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Environmental Law — Forest Conservation — Encroachment — Supreme Court directs stringent measures for eviction of encroachers from Reserve Forests, Wildlife Sanctuaries and Tiger Reserves in Tamil Nadu, emphasizing constitutional obligation to protect ecologically sensitive regions and fragile ecosystems. Pronouncement of Reserved Judgments — Guidelines issued by Supreme Court for timely pronouncement in High Courts — Maximum period of 3 months for reasoned judgments, prompt pronouncement in matters of personal liberty, and specific timelines for bail applications and appeals involving custody. Criminal Procedure Code, 1973 (CrPC) — Quashing of proceedings — Abuse of process of law — Allegations of sexual offence against father and uncle of prosecutrix — Held, complaint lacked specific factual details and material evidence to establish a prima facie case — Wide-ranging matrimonial litigation between parties indicated a possibility of vexatious litigation and abuse of process — Mere bald allegations without supporting evidence, particularly lack of medical reports for allegations of rape and sexual assault, held insufficient to sustain criminal prosecution, especially where statements of prosecutrix and complainant were verbatim reproductions, suggesting tutoring — Court can quash proceedings under Section 482 CrPC if no offence is made out or allegations are absurd/inherently improbable, or instituted with malafide intent for vengeance Securities Contracts (Regulation) Act, 1956 (SCRA) — Section 18A — Validity of derivative contracts — Breach of position limits under SEBI Circular 2001 does not render derivative contracts void — The Circular mandates disclosure of positions exceeding limits and imposes penalties for non-disclosure, not voiding of contracts — Therefore, breach of position limits does not invalidate trades under Section 18A. the reasoning in the impugned judgment that the non-obstante clause would not in any manner dilute or override the employer’s obligation to deposit the amounts retained by it or deducted by it from the employee’s income, unless the condition that it is deposited on or before the due date, is correct and justified. The non-obstante clause has to be understood in the context of the entire provision of Section 43B which is to ensure timely payment before the returns are filed, of certain liabilities which are to be borne by the assessee in the form of tax, interest payment and other statutory liability. I

Puducherry Excise Act, 1970 – Section 10 – Puducherry Excise Rules, 1970 – Rule 122 and 209 – Shifting of shops – Expression ‘from one place to another’ is not restrictive, and does not curtail the power of the Licensing Authority to grant permission for shifting the licensed shop from one region to another in the Union Territory of Puducherry so long as the conditions stipulated by the Excise Act and Excise Rules, as also the conditions for grant of a license are complied with

SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH M/S CEE CEE & CEE CEE’S — Appellant Vs. K. DEVAMANI AND OTHERS — Respondent ( Before : Uday Umesh Lalit and Indu Malhotra,…

Penal Code, 1860 (IPC) – Sections 166, 165, 420, 468 and 471 – Prevention of Corruption Act, 1947 – Sections 5(1)(d) and 5(2) – Cheating – Appeal against conviction and sentence – Appellant knowing fully well that the invoices/bills were fake and fabricated, were presented on behalf of the firm to the bank and thus cheated the bank – Crime test requires to evaluate and provide adequate deference to factors such as role of the accused and his position within the rank of conspirators, among other things

SUPREME COURT OF INDIA FULL BENCH MAYANK N SHAH — Appellant Vs. STATE OF GUJARAT AND ANOTHER — Respondent ( Before : N.V. Ramana, R. Subhash Reddy and B.R. Gavai,…

SC Sets Aside Death Sentence In A 13 Day Trial, Says ‘Fast Tracking Must Not Result In Burial Of Justice’ – HELD expeditious disposal of criminal cases must never result in burying the cause of justice. The bench comprising Justice Uday Umesh Lalit, Justice Indu Malhotra and Justice Krishna Murari set aside a death penalty awarded to a rape and murder accused in a trial that finished within thirteen days.

SUPREME COURT OF INDIA FULL BENCH ANOKHI LAL — Appellant Vs. STATE OF MADHYA PRADESH — Respondent ( Before : Uday Umesh Lalit, Indu Malhotra and Krishna Murari, JJ. )…

Penal Code, 1860 (IPC) – Sections 302, 307, 147, 148, 149 and 452 – Murder – Unlawful assembly – Common object – Appeal against acquittal – Medical evidence and ocular evidence – It is trite law that minor variations between medical evidence and ocular evidence do not take away the primacy of the latter.

SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH STATE OF UTTAR PRADESH — Appellant Vs. RAVINDRA @ BABLOO AND OTHERS — Respondent ( Before : Ashok Bhushan and Navin Sinha, JJ. )…

Nirbhaya gang rape and murder case – IPC – Sections 376(2)(g), 120-B, 377, 365, 366, 395, 397, 302, 307, 412 – Unnatural sex and inserted iron rod in the private parts of the prosecutrixHELD Review Petition – In the judgment dated 05.05.2017, this Court held that the case is falling within “the rarest of rare cases”

SUPREME COURT OF INDIA FULL BENCH AKSHAY KUMAR SINGH — Appellant Vs. STATE (NCT OF DELHI) — Respondent ( Before : R. Banumathi, Ashok Bhushan and A. S. Bopanna, JJ.…

Criminal Procedure Code, 1973 (CrPC) – Section 482 – Penal Code, 1860 (IPC) – Section 379 – Uttar Pradesh Minor Mineral (Concession) Rules, 1963 – Rules 3, 57 and 7 – Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957 – Sections 4 and 21 – Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act, 1984 – Sections 3 and 4 – Theft of mining sand – Quashing of complaint – Mere violation of Section 4 which is an offence cognizable only under Section 21 of the Mines Regulation Act and not under any other law – There is no bar on the Court from taking cognizance of the offence under Section 379 of the IPC

SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH KANWAR PAL SINGH — Appellant Vs. THE STATE OF UTTAR PRADESH AND ANOTHER — Respondent ( Before : S. Abdul Nazeer and Sanjiv Khanna,…

Criminal Procedure Code, 1973 (CrPC) – Sections 154 and 164 – Registration of FIR – Recording of confessions and statements – Section 154 of the Cr.P.C. provides about the information in cognizable cases and in effect registration of First Information Reports. The first Proviso to the sub-Section (1) of Section 154 inserted by the Amendment Act of 2013 and subsequently amended by the Amendment Act of 2018, provides for registration of First Information Report in cases of rape and sexual offences by a woman police officer or any woman officer

SUPREME COURT OF INDIA FULL BENCH IN RE : ASSESSMENT OF THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM IN RESPONSE TO SEXUAL OFFENCES ( Before : S.A. Bobde, CJI, B.R. Gavai and Surya…

Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996 – Sections 34 and 34(4) – Arbitral award – Legislative intention of providing Section 34(4) in the Arbitration Act was to make the award enforceable, after giving an opportunity to the Tribunal to undo the curable defects HELD that ordinarily unintelligible awards are to be set aside, while the challenge on inadequacy of reasons, has to be adjudicated based on the degree of particularity of reasoning required having regard to the nature of issues falling for consideration.

  SUPREME COURT OF INDIA FULL BENCH M/S. DYNA TECHNOLOGIES PVT. LTD. — Appellant Vs. M/S. CROMPTON GREAVES LTD. — Respondent ( Before : N.V. Ramana, Mohan M. Shantanagoudar and…

Constitution of India, 1950 – Article 142 – Complete justice – Provisions of Article 142 of the Constitution provide a unique power to the Supreme Court, to do “complete justice” between the parties, i.e., where at times law or statute may not provide a remedy, the Court can extend itself to put a quietus to a dispute in a manner which would befit the facts of the case. Divorce granted.

SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH MUNISH KAKKAR — Appellant Vs. NIDHI KAKKAR — Respondent ( Before : Sanjay Kishan Kaul and K.M. Joseph, JJ. ) Civil Appeal No. 9318…

V IMP :: Supreme Court recently dissolved a marriage by exercising its inherent powers under Article 142 of the Constitution, even as it recognised that there is no statutory law for recognising irretrievable breakdown of marriage as a ground for divorce in India.- HELD “on the ground of irretrievable breakdown of marriage, if this is not a fit case to grant divorce, what would be a fit case!”

Irretrievable breakdown of marriage: “Nothing remains in this marriage”, Supreme Court invokes Article 142 to grant divorce Rintu Mariam Biju December 18 2019 The Supreme Court recently dissolved a marriage by exercising its inherent powers…

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