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Environment Law — Environmental Clearance — Prior clearance — Mandatory character — Prior environmental clearance under EIA Notification, 2006 is mandatory, being founded on the precautionary principle and couched in imperative terms — Word “prior” and the graded four-stage screening, scoping, public consultation and appraisal process render an anterior assessment the sine qua non of the clearance regime — Decriminalisation of contraventions under Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Act, 2023 does not alter this mandatory character. Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 — Section 415 — Appeal — Maintainability — Conviction recorded for first time by appellate court reversing acquittal — An appeal under Section 374 CrPC (Section 415 BNSS) is not maintainable against a judgment of conviction recorded by a Sessions Court while exercising appellate jurisdiction and reversing an order of acquittal passed by the Trial Court — No such second appeal is contemplated under CrPC or BNSS — The only remedy available is revision under Section 397 r/w 401 CrPC (Section 438 r/w 442 BNSS) Income Tax Act, 1961 — Section 44B — “Carriage” of passengers — Meaning and scope of — Cruise operations by non-resident shipping entity — Held, the word “carriage” under Section 44B cannot be restrictively construed to mean movement only from Port A to Port B. A round-trip cruise voyage, where passengers have the option to disembark at intermediate ports without compulsion to return to the originating port, constitutes carriage of passengers within the meaning of Section 44B. Provision of incidental on-board entertainment and hospitality does not alter the essential character of the activity as carriage of passengers. Criminal Procedure Code, 1973 (CrPC) — Section 482 — Quashing of FIR — Scope of inquiry — Mini-trial impermissible — At the stage of considering quashing of an FIR, the Court’s inquiry is confined to whether the allegations, taken at face value, prima facie disclose commission of a cognizable offence — Court cannot conduct a “mini-trial” by sifting evidence, assessing probabilities, or evaluating witness credibility — High Court exceeding these limits by examining trap proceedings, absence of personal recovery, and departmental enquiry findings, held impermissible. Succession Act, 1925 — Sections 33, 35 and 38 — Hindu/Christian Succession — Applicability of S. 33 confined to property owned by deceased male; erroneous application by High Court set aside — Where property was purchased and registered in the joint names of two wives, the same is owned by them and not by the husband, notwithstanding that he provided the consideration — Section 33, which governs devolution on intestacy of a male’s property between his widow and lineal descendants, is not attracted to property never vested in the husband’s name — High Court’s application of S. 33 to the entirety of the suit property held misconceived.

Uttar Pradesh Urban Planning and Development Act, 1973 – Sections 15(2-A) and 41 – Completion Certificate – the intention of the Act is to levy only those charges/fees provided/mentioned under Section 15(2-A) of the Act, 1973, otherwise the other charges also would have been defined under the Act, 1973. Levy of such other charges can be said to be hit by Article 265 of the Constitution of India

SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH MATHURA VRINDAVAN DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY AND ANOTHER — Appellant RAJESH SHARMA AND OTHERS — Respondent ( Before : M.R. Shah and C.T. Ravikumar, JJ. )…

Income Tax, Act, 1961 – Section 245D(4) – Powers and Procedure of Settelement Commission – It was not practicable for the Commission to examine the records and investigate the case for proper Settlement and even giving adequate opportunity to the applicant and the Department, as laid down in Section 245D(4) of the Act is not practicable.

SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH JAGDISH TRANSPORT CORPORATION AND OTHERS — Appellant Vs. UNION OF INDIA AND OTHERS — Respondent ( Before : M.R. Shah and C.T. Ravikumar, JJ.…

Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013 – Section 24(2) – Lapse of acquisition proceedings – if one of the two ingredients of Section 24(2) of the Act, 2013 is not met, there shall not be any deemed lapse of acquisition under Section 24(2) of the Act, 2013.

SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH GOVT. OF NCT DELHI AND ANOTHER — Appellant Vs. DINESH KUMAR AND ANOTHER — Respondent ( Before : M.R. Shah and C.T. Ravikumar, JJ.…

Reservation – Domicile quota in B.Ed colleges – reservation in favour of residents is permissible, yet reservation to the extent of 75% of the total seats makes it a wholesale reservation to be unconstitutional and violative of Article 14 of the Constitution of India

SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH VEENA VADINI TEACHERS TRAINING INSTITUTE (RUN BY VEENA VADINI SAMAJ KALYAN VIKASH SAMITI) — Appellant Vs. STATE OF MADHYA PRADESH AND OTHERS — Respondent…

(CrPC) – Ss 472 and 482 – Wakf Act, 1995 – Ss 3(ee) and 52A – Quashing of criminal complaint – Section 52A cannot cover cases where leases of wakf properties had expired in the past and where the tenant or lessee was, at the time the amendment of 2013 came into force, in physical possession and facing civil proceedings for eviction – Appeal allowed.

SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH P. V. NIDHISH AND OTHERS — Appellant Vs KERALA STATE WAKF BOARD AND ANOTHER — Respondent ( Before : S. Ravindra Bhat and Dipankar…

HELD that if there is any tax concession, it “can be withdrawn at any time and no time limit should be insisted upon before it was withdrawn” – the respondents shall approach the jurisdictional commissioner, and apply with documentary evidence within six weeks from the date of this judgment. The claim for refund/credit, shall be examined on their merits,

SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH UNION OF INDIA AND OTHERS — Appellant Vs. COSMO FILMS LIMITED — Respondent ( Before : S. Ravindra Bhat and Dipankar Datta, JJ. )…

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