Supreme Court of India Judgements

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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.
Environment

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.

Aug 2, 2026 sclaw
Bhartiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita Cr P C

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)

Aug 2, 2026 sclaw
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.
Environment
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)
Bhartiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita Cr P C
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.
Direct Taxation Income Tax Act
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.
Cr P C
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.
Arbitration

Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996 — Sections 34 and 37 — Setting aside of arbitral award — Scope of interference — Courts are prohibited from rewriting contracts and should not interfere with arbitral awards unless grounds under Section 34 are met, such as violation of public policy or patent illegality. Interference is justified when an award shocks the conscience or is contrary to basic notions of justice. The scope of appeal under Section 37 is narrower than Section 34.

Oct 2, 2025 sclaw

2025 INSC 1171 SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH SEPCO ELECTRIC POWER CONSTRUCTION CORPORATION Vs. GMR KAMALANGA ENERGY LTD. ( Before : B. R. Gavai, CJI. and Augustine George Masih,…

I P C

Penal Code, 1860 (IPC) — Section 302 — Murder — Conversion of conviction — Where evidence shows that though accused had knowledge that injuries would cause death, there is no material to prove intention to kill, conviction under Section 302 IPC is not tenable and should be converted to Section 304 Part I IPC.

Oct 2, 2025 sclaw

2025 INSC 1172 SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH RAGHAV PRASHAD AND OTHERS Vs. STATE OF U.P. ( Before : B.R.Gavai, CJI. and K. Vinod Chandran, J. ) Criminal Appeal…

Acquittal

Criminal Procedure Code, 1973 (CrPC) — Section 374(2) — Appeals against conviction — High Court’s power to acquit — High Court, after considering evidence and finding patent infirmities and insufficiency of evidence in the prosecution case, rightly acquitted the accused giving them the benefit of doubt.- Evidence Act, 1872 — Section 65-B — Electronic records — Call detail records — Non-production of certificate under Section 65-B along with call detail records renders them inadmissible — Handwritten notes of call details without examining the scribe are not proved according to law.

Oct 2, 2025 sclaw

2025 INSC 1166 SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH STATE OF RAJASTHAN Vs. BHANWAR SINGH ETC. ETC ( Before : Sandeep Mehta and Joymalya Bagchi, JJ. ) Criminal Appeal No(s).…

Cr P C

Criminal Procedure Code, 1973 (CrPC) — Clubbing of FIRs — Multiple FIRs registered across different states for same cause of action — Generally, it is illegal and overambitious to club FIRs from various states and future FIRs — Prayer for clubbing future FIRs cannot be granted by any court — This power may be exercised under Article 142 of the Constitution with consent of states.

Oct 2, 2025 sclaw

2025 INSC 1174 SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH ODELA SATYAM AND ANOTHER Vs. THE STATE OF TELANGANA AND OTHERS ( Before : B. R. Gavai, CJI. and K. Vinod…

Will & Succession

Indian Succession Act, 1925 — Section 306 — Abatement of suits — Claim for compensation for personal injury under Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 — Right to claim compensation survives to legal representatives upon death of injured claimant, irrespective of cause of death — Amendment to Section 167 of Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 by Act 32 of 2019 with effect from 01.04.2022 is retrospective and applicable to pending appeals — Preliminary objection by insurance company regarding abatement of appeal on death of claimant rejected

Sep 28, 2025 sclaw

2025 INSC 1177 SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH DHANNALAL ALIAS DHANRAJ (DEAD) THR. LRS. Vs. NASIR KHAN AND OTHERS ( Before : K. Vinod Chandran and N. V. Anjaria,…

Accident

Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 — Section 149 — Liability of insurer — Award of compensation — Insurance policy validity — Truck driver’s rash and negligent driving caused death of security guard — Tribunal awarded compensation to claimants — Insurance Company argued policy was not valid on accident date due to fraudulent alteration of dates by owner — This contention was raised only in review petition, not in main proceedings — Insurer failed to prove fraud — Review application dismissed for lack of power by Tribunal.

Sep 28, 2025 sclaw

2025 INSC 1178 SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH NEW INDIA ASSURANCE CO. LTD Vs. NARAYAN SINGH AND OTHERS ( Before : K. Vinod Chandran and N.V. Anjaria, JJ. )…

Corporate

Competition Act, 2002 — Sections 3(1), 3(3)(b), 27, 48 — Anti-competitive agreements — Penalty on office-bearers — Principles of natural justice — Show cause notice — Opportunity of hearing — Commission’s power to differ with DG — Competent to impose penalties and behavioural remedies on individuals responsible for contravention after due process.

Sep 28, 2025 sclaw

2025 INSC 1167 SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH COMPETITION COMMISSION OF INDIA Vs. KERALA FILM EXHIBITORS FEDERATION AND OTHERS ( Before : Manoj Misra and K. V. Viswanathan, JJ.…

Cr P C

Criminal Procedure Code, 1973 (CrPC) — Section 482 — Quashing of FIR — Essential conditions — If allegations in FIR or complaint, even if taken at face value, do not prima facie constitute an offence or make out a case against the accused, quashing is justified — Vague and general allegations are insufficient to establish a prima facie case.

Sep 28, 2025 sclaw

2025 INSC 1168 SUPREME COURT OF INDIA FULL BENCH SANJAY D. JAIN AND OTHERS Vs. STATE OF MAHARASHTRA AND OTHERS ( Before : B.R. Gavai, CJI., K. Vinod Chandran and…

Cr P C

Criminal Procedure Code, 1973 (CrPC) — Section 482 — Quashing of FIR — High Court’s power to quash — While High Court should not conduct a mini-trial at the stage of quashing proceedings, an order of quashing based on justifiable reasons cannot be set aside simply due to its length or detailed reasoning.

Sep 28, 2025 sclaw

2025 INSC 1173 SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH THE STATE OF TELANGANA Vs. JERUSALEM MATHAI AND ANOTHER ( Before : B.R. Gavai, CJI. and K. Vinod Chandran, JJ. )…

You missed

Environment

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.

Aug 2, 2026 sclaw
Bhartiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita Cr P C

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)

Aug 2, 2026 sclaw
Direct Taxation Income Tax Act

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.

Aug 2, 2026 sclaw
Cr P C

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.

Aug 2, 2026 sclaw