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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.

Criminal Procedure Code, 1973, S.482–Criminal breach of Trust-Fraudulent Documents–Quashing– If on the basis of false and fraudulent documents a claim is made which leads to award of compensation in land acquisition matter, the interest of the State is certainly compromised or adversely affected-

2017(1) Law Herald (SC) 461 : 2017 LawHerald.Org 606  IN THE SUPREME COURT OF INDIA Before The Hon’ble Mr. Justice Dipak Misra The Hon’ble Mr. Justice Uday Umesh Lalit Criminal…

Service Matters

Service Law—Seniority—Reservation-Exercise for determining ‘inadequacy of representation’, ‘backwardness’ and ‘overall efficiency’, is a must for exercise of power under Article 16(4A)—Mere fact that there is no proportionate representation in promotional posts for the population of SCs and STs is not by itself enough to grant consequential seniority to promotees

2017(1) Law Herald (SC) 471 : 2017 LawHerald.Org 605 IN THE SUPREME COURT OF INDIA Before The Hon’ble Mr. Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel The Hon’ble Mr. Justice Uday Umesh Laiit…

Specific Relief Act, 1963, S.34–Suit for Declaration-Suit for a mere declaration without relief of recovery of possession is not maintainable-The plaintiff, who was not in possession, had in the suit claimed only declaratory relief along with mandatory injunction-Plaintiff being out of possession, the relief of recovery of possession was a further relief which ought to have been claimed by the plaintiff.

2017(1) Law Herald (SC) 464 : 2017 LawHerald.Org 604 IN THE SUPREME COURT OF INDIA Before The Hon’ble Mr. Justice Ranjan Gogoi The Hon’ble Mr. Justice Ashok Bhushan Civil Appeal…

Service Matters

Service Law–Seniority–Classification on the basis those who cleared test in time and those who cleared late though with permission—Held; when the Rules did not provide for creation of two classes between the employees working on one cadre; such a classification is not justified.

2017(1) Law Herald (SC) 458 : 2017 LawHerald.Org 607 IN THE SUPREME COURT OF INDIA Before The Hon’ble Mr. Justice J. Chelameswar  The Hon’ble Mr. Justice Abhay Manohar Sapre Civil…

Quashment—Agreement to Sell—Non performance of contract—Dispute is of civil nature—FIR against seller quashed. Cheating—Mere failure to subsequently keep a promise, one cannot presume that he all along had a culpable intention to break the promise from the beginning. Non-Bailable Warrants—When to be issued—Explained.

  2007(4) LAW HERALD (SC) 3288 IN THE SUPREME COURT OF INDIA Before The Hon’ble Mr. Jutsitce R.V. Raveendran, CJI The Hon’ble Mr. Justice Dalveer Bhandari Criminal Appeal No. 1392…

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