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National Highways Act, 1956 — Amendments and compensation provisions — Section 3-J introduced in 1997 removed applicability of Land Acquisition Act, 1894 (1894 Act) provisions for solatium and interest — Overturned by various High Courts, including reading down Sections 3-G and 3-J to grant solatium and interest — Subsequently, Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013 (2013 Act) and its amended provisions extended to NH Act — Court clarified that landowners acquired lands under NH Act between 1997 and 2015 are entitled to solatium and interest — Review Petition filed by NHAI arguing financial burden was underestimated rejected, but clarification on delayed claims issued. Civil Procedure Code, 1908 (CPC) — Order 21 Rule 102 — Applicability — Provision contemplates a situation where a judgment debtor transfers property after institution of suit to a person who then obstructs execution — Not applicable where respondents derived title from independent registered sale deeds, not from the judgment debtor. Land Acquisition Act, 1894 — Section 28-A — Re-determination of compensation — Second application for re-determination based on High Court award maintainable even after accepting compensation based on Reference Court award — Principle of merger means appellate court’s award supersedes earlier award, entitling landowners to benefit from higher compensation — Object of Section 28-A is to ensure equality in compensation among similarly placed landowners. Electricity Act, 2003 — Section 61, 86 — Tariff determination and Generation Based Incentive (GBI) — State Electricity Regulatory Commission (SERC) has exclusive power to determine tariff — Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) introduced GBI to incentivise renewable energy generation — GBI is intended to be over and above the tariff fixed by SERC — SERC must consider GBI while determining tariff, but not necessarily deduct it — SERC’s power to determine tariff includes considering incentives — Parliament’s allocation of funds for GBI does not prevent SERC from considering it in tariff — SERC must exercise its power harmoniously with other stakeholders to achieve policy objectives. Contract Law — Award of Tender — Judicial Review — High Court should exercise restraint when reviewing tender evaluation processes, especially in technical matters, unless there is clear evidence of mala fide, arbitrariness, or irrationality — A marginal difference in scores, as seen in this case, does not automatically warrant interference, especially when the owner has the right to accept or reject bids and the contract is already underway.

Electricity Act, 2003 – Sections 2, 2(8), 9 and 24(2) – A combined reading of Section 9 and Clause (8) of Section 2 of the said Act would reveal that a person is entitled to construct, maintain or operate a captive generating plant – Such a plant should be primarily for his own use

SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISON BENCH CHHATTISGARH STATE POWER DISTRIBUTION COMPANY LIMITED — Appellant Vs. CHHATTISGARH STATE ELECTRICITY REGULATORY COMMISSION AND ANOTHER — Respondent ( Before : L. Nageswara Rao…

If an aggrieved person is not in a domestic relationship with the respondent – but has at any point of time lived so or had the right to live and has been subjected to domestic violence or is later subjected to domestic violence on account of the domestic relationship, is entitled to file an application under Section 12 of the D.V. Act.

SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISON BENCH PRABHA TYAGI — Appellant Vs. KAMLESH DEVI — Respondent ( Before : M.R. Shah and B.V. Nagarathna, JJ. ) Criminal Appeal No. 511 of…

Depositories Act, 1996 – As per the 1996 Regulations, the pledgor/pawnor is not entitled to sell the pledged/pawned securities – the pawnor under the Contract Act and the common law has the right to redeem the pledged goods till ‘actual sale’ – Sale by the pawnee to self does not defeat the right of redemption of the pawnor – It may amount to conversion in law

SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISON BENCH PTC INDIA FINANCIAL SERVICES LIMITED — Appellant Vs. VENKATESWARLU KARI AND ANOTHER — Respondent ( Before : M.R. Shah and Sanjiv Khanna, JJ. )…

Service Matters

HELD according to the said University, though the employment was contractual but the employee was entitled to get all the benefits of a regular employee – Appellant’s services could not have been terminated without following the principles of natural justice – Appellant is directed to be reinstated with continuity in service

SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISON BENCH K. RAGUPATHI — Appellant Vs. THE STATE OF UTTAR PRADESH AND OTHERS — Respondent ( Before : L. Nageswara Rao and B.R. Gavai, JJ.…

Order XXVI Rule 9 of the Code (CPC) gives wide powers to the court to appoint a commissioner to make local investigations which may be requisite or proper for elucidating any matter in dispute, ascertaining the market value of any property, account of mesne profit or damages or annual net profits.

SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISON BENCH M.P. RAJYA TILHAN UTPADAK SAHAKARI SANGH MARYADIT, PACHAMA, DISTRICT SEHORE AND OTHERS — Appellant Vs. M/S. MODI TRANSPORT SERVICE — Respondent ( Before :…

Service Matters

When the Pension Regulations and the GPF Scheme are read together, the necessary conclusion is that an employee must give his option for either continuing to be a member of the CPF Scheme or to switch over to the Pension and GPF Scheme. HELD that an employee had no inherent right to demand extension for exercising the switchover option.

SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISON BENCH UNIVERSITY OF DELHI — Appellant Vs. SMT. SHASHI KIRAN AND OTHERS ETC. — Respondent ( Before : Uday Umesh Lalit and Vineet Saran, JJ.…

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