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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.
Service Matters

Except stating that “it is noticed that there is apparent error on the face of record which calls for interference”, nothing has been mentioned on what was that error apparent on the face of the record – Therefore, the impugned order, allowing the review application being a cryptic and non-reasoned order, the same is unsustainable in law – Matter remitted to HC

SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH RATAN LAL PATEL — Appellant Vs. DR. HARI SINGH GOUR VISHWAVIDYALAYA AND ANOTHER — Respondent ( Before : M.R. Shah and B.V. Nagarathna, JJ.…

A consent award cannot be the basis to award and/or determine the compensation in other acquisition, more particularly, when there are other evidences on record – There may be different market prices/compensation with respect to different lands, may be in the same village and/or nearby location – remand the matter to the High Court

SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH SPECIAL LAND ACQUISITION OFFICER AND OTHERS — Appellant Vs. N. SAVITHA — Respondent ( Before : M.R. Shah and B.V. Nagarathna, JJ. ) Civil…

Service Matters

Merely because some other officers involved in the incident are exonerated and/or no action is taken against other officers cannot be a ground to set aside the order of punishment when the charges against the individual concerned – delinquent officer are held to be proved in a departmental enquiry

SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH THE STATE OF UTTAR PRADESH AND OTHERS — Appellant Vs. RAJIT SINGH — Respondent ( Before : M.R. Shah and B.V. Nagarathna, JJ. )…

Any contract of public service should not be interfered with lightly and in any case, there should not be any interim order derailing the entire process of the services meant for larger public good – Grant of interim injunction by the learned Single Bench of the High Court has helped no-one except a contractor

SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH M/S. N.G. PROJECTS LIMITED — Appellant Vs. M/S. VINOD KUMAR JAIN AND OTHERS — Respondent ( Before : Hemant Gupta and V. Ramasubramanian, JJ.…

Is the Special Court debarred from taking cognizance of an offence under Section 23 of POCSO and obliged to discharge the accused under Section 227 of the Cr.P.C., only because of want of permission of the jurisdictional Magistrate to the police, to investigate into the offence? – Matter to be heard by appropriate bench.

SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH GANGADHAR NARAYAN NAYAK @ GANGADHAR HIREGUTTI — Appellant Vs. STATE OF KARNATAKA AND OTHER — Respondent ( Before : Indira Banerjee and J.K. Maheshwari,…

(CrPC) – Sections 164, 190, 193 and 190(1)(b) – Summoning of accused – HELD Such jurisdiction to issue summons can be exercised even in respect of a person whose name may not feature at all in the police report, whether as accused or in column (2) thereof if the Magistrate is satisfied that there are materials on record which would reveal prima facie his involvement in the offence.

SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH NAHAR SINGH — Appellant Vs. THE STATE OF UTTAR PRADESH AND ANOTHERS — Respondent ( Before : Vineet Saran and Aniruddha Bose, JJ. )…

Education Law – NEET-SS Admissions – Academic year 2021-2022 – Reservation – No case is made out for continuing the interim protection which was granted for the academic year 2020-2021 vide interim order dated 27th November, 2020 – State of Tamil Nadu would be at liberty to continue the counselling for academic year 2021-2022 by taking into consideration the reservation provided by it as per the said G.O. – Writ Petition rejected.

SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH DR. N. KARTHIKEYAN AND OTHERS — Appellant THE STATE OF TAMIL NADU AND OTHERS — Respondent ( Before : L. Nageswara Rao and B.R.…

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