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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.

DEFAULT BAIL – the magistrate ought to inform the accused of the availability of the indefeasible right u/S 167(2) CrPC once it accrues, without any delay.HELD Irrespective of the seriousness of the offence and the reliability of the evidence available, filing additional complaints merely to circumvent the application for default bail is an improper strategy.

  SUPREME COURT OF INDIA FULL BENCH  M. RAVINDRAN — Appellant Vs. THE INTELLIGENCE OFFICER, DIRECTORATE OF REVENUE INTELLIGENCE — Respondent ( Before : Uday Umesh Lalit, Mohan M. Shantanagoudar…

Service Matters

Service Law – Claim to re-employment – continuation in service – HELD the view in Indu Singh, 2017 SCC Online 1527 dealing with an identical statute, was correctly interpreted – Impugned judgment and orders of the High Court are set aside – Appellants consequently, to continue till the end of the following June on re-employment – Appeal allowed.

  SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH NAVIN CHANDRA DHOUNDIYAL — Appellant Vs. STATE OF UTTARAKHAND AND OTHERS — Respondent ( Before : Uday Umesh Lalit and S. Ravindra Bhat,…

Tender agreement – Termination of – enquiry report prepared by the M D was conducted ex parte & the M D failed to offer opportunity of hearing before passing the order impugned which terminated agreement for no justifiable reason to hold that the respondent was at fault . Bias therefore, cannot be ruled out, terminating the agreement cannot be sustained in law.

  SUPREME COURT OF INDIA FULL BENCH STATE OF U.P. — Appellant Vs. SUDHIR KUMAR SINGH AND OTHERS — Respondent ( Before : R.F. Nariman, Navin Sinha and K.M. Joseph,…

IMP : Cancellation of the award of tender in favour of the applicant, the audi alteram partem rule were breached in its entirety.  HELD  writ petition under Article 226 of the Constitution is maintainable at the instance of an aggrieved party to enforce a contractual obligation of the State or its instrumentality when the State acts in an arbitrary manner.

Cancellation of the award of tender in favour of the applicant, the audi alteram partem rule were breached in its entirety.  HELD  writ petition under Article 226 of the Constitution…

Service Matters

Service Law – Appointment – Contractual employees – Post of Computer Operator – No regular sanctioned post – High Court has committed a grave error in passing such an interim order restraining the appellant Corporation from appointing new set of contractual employees in place of original writ petitioners

SUPREME COURT OF INDIA FULL BENCH RAJASTHAN STATE ROAD DEVELOPMENT AND CONSTRUCTION CORPORATION LIMITED — Appellant Vs. PIYUSH KANT SHARMA AND OTHERS — Respondent ( Before : Ashok Bhushan, R.…

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