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Specific Relief Act, 1963 — Section 20 — Specific performance — Discretionary and equitable relief — Clean hands — Grant of specific performance is discretionary, not automatic even where a valid contract subsists; a plaintiff must approach the Court with clean hands. Where the plaintiff’s spouse lodged a criminal complaint seeking recovery of the advance paid, alleging the vendor fraudulently suppressed a subsisting injunction, while simultaneously maintaining a civil suit for specific performance, such conduct amounts to blowing “hot and cold” and disentitles the plaintiff to equitable relief. Criminal Procedure Code, 1973 (CrPC) — Section 299 — Absence of order — Effect on conviction — Where no order under S. 299 was ever passed at the stage the co-accused was tried (case having been split due to abscondence), the earlier deposition of a witness (since deceased) could not be relied upon to convict the accused apprehended and tried years later; identification by surviving eyewitnesses being doubtful and other witnesses having turned hostile, conviction based on such uncorroborated prior testimony unsustainable — appellant acquitted. Hindu female’s property devolves equally on husband and daughter separately; gift of undivided coparcenary share needs no co-owner’s consent. A. Hindu Succession Act, 1956 — Section 15(1)(a) — Devolution of Female Intestate’s Property — Properties of a Hindu female dying intestate devolve, in the absence of sons/daughters’ issue predeceasing her, upon her husband and daughter in equal shares under Section 15(1)(a); such undivided share in the husband’s hands does not partake the character of coparcenary property. Armed Forces — Air Force Order No. 33/2017 — Prior Permission for Civil Post — Mandatory Nature — Requirement of seeking prior permission before applying for a civil post, and subsequent grant of NOC, held mandatory and not merely procedural/directory, since AFO 33/2017 has necessary nexus with regulating premature discharge of Airmen and its object of maintaining operational preparedness of the Air Force. Consumer Protection Act, 2019 — Deficiency of Service — Maintenance Contractor’s Liability — Elevator Malfunction — Comprehensive maintenance contractor, being both manufacturer and repair contractor with exclusive technical knowledge of safety interlocks and brake mechanisms, held principally deficient in service for failing to act on its own identified remedy (voltage stabiliser) despite repeated notice of persistent malfunction over several months preceding fatal accident.

Relation witness–Relationship is not a factor to affect credibility of a witness. Culpable homicide not amounting to murder–Applicability of Section 300 Exception 4–Discussed. Culpable homicide not amounting to murder–Sudden fight– A “sudden fight” implies mutual provocation and blows on each side–The homicide committed is then clearly not traceable to unilateral provocation, nor in such cases could the whole blame be placed on one side–For if it were so, the Exception more appropriately applicable would be Exception 1.

  2007(5) LAW HERALD (SC) 4073   IN THE SUPREME COURT OF INDIA Before The Hon’ble Mr. Justice Arijit Pasayat The Hon’ble Mr. Justice P. Sathasivam Criminal Appeal No. 1533 of…

Service Matters

Pension–High Court dismissed the petition as respondent produced fabricated documents–Allowed another petition extending benefit of governing rules–Not justified. Writ Jurisdiction–Miscellaneous Application–Where a proceedings stands terminated by final disposal of writ petition–It is not open to the court to re-open the proceedings by means of a miscellaneous application in respect of a matter which provided a fresh cause of action.

   2007(5) LAW HERALD (SC) 4066 IN THE SUPREME COURT OF INDIA Before The Hon’ble Mr. Justice H. K. Sema The Hon’ble Mr. Justice Lokeshwar Singh Panta Civil Appeal No.…

Death by Negligence–Negligence and rashness to be punishable in terms of Section 304-A must be attributable to a state of mind wherein the criminality arises because of no error in judgment but of a deliberation in the mind risking the crime as well as the life of the person who may lose his life as a result of the crime. Death by Negligence–Accident on unmanned railway crossing, where appellant was driving a bus and engine of train struck and rear of bus–Several injured and two died–Section 302 IPC has no application. Death by Negligence– The provision of section is not limited to rash or negligent driving–Any rash or negligent act whereby death of any person is caused becomes punishable

  2007(5) LAW HERALD (SC) 4060     IN THE SUPREME COURT OF INDIA Before The Hon’ble Mr. Justice Dr. Arijit Pasayat The Hon’ble Mr. Justice P. Sathasivam Criminal Appeal No.…

Bail–Anticipatory Bail–Grant of–It is granted at a stage when the investigation is incomplete and, therefore, it is not informed about the nature of evidence against the alleged offender–It is, therefore, necessary that such anticipatory bail orders should be of a limited duration only. Bail–Anticipatory Bail–Use of the expression ‘reason to believe’ shows that the applicant may be arrested must be founded on reasonable grounds–Mere “fear” is not ‘belief’. Bail–Anticipatory Bail–Grant of–Normally a direction should not issue to the effect that the applicant shall be released on bail “whenever arrested for whichever offence whatsoever”–Such ‘blanket order’ should not be passed. Bail–Anticipatory Bail–Grant of– Reference to particular portions of case diary–The papers which are to be supplied to the accused have been statutorily prescribed–The Courts should take serious note when the accused or the informant refers to the case diary to buttress a stand.

  2007(5) LAW HERALD (SC) 4045   IN THE SUPREME COURT OF INDIA Before The Hon’ble Mr. Justice Dr. Arijit Pasayat The Hon’ble Mr. Justice Lokeshwar Singh Panta Criminal Appeal No.…

Wakf— Notified list—If any property had been omitted to be included in the list of auqaf by inadvertence or otherwise, then it was/is for the Wakf Board to take action within a period of one year from the date of publication of the Gazette notification. Rejection of Plaint—If clever drafting of the plaint has created the illusion of a cause of action, the court will nip it in the bud at the earliest so that b of us litigation will end at the earlier stage

2017(2) Law Herald (SC) 1619 : 2017 LawHerald.Org 1043 IN THE SUPREME COURT OF INDIA Before The Hon’ble Mr. Justice R.K.Agrawal The Hon’ble Mohan M. Shantanagoudar Civil Appeal No. 5368…

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