Constitution of India

The appellant, a Rajya Sabha member, posted a video of a mass‑marriage on the social‑media platform X, in which a poem was recited in the background. The poem was alleged to promote communal enmity, leading the police to register an FIR under Sections 196, 197(1), 299, 302, 57 and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. T…

Vishal Ashwin Patel and others challenged the reopening of their income‑tax assessment under Section 148 of the Income Tax Act, 1961 by filing writ petitions under Article 226 of the Constitution. The Bombay High Court dismissed the writ petitions in a terse order stating it was not inclined to entertain them, without …

The petitioners, Asian Resurfacing of Road Agency and others, challenged the order of charge framed by a Special Judge under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, alleging that it was an interlocutory order barred by Section 19(3)(c) of the Act and by Section 397(2) of the CrPC. The Supreme Court examined whether suc…

Krishanakan​t Tamrakar, convicted of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment, had been in custody for over ten years while his appeal against the conviction was pending before the Madhya Pradesh High Court. He applied for bail, arguing that the prolonged delay rendered the appeal meaningless. The Supreme Court, while…

The Supreme Court, acting suo motu, examined a gang rape of a 20‑year‑old woman in West Bengal ordered by a community panchayat as punishment for an inter‑community relationship. The Court directed a district judge and chief magistrate to investigate, and later required the State to furnish the FIR, investigation repor…

The Supreme Court examined the constitutional validity of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2000 (as amended) after a 23‑year‑old woman was murdered and one of the accused, Raju, was a minor. Petitioners sought to have the Act read down so that juveniles who commit serious offences could be tr…

The Supreme Court examined the termination of two women judicial officers, Sarita Choudhary and Aditi Kumar Sharma, who were dismissed during their probation on the basis of low case disposal rates, adverse Annual Confidential Report (ACR) remarks, and pending complaints. The petitioners argued that the adverse remarks…

The appellants filed a suit in the District Court of Dimapur, Nagaland and later applied under Section 24 of the CPC for its transfer to the District Court of Guwahati, Assam, invoking the jurisdiction of the Gauhati High Court, which is a common High Court for Assam, Nagaland, Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh. The Gauhat…

The Punjab government, through its Council of Ministers, recommended that the Governor summon the Vidhan Sabha for its Budget Session on 3 March 2023. The Governor sought extensive information from the Chief Minister under Article 167 and, after receiving a tweet and a letter that he deemed derogatory, said he would se…

The Municipal Council of Gondia issued a work order to Divi Works & Suppliers for school furniture, but suspended and later cancelled it due to the COVID‑19 pandemic and a government circular restricting non‑priority expenditure. The original petitioner claimed it had already manufactured the customized goods and sough…

The appellant, Chhanga (Manoj), was part of a four‑person group that hurled two bombs at a shop where an informant was present, causing only minor injuries because the bombs exploded at a distance. The appellant shouted "kill him" and was charged under Section 307 read with Section 34 of the Indian Penal Code for attem…

The appellant, Gandi Doddabasappa, was convicted by the Karnataka High Court for killing his daughter Shilpa, allegedly because she married a man of a lower caste. The trial court had acquitted him, dismissing the sole eyewitness testimony of PW‑18, but the High Court relied on that testimony, corroborated by forensic …

The State of Andhra Pradesh filed a suit under Article 131 of the Constitution seeking to restrain Maharashtra from constructing the Babhali barrage within the water spread area of Andhra's Pochampad dam and from drawing water from it. The dispute centered on the interpretation of the 6 October 1975 water‑sharing agree…

The appellant, Ivan Rathinam, was alleged by the respondent and his mother to be the biological father of the respondent, who was born during the respondent's mother's marriage to Mr. Raju Kurian. The parties litigated in a Munsiff Court, a Sub‑Judge Court and a Family Court over a declaration of paternity, a DNA test,…

The Parsi Zoroastrian Anjuman, a registered public trust in Mhow, applied to the Registrar of Public Trusts for prior sanction under Section 14 of the Madhya Pradesh Public Trusts Act, 1951, to sell five immovable properties in order to augment its income. The Registrar rejected the application, citing potential prejud…

