specific charge or notice prejudicial to fair trial
2026 INSC 256 SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH THE STATE OF UTTAR PRADESH Vs. RAM SWAROOP @ BARKAT ( Before : Aravind Kumar and Augustine George Masih, JJ. )…
Consumer Protection Act, 1986 — Section 2(1)(d) — Definition of “consumer” — Commercial purpose — Deposit of surplus funds by a company in a bank for earning interest does not automatically make it a commercial purpose, but if the deposit is made to leverage credit facilities for augmenting business, it would have a direct nexus with revenue generation/profits — The identity of the purchaser or the value of the transaction is not conclusive, but the dominant intention or purpose behind the transaction is determining.
2026 INSC 264 SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH SANT ROHIDAS LEATHER INDUSTRIES AND CHARMAKAR DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION LTD. Vs. VIJAYA BANK ( Before : Pamidighantam Sri Narasimha and Manoj Misra,…
Penal Code, 1860 (IPC) — Sections 406 and 420 — Criminal breach of trust and cheating — For an offence of cheating under Section 415 IPC, a fraudulent or dishonest intention must exist at the time of making the promise or representation — Mere failure to keep a promise subsequently does not automatically prove dishonest intention from the beginning — Every breach of contract does not amount to cheating, unless there was deception at the inception.
2026 INSC 265 SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH V. GANESAN Vs. STATE REP BY THE SUB INSPECTOR OF POLICE AND ANOTHER ( Before : Pamidighantam Sri Narasimha and Manoj…
Service Law — Disciplinary proceedings post-superannuation — Where service regulations permit continuation of disciplinary proceedings initiated before superannuation, they can be concluded thereafter — Punishment of reduction in pay scale can be implemented by computing pension based on the reduced salary.
2026 INSC 266 SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH VIRINDER PAL SINGH Vs. PUNJAB AND SIND BANK AND OTHERS ( Before : Pamidighantam Sri Narasimha and Manoj Misra, JJ. )…
Securities and Exchange Board of India Act, 1992 — Section 15Z — Appeal to Supreme Court against SAT order setting aside Adjudicating Officer’s order imposing penalties for violation of SEBI (Prohibition of Fraudulent and Unfair Trade Practices Relating to Securities Market) Regulations, 2003 and Securities Contracts (Regulation) Act, 1956 — Held, diversion of funds from preferential issue was in violation of Regulations and detrimental to investors — SAT’s reversal of AO’s order based on shareholder ratification was erroneous — Appeals allowed — Order of Adjudicating Officer restored.
2026 INSC 245 SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISON BENCH SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE BOARD OF INDIA Vs. TERRASCOPE VENTURES LIMITED ETC ( Before : J.B. Pardiwala and K. V. Viswanathan, JJ.…
Constitution of India, 1950 — Article 21 — Right to dignified life — Includes reproductive autonomy and the right to foster a family through adoption — Restricting maternity benefit based on the age of an adopted child infringes upon this right by denying adoptive mothers the opportunity to bond and integrate with their child, compromising both maternal and child welfare.
2026 INSC 246 SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISON BENCH HAMSAANANDINI NANDURI Vs. UNION OF INDIA AND OTHERS ( Before : J.B. Pardiwala and R. Mahadevan, JJ. ) Writ Petition (C)…
Contract Act, 1872 — Section 126 — Guarantee — Corporate Guarantee — Defendant No.1 executed a written undertaking (Corporate Guarantee) to pay a sum of USD 100,000 — This constituted a valid guarantee, not just a freight payment arrangement — Liability of surety is co-extensive with principal debtor.
2026 INSC 247 SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISON BENCH CANARA BANK OVERSEAS BRANCH REP. BY SENIOR MANAGER Vs. ARCHEAN INDUSTRIES PRIVATE LIMITED AND ANOTHER ( Before : J.B. Pardiwala and…
Penal Code, 1860 (IPC) — Sections 302 and 498A — Appeal against conviction for murder and cruelty — Court considered evidence of eyewitness daughter, post-mortem report, and dying declaration of the deceased — High Court reversed acquittal by Trial Court and convicted the appellant — Trial Court acquitted on grounds of inconsistent witness testimonies, unreliable dying declaration due to victim’s serious injuries and sedation, and improbability of incident occurring in a small bathroom — Supreme Court found eyewitness testimony credible, post-mortem report confirmed cause of death, and dying declaration reliable despite victim’s severe burns, supported by medical opinion that she was conscious and fit to make a statement — Recovery of kerosene tin, matchbox, and burnt cloth pieces from the scene further corroborated the prosecution’s case — Supreme Court held that the evidence unequivocally proved the appellant’s responsibility for the offences.
2026 INSC 249 SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISON BENCH SUBRAMANI Vs. STATE OF KARNATAKA ( Before : Pankaj Mithal and S.V.N. Bhatti, JJ. ) Criminal Appeal No. 2432 of 2010…