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Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 — Section 168 — Notional income of skilled worker — Carpenter — Assessment — The appellant, a carpenter aged 38 years, suffered amputation of his right leg below the knee in a road accident in November 2004 — The Claims Tribunal assessed his monthly income at Rs. 3,000/- and the High Court enhanced it to Rs. 5,000/- relying on minimum wages. Held — A carpenter is a skilled artisan who works with precision and manual dexterity — His income cannot be equated with that of an unskilled worker — Where the appellant’s unrefuted evidence showed earnings of Rs. 8,000/- to Rs. 10,000/- per month, and a skilled job always has the potentiality to fetch higher income, the High Court erred in restricting the figure to Rs. 5,000/- — Considering the date of accident, decisions in comparable cases and the fact of the appellant being a skilled worker, his notional monthly income is assessed at Rs. 9,000/- per month. Criminal Procedure Code, 1973 (CrPC) — Penal Code, 1860 (IPC) — Section 304 Part II — Culpable Homicide not Amounting to Murder — Conviction and sentence — Appeal against — Abatement of appeal due to death of co-accused — Death of two appellants during pendency of appeal — Appeal survives only for the third appellant. Uttar Pradesh Zamindari Abolition and Land Reforms Act, 1950 — Section 154 — Transfer of land in contravention of ceiling limit — Not void ipso facto — Capable of ratification — Legality of transfer to be judged by law on date of execution — Sale deed executed on 04.06.1957 — Ceiling limit then was 30 acres, subsequently amended to 12.5 acres retrospectively from 01.07.1952 — Transfer in contravention of Section 154 not void but voidable at instance of Gaon Sabha coupled with liability for ejectment of transferee under Section 163 — No suit filed for ejectment within limitation period. Specific Relief Act, 1963 — Section 16(c) — “Readiness and Willingness” — Relief of specific performance is equitable and discretionary — Plaintiff must specifically aver and prove continuous readiness and willingness to perform obligations — Failure to do so disentitles plaintiff to relief — “Readiness” refers to financial capacity, “Willingness” to conduct and intention — Both cumulatively must be seen — Conduct of plaintiff prior and subsequent to suit, along with attending circumstances, must be considered — Availability of funds must be proved with reference to relevant time, not by documents created much later. Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 — Section 166 and 140 — Compensation for death in motor vehicular accident — Negligence — Truck stationed on road at night without warning lights or indicators — Wagon-R car collided from behind — Held, truck driver was negligent in leaving the vehicle unattended on the road without adequate precautionary measures, which was the proximate cause of the accident.

Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881 (NI) – Section 138–Court cannot insist on a person to lead negative evidence. The observation of the High Court that trial court’s finding that the complainant failed to prove his financial capacity of lending money is perverse cannot be supported.–We are, thus, satisfied that accused has raised a probable defence and the findings of the trial court that complainant failed to prove his financial capacity are based on evidence led by the defence. Appeal allowed.

SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH BASALINGAPPA — Appellant Vs. MUDIBASAPPA — Respondent ( Before : Ashok Bhushan and K.M. Joseph, JJ. ) Criminal Appeal No. 636 of 2019 (Arising…

Auction Sale—Lease hold property or Free hold property—While interpreting the Sale Deed, the auction notice has to be looked into to find out the nature of transaction—Sale Deed cannot be read divorced to the auction notice or contrary to auction notice Unearned Increase—When the auction was made on the market value of the property, then there was no question of claiming of unearned increase by the development authority   

2019(1) Law Herald (SC) 845 : 2019 LawHerald.Org 722 IN THE SUPREME COURT OF INDIA Before Honble Mr. Justice Ashok Bhushan Hon’ble Mr. Justice K.M. Joseph Civil Appeal No. 1533…

“……that the courts at the place where the wife takes shelter after leaving or driven away from the matrimonial home on account of acts of cruelty committed by the husband or his relatives, would, dependent on the factual situation, also have jurisdiction to entertain a complaint alleging commission of offences under Section 498A of the Indian Penal Code.”

SUPREME COURT OF INDIA FULL BENCH RUPALI DEVI — Appellant Vs. STATE OF UTTAR PRADESH AND OTHERS — Respondent ( Before : Ranjan Gogoi, CJI, L. Nageswara Rao and Sanjay…

Industrial Disputes Act, 1947, S. 17-B-Termination of Service–Non recovery of excess amount paid to employee–If the Court/Tribunal, eventually upholds the termination order as being legal against the workman, yet the employer will have no right to recover the amount already paid by him to the delinquent workman pursuant to order passed under Section 17-B of the ID Act during pendency of these proceedings      

2019(1) Law Herald (SC) 829 : 2019 LawHerald.Org 718 IN THE SUPREME COURT OF INDIA Before Hon’ble Mr. Justice Abhay Manohar Sapre Hon’ble Mr. Justice Dinesh Maheshwari Civil Appeal Nos.…

Indian Penal Code, 1860, S.302 and S.120-B-Murder–Circumstantial Evidence—Acquittal—Missing Link evidence–circumstances which emerged and taken note of gives a suspicion in completing the claim of commission of crime beyond doubt—Petitioner held entitled to benefit of doubt-Petitioner acquitted.                 

2019(1) Law Herald (SC) 821 : 2019 LawHerald.Org 610 IN THE SUPREME COURT OF INDIA Before HonTjel Mr. Justice Ajay Rastogi Hon’bel Mr. Justice K.M. Jospeh Criminal Appeal NO(s). 148…

Territorial .Jurisdiction—Place of Suing—Interpretation of word “portion of the property” in S.17 CPC cannot only be understood in a limited and restrictive sense of being portion of one property situated in jurisdiction of two courts but would include more than one property or properties located at different locations.

2019(1) Law Herald (SC) 804 : 2019 LawHerald.Org 714 IN THE SUPREME COURT OF INDIA Before Honlrie Mr. Justice Ashok Bhushan Hon’ble Mr. Justice K.M. Joseph Civil Appeal No. 1052…

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