The petitioners, twelve BJP MLAs, were suspended for one year by a resolution of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly after a heated monsoon session. They challenged the resolution under Articles 14, 21 and 190(4) of the Constitution, arguing that the suspension exceeded the period allowed by Rule 53 of the Assembly Ru…

The Supreme Court examined the legal framework governing reservation in promotions for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes under Articles 16(4‑A) and 16(4‑B) of the Constitution. It clarified that the State must collect quantifiable, cadre‑wise data to demonstrate backwardness and inadequate representation, but no fi…

The appellant, Deepak Dongre, was ordered to leave District Jalna for two years under Section 56(1)(a)(b) of the Maharashtra Police Act, 1951, based on five offences (three dated 2013‑2018 and two from 2020) and confidential witness statements. He challenged the externment order through a statutory appeal and a writ pe…

Rajendra Khare, who lodged FIR No.39/2016, was not made a party to a transfer petition filed by the accused seeking to move the trial of Criminal Case No.3483 of 2017 from Delhi to Allahabad. The Supreme Court transferred the case on 18 May 2018 without issuing notice under Order XXXIX Rule 2, and the petitioner’s subs…

The appellant Satya Raj Singh was convicted for murder under Sections 302 and 34 of the Indian Penal Code, based on eyewitness testimony that he stabbed the deceased on the neck with a knife. He challenged the conviction on the grounds that the trial courts erred in accepting the eye‑witnesses' statements and that the …

The petition filed by advocate R. Muthukrishnan challenged the validity of the Madras High Court's amended Rules 14A‑14D, which purported to empower the High Court to debar advocates for various forms of professional misconduct. The core issue was whether Section 34 of the Advocates Act, 1961 authorises a High Court to…

The plaintiffs filed a suit for specific performance of a 1979 agreement to purchase a property from defendant Amar Nath, alleging they had paid earnest money and were ready to perform, but Amar Nath sold the property to other defendants at a higher price. The trial court dismissed the suit on the ground that Amar Nath…

Prabull Goradia, a Hindu, filed a writ petition under Article 32 challenging the constitutional validity of the Haj Committee Act, 2002, alleging that taxes he pays are used to fund the Muslim Haj pilgrimage, thereby violating Articles 27, 14 and 15 of the Constitution. The Court examined the scope of Article 27, holdi…

The appellant, a news‑channel editor, was arrested in November 2020 in connection with an FIR under Sections 306 and 34 of the IPC alleging his role in the suicide of a contractor who claimed unpaid dues. He filed a petition under Articles 226/227 of the Constitution and Section 482 of the CrPC seeking quashing of the …

The Supreme Court examined the constitutionality of the Tribunal, Appellate Tribunal and other Authorities (Qualification, Experience and other Conditions of Service of Members) Rules, 2020 (the 2020 Rules) and the mechanisms for appointment, tenure, and service conditions of members of 19 tribunals. It held that the R…

The appellant filed a suit for injunction to prevent the defendant from obstructing possession of agricultural land, and six months later filed a suit for specific performance of the same agreement to sell. The trial court dismissed the specific performance suit, holding that the appellant had omitted to claim that rel…

The State of Assam claimed that surplus land, declared under the Urban Land (Ceiling and Regulation) Act, 1976, had been vested in the government after possession was taken in December 1991, and that the later repeal of the 1976 Act by the 1999 Repeal Act did not affect that vesting. The heirs of the original owner cha…

The Supreme Court examined the State of Haryana's practice of granting licences for group housing colonies on a "First Come First Serve" (FCFS) basis under the Haryana Development and Regulation of Urban Areas Act, 1975. The Court found that neither the public notice nor the Final Development Plan or the 2012 policy in…

The Supreme Court heard a batch of writ petitions and intervention applications filed under Article 32 seeking a fair investigation into the gang‑rape and murder of a 19‑year‑old girl in Hathras, Uttar Pradesh, and alleging illegal cremation of the victim. The State Government had already ordered the Central Bureau of …

The appellant, Lakha Singh, contested a civil suit filed by the respondent, Balwinder Singh, for specific performance of an agreement to sell agricultural land and for the recovery of Rs.16,00,000 earnest money. The trial court held the transaction to be a loan rather than a sale and ordered the appellant to refund the…

