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Environment Law — Environmental Clearance — Prior clearance — Mandatory character — Prior environmental clearance under EIA Notification, 2006 is mandatory, being founded on the precautionary principle and couched in imperative terms — Word “prior” and the graded four-stage screening, scoping, public consultation and appraisal process render an anterior assessment the sine qua non of the clearance regime — Decriminalisation of contraventions under Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Act, 2023 does not alter this mandatory character. Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 — Section 415 — Appeal — Maintainability — Conviction recorded for first time by appellate court reversing acquittal — An appeal under Section 374 CrPC (Section 415 BNSS) is not maintainable against a judgment of conviction recorded by a Sessions Court while exercising appellate jurisdiction and reversing an order of acquittal passed by the Trial Court — No such second appeal is contemplated under CrPC or BNSS — The only remedy available is revision under Section 397 r/w 401 CrPC (Section 438 r/w 442 BNSS) Income Tax Act, 1961 — Section 44B — “Carriage” of passengers — Meaning and scope of — Cruise operations by non-resident shipping entity — Held, the word “carriage” under Section 44B cannot be restrictively construed to mean movement only from Port A to Port B. A round-trip cruise voyage, where passengers have the option to disembark at intermediate ports without compulsion to return to the originating port, constitutes carriage of passengers within the meaning of Section 44B. Provision of incidental on-board entertainment and hospitality does not alter the essential character of the activity as carriage of passengers. Criminal Procedure Code, 1973 (CrPC) — Section 482 — Quashing of FIR — Scope of inquiry — Mini-trial impermissible — At the stage of considering quashing of an FIR, the Court’s inquiry is confined to whether the allegations, taken at face value, prima facie disclose commission of a cognizable offence — Court cannot conduct a “mini-trial” by sifting evidence, assessing probabilities, or evaluating witness credibility — High Court exceeding these limits by examining trap proceedings, absence of personal recovery, and departmental enquiry findings, held impermissible. Succession Act, 1925 — Sections 33, 35 and 38 — Hindu/Christian Succession — Applicability of S. 33 confined to property owned by deceased male; erroneous application by High Court set aside — Where property was purchased and registered in the joint names of two wives, the same is owned by them and not by the husband, notwithstanding that he provided the consideration — Section 33, which governs devolution on intestacy of a male’s property between his widow and lineal descendants, is not attracted to property never vested in the husband’s name — High Court’s application of S. 33 to the entirety of the suit property held misconceived.

PMLA – Search and seizure – If a statute provides for a thing to be done in a particular manner, then it has to be done in that manner and in no other manner – Authorised Officer is vested with sufficient power; such power is circumscribed by a procedure laid down under the statute – As such the power is to be exercised in that manner alone,

SUPREME COURT OF INDIA FULL BENCH OPTO CIRCUIT INDIA LIMITED — Appellant Vs. AXIS BANK AND OTHERS — Respondent ( Before : S.A. Bobde, CJI., A.S. Bopanna and V. Ramasubramanian,…

IBC – A person having only security interest over the assets of corporate debtor, even if falling within the description of ‘secured creditor’ by virtue of collateral security extended by the corporate debtor, would not be covered by the financial creditors as per definitions contained in sub-section (7) and (8) of Section 5.

SUPREME COURT OF INDIA FULL BENCH PHOENIX ARC PRIVATE LIMITED — Appellant Vs. KETULBHAI RAMUBHAI PATEL — Respondent ( Before : Ashok Bhushan, R. Subhash Reddy and M.R. Shah, JJ.…

Housing – Allotment of plot – Non-Participation of Allotment Process – Availability of the plot does not give any entitlement to a person who has no right to claim allotment – Any allotment has to be made in accordance with the procedure prescribed and the Rules of the Parishad

SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH U.P. HOUSING AND DEVELOPMENT BOARD AND ANOTHER — Appellant Vs. NAMIT SHARMA — Respondent ( Before : Ashok Bhushan and R. Subhash Reddy, JJ.…

Illegal gratification – presumption of innocence as would be there in the case of acquittal – High Court decision is based on totally erroneous view of law by ignoring the settled legal position – High Court in dealing/non – dealing with the evidence was patently illegal leading to grave miscarriage of justice – Matter deserves to be remanded

SUPREME COURT OF INDIA FULL BENCH STATE OF GUJARAT — Appellant Vs. BHALCHANDRA LAXMISHANKAR DAVE — Respondent ( Before : Ashok Bhushan, R. Subhash Reddy and M. R. Shah, JJ.…

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