Supreme Court of India Judgements

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Category: Service

Service Matters
Service

Boilers Act, 1923 — Sections 2(c), 28, 28A, 29 — Chief Inspector, Deputy Chief Inspector and Inspector (Qualification and Experience) Rules, 2012; Recruitment Rules, 2013 — Recruitment for Inspector of Boilers — Cancellation of ongoing recruitment process due to new recruitment policy framing weightage for interview — Held, new policy, being an executive instruction, cannot override statutory rules governing recruitment — Change of rules mid-game impermissible — Candidate has legitimate expectation of fair completion of recruitment — New policy, in absence of express retrospective application, applied prospectively and not to ongoing recruitment — Cancellation arbitrary and unjust.

Aug 31, 2025 sclaw

SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH THE STATE OF TRIPURA AND OTHERS Vs. ARUNABHA SAHA AND ANOTHER ( Before : J.K. Maheshwari and Rajesh Bindal, JJ. ) Civil Appeal No.…

Service Matters
Service

Constitution of India, 1950 — Article 309 — Tripura Civil Service Rules, 1967 and Tripura Police Service Rules — Recruitment Rules framed under Article 309 have statutory force — Executive instructions (New Recruitment Policy) cannot override statutory rules unless rules are amended — Cancellation of a recruitment process at an advanced stage (after main examination) based on an executive policy change without amending statutory rules is unjustified and arbitrary.

Aug 31, 2025 sclaw

SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH THE STATE OF TRIPURA AND ANOTHER Vs. SAMUDRA DEBBARMA AND OTHER ( Before : J.K. Maheshwari and Rajesh Bindal, JJ. ) Civil Appeal Nos.…

Service Matters
Service

Disciplinary Proceedings — Charges — Proof — Constable found 12 kms from camp when permitted to visit hospital — Detained by civilians due to unwarranted activities affecting reputation of Force — Charge of leaving camp without permission not proved, but being found at distant residential colony instead of hospital and subsequent detention sufficiently proved conduct unbecoming of member of Armed Forces.

Aug 31, 2025 sclaw

2025 INSC 1055 SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH CONST. AMAR SINGH Vs. UNION OF INDIA AND OTHER ( Before : Pamidighantam Sri Narasimha and Atul S. Chandurkar, JJ. )…

Service Matters
Service

Police Service — Discipline — Unauthorized Absence — Dismissal justified — Unauthorized absence from duty, especially in a disciplined force, constitutes gross indiscipline. When a member of a disciplined force remains absent without permission or intimation for a considerable period, dismissal from service is justified, provided due procedure is followed.

Aug 31, 2025 sclaw

2025 INSC 1056 SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH STATE OF PUNJAB AND OTHERS Vs. EX. C. SATPAL SINGH ( Before : J.K. Maheshwari and Vijay Bishnoi, JJ. ) Civil…

Service Matters
Service

Service Law — Employee’s Plea for Mercy — An employee’s statement pleading innocence and seeking forgiveness for any mistake indirectly admits guilt and warrants mercy. Evidence in Departmental Inquiry — Findings in a departmental inquiry are based on preponderance of probabilities, not strict proof beyond reasonable doubt, and the High Court’s view that findings were based on conjecture and surmises was legally unsustainable if evidence supported the findings

Aug 23, 2025 sclaw

2025 INSC 1010 SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH STATE BANK OF INDIA AND OTHERS Vs. RAMADHAR SAO ( Before : Rajesh Bindal and Manmohan, JJ. ) Civil Appeal No.…

Service Matters
Service

Interpretation of Statute and Notifications — ‘Any’ University does not mean only within the State — The phrase “in any State-aided University or College” in a notification extending retirement age was interpreted to include experience from universities or colleges outside the State of West Bengal. The court found that confining the benefit to experience within West Bengal had no rational nexus or object, making it artificial, discriminatory, and violative of equality principles.

Aug 1, 2025 sclaw

2025 INSC 910 SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH SUBHA PRASAD NANDI MAJUMDAR Vs. THE STATE OF WEST BENGAL SERVICE AND OTHERS ( Before : Pamidighantam Sri Narasimha and Manoj…

Service Matters
Service

Central Civil Services (Classification, Control and Appeal) Rules, 1965, Rule 13(2) and Rule 14, Appendix 3 — Disciplinary proceedings for major penalties — Initiation of by authority competent to impose minor penalties — Permissible — Rule 13(2) allows a disciplinary authority competent to impose minor penalties to institute proceedings for major penalties, even if not competent to impose major penalties itself. – Charge Sheet — Validity of issuance by General Manager (Telecommunications) for major penalties — Held valid as the General Manager is competent to impose minor penalties and Rule 13(2) permits initiation of proceedings for major penalties by such an authority.

Jul 29, 2025 sclaw

2025 INSC 898 SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH UNION OF INDIA AND OTHERS Vs. R. SHANKARAPPA ( Before : Sanjay Kumar and Satish Chandra Sharma, JJ. ) Civil Appeal…

Service Matters
Pension Railways Act Service

Pension Law — Family Pension — Eligibility of ‘Substitutes’ in Railways — deceased husband of the appellant was appointed as a ‘Substitute Waterman’ and died in harness after serving for 9 years, 8 months, and 26 days — Railways denied family pension on the grounds that his service was not regularized and did not meet the 10-year qualifying period for family pension — Appellant contended that as per Indian Railway Establishment Manual Vol-I, Rule 1515 and Railway Service (Pension) Rules, 1993, especially Rule 75(2)(a), substitutes with continuous service of one year are entitled to family pension. Held, deceased had acquired temporary status and completed more than one year of continuous service, thus eligible for family pension.

Jul 20, 2025 sclaw

2025 INSC 855 SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH MALA DEVI Vs. UNION OF INDIA AND OTHERS ( Before : Sanjay Karol and Satish Chandra Sharma, JJ. ) Civil Appeal…

You missed

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