The petitioner challenged the constitutional validity of Section 497 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), which criminalized adultery, and Section 198 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), which restricted the right to prosecute for adultery to the husband. A five-judge Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court held that …

Gulshera Khanam, the landlady of a shop, sought eviction of tenant Aftab Ahmad on the ground that her married daughter, a co‑owner of the building, needed the adjacent shop to expand her medical clinic. The lower authorities held that the daughter, as a female with a legal right of residence, fell within the definition…

The Tamil Nadu Rural Development Engineers Association, whose members were originally appointed as Overseers in the Highways Department, were absorbed into the Rural Development (RD) Department as Overseers and later promoted to Assistant Engineers. They contended that their prior service should be counted for seniorit…

The appellant, V.K. Sasikala, was on trial for offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act. While her examination under Section 313 CrPC was in progress, she applied for certified copies and, alternatively, inspection of certain unmarked and unexhibited documents that had been forwarded to the court under Section 1…

The President of India made a reference under Article 143(1) of the Constitution seeking the Supreme Court's opinion on whether auction is the only permissible method for disposal of all natural resources, following the Court's judgment in the 2G case which had quashed spectrum licenses and directed auction. The Court …

The appellant, Har Devi Asnani, purchased a residential plot for Rs 18 lakh and paid stamp duty of Rs 1,17,000, but the Sub‑Registrar re‑valued the land at Rs 2,58,44,260, leading the Additional Collector to demand a deficit stamp duty of Rs 15,70,000. The appellant challenged the demand in the High Court, which dismis…

The husband of the appellant, an editor of a Manipuri daily, was detained under Section 3(2) of the National Security Act, 1980 on allegations of extorting money for the UNLF and causing a terror wave. The appellant challenged the detention, arguing that the grounds were vague, unsupported by material, and that there w…

Kalvakuntla Kavitha, a former Member of Parliament and Legislative Council, was charged under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 in CBI and Enforcement Directorate investigations relating to a Delhi excise policy conspiracy. She applied for bail, invoking the special treatment granted to women under the provi…

The State of Punjab enacted Section 4(5) of the Punjab Scheduled Castes and Backward Classes (Reservation in Services) Act, 2006, reserving 50% of SC quota for Balmikis and Mazhabi Sikhs. The High Court struck down this provision, relying on E.V. Chinnaiah, and the Supreme Court dismissed a related SLP. In a three‑Judg…

The petitioners, graduate Assistant Engineers of the general category, challenged the seniority of reserved‑category Junior Engineers who had been promoted to Assistant Divisional Engineer (ADE) under Rule 12 of the Tamil Nadu Highways Engineering Service Rules. The issue was whether Article 16(4A) of the Constitution …

The petition challenged the appointment of several Union Ministers on the ground that they had criminal antecedents or were facing charges for serious offences, seeking a declaration that such appointments were unconstitutional and requesting the Court to frame guidelines for ministerial appointments. The Court examine…

Mohd. Qureshi filed a complaint alleging extortion by Arun Gawali and his gang, which was registered as FIR No. 241/2005. He later claimed that the police forced him to lodge the complaint and applied before the Metropolitan Magistrate to withdraw it; the application was rejected. The complainant and his wife approache…

The petitioners, a Kerala distributors association, challenged the constitutional validity of amendments to the Kerala Motor Vehicles Taxation Act, 1976 (ss.4(7) and 4(8)), Section 15 of the same Act, and Section 8A of the Kerala Motor Transport Workers’ Welfare Fund Act, 1985, arguing that these provisions made the pa…

The Supreme Court upheld the constitutional validity of most provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA), including the definition of money-laundering, attachment of property, search and seizure, arrest, bail conditions, and burden of proof. The Court interpreted Section 3 to have a wider reach, c…

An FIR was lodged in April 1984 under the Prevention of Corruption Act and the Indian Penal Code alleging that the appellant, then Managing Director of a district agency, conspired with a Deputy Commissioner to award a contract to a private firm. The State Government denied sanction for prosecution on two occasions (19…

