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Haryana School Education Act, 1995, Section 22 — Civil Court Jurisdiction — Ouster of jurisdiction by statute must be express or implied — Section 22 only ousts jurisdiction where Government or its officers have power to adjudicate — Recovery of fees by a school is not a power conferred on Government/authorities — Civil court jurisdiction not ousted in matters of reasonable fee recovery. Penal Code, 1860 — Section 498A — Cruelty by husband or relatives of husband — Allegations in FIR were vague, general, and filed one year after admitted separation of the parties — No specific instances of cruelty were mentioned — Criminal proceedings are liable to be quashed. Criminal Procedure Code, 1973 — Section 482 — Quashing of FIR — Court can quash FIR if allegations, taken at face value, do not constitute any offence — Vague and general allegations of marital discord, without specific instances, do not prima facie constitute an offence under Section 498A IPC. Penal Code, 1860 — Sections 376(2), 450 — Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 — Section 4 — Sexual assault on a minor — Evidence of prosecutrix — Conviction can be based solely on the prosecutrix’s testimony if it inspires confidence — Corroboration of testimony of prosecutrix is not a requirement of law, but a guidance of prudence — Minor contractions or small discrepancies should not be a ground for throwing out the evidence of the prosecutrix. State Financial Corporations Act, 1951 — Section 29 — Liability of Financial Corporation taking possession of industrial unit for dues — Corporation acts as a trustee, liable only to the extent of funds in its hands after settling its dues, not personally liable. Civil Procedure Code, 1908 — Section 80 — Notice to Government or public officer — Mandatory requirement before instituting suit — Failure to issue notice or obtain leave renders suit not maintainable and decree a nullity, even if impleaded later. Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016 — Section 62; Section 14(1)(d) — Appeal against NCLAT order setting aside NCLT order directing return of property — NCLT had directed return of property based on CoC decision that property not required by corporate debtor — NCLAT set aside NCLT order invoking Section 14(1)(d) barring recovery of property during CIRP — Supreme Court held that Section 14(1)(d) not applicable as CoC and Resolution Professional initiated the process for returning property due to financial burden of rentals, and not a simple recovery by owner — Commercial wisdom of CoC regarding non-retention of property given primacy — NCLAT order set aside, NCLT order restored.

Penal Code, 1860 (IPC) – Section 302 – Murder – Appellant was convicted for the murder – Supreme Court acquitted the appellant, giving him the benefit of doubt, as the prosecution failed to establish guilt beyond reasonable doubt – The Court found inconsistencies in the testimonies of the prosecution witnesses and deemed them unreliable – The Court applied the principle that extra judicial confessions are weak evidence and require corroboration – The appellant was acquitted due to the prosecution’s inability to prove the charges with certainty.

2024 INSC 307 SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH DHARAMBIR @ DHARMA — Appellant Vs. STATE OF HARYANA — Respondent ( Before : B.R. Gavai and Sandeep Mehta, JJ. )…

Service Matters

Service Law – Termination – The Supreme Court found that the termination was unjustified and in violation of natural justice principles, as no disciplinary enquiry was conducted – The Court quashed the High Court’s judgments and the termination order, reinstated the appellant, and allowed the Institute to conduct disciplinary proceedings if desired.

2024 INSC 309 SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH SANDEEP KUMAR — Appellant Vs. GB PANT INSTITUTE OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY GHURDAURI AND OTHERS — Respondent ( Before : B.R.…

Penal Code, 1860 (IPC) – Sections 302 and 30 – Court found the eyewitnesses’ testimonies reliable and corroborated by medical evidence, dismissing the trivial contradictions raised by the appellant – The Court upheld the conviction based on the credibility of the eyewitnesses and the medical jurist’s testimony, despite the appellant’s claims of a fabricated case – The Supreme Court concluded that the impugned judgments were without infirmity and dismissed the appeal accordingly.

2024 INSC 308 SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH RAMVIR @ SAKET SINGH Vs. THE STATE OF MADHYA PRADESH — Respondent ( Before : B.R. Gavai and Sandeep Mehta, JJ.…

Service Matters

Service Law – Selection Process – The main issue was whether the appellants’ appointments should be regularized after the merger of their posts with the regular establishment of the university – Court relied on UGC’s statutory authority and previous court decisions to conclude that the appellants should be continued after the merger – The appellants are to be reinstated to their posts, and any appointments made by the University under subsequent advertisements were subject to the outcome of this judgment. Disciplinary enquiries may proceed if necessary.

