Latest Post

Penal Code, 1860 (IPC) — Sections 302, 449, 376, 394 — Appeal against High Court’s upholding of conviction and sentence — Case based on circumstantial evidence — Absence of direct evidence connecting appellant to offense — Falsely implicated — Prosecution failed to establish guilt beyond reasonable doubt — No scientific evidence linking appellant — Important witnesses not associated in investigation or produced in court — Appeal allowed, conviction and sentence set aside. Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881 — Section 138 — Dishonour of cheque — Quashing of proceedings — Cheques issued as security and not for consideration — Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) clearly stated cheques were for security purposes to show banks and not for deposit — Complainant failed to read the complete terms of MOU in isolation and misinterpreted it to claim cheques were converted into debt — Court empowered to consider unimpeachable documents at pre-trial stage to prevent injustice — Complaints under Section 138 NI Act liable to be quashed. Insurance Law — Fire Insurance — Accidental Fire — Cause of fire is immaterial if the insured is not the instigator and there is no fraud. The objective of fire insurance is to indemnify the insured against loss by fire. Tender Conditions — Interpretation — Ambiguity — The terms of a tender must be clear and unambiguous — If a tendering authority intends for a specific document to be issued by a particular authority, it must be clearly stated in the tender conditions — Failure to do so may lead to rejection of the bid being deemed arbitrary and dehors the tender terms. Public Interest Litigation (PIL) — Environmental Protection — Monitoring Committee — Powers and Scope — A PIL was filed concerning environmental issues in Delhi, leading to the appointment of a Monitoring Committee. The Supreme Court clarified that the committee was appointed to prevent misuse of residential premises for commercial purposes and not to interfere with residential premises used as such. Their power was limited to making suggestions to a Special Task Force regarding encroachments on public land, not to summarily seal premises.

Once an application was preferred by any of the parties that a review may be heard by the Judge who had decided the matter and had passed the order from which the review arose, the matter ought to have been placed before the Chief Justice on the administrative side rather than order being passed on the judicial side.

SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH SURESH G. RAMNANI — Appellant Vs. AURELIA ANA DE PIEDADE MIRANDA @ ARIYA ALVARES (DEAD THR. LRS) AND OTHERS — Respondent ( Before :…

Sale Contract – Letter of credit – A letter of credit is independent of and unqualified by the contract of sale or underlying transactions – Autonomy of an irrevocable LOC is entitled to protection and as a rule, courts refrain from interfering with that autonomy – If courts interfere in such transactions, it would be prone to misuse by the applicant party

SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH M/S BAWA PAULINS PVT. LTD. — Appellant Vs. UPS FREIGHT SERVICES (INDIA) PVT. LTD. AND ANOTHER — Respondent ( Before : B.R. Gavai and…

Service Matters

HELD probation was confirmed; thereafter appointed / promoted as Assistant Professor and promoted Associate Professor on regular basis and on regular pay-scale, therefore, entitled to get regular service counted for the period from 03.10.1998 to 21.10.2011 for the purpose of grant of the benefit of Career Advancement Scheme

SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH THE MAHATMA GANDHI UNIVERSITY AND OTHERS — Appellant Vs. RINCYMOL MATHEW — Respondent ( Before : M.R. Shah and M.M. Sundresh, JJ. ) Civil…

Death Sentence – Rape and murder of a housewife – Held, impact of solitary confinement were obviously evident in the instant case, as would be clear from the letter given by the medical professional on 6.11.2011 and the communication emanating from the jail on 8.11.2011. The incarceration in solitary confinement thus did show ill effects on the well-being of the appellant. In the backdrop of these features of the matter, the appellant is entitled to have the death sentence imposed upon him to be commuted to death sentence to life

SUPREME COURT OF INDIA FULL BENCH B.A. UMESH — Appellant Vs. UNION OF INDIA AND OTHERS — Respondent ( Before : Uday Umesh Lalit, CJI., S. Ravindra Bhat and Pamidighantam…

Lapse of acquisition proceedings – Subsequent purchaser has no right to claim lapse of acquisition proceedings – There cannot be any lapse of acquisition under Section 24(2) of the Act, 2013 on the ground of possession could not be taken over by the authority and/or the compensation could not be deposited / tendered due to the pending litigations.

SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH DELHI DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY — Appellant Vs. DAMINI WADHWA AND OTHERS — Respondent ( Before : M.R. Shah and M.M. Sundresh, JJ. ) Civil Appeal…

HELD the High Court is justified in reversing the judgment of acquittal by the Trial Court- the motive is treated secondary in view of the fact that this is a case of direct evidence of injured eye-witnesses- the facts narrated in the FIR are fully corroborated by much of the documentary evidence and are fully in consonance with the testimony of the prosecution witnesses. the only question related to the persons involved and the manner of commission of the offence. Finding of trial Court that the arrest and recovery were doubtful were glaring mistakes. H C completely justified. Dismissed

SUPREME COURT OF INDIA FULL BENCH ASHOK KUMAR SINGH CHANDEL — Appellant Vs. STATE OF U.P. — Respondent ( Before : Uday Umesh Lalit, CJI., S. Ravindra Bhat and Pamidighantam…

You missed