The petitioners, a group of Munsiffs appointed in 2003 by direct recruitment, challenged the High Court's order fixing their inter‑se seniority on the basis of roster points under the Jammu & Kashmir Reservation Rules, 2005. They argued that seniority should be determined by the merit order prepared by the State Public…

The case concerned claims by thousands of Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) workers who had been employed as temporary, badli or part‑time staff between 20 May 1985 and 4 March 1991, seeking regularisation (absorption) under the Srivastav Award and earlier Tulpule and Jamdar Awards. The Supreme Court examined w…

The petitioners, a society, challenged several provisions of the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013, alleging they violated Articles 14 and 50 of the Constitution. The main contentions were that the Chief Justice of India or his nominee, as a mere member of the selection committee, should have primacy in appointing the Lo…

The petitioners, led by Avishek Goenka, raised a public‑interest writ alleging that prepaid SIM cards were being sold without proper identity verification, posing security risks and violating Department of Telecommunications (DoT) notifications. The petitioner sought strict enforcement of verification norms, physical r…

The Punjab Roadways, Moga challenged High Court orders that directed the State Transport Authority to grant regular stage‑carriage permits to private operators on routes where State Transport Undertakings (STUs) had either not utilized or had surrendered their permits. The dispute centered on the interpretation of the …

The Supreme Court considered a contempt petition filed by JSW Steel Ltd., which had become the successful resolution applicant for the insolvent Monnet Ispat and Energy Ltd. After the National Company Law Tribunal approved the resolution plan, the State of Chhattisgarh issued demand notices for sales tax, VAT and entry…

The dispute involved two lawyers practicing before the same courts in Kodaikanal who filed cross‑FIRs against each other for the same incident on 18 December 2017, alleging assault, threats and injury. Both FIRs named the same offences under Sections 294(b), 323 and 506(1) of the IPC, and the matter had been pending fo…

The State invited tenders for irrigation works and the appellant, having quoted the lowest rates, entered into three contracts. He later raised nine claims, of which the arbitrator awarded several and rejected others. The State sought to set aside the award under sections 30 and 33 of the Arbitration Act, 1940, and the…

Sundeep Kumar Bafna, convicted of offences punishable with death or life imprisonment, applied to the Bombay High Court for surrender and regular bail under s.439 CrPC after his anticipatory bail was denied. The High Court dismissed the bail plea, holding that only a magistrate could entertain it and directing the appe…

Mahipal Singh was accused of rigging entrance examinations for medical and veterinary courses and was charged under several IPC provisions. The CBI invoked Section 3 of the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) against him in four cases, leading to his remand under MCOCA. The Delhi High Court set aside the…

The Uttar Pradesh Avas Evam Vikas Parishad appointed the appellant, a Superintending Engineer, to officiate as Chief Engineer. The senior-most respondent challenged the appointment, arguing that in the absence of a merit‑based selection the senior officer should be given the charge. The Allahabad High Court quashed the…

The appellant, an Auxiliary Nurse Midwife appointed in 1980, submitted a resignation on 18 April 1993 but withdrew it on 23 November 1993 before it was accepted. Despite the withdrawal, the State later accepted the resignation effective from 31 March 1993, leading to a series of writ petitions under Article 226. The Hi…

Two former judicial officers of Jharkhand challenged orders of compulsory retirement issued by the High Court’s Screening and Standing Committees, alleging that the committees ignored later service records, that promotions should erase earlier adverse entries, and that the retirements were not in public interest. The S…

The appellant Department of Customs appealed against the discharge of Sharad Gandhi, who was accused of attempting to export a sand‑stone Buddha head classified as an antiquity. The prosecution relied on Sections 132 and 135(1)(a) of the Customs Act, 1962 for false declaration and fraudulent evasion of a prohibition. T…

The Supreme Court examined the interpretation of the proviso in Section 24 of the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013, to determine whether it applies to sub‑section 24(1)(b) or to 24(2). The petitioners (Delhi Development Authority) sought to conti…

The petition arose from the kidnapping of a six‑year‑old girl, Lalita Kumari, whose father reported the incident to the police but the FIR was registered only after a month and no investigative action was taken. The petitioner sought a writ of habeas corpus, contending that the police had a statutory duty under Section…