2024 INSC 303 SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH MEHER FATIMA HUSSAIN — Appellant Vs. JAMIA MILIA ISLAMIA AND OTHERS — Respondent ( Before : Abhay S. Oka and Pankaj…

Arbitration and Conciliation Act 1996 – Sections 34 and 37 – Curative petition – The Court found that the arbitral tribunal’s decision was not perverse or irrational and that the CMRS certificate did not conclusively prove that defects were cured within the cure period – The Court emphasized the tribunal’s domain to interpret the contract and the limited scope of judicial interference in arbitral awards – The Supreme Court concluded that the curative petition was maintainable and that there was no miscarriage of justice in restoring the arbitral award.

2024:INSC:292 SUPREME COURT OF INDIA FULL BENCH DELHI METRO RAIL CORPORATION LTD. — Appellant Vs. DELHI AIRPORT METRO EXPRESS PVT. LTD. — Respondent ( Before : Dr Dhananjaya Y Chandrachud,…

Penal Code, 1860 (IPC) – Section 302, read with 34 – Murder – The Supreme Court found that the High Court did not properly address whether the Trial Court’s acquittal was a plausible conclusion from the evidence – The Supreme Court emphasized that the burden of proof lies with the prosecution and that the accused do not have to prove their innocence unless there is a statutory reverse onus – The Supreme Court concluded that the evidence did not warrant overturning the acquittal, as the Trial Court’s view was possible and not perverse.

2024 INSC 295 SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH BHUPATBHAI BACHUBHAI CHAVDA AND ANOTHER — Appellant Vs. STATE OF GUJARAT — Respondent ( Before : Abhay S. Oka and Ujjal…

Penal Code, 1860 (IPC) – Section 302 – Murder – Dispute over a blocked pathway – The Court found no evidence of provocation by the deceased that would justify the appellants’ brutal attack, nor any exercise of the right to private defence – The Court applied principles from previous judgments to determine the lack of private defence and the presence of intention to cause harm – The Supreme Court concluded that the appellants’ actions were not in self-defence and that their intention was to inflict harm, affirming the lower courts’ decisions.

2024 INSC 294 SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH SUBHASH @ SUBANNA AND OTHERS Vs. STATE OF KARNATAKA MINISTRY OF HOME AFFAIRS — Respondent ( Before : Sudhanshu Dhulia and…

Consumer Law – Insurance Act, 1938 – Section 45 – Policy not to be called in question on ground of mis-statement after two years – The Court found no suppression of material facts and criticized the NCDRC for not requiring proper evidence from the respondent – The judgment discusses the principles of ‘uberrimae fidei’ (utmost good faith) and the burden of proof in insurance contracts – The Court concluded that the insurance company failed to prove the alleged suppression of facts, thus the repudiation was unjustified.

2024 INSC 296 SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH MAHAKALI SUJATHA — Appellant Vs. THE BRANCH MANAGER, FUTURE GENERALI INDIA LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY LIMITED AND ANOTHER — Respondent ( Before…

Penal Code, 1860 (IPC) – Section 302 read with 34 and 120B – Murder – The Court found that the prosecution failed to establish that the discovery of the body was solely based on the appellants’ statements and that the chain of evidence was incomplete – The Court applied the principles for circumstantial evidence, emphasizing that the circumstances must fully establish the guilt and exclude all other hypotheses – The Supreme Court concluded that the prosecution did not prove the case beyond reasonable doubt, leading to the acquittal of the appellants.

2024 INSC 299 SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH RAVISHANKAR TANDON — Appellant Vs. STATE OF CHHATTISGARH — Respondent ( Before : B.R. Gavai and Sandeep Mehta, JJ. ) Criminal…

Penal Code, 1860 (IPC) – Sections 302 and 201 – Evidence Act, 1872 – Section 27 – Murder – Causing disappearance of evidence of offence, or giving false information to screen offender – How much of information received from accused may be proved – The Court found the circumstances not conclusive and not consistent only with the hypothesis of the appellant’s guilt – The Court applied the principles for circumstantial evidence, emphasizing that the circumstances must fully establish the conclusion of guilt and exclude other hypotheses – The appellant’s conviction was not sustained due to doubts about the prosecution’s story and the failure to prove all circumstances forming the chain of evidence – Acquittal.

2024 INSC 298 SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH ARUN SHANKAR — Appellant Vs. THE STATE OF MADHYA PRADESH — Respondent ( Before : Abhay S. Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan,…

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