Latest Post

Environment Law — Environmental Clearance — Prior clearance — Mandatory character — Prior environmental clearance under EIA Notification, 2006 is mandatory, being founded on the precautionary principle and couched in imperative terms — Word “prior” and the graded four-stage screening, scoping, public consultation and appraisal process render an anterior assessment the sine qua non of the clearance regime — Decriminalisation of contraventions under Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Act, 2023 does not alter this mandatory character. Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 — Section 415 — Appeal — Maintainability — Conviction recorded for first time by appellate court reversing acquittal — An appeal under Section 374 CrPC (Section 415 BNSS) is not maintainable against a judgment of conviction recorded by a Sessions Court while exercising appellate jurisdiction and reversing an order of acquittal passed by the Trial Court — No such second appeal is contemplated under CrPC or BNSS — The only remedy available is revision under Section 397 r/w 401 CrPC (Section 438 r/w 442 BNSS) Income Tax Act, 1961 — Section 44B — “Carriage” of passengers — Meaning and scope of — Cruise operations by non-resident shipping entity — Held, the word “carriage” under Section 44B cannot be restrictively construed to mean movement only from Port A to Port B. A round-trip cruise voyage, where passengers have the option to disembark at intermediate ports without compulsion to return to the originating port, constitutes carriage of passengers within the meaning of Section 44B. Provision of incidental on-board entertainment and hospitality does not alter the essential character of the activity as carriage of passengers. Criminal Procedure Code, 1973 (CrPC) — Section 482 — Quashing of FIR — Scope of inquiry — Mini-trial impermissible — At the stage of considering quashing of an FIR, the Court’s inquiry is confined to whether the allegations, taken at face value, prima facie disclose commission of a cognizable offence — Court cannot conduct a “mini-trial” by sifting evidence, assessing probabilities, or evaluating witness credibility — High Court exceeding these limits by examining trap proceedings, absence of personal recovery, and departmental enquiry findings, held impermissible. Succession Act, 1925 — Sections 33, 35 and 38 — Hindu/Christian Succession — Applicability of S. 33 confined to property owned by deceased male; erroneous application by High Court set aside — Where property was purchased and registered in the joint names of two wives, the same is owned by them and not by the husband, notwithstanding that he provided the consideration — Section 33, which governs devolution on intestacy of a male’s property between his widow and lineal descendants, is not attracted to property never vested in the husband’s name — High Court’s application of S. 33 to the entirety of the suit property held misconceived.

High Court gave finding that the Rent Appellate Tribunal allowed the appellant’s (landlady’s) appeal with a casual approach and failed to record any categorical finding on the plea of bona fide need—However, High Court neither remanded the case nor decided the appeal on merits—This approach of the High Court caused prejudice to the appellant (landlady) because there was no factual finding recorded either by the first appellate Court or the High Court on the question of bona fide need—Matter remanded back to Rent Appellate Tribunal

2018(4) Law Herald (SC) 3230 : 2018 LawHerald.org 1797 IN THE SUPREME COURT OF INDIA Before Hon’ble Mr. Justice Abhay Manohar Sapre Hon’ble Mrs. Justice Indu Malhotra Civil Appeal No.…

Quashing—Remand of Case—High Court dismissed the petition for quashing without referring to facts of the case with a view to appreciate factual controversy and to appreciates why such grounds are not made out under S.482 Cr.P.C-Matter remanded hack to High Court to be decided afresh—Impugned order set aside

2018(4) Law Herald (SC) 3228 : 2018 LawHerald.Org 1934 IN THE SUPREME COURT OF INDIA Before Hon’ble Mr. Justice Abhay Manohar Sapre Hon’ble Mr. Justice Indu Malhotra Criminal Appeal No.…

Execution of decree—Objections—Revisionary Court is under legal obligation to decide the legality and correctness of the findings recorded by the executing court on its merits rather than remanding it to executing court Execution of Decree—Objections—Revision—Additional evidence by way of documents not to be placed in revision against dismissal of objections by executing court

2018(4) Law Herald (SC) 3205 : 2018 LawHerald.Org 1930 IN THE SUPREME COURT OF INDIA Before Hon’ble Mr. Justice Abhay Manohar Sapre Hon’ble Mr. Justice Mohan M. Shantanagoudar Civil Appeal…

Auction Sale—Deposit of Bid amount—An amount of bid in which the decree holder is a purchaser can be set off—In present case, respondent-corporation is not only auction purchaser but also decree holder, there is no question of deposit of the auction amount as there was no other prospective buyer to offence bid.      

2018(4) Law Herald (SC) 3195 : 2018 LawHerald.Org 1928 IN THE SUPREME COURT OF INDIA Before Hon’ble Mrs. Justice R. Banumathi Hon’ble Mrs. Justice Indira Banerjee Civil Appeal No. 9651…

Murder–Dying Declaration—Acquittal- -Inconsistencies between dying declarations as recorded by Doctor and as recorded by Executive Magistrate (Tehsildar)–High Court acquitted accused by extending benefit of doubt—Held; when there are two reasonable views and the High Court adopted on possible view then no interference is called for in appeal

2018(4) Law Herald (SC) 3164 : 2018 LawHerald.Org 1924 IN THE SUPREME COURT OF INDIA Before Hon’ble Mrs. Justice R. Bhanumathi  Hon’ble Mr. Justice Vineet Saran Criminal Appeal No. 1791…

A proper administration of the criminal justice delivery system, therefore requires balancing the rights of the accused and the prosecution, so that the law laid down in Mohan Lal AIR 2018 SC 3853. is not allowed to become a spring board for acquittal in prosecutions prior to the same, irrespective of all other considerations. We therefore hold that all pending criminal prosecutions, trials and appeals prior to the law laid down in Mohan Lal AIR 2018 SC 3853. shall continue to be governed by the individual facts of the case

SUPREME COURT OF INDIA FULL BENCH VARINDER KUMAR — Appellant Vs. STATE OF HIMACHAL PRADESH — Respondent ( Before : Ranjan Gogoi, CJI, Navin Sinha and K.M. Joseph, JJ. )…

You missed