The appellant, a third‑generation Christian, sought to bury his deceased father, a pastor, in his native village of Chhindawada where his ancestors had been interred. Villagers objected, the Gram Panchayat refused, and the High Court dismissed his writ petition, directing burial at a designated Christian cemetery in Ka…

The retired Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) of Madhya Pradesh, who retired in 2001, sought a higher pension by invoking the Indian Forests Service (Pay) Second Amendment Rules, 2008 which created an apex scale of Rs.80,000 for the upgraded post of Head of Forest Force. The Central Administrative Tribunal …

The Oriental Insurance Company appointed Pradip as an Assistant on the basis of a caste certificate claiming he belonged to the Dhangad Scheduled Tribe, whereas he actually belonged to the Dhangar community, a non‑ST group. The Scrutiny Committee invalidated his claim, but Pradip filed a writ petition seeking protectio…

The Director of Land Records and Survey, Assam advertised 160 seats for the Assam Survey and Settlement Training Institute and selected 160 candidates. Subsequent lists of candidates were prepared, but the Government refused to approve them, prompting petitions. The petitioners argued that appointments could be made fr…

The appellant, C. Selvarani, born to a Christian father and a mother who allegedly converted to Hinduism, applied for a Scheduled Caste (SC) community certificate to secure a government job reserved for SC candidates. The authorities rejected her application on the ground that she does not profess Hinduism, Buddhism or…

Head Constable Surinder Singh entered the complainant's residential office while intoxicated, drew his service pistol, aimed it at the complainant and fired a shot that struck the ceiling. The prosecution proved the bullet was fired from his pistol and that he intended to kill, despite no motive being established. The …

The petitioners (Shiv Sena, NCP and INC) challenged the Governor of Maharashtra’s decision to invite the BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis to form the government after President's Rule was revoked on 23 November 2019. They argued that the Governor’s action violated constitutional principles, including Article 14 and the doc…

The Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) filed complaints against the City Municipal Council (CMC) of Krishnarajapuram and its former commissioners for discharging untreated sewage in violation of the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974. The High Court quashed the proceedings under Section …

The Constitution Bench examined whether, for computing the period of limitation under Section 468 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973, the relevant date is the filing of the complaint or the institution of prosecution, or the date a magistrate takes cognizance. The Court resolved a conflict between earlier decision…

Raja Khan filed a civil suit in Hamirpur (Allahabad Bench jurisdiction) for lease of land in Bahraich (under Lucknow Bench) belonging to a Waqf Board. The High Court's Single Judge, hearing a writ petition filed in the Allahabad Bench, issued ex‑parte interim orders directing the respondents to allot the land and to en…

The Supreme Court examined a writ petition filed by landowners challenging the acquisition of their lands under the 1981 notifications of the Land Acquisition Act, 1894, and seeking fresh notifications and higher compensation. The High Court had repeatedly summoned senior state officials—Principal Secretaries of Public…

The appellant filed a criminal complaint in 2013 alleging offences under the IPC and the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989. A magistrate took cognizance of the offences and committed the case to a Special Court constituted under Section 14 of the Atrocities Act. The High Court q…

The Azam Jahi Mill was closed in 2002 and its workers were allotted quarters. While 134 ex‑employees continued to occupy the quarters and were later allotted 200 sq yds of developed plots free of cost as a rehabilitation measure, 318 ex‑employees vacated the quarters and were denied similar plots. The Workers Associati…

The Supreme Court examined a batch of appeals challenging a Punjab High Court full bench decision that denied daily‑wage, ad‑hoc and contractual employees the right to equal pay with regular staff. The Court clarified that the principle of ‘equal pay for equal work’ applies to temporary employees who are appointed agai…

The Association of Leasing and Financial Service Companies challenged the levy of service tax under Section 66 of the Finance Act, 1994 (as amended) on financial leasing, equipment leasing and hire‑purchase services, arguing that Parliament lacked competence under Entry 97 of List I because Article 366(29A) treated suc…

The State of Uttar Pradesh prosecuted Munni Ram and others for assault, homicide and offences under the Cattle Trespass Act arising from a dispute over trespassing buffaloes. The trial court convicted the accused, but the Allahabad High Court acquitted them after finding the prosecution witnesses unreliable and giving …

