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Penal Code, 1860 (IPC) — Sections 405 and 406 — Criminal Breach of Trust — Entrustment — Refundable security deposit paid under Joint Development Agreement (JDA) — Held, mere payment of refundable security deposit as consideration for GPA does not amount to “entrustment” of property — FIR and chargesheet silent on manner of misappropriation/conversion — Bald, omnibus allegation of dishonest retention, unsupported by cogent material, insufficient to sustain charge under S. 405 — Mere non-refund of money does not constitute criminal breach of trust. Constitution of India, 1950 — Article 226 — Maintainability of writ petition — Disputed questions of fact — Effect of long pendency — Where a writ petition seeking compensation had remained pending for over a decade and a half before being dismissed on the ground of “disputed questions of fact,” relegating the claimant to a fresh remedy before the Civil Court after such efflux of time would render the claimant remediless — On this short ground alone, interference with the impugned judgment was warranted, particularly where the underlying facts of the incident stood undisputed and unchallenged throughout. Criminal Procedure Code, 1973 (CrPC) — Section 125(4) — Application of principles to facts — Remand — Trial Court erred in holding that the adultery issue could only be decided at final adjudication, rendering the statutory scheme otiose; since photographic/electronic evidence of adultery was placed on record requiring evaluation, the Trial Court was directed to decide the S. 125(4) application on merits, with interim maintenance continuing till such decision — matter remanded. Specific Relief Act, 1963 — Section 20 — Specific performance — Discretionary and equitable relief — Clean hands — Grant of specific performance is discretionary, not automatic even where a valid contract subsists; a plaintiff must approach the Court with clean hands. Where the plaintiff’s spouse lodged a criminal complaint seeking recovery of the advance paid, alleging the vendor fraudulently suppressed a subsisting injunction, while simultaneously maintaining a civil suit for specific performance, such conduct amounts to blowing “hot and cold” and disentitles the plaintiff to equitable relief. Criminal Procedure Code, 1973 (CrPC) — Section 299 — Absence of order — Effect on conviction — Where no order under S. 299 was ever passed at the stage the co-accused was tried (case having been split due to abscondence), the earlier deposition of a witness (since deceased) could not be relied upon to convict the accused apprehended and tried years later; identification by surviving eyewitnesses being doubtful and other witnesses having turned hostile, conviction based on such uncorroborated prior testimony unsustainable — appellant acquitted.

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…

Contract Act, 1872 – Section 62 – One Time Settlement Scheme – – Impugned judgment and order passed by the High Court granting further time to the borrower to make the balance payment under the OTS Scheme in exercise of powers under Article 226 of the Constitution of India is unsustainable and the same deserves to be quashed and set aside

SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH STATE BANK OF INDIA — Appellant Vs. ARVINDRA ELECTRONICS PRIVATE LIMITED — Respondent ( Before : M.R. Shah and Krishna Murari, JJ. ) Civil…

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