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Constitution of India, 1950 — Article 21 — Right to Life and Healthy Environment — Environmental Degradation: Pollution of Jojari, Bandi, and Luni Rivers in Rajasthan due to untreated industrial effluents and municipal sewage threatens the lives of 2 million people and the ecosystem — This constitutes a gross dereliction of constitutional duty and a direct constitutional injury — The right to a healthy environment, including pollution-free water and air, is an indispensable facet of the right to life under Article 21, reinforced by Articles 48A and 51A(g) — Judicial intervention is warranted when environmental degradation strikes at the foundation of these guarantees. (Paras 3, 10, 11, 12, 13, 15, 28) Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996 — Section 11(6), Section 11(12)(a), Section 2(1)(f), Section 2(2) — Applicability of Part I, including Section 11, to International Commercial Arbitration (ICA) — Dispute arising from a Buyer and Seller Agreement (BSA) where Respondent No. 1 is foreign company (incorporated in Benin) — BSA stipulates arbitration “will take place in Benin” and is governed by laws of Benin — Held: Dispute is an ICA under Section 2(1)(f) — Under Section 2(2), Part I of the Act applies only where the place of arbitration is in India — Designation of Benin as the place of arbitration, coupled with choice of Benin law as governing/curial law, unequivocally establishes Benin as the juridical seat — Indian Courts lack jurisdiction under Section 11 to appoint an arbitrator for a foreign-seated arbitration — Petition seeking appointment of an arbitrator in India is fundamentally misconceived and legally untenable. (Paras 2, 23, 24, 25, 26, 30) Government Contracts and Tenders — Letter of Intent (LoI) — Legal Nature — An LoI is ordinarily a precursor to a contract, indicating intent to enter into a future agreement, but does not itself create a concluded contract or vested, enforceable rights unless the necessary preconditions are satisfied — A bidder’s commercial expectation that a contract will follow an LoI is not a juridical entitlement — If the LoI explicitly stipulates conditions precedent (like compatibility testing, live demonstration, and cost disclosure) before execution of an agreement/final award letter, the LoI remains provisional and conditional until such prerequisites are met. (Paras 12, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19 Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016 (IBC) — Section 7 — Application by Financial Creditor — Rejection for technical defects — Affidavit Verification — Whether an application under Section 7 of the IBC, verified later than the date of the supporting affidavit, is liable to be rejected at the threshold — Mere filing of a ‘defective’ affidavit (e.g., dated before application verification) does not render the Section 7 application non est and liable to be rejected; such a defect is curable and not fundamental. (Paras 1, 17) Criminal Procedure Code, 1973 (CrPC) — Section 482 — Inherent powers of High Court — Quashing of criminal proceedings — Scope — Principles for quashing FIR or complaint under Section 482 CrPC, including where allegations, taken at face value, do not constitute any offence, or where the proceeding is manifestly attended with mala fide or maliciously instituted with an ulterior motive (referring to State of Haryana vs. Bhajan Lal) — High Court error in refusing to quash proceedings despite clear absence of ingredients for the alleged offences. (Paras 12, 17, 25, 26, 27)

Constitution of India, 1950 — Article 21 — Right to Life and Healthy Environment — Environmental Degradation: Pollution of Jojari, Bandi, and Luni Rivers in Rajasthan due to untreated industrial effluents and municipal sewage threatens the lives of 2 million people and the ecosystem — This constitutes a gross dereliction of constitutional duty and a direct constitutional injury — The right to a healthy environment, including pollution-free water and air, is an indispensable facet of the right to life under Article 21, reinforced by Articles 48A and 51A(g) — Judicial intervention is warranted when environmental degradation strikes at the foundation of these guarantees. (Paras 3, 10, 11, 12, 13, 15, 28)

Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996 — Section 11(6), Section 11(12)(a), Section 2(1)(f), Section 2(2) — Applicability of Part I, including Section 11, to International Commercial Arbitration (ICA) — Dispute arising from a Buyer and Seller Agreement (BSA) where Respondent No. 1 is foreign company (incorporated in Benin) — BSA stipulates arbitration “will take place in Benin” and is governed by laws of Benin — Held: Dispute is an ICA under Section 2(1)(f) — Under Section 2(2), Part I of the Act applies only where the place of arbitration is in India — Designation of Benin as the place of arbitration, coupled with choice of Benin law as governing/curial law, unequivocally establishes Benin as the juridical seat — Indian Courts lack jurisdiction under Section 11 to appoint an arbitrator for a foreign-seated arbitration — Petition seeking appointment of an arbitrator in India is fundamentally misconceived and legally untenable. (Paras 2, 23, 24, 25, 26, 30)

V IMP ::: Accident —Railways—Interest on compensation can be paid from date of accident—Rate of interest to be as per motor accident claims and payable uniformly irrespective of stages of claim petition. Accident—Railways—Compensation and Interest thereon is payable on the same pattern as in motor accident claim cases. Accident—Railways—Death or injury at the time of boarding a train-Plea of negligence of victim is not maintainable. Accident—Railways—Mere absence of ticket would not negate the claim of being a bonafide passenger.

(2018) 2 ACC 591 : (2018) AIR(SC) 2362 : (2018) 2 LawHerald(SC) 515 : (2018) 7 SCALE 274 SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH UNION OF INDIA — Appellant Vs. RINA DEVI — Respondent…

Arbitration—Different agreements between several parties for a single commercial project and all the agreements are interconnected—In such a case all the parties can be covered by the arbitration clause in the main agreement even if in some agreement there is no arbitration clause and such parties are not signatory to main agreement containing arbitration clause. Arbitration—Plea of Fraud—Duty of the Court is to impart “sense of business efficacy” to the commercial transactions pointing out that mere allegations of fraud were not sufficient to decline to refer the parties to arbitration.

2018(1) Law Herald (SC) 495 : 2018 LawHerald.Org 929   SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH AMEET LALCHAND SHAH — Appellant Vs. RISHABH ENTERPRISES — Respondent ( Before : Ranjan Gogoi and R.…

Murder-Motive-Non-mention of motive in FIR—- Not a fatal defect—An FIR is not to be read as an encyclopedia requiring every minute detail of the occurrence to be mentioned therein–The absence of any mention in it with regard to the previous altercation, cannot affect its veracity so as to doubt the entire case of the prosecution–The altercation suffices to establish motive—Conviction upheld-Evidence Act, 1872, S.8.

2018(2) Law Herald (SC) 484 : 2018 LawHerald.Org 928 :(2018) AIR(SC) 2142 SUPREME COURT OF INDIA FULL BENCH SATPAL — Appellant Vs. STATE OF HARYANA — Respondent ( Before : Kurian Joseph, Mohan M.…

V IMP::: Summoning of Record—By an appellate or revisional courts— (i) Trial court may send the Photo copy /scanned copy of the record and retain the original so that proceedings are not held up: (ii) In cases where specifically 2 original record is required by holding that photocopy will not serve the purpose, the appellate/revisional court may call for the record only for perusal and the same he returned while keeping a photocopy/scanned copy of the same.

2018(2) Law Herald (SC) 473 : 2018 LawHerald.Org 924 IN THE SUPREME COURT OF INDIA  Before Honble Mr. Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel Honble Mr. Justice Rohinton Fali Nariman   Criminal…

Narcotics—Personal Search—Accused posed faith in raiding party and gave written consent for being searched by raiding party—Held; this does not satisfy the requirement of S.50 NDPS Act—Accused acquitted. Narcotics—Personal Search—Search before Magistrate or Gazetted officer is mandatory requirement and strict compliance thereof is mandated.

  2018(2) Law Herald (SC) 465 : 2018 LawHerald.Org 925  SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH ARIF KHAN @ AGHA KHAN — Appellant Vs. STATE OF UTTARAKHAND — Respondent ( Before : R.K. Agrawal and…

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