The former Tamil Nadu Transport Minister V. Senthil Balaji was arrested under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) for alleged involvement in a large‑scale job‑racketeering scheme, with the Enforcement Directorate filing a complaint under Section 3 of the PMLA punishable under Section 4. The High Court rejecte…

The State of Haryana sought a direction to conduct the entire recruitment of Junior Civil Judges through the Haryana Public Service Commission and to modify the Supreme Court's 12 February 2009 order that had placed the selection under a committee comprising High Court judges, the State, and the Commission. The Court e…

The Supreme Court examined a slew of petitions seeking a referral of the M. Nagaraj judgment to a larger bench, focusing on the validity of its requirement that States collect quantifiable data on the backwardness of Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) for promotion reservations. The Court held that while t…

The petitioners filed a writ under Article 32 seeking a declaration that Supreme Court proceedings of constitutional and national importance be live‑streamed and that a regulatory framework be established. The Court examined whether live‑streaming is compatible with the constitutional mandate of open courts, the rights…

Lok Prahari, a society, filed a public‑interest litigation seeking a declaration that a stay of conviction granted by an appellate court does not remove the disqualification of a sitting MLA/MP under Section 8 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, and that the legislative seat becomes vacant from the date of c…

The Supreme Court upheld the constitutional validity of the Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Act, 2016, which provides a unique identity number to residents based on biometric and demographic data. The petitioners challenged the Act on grounds of violation of the right…

Jagdish Narain Shukla filed a writ petition under Article 226 seeking the implementation of a Lokayukta report that alleged corruption by former minister Naseemuddin Siddiqui and former MLC Husna Siddiqui, claiming they had purchased assets at undervalued prices using income from unknown sources. The Lokayukta, under S…

The petitioners, children of a former Director of Animal Husbandry, were charged under Section 56 of the Foreign Exchange Regulation Act (FERA) for receiving foreign exchange. While the cases were pending before the Chief Judicial Magistrate, the State Government, with the High Court's resolution, transferred them to a…

The Supreme Court examined whether agreements between a developer and flat purchasers constitute "works contracts" under Art.366(29‑A)(b) and whether the State can levy sales tax on the goods used in such contracts. It held that a construction agreement, even when coupled with a transfer of immovable property, remains …

The Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) amended its Rule 18 to introduce a "One Bar One Vote" principle, restricting voting rights to advocates who regularly practice before the Supreme Court. Two SCBA members, B.D. Kaushik and A.K. Manchanda, challenged the amendment and obtained an interim injunction restraining its…

Jamshed Ansari challenged the constitutional validity of Rules 3 and 3A of the Allahabad High Court Rules, 1952, which require an advocate not on the High Court roll to file an appointment with a local advocate before appearing. He contended that the rules violated Article 19(1)(g) of the Constitution and were ultra vi…

The appellant, a retired CRPF Commandant, was alleged to have been involved in the loss of arms and the supply of contraband ganja while in service. Earlier disciplinary proceedings were quashed by the High Court, but the authority later issued fresh memoranda of charges in 2008 and 2009 after obtaining presidential sa…

Gurvail Singh was convicted of murdering four persons under Sections 302 and 34 of the IPC and was sentenced to death. The High Court upheld the death sentence, but the Supreme Court commuted it to life imprisonment with a direction that the petitioner serve 30 years without remission. The petitioner filed a writ petit…

Jagdish Kaur, a Class‑IV peon, sought promotion to a Class‑III clerk post but was denied because she had not passed the Punjabi typing test at 30 w.p.m. The Punjab and Haryana High Court struck down the typing‑test requirement as illegal, prompting the State of Punjab to appeal. The Supreme Court examined whether the P…

Junu Gayary, a widow, filed a writ petition under Article 226 alleging that her husband was taken into custody by the Indian Army and later killed, with the army attempting to portray the death as an encounter. The Gauhati High Court, after an enquiry by the District & Sessions Judge, found prima facie evidence of the …

An accused in an NDPS case complained that his advocate had charged exorbitant fees and withdrawn from representation, seeking a refund. The Bar Council disciplinary authority examined the complaint, absolved the advocate, and ordered a partial refund of Rs.4 lakhs. The High Court, however, convicted the advocate of cr…

