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Presidency Towns Insolvency Act, 1909 — Section 9(2) — “Decree or order” — Whether includes a recovery certificate issued by a Debts Recovery Tribunal under the Recovery of Debts Due to Banks and Financial Institutions Act, 1993 (pre-2016 amendment) — Held, no — Insolvency Act, being weighed with grave civil consequence of “civil death”, must be strictly construed — Expression “decree or order” must bear the meaning assigned under Ss. 2(2) and 2(14), CPC, requiring adjudication by a “court” in a “suit” — A DRT recovery certificate, not being a decree or order of a court within this meaning, cannot found an insolvency notice under S. 9(2) — Ratio of Paramjeet Singh Patheja v. ICDS Ltd., (2006) 13 SCC 322 (rendered qua arbitral awards) held to rest on a wider principle applicable equally to DRT recovery certificates — Impugned judgment of Division Bench, Bombay High Court, affirming Single Judge’s quashing of insolvency notice, upheld. Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act, 1995 — Section 47 — Non-discrimination in government employment — Employee acquiring disability during service — Mandatory obligation on employer to shift employee to alternate post with same pay and service benefits, or, failing that, to accommodate on supernumerary post till superannuation — Respondent, a CRPF Constable (Driver), rendered blind/partially blind in 1996 and medically invalidated from service in 1998 without consideration of alternate posting — Held, S. 47 casts a positive and mandatory obligation on employer to protect disabled employee and not await a request for accommodation — Order of medical invalidation dated 11-3-1998 held ultra vires S. 47 and Arts. 14 and 21 of the Constitution — Single Judge’s direction reinstating respondent, upheld by Division Bench, affirmed in principle, though relief modified in view of respondent’s superannuation — Kunal Singh v. Union of India, (2003) 4 SCC 524; Bhagwan Dass v. Punjab State Electricity Board, (2008) 1 SCC 579; Ravinder Kumar Dhariwal v. Union of India, (2023) 2 SCC 209, relied on. State Financial Corporations Act, 1951 — Sections 29 & 30 — Auction sale of mortgaged property by Financial Corporation for recovery of dues — Judicial review of, scope — Borrowers persistently defaulting over eight years despite multiple opportunities, repayment schedules fixed by High Court, and statutory notices — Financial Corporation auctioning mortgaged property after affording repeated chances including a final 21-day matching offer, which borrowers ignored — Held, fairness required of a Financial Corporation cannot be carried to the extent of disabling it from recovering what is due to it; fairness is not a one-way street — Courts have no say in matters between the Corporation and its debtor except where there is (a) statutory violation, or (b) the Corporation has acted unfairly/unreasonably — Writ court/civil court does not sit as an appellate authority over commercial decisions of the Corporation — Absence of prior valuation report, by itself, held insufficient to vitiate auction where borrowers never objected to the basis of sale (BOS — balance outstanding as on date of possession/sale deed) and themselves sought to retain the property on the very same terms — Concurrent findings of Trial Court and High Court setting aside auction sale, reversed. Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 — Sections 19(1) & 21 — “Knowledge that such an offence has been committed” — Meaning and scope — Held, not confined to direct/personal knowledge of commission of offence based on person’s own senses — Includes awareness founded on receipt of credible information regarding commission of offence punishable under the Act — Where such information is received directly from the victim, capable of communicating/reporting/informing, the same is deemed credible — Restrictive construction confining “knowledge” to direct, sensory knowledge would render sub-sections (5) & (6) of S. 19 and R. 4 of POCSO Rules, 2012 non-functional, and defeat the protective purpose of the Act — Person receiving report from victim not obliged to independently verify or investigate truth of allegation before reporting — Conducting a prior “verification exercise” to ascertain correctness of the child’s complaint, and reporting only if own assessment finds signs of assault, is impermissible and defeats the very purpose of the Act, since it may result in disappearance of evidence and delay — Delhi Rent Control Act, 1958 — Section 14(1)(b) — Subletting, assignment or parting with possession — Whether involuntary transfer pursuant to statutory scheme of bank amalgamation attracts the provision — Original tenant-bank (HCB) amalgamated with another bank (PNB) pursuant to a Scheme framed by RBI and notified by the Central Government under S. 45 of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949 — Consequent thereto, HCB ceased to exist and all its rights, including tenancy rights in the demised premises, vested in PNB, which came into possession without the landlord’s written consent — Held, S. 14(1)(b) is of wide amplitude, covering subletting, assignment, and “any other mode” by which possession is parted with, and does not distinguish between voluntary and involuntary transfers — Once the twin ingredients — transfer of tenancy rights/possession, and absence of the landlord’s written consent — are satisfied, the provision is attracted irrespective of the reasons necessitating the transfer — Contention that a statutory amalgamation stands outside the mischief of the provision, rejected

Presidency Towns Insolvency Act, 1909 — Section 9(2) — “Decree or order” — Whether includes a recovery certificate issued by a Debts Recovery Tribunal under the Recovery of Debts Due to Banks and Financial Institutions Act, 1993 (pre-2016 amendment) — Held, no — Insolvency Act, being weighed with grave civil consequence of “civil death”, must be strictly construed — Expression “decree or order” must bear the meaning assigned under Ss. 2(2) and 2(14), CPC, requiring adjudication by a “court” in a “suit” — A DRT recovery certificate, not being a decree or order of a court within this meaning, cannot found an insolvency notice under S. 9(2) — Ratio of Paramjeet Singh Patheja v. ICDS Ltd., (2006) 13 SCC 322 (rendered qua arbitral awards) held to rest on a wider principle applicable equally to DRT recovery certificates — Impugned judgment of Division Bench, Bombay High Court, affirming Single Judge’s quashing of insolvency notice, upheld.

Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act, 1995 — Section 47 — Non-discrimination in government employment — Employee acquiring disability during service — Mandatory obligation on employer to shift employee to alternate post with same pay and service benefits, or, failing that, to accommodate on supernumerary post till superannuation — Respondent, a CRPF Constable (Driver), rendered blind/partially blind in 1996 and medically invalidated from service in 1998 without consideration of alternate posting — Held, S. 47 casts a positive and mandatory obligation on employer to protect disabled employee and not await a request for accommodation — Order of medical invalidation dated 11-3-1998 held ultra vires S. 47 and Arts. 14 and 21 of the Constitution — Single Judge’s direction reinstating respondent, upheld by Division Bench, affirmed in principle, though relief modified in view of respondent’s superannuation — Kunal Singh v. Union of India, (2003) 4 SCC 524; Bhagwan Dass v. Punjab State Electricity Board, (2008) 1 SCC 579; Ravinder Kumar Dhariwal v. Union of India, (2023) 2 SCC 209, relied on.

Summons—Revision under S 397(2) Cr PC against order of issue of process is maintainable Cognizance of Offence—While taking cognizance of an offence under Section 190 (1) (b) CrPC, the Magistrate does not has to record reasons for its satisfaction of sufficient grounds for issuance of summons

2019(1) Law Herald (SC) 511 : 2019 LawHerald.Org 598 IN THE SUPREME COURT OF INDIA Before Hon’ble Mrs. Justice Indira Banerjee Hon’ble Mrs. Justice R. Baumathi Criminal Appeal No. 224…

Rape–Medical certificate granted by the Doctor suggests that the Hymen was torn at 6’O clock position and the rugosity was lost–There was no reason for the poor girl to falsely implicate the accused. Rape–Defence cannot take advantage of bad investigation where there is clinching evidence available to the prosecution–Truthful version of the prosecutrix cannot be ignored.

2009(1) LAW HERALD (SC) 593 IN THE SUPREME COURT OF INDIA Before The Hon’ble Mr. Justice Tarun Chatterjee The Hon’ble Mr. Justice V.S.Sirpurkar Criminal Appeal No. 222 of 2009 (Arising…

Landlord & Tenant-Eviction-Revision of Rent-Agreed rent which was being paid by the tenant with annual increment decided at the time of creation of tenancy (10%) is not liable to re-determined as per amendment in statutory Act fixing rate of annual increment (7.5%)–Rate of annual increment would be applicable after the commencement of amendment–Tenant cannot unilaterally revise the rent already paid as statutory amendment

2019(1) Law Herald (SC) 493 : 2019 LawHerald.Org 556 IN THE SUPREME COURT OF INDIA Before Honble Mr. Justice Ashok Bhushan Hon’ble Mr. Justice K.M. Joseph Civil Appeal Nos. 12561-12562…

Consumer Protection Act, 1986, S.27–Imposition of Penalty-Appellant was shown as Secretary of the Society during the relevant period—For the default committed by a Credit Society (non return of amount invested alongwith interest as assured) and in absence of any personal liability imposed on the appellant, no order for imprisonment can be ordered for imprisonment of appellant

2019(1) Law Herald (SC) 572 : 2018 LawHerald.Org 2135 IN THE SUPREME COURT OF INDIA Before Hon’ble Mr. Justice R. Subhash Reddy Hon’ble Mr. Justice Uday Umesh Lalit Civil Appeal…

Consumer Protection Act, 1986, S. 12–Medical Negligence-Vegetative State–Child aged two and half years underwent minor survey but thereafter developed respiratory distress and has been reduced to a vegetative state–Forums below had awarded Rs. 10 lakhs as compensation payable jointly by surgeon and the anesthetist-Compensation enhanced further by Rs.7 lakhs

2019(1) Law Herald (SC) 552 : 2019 LawHerald.Org 602 IN THE SUPREME COURT OF INDIA Before Hon’ble Mr. Justice Dr. Dhananjay Y. Chandrachud Hon’ble Mr. Justice Hemant Gupta Civil Appeal…

Criminal Procedure Code, 1973, S.456–Forcible Dispossession-Restoration of Possession—Limitation-Limitation of 30 days filing an application would apply only if the Trial Court had not passed any order in respect of the case property while convicting the accused—No limitation has been provided for the higher courts to make an order for restoration of possession while disposing the proceedings before it. 

2019(1) Law Herald (SC) 535 : 2019 LawHerald.Org 60O IN THE SUPREME COURT OF INDIA Before Hon’ble Mr. Justice Deepak Gupta Criminal Appeal No. 1104 of 2011 Mahesh Dube v.…

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