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Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996 — Sections 5, 34, and 37 — Scope of Judicial Intervention — Minimum intervention of judicial authority in domestic arbitration matters is required under Section 5 — Challenge to an arbitral award under Section 34 is limited to specific grounds, including patent illegality or conflict with the public policy of India — Scope of interference by the Appellate Court under Section 37 is akin to and cannot travel beyond the restrictions laid down under Section 34 — Appellate Court cannot undertake an independent assessment of the merits of the award or re-interpret contractual clauses if the interpretation by the Arbitral Tribunal was a plausible view and upheld under Section 34 — Setting aside an arbitral award under Section 37, which was upheld under Section 34, based on providing a different interpretation of contractual clauses is unsustainable in law. (Paras 24, 25, 30, 31, 36, 37, 39, 50, 51) Limitation Act, 1963 — Article 54 — Suit for specific performance — Commencement of limitation period — Where the defendant subsequently executed an affidavit ratifying the agreement to sell and conveying no-objection to the transfer, the period of limitation commences from the date of the admitted affidavit, as this is the stage at which the executant finally refused to execute the sale deed to the extent of her share — Trial court and High Court erred in dismissing the suit on the ground of limitation calculated from an earlier disputed date. (Paras 13, 35, 36, 37) Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996 — Section 9(2) read with Rule 9(4) of 2001 Rules — Setting aside High Court judgment — High Court erroneously treated the date of filing of the Section 11 petition (28.06.2024) as the commencement date, leading to the conclusion that proceedings commenced beyond the statutory period — Where the arbitration notice was served (on 11.04.2024) well within the 90-day period from the ad-interim injunction order (17.02.2024), proceedings commenced in time as per Section 21 — High Court’s finding unsustainable, resulting in the restoration of the Trial Court’s initial ad-interim injunction order. (Paras 28, 31, 32) E. Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996 — Section 9 — Interim injunction — Dispute regarding existence Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 — Section 2(28) — Definition of “motor vehicle” — Components — Definition has two parts: an inclusive part (mechanically propelled vehicle adapted for use upon roads) and an exclusive part — The second part expressly excludes “a vehicle of a special type adapted for use only in a factory or in any other enclosed premises” — Although Dumpers, Loaders, etc., may fall under the first part of the definition, they are excluded if their nature of use is confined to factory or enclosed premises, being special type vehicles/Construction Equipment Vehicles. (Paras 36, 37, 38, 39) Telangana Prevention of Dangerous Activities of BootLeggers, Dacoits, Drug-Offenders, Goondas, Immoral Traffic Offenders etc. Act, 1986 — Section 3(2) — Preventive Detention — Grounds for Detention — Requirement of finding ‘prejudicial to the maintenance of public order’ — Detenu, a ‘drug offender’, was detained based on three criminal cases involving Ganja, with an apprehension that if released on bail, she would engage in similar activities — Held, mere apprehension that the detenu, if released on bail, would be likely to indulge in similar crimes would not be a sufficient ground for ordering preventive detention — Order of detention failed to indicate how the detenu’s activities were prejudicial to ‘public order’ as opposed to ‘law and order’ and was therefore unsustainable. (Paras 3, 5, 8, 9, 10, 11)

Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996 — Sections 5, 34, and 37 — Scope of Judicial Intervention — Minimum intervention of judicial authority in domestic arbitration matters is required under Section 5 — Challenge to an arbitral award under Section 34 is limited to specific grounds, including patent illegality or conflict with the public policy of India — Scope of interference by the Appellate Court under Section 37 is akin to and cannot travel beyond the restrictions laid down under Section 34 — Appellate Court cannot undertake an independent assessment of the merits of the award or re-interpret contractual clauses if the interpretation by the Arbitral Tribunal was a plausible view and upheld under Section 34 — Setting aside an arbitral award under Section 37, which was upheld under Section 34, based on providing a different interpretation of contractual clauses is unsustainable in law. (Paras 24, 25, 30, 31, 36, 37, 39, 50, 51)

Limitation Act, 1963 — Article 54 — Suit for specific performance — Commencement of limitation period — Where the defendant subsequently executed an affidavit ratifying the agreement to sell and conveying no-objection to the transfer, the period of limitation commences from the date of the admitted affidavit, as this is the stage at which the executant finally refused to execute the sale deed to the extent of her share — Trial court and High Court erred in dismissing the suit on the ground of limitation calculated from an earlier disputed date. (Paras 13, 35, 36, 37)

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…

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