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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.

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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