December 2025 - Page 3 of 8 - Supreme Court of India Judgements

December 24, 2025 7:22 pm

Electricity Law — Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) — Commercial Operation Date (COD) — Firm Power vs. Infirm Power — Payment of Fixed Charges — Applicability of Regulations — Dispute regarding whether power supplied by generating company (respondent) to distribution licensee (appellant) during the relevant period (29.10.2005 to 30.06.2006) should be treated as “firm power” entitling the respondent to fixed charges, or “infirm power” entitling only variable charges — TNERC and APTEL concurrently found in favour of the generating company, holding the power supply was firm power — Supreme Court upheld the finding that continuous power supply from the gas turbine open cycle during the relevant period was “firm power” as per electricity regulations, notwithstanding the PPA’s definition of COD tied to the combined cycle project completion. (Paras 2, 29, 31, 37)

Dec 17, 2025 sclaw

2025 INSC 1439 SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH TAMIL NADU GENERATION AND DISTRIBUTION CORPORATION LTD. Vs. M/S PENNA ELECTRICITY LIMITED ( Before : J. B. Pardiwala and K. V.…

Cr P C

Criminal Procedure Code, 1973 (CrPC) — Section 482 — Inherent powers of High Court to quash FIR — Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 — Allegations against former Minister (Chairman of Regularisation Committee) regarding illegal land allotments to non-eligible persons — Principles for quashing FIR reiterated, including where institution and continuance of proceedings amount to abuse of process of court or securing ends of justice, or where proceedings are manifestly attended with mala fide (Bhajanlal guidelines) — High Court should follow steps outlined in Rajiv Thapar vs. Madan Lal Kapoor to determine veracity of quashing prayer. (Paras 12, 12, I-III)

Dec 17, 2025 sclaw

2025 INSC 1441 SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH R. ASHOKA Vs. STATE OF KARNATAKA AND OTHERS ( Before : Sanjay Karol and Vipul M. Pancholi, JJ. ) Criminal Appeal…

I P C

Penal Code, 1860 (IPC) — Section 302 read with Section 34 — Murder — Appeal against acquittal — Powers of Appellate Court — Reversal of acquittal — Principles — The guilt of the accused must be established beyond reasonable doubt (must or should, not may be) — Once an accused is acquitted, the presumption of innocence is reinforced — Interference by the appellate court must be minimal and guided by “substantial and compelling reasons” — Reversal should not occur merely because another view is possible — If two reasonable or plausible conclusions are possible on the evidence, the one favouring the acquittal must not be disturbed by the Appellate Court. (Paras 9, 9.2, 9.3, 9.4, 9.5)

Dec 17, 2025 sclaw

2025 INSC 1442 SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH RAJ PAL SINGH Vs. RAJVEER AND OTHERS ( Before : K. Vinod Chandran and N.V. Anjaria, JJ. ) Criminal Appeal No(S).…

I P C

Penal Code, 1860 (IPC) — Section 376(2)(d) — Rape — Appreciation of Evidence — Conviction solely based on First Information Report (FIR) or previous statements of hostile witnesses — Admissibility and reliability — Victim (PW-1) and her husband (PW-2) turned hostile and did not support the prosecution case during trial — Court should be slow to act on the testimony of hostile witness and normally look for corroboration — Both Trial Court and High Court erred in placing reliance on the FIR and recording conviction by virtually converting the case into one of circumstantial evidence, especially when the main direct evidence witnesses (victim and husband) were declared hostile. (Paras 6, 9, 10, 11, 18, 19)

Dec 17, 2025 sclaw

2025 INSC 1443 SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH JAYANTIBHAI CHATURBHAI PATEL Vs. STATE OF GUJARAT ( Before : Sanjay Karol and Vipul M. Pancholi, JJ. ) Criminal Appeal No.…

