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Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 — Section 168 — Notional income of skilled worker — Carpenter — Assessment — The appellant, a carpenter aged 38 years, suffered amputation of his right leg below the knee in a road accident in November 2004 — The Claims Tribunal assessed his monthly income at Rs. 3,000/- and the High Court enhanced it to Rs. 5,000/- relying on minimum wages. Held — A carpenter is a skilled artisan who works with precision and manual dexterity — His income cannot be equated with that of an unskilled worker — Where the appellant’s unrefuted evidence showed earnings of Rs. 8,000/- to Rs. 10,000/- per month, and a skilled job always has the potentiality to fetch higher income, the High Court erred in restricting the figure to Rs. 5,000/- — Considering the date of accident, decisions in comparable cases and the fact of the appellant being a skilled worker, his notional monthly income is assessed at Rs. 9,000/- per month. Criminal Procedure Code, 1973 (CrPC) — Penal Code, 1860 (IPC) — Section 304 Part II — Culpable Homicide not Amounting to Murder — Conviction and sentence — Appeal against — Abatement of appeal due to death of co-accused — Death of two appellants during pendency of appeal — Appeal survives only for the third appellant. Uttar Pradesh Zamindari Abolition and Land Reforms Act, 1950 — Section 154 — Transfer of land in contravention of ceiling limit — Not void ipso facto — Capable of ratification — Legality of transfer to be judged by law on date of execution — Sale deed executed on 04.06.1957 — Ceiling limit then was 30 acres, subsequently amended to 12.5 acres retrospectively from 01.07.1952 — Transfer in contravention of Section 154 not void but voidable at instance of Gaon Sabha coupled with liability for ejectment of transferee under Section 163 — No suit filed for ejectment within limitation period. Specific Relief Act, 1963 — Section 16(c) — “Readiness and Willingness” — Relief of specific performance is equitable and discretionary — Plaintiff must specifically aver and prove continuous readiness and willingness to perform obligations — Failure to do so disentitles plaintiff to relief — “Readiness” refers to financial capacity, “Willingness” to conduct and intention — Both cumulatively must be seen — Conduct of plaintiff prior and subsequent to suit, along with attending circumstances, must be considered — Availability of funds must be proved with reference to relevant time, not by documents created much later. Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 — Section 166 and 140 — Compensation for death in motor vehicular accident — Negligence — Truck stationed on road at night without warning lights or indicators — Wagon-R car collided from behind — Held, truck driver was negligent in leaving the vehicle unattended on the road without adequate precautionary measures, which was the proximate cause of the accident.

Prevention of Witch (Daain) Practices Act, 1999 – Sections 3 and 4 – Penal Code, 1860 (IPC) – Sections 341, 323, 354, 354 (B), 379, 504, 506 and 149 – – The respondent opposes anticipatory bail, asserting that the petitioner’s involvement is established – They contend that the seriousness of the charges warrants denial of bail – The court acknowledges that anticipatory bail is an extraordinary remedy – It emphasizes that such relief should be granted sparingly and only in exceptional circumstances – The court considers the petitioner’s status as an absconder and weighs the evidence against them – After thorough consideration, the court rules on the anticipatory bail application – Appeal Dismissed.

SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH SRIKANT UPADHYAY AND OTHERS — Appellant Vs. STATE OF BIHAR AND ANOTHER — Respondent ( Before : C.T. Ravikumar and Sanjay Kumar, JJ. )…

Maharashtra Hereditary Offices Act, 1874 Sections 5, 11, 11A and 77- Maharashtra Tenancy and Agricultural Lands Act, 1948 – Section 32 – Maharashtra Revenue Patels (Abolition of Offices) Act, 1962 – The Tenancy Act’s provisions were still applicable to the subject lands, and the legal heirs of the original Watandar could not have taken lawful possession of the lands – The revisionary order dated 03.05.1982 was invalid, and the Bombay High Court justified it – The tenancy was lawfully subsisting on 01.04.1957, and tenants were entitled to exercise their right of statutory purchase under Section 32 of the Tenancy Act – This right became operational on 27.11.1964, when the Watan lands were regranted to the original Watandar’s heirs.

SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH BABAN BALAJI MORE (DEAD) BY LRS. AND OTHERS — Appellant Vs. BABAJI HARI SHELAR (DEAD) BY LRS. AND OTHERS — Respondent ( Before :…

Court reasons that transfers are an administrative matter and judicial intervention is limited to cases of statutory violation or proven malafide intent – The Court analyzes precedents stating that transfers should not be interfered with unless they are prejudicial to public interest or violate norms – The Court concludes by setting aside the Division Bench’s judgment, reinstating the Single Judge’s order, and dismissing the writ petition.

SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH SRI PUBI LOMBI Vs. THE STATE OF ARUNACHAL PRADESH AND OTHERS — Respondent ( Before : J.K. Maheshwari and Sanjay Karol, JJ. ) Civil…

Criminal Procedure Code, 1973 – Section 482 – Inherent Powers – Where a dispute which is essentially of a civil nature, is given a cloak of a criminal offence, then such disputes can be quashed, by exercising the inherent powers under Section 482 of the Code – High Court must not hesitate in quashing such criminal proceedings which are essentially of a civil nature.

SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH NARESH KUMAR AND ANOTHER — Appellant Vs. THE STATE OF KARNATAKA AND ANOTHER — Respondent ( Before : Sudhanshu Dhulia and Prasanna B. Varale,…

Court directs that police reports must comply with Section 173(2) of Cr.P.C, detailing the investigation’s findings and ensuring all required documents and witness statements are included – Mandatory Compliance – The document underscores the importance of strict adherence to the procedural requirements for police reports, with non-compliance to be viewed seriously by the courts

SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH DABLU KUJUR — Appellant Vs. THE STATE OF JHARKHAND — Respondent ( Before : Bela M. Trivedi and Pankaj Mithal, JJ. ) Criminal Appeal…

Service Matters

All-India Services (Performance Appraisal Report) Rules, 2007 – Rules 5(1) and 9(7B) – Court concluded that the High Court erred in setting aside the CAT Order and directed the Accepting Authority to decide on the underlying representation within 60 days – The judgment emphasizes the importance of adhering to prescribed timelines and the restraint to be exercised by the judiciary in administrative matters involving specialized expertise.

SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH THE STATE OF HARYANA — Appellant Vs. ASHOK KHEMKA AND ANOTHER ( Before : Vikram Nath and Satish Chandra Sharma, JJ. ) Civil Appeal…

State Bank of India (SBI) was directed to disclose details of Electoral Bonds purchased and redeemed, including purchaser names and bond denominations – The Election Commission of India (ECI) was ordered to publish the disclosed information on its website by a specific deadline – SBI sought an extension for compliance, which was denied, and the Court warned of contempt proceedings if the directions were not followed.

SUPREME COURT OF INDIA CONSTITUTION BENCH STATE BANK OF INDIA — Appellant Vs. ASSOCIATION FOR DEMOCRATIC REFORMS AND OTHERS — Respondent ( Before : Dr Dhananjaya Y Chandrachud, CJI., Sanjiv…

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