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National Highways Act, 1956 — Amendments and compensation provisions — Section 3-J introduced in 1997 removed applicability of Land Acquisition Act, 1894 (1894 Act) provisions for solatium and interest — Overturned by various High Courts, including reading down Sections 3-G and 3-J to grant solatium and interest — Subsequently, Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013 (2013 Act) and its amended provisions extended to NH Act — Court clarified that landowners acquired lands under NH Act between 1997 and 2015 are entitled to solatium and interest — Review Petition filed by NHAI arguing financial burden was underestimated rejected, but clarification on delayed claims issued. Civil Procedure Code, 1908 (CPC) — Order 21 Rule 102 — Applicability — Provision contemplates a situation where a judgment debtor transfers property after institution of suit to a person who then obstructs execution — Not applicable where respondents derived title from independent registered sale deeds, not from the judgment debtor. Land Acquisition Act, 1894 — Section 28-A — Re-determination of compensation — Second application for re-determination based on High Court award maintainable even after accepting compensation based on Reference Court award — Principle of merger means appellate court’s award supersedes earlier award, entitling landowners to benefit from higher compensation — Object of Section 28-A is to ensure equality in compensation among similarly placed landowners. Electricity Act, 2003 — Section 61, 86 — Tariff determination and Generation Based Incentive (GBI) — State Electricity Regulatory Commission (SERC) has exclusive power to determine tariff — Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) introduced GBI to incentivise renewable energy generation — GBI is intended to be over and above the tariff fixed by SERC — SERC must consider GBI while determining tariff, but not necessarily deduct it — SERC’s power to determine tariff includes considering incentives — Parliament’s allocation of funds for GBI does not prevent SERC from considering it in tariff — SERC must exercise its power harmoniously with other stakeholders to achieve policy objectives. Contract Law — Award of Tender — Judicial Review — High Court should exercise restraint when reviewing tender evaluation processes, especially in technical matters, unless there is clear evidence of mala fide, arbitrariness, or irrationality — A marginal difference in scores, as seen in this case, does not automatically warrant interference, especially when the owner has the right to accept or reject bids and the contract is already underway.

Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996 — Section 37 — Contractual clauses — Enforceability of Clause 49.5 of the General Conditions of Contract (GCC) — The Court upheld the validity and enforceability of Clause 49.5 of the GCC, which states that in the event of any failure or delay by the employer (respondent) in fulfilling its obligations under the contract, the contractor (appellant) is not entitled to claim damages or compensation — Instead, the contractor is only entitled to an extension of time to complete the work — The Court found that the appellant had repeatedly invoked Clause 49.5 to seek extensions of time and had accepted the terms of the clause by submitting undertakings not to make any claims other than escalation for the delays caused by the respondent — Therefore, the appellant was estopped from challenging the validity of Clause 49.5.

2025 INSC 138 SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH M/S. C & C CONSTRUCTIONS LTD. Vs. IRCON INTERNATIONAL LTD. ( Before : Abhay S. Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan, JJ. )…

Custody and visitation — Appellant and Respondent married in 2007 and separated in 2016, have been in a custody dispute over their daughter, who has lived with mother since the separation — The father sought joint custody or expanded visitation, while the mother raised safety concerns due to alleged abusive behavior — The Family Court granted sole custody to the mother with limited visitation for the father — The High Court expanded visitation rights, including more frequent visits, shared vacations, and video calls, while retaining sole custody with the mother — The Supreme Court upheld most arrangements but reduced vacation visits to one day initially and mandated a female court commissioner’s presence during physical visits in public places — The decision aims to balance the child’s safety, stability, and the father’s involvement, pending a full hearing.

2025 INSC 99 SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH RUHI AGRAWAL AND ANOTHER Vs. NIMISH S. AGRAWAL ( Before : Vikram Nath and Prasanna B. Varale, JJ. ) Special Leave…

Writ jurisdiction under Article 226 of the Constitution is not absolutely barred by the statutory arbitration mechanism under the MSMED Act and can be exercised in exceptional cases, such as violations of fundamental rights, natural justice, or jurisdictional errors, despite the availability of alternative remedies

2025 INSC 91 SUPREME COURT OF INDIA FULL BENCH M/S TAMIL NADU CEMENTS CORPORATION LIMITED Vs. MICRO AND SMALL ENTERPRISES FACILITATION COUNCIL AND ANOTHER ( Before : Sanjiv Khanna, CJI,…

Maharashtra Stamp Act, 1958 — Section 48(1) — Refund of stamp duty — The appellants sought a refund of stamp duty paid for a property transaction that was later cancelled — The High Court dismissed their claim, holding that the amended six-month limitation period applied — The Supreme Court allowed the appeal, holding that the unamended two-year limitation period applied, and the appellants were entitled to a refund.

2025 INSC 104 SUPREME COURT OF INDIA FULL BENCH HARSHIT HARISH JAIN AND ANOTHER — Appellant Vs. STATE OF MAHARASHTRA AND OTHERS — Respondent ( Before : Vikram Nath, Sanjay…

Civil Dispute vs. Criminal Offence — The court emphasized that the dispute was essentially civil in nature (related to employment termination) and that initiating criminal proceedings was an abuse of the legal process. – Civil Dispute vs. Criminal Offence — The court emphasized that the dispute was essentially civil in nature (related to employment termination) and that initiating criminal proceedings was an abuse of the legal process.

2025 INSC 105 SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH MADHUSHREE DATTA AND OTHERS — Appellant Vs. STATE OF KARNATAKA AND ANOTHER — Respondent ( Before : Dipankar Datta and Prashant…

Penal Code, 1860 (IPC) — Section 498A — Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961 — Section 4 — The appellant was convicted for harassing his wife for dowry — The High Court modified the sentence from three years to two years imprisonment — The Supreme Court upheld the conviction but reduced the sentence to the period already undergone (approximately 3 months) and directed the appellant to pay Rs. 3,00,000 as compensation to the wife.

2025 INSC 106 SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH M. VENKATESWARAN — Appellant Vs. STATE REP. BY THE INSPECTOR OF POLICE — Respondent ( Before : K.V. Viswanathan and S.V.…

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