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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)

Accident—Negligence—Merely on the basis of the spot as per site map where the vehicle was found lying after the accident, it cannot be assumed that the appellant was driving the vehicle on the wrong side on the road at the relevant time Accident—Claim Petition—Non-examination of witness perse cannot be treated as fatal to the claim Accident—Claim Petition—Even when the accused were to be acquitted in the criminal case, the same may be no effect on the assessment of the liability to pay in claim before the tribunal

(2018) 2 ACC 118 : (2018) AIR(SC) 1900 : (2018) DNJ 478 : (2018) 4 JT 114 : (2018) 5 SCALE 363 SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH MANGLA RAM — Appellant…

Transfer of Property Act, 1882, S.54–Sale Deed-Execution of–Suit for partition—Ancestral property-Contention that sale deed executed by her father ‘D’ ‘was obtained by fraud as he was not keeping good health-Held; Sub-Registrar, who had registered the documents stated that the sale deed was executed by ‘D’ after he had explained to the parties about contents of sale deed-Attesting witnesses nowhere stated that ‘D’ was not in good state of mind at time of execution—No medical evidence has been produced in support of ill health of testator—Appeal dismissed.

2018(2) Law Herald (SC) 227 : 2018 LawHerald.Org 897   SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH KRISHNA DEVI — Appellant Vs. KESHRI NANDAN — Respondent ( Before : N.V. Ramana and S.…

Punjab Limitation (Custom) Act—Commencement of Limitation period–The date on which the decree is drawn would be the relevant date for commencement of limitation period—Mere passing of the judgment by the Court is not enough Limitation—Exclusion of Time—The expanse of Section 14 of the Act, is not limited to mere jurisdictional issue but also other cause of a like nature.

2018(2) Law Herald (SC) 280 (2018) 4 JT 10 : (2018) 2 RCR(Civil) 745 : (2018) 5 SCALE 201 SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH MOHINDER SINGH (DEAD) — Appellant Vs. PARAMJIT SINGH —…

Rape—False promise to marry—Parties lived together like a married couple for long years—Sexual intercourse in the course of such a relationship cannot be termed as ‘rape’—Proceedings quashed

2018(2) Law Herald (SC) 303 : 2018 LawHerald.Org 883 IN THE SUPREME COURT OF INDIA           CRIMINAL APPELLATE JURISDICTION                                         CRIMINAL APPEAL NO.504   OF 2018                                    (Arising out of SLP(Crl.)…

Bar to Suit—Cause of Action—Relief of specific performance cannot be claimed along with relief of permanent injunction in same suit Withdrawal of suit—Bar to Suit—If the order granting permission to withdraw the suit does not specifically mention the fact of granting liberty to the plaintiff to file a fresh suit then filing of the second suit on different cause of action is not hit by O.2 R.2 CPC

(2018) 2 RCR(Civil) 782 : (2018) 5 SCALE 615 SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH SUCHA SINGH SODHI (D) — Appellant Vs. BALDEV RAJ WALIA — Respondent ( Before : R.K. Agrawal and Abhay Manohar Sapre,…

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