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Constitution of India, 1950 — Articles 14, 21 — Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 (RPwD Act) — Substantive Equality and Inclusion — Scope and Spirit — The measure of a just society demands the removal of barriers for all citizens to realize their potential, transforming formal equality into substantive inclusion — Constitutional vision requires every person, regardless of physical or sensory limitation, to participate with dignity — Rights guaranteed to persons with disabilities are expressions of the constitutional promise of equality, dignity, and non-discrimination, not acts of benevolence. (Paras 1, 12, 13) Criminal Procedure Code, 1973 (CrPC) — Section 321 — Withdrawal from prosecution — Requirement of High Court permission for withdrawal of cases against sitting or former MPs/MLAs — Following Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay v. Union of India — High Court must exercise judicial mind and give a reasoned order when considering an application for permission to withdraw prosecution against sitting/former legislators — Application must disclose reasons for withdrawal and records of the case must be before the High Court — Absence of requisite permission from the High Court means that the withdrawal application cannot be granted and the criminal proceedings cannot be quashed on this ground — High Court’s rejection of quashing petition confirmed. (Paras 2, 7, 9, 10) Criminal Procedure Code, 1973 (CrPC) — Section 313 — Examination of Accused — Object and Scope — Non-compliance with mandatory requirement — Fair Trial — The object of Section 313 CrPC is to ensure a fair trial by providing the accused with an opportunity to explain all incriminating circumstances appearing in the prosecution evidence against them personally — It is a mandatory, non-negotiable obligation upon the Court and is not a mere formality; it is based on the cardinal principle of natural justice (audi alterum partem) — The statement cannot be the sole basis for conviction and is neither substantive nor a substitute piece of evidence. (Paras 6, 7.1, 7.2) Maharashtra Slum Areas (Improvement, Clearance and Redevelopment) Act, 1971 — Section 14(1) — Mandamus to acquire land — Power of State Government to acquire land for Slum Rehabilitation Scheme — Preferential Right of Owner — The power of the State Government to acquire land under Section 14 read with Section 3D(c)(i) of the Slum Act is subject to the preferential right of the owner to redevelop the area — Acquisition is not warranted when the owner is willing to undertake development in exercise of their preferential right, and the process must be kept in abeyance until such right is extinguished — No mandamus can be issued to the State Government to acquire the subject property under Section 14 of the Slum Act where the subsequent purchaser from the original owner (Respondent No. 4) has a subsisting preferential right to develop the property. (Paras 63, 64, 71, 72, 77(1)) Criminal Procedure Code, 1973 — Section 227 — Discharge of Accused — Principles for deciding discharge application — Standard of proof for framing charge — The Court, at the stage of framing charge, must sift the evidence to determine if there is a “sufficient ground for proceeding”; a prima facie case must be established — If two views are possible and one gives rise to “suspicion only, as distinguished from grave suspicion,” the trial Judge is empowered to discharge the accused — The Judge is not a “mere post office” but must exercise judicial mind to determine if a case for trial is made out — The strong suspicion required to frame a charge must be founded on material that can be translated into evidence at trial — Where the profile of allegations renders the existence of strong suspicion patently absurd or inherently improbable, the accused should be discharged. (Paras 14, 15, 16, 17)

Non­compoundable offence – Quashing of criminal proceedings on the ground that the accused and the original Complainant have settled the dispute amicably – Despite any settlement between the Complainant on the one hand and the accused on the other, the criminal proceedings for the offences under Section 307 of the IPC cannot be quashed, as the offence under Section 307 is a non­compoundable offence

SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH STATE OF MADHYA PRADESH — Appellant Vs. KALYAN SINGH AND OTHERS — Respondent ( Before : D. Y. Chandrachud and M. R. Shah, JJ.…

Murder—Death Sentence—Minor girl raped and murdered—Appellant had no criminal antecedents prior to commission of this crime and his post incarceration conduct suggests the possibility of his reform—Death sentence commuted to life sentence–Though the crime committed of an abominable nature but it cannot be said to be such a brutal, depraved heinous or diabolical nature so as to fall into the category of the rarest of rare cases

2018(4) Law Herald (SC) 3372 : 2018 LawHerald.Org 1943 IN THE SUPREME COURT OF INDIA Before Hon’ble Mr. Justice N.V. Ramana Hon’ble Mr. Justice Mohan M. Shantanagoudar Hon’ble Mr. Justice…

Witness Protection Scheme—Scheme as prepared by Union of India approved by SC and shall come into force with immediate effect Witness Protection Scheme–Vulnerable Witness Deposition Complexes—Directions issued to State and Union Territories to set up such complexes in all the district Courts in India by the end of the year 2019.

2018(4) Law Herald (SC) 3342 : 2018 LawHerald.Org 1940 IN THE SUPREME COURT OF INDIA Before Hon’ble Mr. Justice A.K. Sikri Hon’ble Mr. Justice S. Abdul Nazeer Writ Petition (Criminal)…

Civil Procedure Code, 1908, O.21 R.66–Auction Sale—Setting aside of- -Inadequate Publicity—Authorities committed error in not giving adequate publicity in leading newspaper keeping in view, the value and the potentiality of the land—Directions issued to re-auction the land in question by giving wide publicity in various leading national newspapers having circulation all over India

2018(4) Law Herald (SC) 3338 : 2018 LawHerald.Org 1939 IN THE SUPREME COURT OF INDIA Before Hon’ble Mr. Justice Abhay Manohar Sapre Hon’ble Mr. Justice Indu Malhotra Civil Appeal No.…

Hindu Marriage Act, 1955, S.15–Nullity of Marriage-Second Marriage– During pendency of appeal against divorce decree of first marriage-The restriction placed on a second marriage in Section 15 of the Act till the dismissal of an appeal would not apply to a case where parties have settled and decided not to pursue the appeal

2018(4) Law Herald (SC) 3318 : 2018 LawHerald.org 1798 IN THE SUPREME COURT OF INDIA Before Hon’ble Mr. Justice S.A. Bobde Hon’ble Mr. Justice L. Nageswara Rao Civil Appeal No.…

Service Law–Wages–Any isolated one time ex-gratia payment made by way of an interim relief cannot be regarded as wages or its component—If such amount had been paid regularly by the employer to the employee in compliance with his terms of employment, it would have been regarded as wages or its component—Industrial Disputes Act, 1947,

2018(4) Law Herald (SC) 3381 : 2018 LawHerald.Org 1944 IN THE SUPREME COURT OF INDIA Before Hon’ble Mr. Justice Abhay Manohar Sapre Hon’ble Mrs. Justice Indu Malhotra Civil Appeal No.3168…

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