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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.

Debts Recovery Tribunal has no power to condone the delay in filing application for review under the Recovery of Debts and Bankruptcy Act 1993(RDB Act) HELD provisions of Limitation Act, including the provision to condone delay under Section 5 of it, apply only to original applications filed under Section 19 of the RDB Act and not to review applications.

DRT Has No Power To Condone Delay In Filing Review Application Under RDB Act : SC [Read Judgment] LIVELAW NEWS NETWORK 27 Jan 2020 12:59 PM The Supreme Court has…

Criminal Trial Law Does Not Taboo Adopting Of The Alternate Pleas By Accused HELD a murder accused can take a plea that he was not at all involved in the act which resulted in the death of the deceased, but that does not deprive him/her of the right to establish the fact that the case against him would still be embraced within any of the exceptions under Section 300 IPC.

[Criminal Trial] Law Does Not Taboo Adopting Of The Alternate Pleas By Accused: SC [Read Judgment] LIVELAW NEWS NETWORK 26 Jan 2020 8:27 PM The law does not taboo adopting…

Initiation of contempt proceedings – Notifications providing for consequential seniority in promotion to the Members of the SC/ST communities – In the absence of any quantifiable data relating to the issue of backwardness and inadequacy of representation of the concerned classes in public employment, no benefit of consequential seniority could be extended

SUPREME COURT OF INDIA FULL BENCH BAJRANG LAL SHARMA — Appellant Vs. C.K. MATHEW AND OTHERS — Respondent ( Before : Uday Umesh Lalit, Indira Banerjee and M.R. Shah, JJ.…

SC Sets Aside NCDRC Findings Of Unfair Trade Practice Against Star TV & Airtel In Relation To KBC Show HELD there is no other cogent material on record upon which the National Commission could have placed reliance to render the finding of ‘unfair trade practice’ under Section 2(1)(r)(3) (a) of the 1986 Act”,

SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH STAR INDIA (P) LTD. — Appellant Vs. SOCIETY OF CATALYSTS AND ANOTHER — Respondent ( Before : Mohan M. Shantanagoudar and R. Subhash Reddy,…

Registration Act, 1908 – Sections 31, 88, 89, 32, 34 and 36 – Civil Procedure Code, 1908 (CPC) – Section 100 – Transfer of Property Act, 1882 – Section 53(A) – Registration of deed of conveyance – HELD The deed in question does not fall within Sections 31, 88 and 89 of the Registration Act. Section 32 of the said Act does not require presence of both parties to a deed of sale when the same is presented for registration – Not find any reason to interfere with the judgment of the High Court

SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH H.P. PUTTASWAMY — Appellant Vs. THIMMAMMA AND OTHERS — Respondent ( Before : Deepak Gupta and Aniruddha Bose, JJ. ) Civil Appeal No. 3975…

Penal Code, 1860 (IPC) – Section 302 read with Sections 120-B/34, 147, 148 and 149 – Criminal Procedure Code, 1973 (CrPC) – Section 161 – Murder by gunshots – There has been no wrong or improper exercise of discretion on the part of the High Court in granting bail to the accused

SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH PRABHAKAR TEWARI — Appellant Vs. STATE OF UTTAR PRADESH AND ANOTHER — Respondent ( Before : Deepak Gupta and Aniruddha Bose, JJ. ) Criminal…

Service Matters

Army Act, 1950 – Section 20 – Army Rules, 1954 – Rule 17 – Dismissal by Chief of the Army Staff – While exercising the power under Section 20 of the Army Act, the only procedure which is required to be followed would be under rule 17 of the Army Rules, namely, a person who is sought to be dismissed or removed from service has been informed of the particulars of the cause of action against him and allowed reasonable time to state in writing any reasons

SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH SANJAY MARUTIRAO PATIL — Appellant Vs. UNION OF INDIA AND OTHERS — Respondent ( Before : L. Nageswara Rao and M.R. Shah, JJ. )…

Liberal Approach In Granting Bail In NDPS Uncalled For, Says SC HELD “Underlying object of Section 37 is that in addition to the limitations provided under the CrPC, or any other law for the time being in force, regulating the grant of bail, its liberal approach in the matter of bail under the NDPS Act is indeed uncalled for.”

Liberal Approach In Granting Bail In NDPS Uncalled For, Says SC [Read Judgment] Ashok Kini 24 Jan 2020 5:39 PM “The jurisdiction of the Court to grant bail is circumscribed…

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