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Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 — Section 166 — Claim for compensation — Deduction of Mediclaim benefits — Motor Accidents Claims Tribunal — Award of compensation — Mediclaim policy is a contract of insurance purchased by an individual to cover uncertainties of life, with no specific accidental coverage — Compensation under Motor Vehicles Act is a statutory remedy arising from negligence and injury — Mediclaim reimbursement is a contractual benefit independent of the Motor Vehicles Act claim — Deduction of Mediclaim benefits would denude claimant of benefits from premiums paid and unduly benefit insurer of offending vehicle — Compensation awarded under Motor Vehicles Act is a beneficial legislation intended to put the injured in the position as if the accident had not occurred — Medical expenses claimed and paid under Mediclaim are not deductible from compensation awarded by the Tribunal under the Motor Vehicles Act — These two stand on different footing; one is statutory, the other is contractual. Hindu Succession Act, 1956 — Proviso to Section 6 (erstwhile) and Section 8 — Devolution of interest on Class I heirs upon intestate death of a male — If a male Hindu dies intestate leaving a Class I female heir, his interest in coparcenary property devolves by intestate succession under Section 8 and not by survivorship — A notional partition is deemed to take place for ascertaining the deceased’s share. Medical Education — Relocation of Students — Financial Liability — Supreme Court intervened to protect academic future of students admitted to a college (SRMCH) facing deficiencies, by directing their relocation to other recognized colleges — The primary issue became the financial liability for the education provided at the transferee colleges. Income Tax Act, 1961 — Section 147 and 148 — Reopening of assessment — Validity — Tangible material — Change of opinion — Assessing Officer has no power to review an assessment; reassessment must be based on tangible material, not a mere change of opinion — The discovery of fresh information during a survey, which reveals the true nature of a transaction and suggests income has escaped assessment, can form the basis for reopening an assessment, even if certain disclosures were made during the original assessment. Wife’s pursuit of professional career and desire to provide safe environment for child are not grounds for cruelty or desertion. -Family Law — Divorce — Grounds — Cruelty and Desertion — Wife’s pursuit of professional career and desire to provide safe environment for child are not grounds for cruelty or desertion.

Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 — Section 166 — Claim for compensation — Deduction of Mediclaim benefits — Motor Accidents Claims Tribunal — Award of compensation — Mediclaim policy is a contract of insurance purchased by an individual to cover uncertainties of life, with no specific accidental coverage — Compensation under Motor Vehicles Act is a statutory remedy arising from negligence and injury — Mediclaim reimbursement is a contractual benefit independent of the Motor Vehicles Act claim — Deduction of Mediclaim benefits would denude claimant of benefits from premiums paid and unduly benefit insurer of offending vehicle — Compensation awarded under Motor Vehicles Act is a beneficial legislation intended to put the injured in the position as if the accident had not occurred — Medical expenses claimed and paid under Mediclaim are not deductible from compensation awarded by the Tribunal under the Motor Vehicles Act — These two stand on different footing; one is statutory, the other is contractual.

Service Matters

Payment of Gratuity (Amendment) Act, 2009 – The amendment with retrospective effect is to make the benevolent provisions equally applicable to teachers – The amendment seeks to bring equality and give fair treatment to the teachers – It can hardly be categorised as an arbitrary and high-handed exercise – Appeal Dismissed.

SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISON BENCH INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS FEDERATION OF INDIA (REGD.) — Appellant Vs. UNION OF INDIA AND ANOTHER — Respondent ( Before : Sanjiv Khanna and Bela M.…

Service Matters

HJS – HELD board which conducted the viva­voce of the candidates who qualified in the written examination was different, there are hardly candidates who had qualified against the number of vacancies and it would be advisable that there should be one common board to evaluate the performance of all the candidates who may now qualify in the revised declaration of the result of written examination and that, would do justice to the candidates – Appeal Allowed.

SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISON BENCH HARKIRAT SINGH GHUMAN — Appellant Vs. PUNJAB & HARYANA HIGH COURT AND OTHERS — Respondent ( Before : Ajay Rastogi and C.T. Ravikumar, JJ.…

Service Matters

Inter-departmental communication cannot be treated to be a letter of allotment – Even if it is considered to be a letter of allotment, the writ petitioner-wife of the ex-serviceman, who died in July 1998 could not claim possession on the basis of such communication after more than 30 years in terms of the Rules applicable for allotment of land to the disabled ex-servicemen.

SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISON BENCH MAHADEO AND OTHERS — Appellant SMT. SOVAN DEVI AND OTHERS — Respondent ( Before : Hemant Gupta and Vikram Nath, JJ. ) Civil Appeal…

(NDPS) – Section 54 of the Act raises a presumption and the burden shifts on the accused to explain as to how he came into possession of the contraband – But to raise the presumption under Section 54 of the Act, it must first be established that a recovery was made from the accused.

SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISON BENCH SANJEET KUMAR SINGH @ MUNNA KUMAR SINGH — Appellant Vs. STATE OF CHHATTISGARH — Respondent ( Before : Indira Banerjee and V. Ramasubramanian, JJ.…

Service Matters

Maternity Benefit Act, 1961 – Section 5(1) – Sub-section (1) of Section 5 confers an entitlement on a woman to the payment of maternity benefits at a stipulated rate for the period of her actual absence beginning from the period immediately preceding the day of her delivery, the actual day of her delivery and any period immediately following that day.

SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISON BENCH DEEPIKA SINGH — Appellant Vs. CENTRAL ADMINISTRATIVE TRIBUNAL AND OTHERS — Respondent ( Before : Dr. Dhananjaya Y. Chandrachud and A S Bopanna, JJ.…

(IPC) – Ss 405, 415 and 420 – The offence of criminal breach of trust contains two ingredients: (i) entrusting any person with property, or with any dominion over property; and (ii) the person entrusted dishonestly misappropriates or converts to his own use that property to the detriment of the person who entrusted it.

SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISON BENCH M N G BHARATEESH REDDY — Appellant Vs. RAMESH RANGANATHAN AND ANOTHER — Respondent ( Before : Dr. Dhananjaya Y. Chandrachud and A S…

A judgment can be open to review if there is a mistake or an error apparent on the face of the record, but an error that has to be detected by a process of reasoning, cannot be described as an error apparent on the face of the record for the Court to exercise its powers of review under Order XLVII Rule 1 CPC

SUPREME COURT OF INDIA FULL BENCH S. MADHUSUDHAN REDDY — Appellant Vs. V. NARAYANA REDDY AND OTHERS — Respondent ( Before : N.V. Ramana, CJI., Krishna Murari and Hima Kohli,…

Income Tax Act, 1961 – Section 127 – Power to transfer cases – Even if the case or cases of an assessee are transferred in exercise of power under Section 127 of the Act, the High Court within whose jurisdiction the Assessing Officer has passed the order, shall continue to exercise the jurisdiction of appeal

SUPREME COURT OF INDIA FULL BENCH PR. COMMISSIONER OF INCOME TAX – I, CHANDIGARH — Appellant Vs. M/S. ABC PAPERS LIMITED — Respondent ( Before : Uday Umesh Lalit, S.…

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