Consumer General Insurance

Insurance Law — Fire Insurance Policy — Scope of Coverage — Proximate Cause — Repudiation of Claim — Loss occasioned by fire following an attempted theft/burglary — Policy covered ‘Fire’ as a specified peril with limited exclusions which did not include theft/burglary preceding the fire — Insurer denied claim arguing that the proximate cause was theft/burglary, which was excluded under the Riots Strike and Malicious Damages (RSMD) clause — Held: Once the loss is caused by fire (an insured peril), the cause igniting the fire is immaterial, particularly when no such exclusion (theft/burglary preceding fire) is contained within the ‘Fire’ peril’s exclusions or the general exclusions — A fire insurance contract indemnifies against loss by fire, and the cause of the fire is irrelevant unless it stems from a peril expressly excluded in the fire coverage — The exclusion under the RSMD clause cannot be imported to negate coverage under the distinct ‘Fire’ peril — Claim repudiation based on theft as the proximate cause was unjustified, and the NCDRC erred in upholding it. (Paras 20, 22, 23, 25, 28, 29)

Dec 17, 2025 sclaw

2025 INSC 1444 SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH CEMENT CORPORATION OF INDIA Vs. ICICI LOMBARD GENERAL INSURANCE COMPANY LIMITED ( Before : J.K. Maheshwari and Vijay Bishnoi, JJ. )…

Service

Bihar Reorganisation Act, 2000 — Section 34(4) — Transfer of proceedings and effect of orders — Section 34(4) provides that any order made by the High Court at Patna before the appointed day in certain proceedings, shall for all purposes have effect not only as an order of the High Court at Patna but also as an order made by the High Court of Jharkhand — This deeming provision ensures continuity of judicial authority and mandates that judgments (like Nagendra Sahani) rendered by the Patna High Court before the reorganization, concerning employees subsequently allocated to Jharkhand (Successor State), must be treated as binding precedent by the High Court of Jharkhand. (Paras 17, 19, 20, 21, 31)

Dec 17, 2025 sclaw

2025 INSC 1445 SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH SANJAY KUMAR UPADHYAY Vs. STATE OF JHARKHAND AND OTHERS ( Before : J.K. Maheshwari and Vijay Bishnoi, JJ. ) Civil Appeal…

SARFAESI

Securitisation and Reconstruction of Financial Assets and Enforcement of Security Interest Act, 2002 (SARFAESI Act, 2002) — Applicability in Nagaland — Constitutional Mandate — Article 371A of the Constitution of India — Special provision with respect to the State of Nagaland — Article 371A(1)(a)(iv) stipulates that no Act of Parliament concerning ownership and transfer of land and its resources shall apply to Nagaland unless the Legislative Assembly resolves so — SARFAESI Act, which envisages transfer of property by auction sale for realizing secured assets, relates to ‘ownership and transfer of land’ — Provisions of SARFAESI Act became applicable in Nagaland only from the date of the Governor’s notification (December 10, 2021) — Action initiated by the Appellant-Corporation under Section 13(2) of SARFAESI Act in 2011 was without jurisdiction as the Act was not applicable in Nagaland at that time. (Paras 15, 18, 19, 20, 21, 28)

Dec 17, 2025 sclaw

2025 INSC 1446 SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH NORTH EASTERN DEVELOPMENT FINANCE CORPORATION LTD. (NEDFI) Vs. M/S L. DOULO BUILDERS AND SUPPLIERS CO. PVT. LTD. ( Before : Dipankar…

Accident

Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 — Section 166 — Claim Petition — Standard of Proof — In motor vehicle accident claims, the standard of proof is based on preponderance of probabilities, not proof beyond reasonable doubt — However, claimants must establish three elements: (i) occurrence of accident; (ii) involvement of the specific offending vehicle; and (iii) rash and negligent act of the driver — Mere occurrence of the accident alone is insufficient if the involvement of the vehicle and negligence are not established. (Paras 5, 7, 8, 16)

Dec 15, 2025 sclaw

2025 INSC 1425 SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH SITHARA N.S. AND OTHERS Vs. SAI RAM GENERAL INSURANCE COMPANY LIMITED ( Before : Sanjay Karol and Prashant Kumar Mishra, JJ.…

Service

Service Law — Compassionate Appointment — Nature of right — Appointment on compassionate bases is a concession, not a matter of right, and serves as an exception to the general rule of public employment under Articles 14 and 16 of the Constitution of India — Core objective is to enable the dependent family to tide over sudden financial crisis following the death of the employee, providing relief against destitution — It is not intended to provide a post much less a post held by the deceased or a higher post based on educational qualification. (Paras 3, 7, 7.1, 7.3, 11)

