Month: February 2026

Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996 — Section 29A(4) — Application for extension of time to make arbitral award — Where an arbitral tribunal is constituted by the High Court under Section 11(6), any application for extension of time under Section 29A(4) would lie with the High Court. Where an arbitral tribunal is constituted by the parties themselves under Section 11(2), the application under Section 29A(4) would lie before the Principal Civil Court of original jurisdiction in a district, which also includes the High Court in its ordinary original jurisdiction.

2026 INSC 92 SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH JAGDEEP CHOWGULE Vs. SHEELA CHOWGULE AND OTHERS ( Before : Pamidighantam Sri Narasimha and R. Mahadevan, JJ. ) Civil Appeal No(s).Of…

Advocates Act, 1961 — Section 38 — Appeal against Bar Council of India judgment — Professional misconduct — Failure to act with reasonable diligence and absence from Court hearing leading to dismissal of quashing petition — High Court ordered quashing of FIR subject to deposit of costs — Costs not deposited in time, FIR quashing order recalled and petition dismissed — Application to recall dismissal order allowed, quashing restored subject to enhanced costs — Compromise reached between advocate and complainant, misunderstanding about costs resolved — High Court waived enhanced costs — FIR quashed — Complainant filed affidavit withdrawing complaint due to misunderstanding about costs and expressing satisfaction with advocate’s services — Disciplinary Committee of Bar Council of India held advocate guilty of professional misconduct despite withdrawal affidavit — Supreme Court held that disciplinary committee ignored vital aspect of withdrawal affidavit and satisfaction of complainant — Substratum of complaint ceased to exist once dispute was resolved and withdrawn — Finding of professional misconduct unsustainable.

2026 INSC 94 SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH MONTY GOYAL Vs. NAVRANG SINGH ( Before : Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta, JJ. ) Civil Appeal No(s). 77 of 2026…

Civil Procedure Code, 1908 (CPC) — Section 114A, Rules 17, 27, 28 of West Bengal Panchayat (Gram Panchayat Administration) Rules, 2004 — Competency of Gram Panchayat to grant building permission — Not competent if area governed by Act of 1979 and development plan exists — Panchayat Samiti is the competent authority.

SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH M/S AARSUDAY PROJECTS AND INFRASTRUCTURE (P) LTD Vs. JOGEN CHOWDHURY AND OTHERS ( Before : Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta, JJ. ) Civil Appeal…

Service Matters

University Grants Commission (Promotion of Equity in Higher Education Institutions) Regulations, 2026 — Clause 3(c) defining “Caste-based Discrimination” — Incorporation argued as restrictive and exclusionary — Claim that it renders individuals from non-reserved/general classes remediless against caste-based discrimination or institutional bias — Allegation that regulations proceed on unfounded presumption that caste-based discrimination only affects reserved categories.

SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH MRITUNJAY TIWARI Vs. UNION OF INDIA AND ANOTHER ( Before : Surya Kant, C.J. and Joymalya Bagchi, J. ) Writ Petition(s)(Civil) No(s). 101/2026 with…

Criminal Procedure Code, 1973 — Section 439 — Bail — Cancellation of bail — Supreme Court’s power to interfere with High Court’s bail order — Supreme Court ordinarily does not interfere with High Court orders granting bail, but will intervene if discretion was exercised without due application of mind or contrary to law — Factors to consider include prima facie view of guilt, nature/gravity of offence, and likelihood of obstruction/evasion of justice — Grant of bail balances public interest in justice with individual liberty.

2026 INSC 98 SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH USMAN ALI Vs. STATE OF UTTAR PRADESH AND ANOTHER ( Before : Sanjay Karol and Prashant Kumar Mishra, JJ. ) Criminal…

Constitution of India, 1950 — Article 14 — Equality before law — Arbitrariness — State as a model employer is obligated to act with fairness and cannot exploit employees or take advantage of their unequal bargaining power — Prolonged contractual engagement on sanctioned posts, followed by abrupt discontinuation without cogent reasons, is arbitrary and violates Article 14.

2026 INSC 99 SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH BHOLA NATH Vs. THE STATE OF JHARKHAND AND OTHERS ( Before : Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta, JJ. ) Civil Appeal…

University Grants Commission Act, 1956 — Section 26(1)(e) and (g) — UGC Regulations, 2018 — Regulation 7.3 — Puducherry Technological University Act, 2019, SECTION 14(5) — Vice-Chancellor Appointment — Search-cum-Selection Committee — The UGC Regulations, framed under Entry 66 of List I of the Constitution, prescribe mandatory standards for the appointment of Vice-Chancellors. State legislation must conform to these regulations. A deviation, such as the exclusion of a UGC nominee from the Search-cum-Selection Committee or the inclusion of a conflicted member, renders the appointment invalid.

2026 INSC 100 SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH DR. S. MOHAN Vs. THE SECRETARY TO THE CHANCELLOR, PUDUCHERRY TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY, PUDUCHERRY AND OTHERS ETC ( Before : Vikram Nath…

National Green Tribunal Act, 2010 — Sections 15, 20 — Environmental compensation — Quantification — Project cost — NGT has discretion to mould relief based on polluter pays principle, scale of offending activity, and capacity of violator — Project turnover or cost can be relevant yardstick for determining compensation — Large scale operations indicate bigger environmental footprint and greater responsibility — Compensation must be rational, proportionate, and reasoned — Mechanical application of turnover or project cost is impermissible. (Paras 19, 20, 21, 22, 25, 26, 27, 28, 46.2)

2026 INSC 102 SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH M/S. RHYTHM COUNTY Vs. SATISH SANJAY HEGDE AND OTHERS ( Before : Dipankar Datta and Vijay Bishnoi, JJ. ) Civil Appeal…

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