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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.

Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013 – Section 24(2) – Land Acquisition Act, 1894 – Sections 4, 5A and 6, 17(1) – De­notification- the land acquisition could not be said to be illegal in any manner. There is no room for making indulgence to quash the land acquisition proceedings.

SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH JAGJIWAN COOP. GROUP HOUSING SOCIETY LTD. AND OTHERS — Appellant Vs. LT. GOVERNOR, NCT OF DELHI AND OTHERS — Respondent ( Before : Arun…

Mumbai Municipal Corporation Act, 1888 – Sections 337, 342, 347, 351, 351(2), 351(1A) and 351(ii) – Re-construction of building – When municipal corporation demolishes a structure in exercise of powers vested in it but in violation of the procedure prescribed, the High Court CANNOT  direct the ‘owner/occupier’ of the building to reconstruct the demolished structure

SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH MUNICIPAL CORPORATION OF GREATER MUMBAI AND OTHERS — Appellant Vs. M/S SUNBEAM HIGH TECH DEVELOPERS PRIVATE LTD. — Respondent ( Before : Deepak Gupta…

Hindu Succession Act, 1956 – Section 15 – Suit for specific performance of an agreement of sale – When a person concerned knew the right position relating to the title in property in his possession, he could not plead that he was induced to hold an erroneous belief because of the conduct of real owner of that property

SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH SIRDAR K.B. RAMACHANDRA RAJ URS. (DEAD) THROUGH LRS. — Appellant Vs. SARAH C. URS AND OTHERS — Respondent ( Before : Arun Mishra and…

Penal Code, 1860 (IPC) – Sections 376, 499 and 506(2) – Evidence Act, 1872 -intercourse by the accused is proved and the question is whether it was without the consent of the woman alleged to have been raped, and such woman states in her evidence before the Court that she did not consent, the court shall presume that she did not consent Section 114-A – Criminal Procedure Code, 1973 (CrPC) – Section 482 – Rape –

SUPREME COURT OF INDIA FULL BENCH MISS XYZ — Appellant Vs. STATE OF GUJARAT AND ANOTHER — Respondent ( Before : Uday Umesh Lalit, Indu Malhotra and R. Subhash Reddy,…

Service Matters

Rajasthan Civil Services (Absorption of Ex-servicemen) Rules, 1988 – Rule 6B A candidate who is not eligible on the last date of submission of application cannot be treated to be eligible in the category of Ex-servicemen when the writ petitioners were in active service on the last date of submission of application forms

SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH RAJASTHAN PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION, AJMER AND ANOTHER — Appellant Vs. SHIKUN RAM FIRUDA AND ANOTHER — Respondent ( Before : L. Nageswara Rao and…

Madhya Pradesh Land Revenue Code 1959 – Section 115 – Correction in revenue entries – There is a concurrent finding by the First Appellate Court and the High Court that the procedure not having been followed, the correction made in the revenue records and on basis of which the Temple was claimed to be a public temple and the Collector as the Manager thereof was unsustainable. – Appeal dismissed.

SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH STATE OF MADHYA PRADESH AND OTHERS — Appellant Vs. MURTI SHRI CHATURBHUJNATH AND OTHERS — Respondent ( Before : Navin Sinha and Sanjiv Khanna,…

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