Dec 15, 2025 sclaw

2025 INSC 1423 SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH THE DIRECTOR OF TOWN PANCHAYAT AND OTHERS Vs. M. JAYABAL AND ANOTHER ETC. ( Before : Rajesh Bindal and Manmohan, JJ.…

G S T

Goods and Services Tax (GST) — Exemption Notification — Notification No. 9/2017- Integrated Tax (Rate) dated 28.06.2017 — Entry 13 — Exemption on services by way of renting of residential dwelling for use as residence — Renting residential property as hostel to students/working professionals — Conditions for exemption: renting service, residential dwelling, and use as residence — The term “residential dwelling” is not defined under GST laws but refers to any residential accommodation for long-term stay, excluding commercial places, hotels, guesthouses for temporary stay — Property comprising 42 rooms rented out and sub-leased for use as hostel accommodation is considered a “residential dwelling” as its nature and use remain residential, not commercial accommodation like a hotel. (Paras 36, 46, 47, 50)

Dec 14, 2025 sclaw

2025 INSC 1380 SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH THE STATE OF KARNATAKA AND ANOTHER Vs. TAGHAR VASUDEVA AMBRISH AND ANOTHER ( Before : J.B. Pardiwala and K.V. Viswanathan, JJ.…

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Service

Cochin University of Science and Technology Act, 1986 — Section 31(10) and 31(11) — Selection and Appointment — Validity of Rank List and Communal Rotation — Harmonious Construction — Section 31(10) stipulates that the Rank List remains valid for two years, and vacancies arising during this period “shall be filled up from the list so published” — Section 31(11) mandates that “Communal rotation shall be followed category-wise” — These sub-sections operate in distinct spheres but are not mutually exclusive; the Rank List’s validity period (Sub-sec 10) co-exists with the mandatory application of communal rotation (Sub-sec 11) for every appointment made therefrom — Interpreting Sub-section (11) as becoming operative only after the Rank List expires would render the reservation/rotation requirement otiose during the list’s validity, defeating legislative intent and violating the doctrine of harmonious construction. (Paras 5, 5.2, 5.4, 5.5, 5.5.1, 5.5.2

Dec 19, 2025 sclaw

Acquittal I P C

Penal Code, 1860 (IPC) —Section 302 read with Sections 149 and 148 — Murder —Conviction affirmed by High Court — Appeal to Supreme Court — Sufficiency of evidence — Role of interested/related witnesses — Deposition of PW-4 (mother of deceased and alleged eyewitness) scrutinized closely — Material contradictions found in PW-4’s evidence regarding the manner of assault and who informed her — Failure of prosecution to examine key witness (deceased’s granddaughter, who initially informed PW-4) — Independent witnesses (PW-1, PW-2, PW-3 and PW-9) turned hostile — Recovery of weapons based on accused’s memorandum/statement rendered unreliable when supporting witnesses hostile. (Paras 4, 7, 8, 9, 10, 13, 14, 15)

Dec 19, 2025 sclaw

Constitution

Employees’ State Insurance Act, 1948 — Section 45A — Determination of contributions in certain cases — Preconditions for invoking Section 45A — Section 45A is a special provision for best-judgment assessment applicable only when an employer fails to submit, furnish, or maintain returns, particulars, registers, or records as required by Section 44, OR obstructs an Inspector or official in discharging duties under Section 45 — It is not an alternative mode of assessment available at the option of the Corporation — When records (ledgers, cash books, vouchers, etc.) are produced and the employer cooperates by attending multiple personal hearings, the mere allegation of inadequacy or deficiency of supporting documents does not satisfy the statutory threshold of “non-production” or “obstruction” to invoke Section 45A — Mere inadequacy of records does not confer jurisdiction under Section 45A. (Paras 14.6, 14.7, 24, 25, 27, 30)

Dec 19, 2025 sclaw

Tenders & Contracts

Tender and Contract — Eligibility Criteria — Interpretation of “prime contractor” and “in the same name and style” — Requirement of work experience — Where an NIT’s pre-qualification document requires “each prime contractor in the same name and style (tenderer)” to have completed previous work, and the term “prime contractor” is undefined, its meaning must be derived from common parlance as the tenderer primarily responsible for the contract offer; however, the requirement must be construed from the standpoint of a prudent businessman, considering the credentials and capacity to execute the work, not merely the name. (Paras 17, 20, 21.3)

Dec 19, 2025 sclaw

Month: December 2025

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