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Specific Relief Act, 1963 — Section 20 — Specific performance — Discretionary and equitable relief — Clean hands — Grant of specific performance is discretionary, not automatic even where a valid contract subsists; a plaintiff must approach the Court with clean hands. Where the plaintiff’s spouse lodged a criminal complaint seeking recovery of the advance paid, alleging the vendor fraudulently suppressed a subsisting injunction, while simultaneously maintaining a civil suit for specific performance, such conduct amounts to blowing “hot and cold” and disentitles the plaintiff to equitable relief. Criminal Procedure Code, 1973 (CrPC) — Section 299 — Absence of order — Effect on conviction — Where no order under S. 299 was ever passed at the stage the co-accused was tried (case having been split due to abscondence), the earlier deposition of a witness (since deceased) could not be relied upon to convict the accused apprehended and tried years later; identification by surviving eyewitnesses being doubtful and other witnesses having turned hostile, conviction based on such uncorroborated prior testimony unsustainable — appellant acquitted. Hindu female’s property devolves equally on husband and daughter separately; gift of undivided coparcenary share needs no co-owner’s consent. A. Hindu Succession Act, 1956 — Section 15(1)(a) — Devolution of Female Intestate’s Property — Properties of a Hindu female dying intestate devolve, in the absence of sons/daughters’ issue predeceasing her, upon her husband and daughter in equal shares under Section 15(1)(a); such undivided share in the husband’s hands does not partake the character of coparcenary property. Armed Forces — Air Force Order No. 33/2017 — Prior Permission for Civil Post — Mandatory Nature — Requirement of seeking prior permission before applying for a civil post, and subsequent grant of NOC, held mandatory and not merely procedural/directory, since AFO 33/2017 has necessary nexus with regulating premature discharge of Airmen and its object of maintaining operational preparedness of the Air Force. Consumer Protection Act, 2019 — Deficiency of Service — Maintenance Contractor’s Liability — Elevator Malfunction — Comprehensive maintenance contractor, being both manufacturer and repair contractor with exclusive technical knowledge of safety interlocks and brake mechanisms, held principally deficient in service for failing to act on its own identified remedy (voltage stabiliser) despite repeated notice of persistent malfunction over several months preceding fatal accident.

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…

Service Matters

Candidate Not Estopped From Challenging Selection Process When Misconstruction Of Statutory Rules Is Alleged HELD candidate will not be estopped from challenging a selection process on the ground of having participated in it when there is allegation of “misconstruction of statutory rules and discriminating consequences arising therefrom”.

Candidate Not Estopped From Challenging Selection Process When Misconstruction Of Statutory Rules Is Alleged : SC [Read Judgment] LIVELAW NEWS NETWORK 17 Dec 2019 7:58 PM In a notable judgment…

Criminal Procedure Code, 1973 (CrPC) – Sections 205 and 205 (2) – Dispensation with personal appearance/attendance – In the case of Bhaskar Industries Ltd. V. Bhiwani Denim & Apparels Ltd., (2001) 7 SCC 401, this Court has observed that if a Court is satisfied that in the interest of justice the personal attendance of an accused before it need not be insisted on, then the court has the power to dispense with the attendance of the accused – HELD consequently the application submitted by the appellant to dispense with his appearance before the learned Trial Court on all dates of adjournments and permitting his counsel to appear on his behalf is here by allowed on the conditions.

SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH PUNEET DALMIA — Appellant CENTRAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION, HYDERABAD — Respondent ( Before : Ashok Bhushan and M. R. Shah, JJ. ) Criminal Appeal…

Penal Code, 1860 (IPC) – Sections 34 and 302 – Murder – Common intention – Appeal against conviction and sentence – Appellant was present on the spot of the offence HELD In order to invoke the principle of joint liability in the commission of a criminal act as laid down in Section 34, the prosecution should show that the criminal act in question was done by one of the accused persons in furtherance of the common intention of all.

SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH VIRENDER — Appellant Vs. STATE OF HARYANA — Respondent ( Before : Mohan M. Shantanagoudar and K. M. Joseph, JJ. ) Criminal Appeal No.…

Contempt Petition (Civil) -We do not see anything wrong in the process undertaken by the State Government in pursuance of various interim orders passed by this Court and also in pursuance of the Judgment and final order dated 25.07.20171. The fact that out of 12,091 candidates only few could be selected and the reasons for non-selection of rest of the candidates, were part of the record since October 2016.

SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH SANJAI KUMAR AND OTHERS — Appellant Vs. DR. PRABHAT KUMAR — Respondent ( Before : Uday Umesh Lalit and M. R. Shah, JJ. )…

Service Matters

Uttar Pradesh Development Authorities Centralized Services Rules, 1985 – Rule 24(3) – Promotion – Condition of length of ten years’ service was relaxed -In any case the appellant is entitled to be promoted with effect from 18.01.1995 i.e. the date on which the juniors to him were promoted – Non – concurrence with the U.P. Public Service Commission, at the most would make the appointment of the appellant irregular and not illegal

SUPREME COURT OF INDIA FULL BENCH SIRAJ AHMAD — Appellant Vs. STATE OF UTTAR PRADESH AND ANOTHER — Respondent ( Before : S.A. Bobde, CJI, B.R. Gavai and Surya Kant,…

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