The appellants, companies engaged in iron and steel production, entered into Memorandums of Understanding with the State Government of Jharkhand for mining leases of iron ore in the Ghatkuri area. The State Government recommended their applications to the Central Government for prior approval. However, upon discovering…

The appellant, Narmada Bachao Andolan, challenged the amendment dated 7 June 1991 to Clause 5.1 of the 1991 Resettlement and Rehabilitation (R&R) Policy for the Upper Beda dam project in Madhya Pradesh, alleging it was ultra vires, arbitrary and violated the right of oustees to land in lieu of acquisition. The petition…

The West Bengal government advertised land for an integrated school and allotted a 50‑katha plot to cricketer Sourav Ganguly. Ganguly later requested a larger plot to meet ICSE affiliation norms and offered to surrender the original plot. Within a month the government allotted a 63‑katha plot without a fresh advertisem…

M/s Coromandal Sacks supplied HDPE bags to Fertilizer Corporation of India Ltd (FCIL) and sued for recovery of unpaid amounts, alleging price differences, liquidated damages, penalties and loss of unsold bags. FCIL contended it was a sick industrial company under the Sick Industrial Companies (Special Provisions) Act, …

The Association for Democratic Reforms challenged the use of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) with VVPAT, seeking a return to paper ballots, physical hand‑over of VVPAT slips to voters, and 100% VVPAT counting, alleging possible manipulation. The Supreme Court examined the technical architecture of EVMs, the safeguard…

The appellants, a group of farmers, allowed the Sulthan Bathery Panchayat (later a municipality) to use a portion of their agricultural land for a bypass road on the promise of compensation, which was never paid. No formal acquisition, transfer, or documented voluntary surrender was produced by the Panchayat or the Pub…

The State of Rajasthan issued a notification on 6 October 2008 upgrading the Gram Panchayat of Napasar village to a Nagarpalika, which was subsequently challenged in the Rajasthan High Court. The High Court dismissed the challenge, the State later withdrew the notification, issued a fresh one in 2016, and the matter re…

The State Government acquired 103 bighas of land in Banda district for the Tulsi Nagar Residential Scheme under the Land Acquisition Act, 1894, issuing a notification on 8‑9‑1998 and a declaration on 7‑9‑1999. The acquisition was completed with possession handed over to the Banda Development Authority (BDA) on 30‑6‑200…

Captain Amarinder Singh, former Chief Minister of Punjab, was expelled from the Punjab Vidhan Sabha for the remainder of its 13th term after a Special Committee found him involved in an alleged illegal exemption of land during his tenure as Chief Minister in the 12th term. The appellant challenged the expulsion, arguin…

The State of Uttar Pradesh filed a writ petition under Article 32 of the Constitution and Section 406 of the Code of Criminal Procedure seeking the transfer of criminal proceedings against sitting MLA Mukhtar Ansari from a Punjab court to a Special Court in Allahabad and the hand‑over of his custody from Roopnagar Jail…

The Haryana government awarded concession agreements to Rapid Metrorail Gurgaon Ltd (RMGL) and Rapid Metrorail Gurgaon South Ltd (RMGSL) for two metro projects, which were later terminated by both parties amid allegations of fraud against the IL&FS group. The State agencies HSVP and HMRTC approached the High Court unde…

The insured, a manager who obtained a home loan with a personal accident insurance rider, died in Mozambique after contracting encephalitis malaria from a mosquito bite. His spouse and father claimed the death benefit, arguing that the bite was an unforeseen event constituting an accident. The insurer contended that de…

The Customs and Central Excise Department created a separate Data Entry Operator cadre to implement computerisation, later merging it back with the original ministerial cadre under the TA Rules, 2003 and STA Rules, 2003. This merger altered the inter‑se seniority of officers, disadvantaging those who remained in the mi…

The case concerned the dismissal of Deputy Superintendent Ved Mitter Gill and four other jail officials after four under‑trial terrorists escaped from Model Jail, Burail, Chandigarh through a 94‑foot tunnel. The authorities invoked clause (b) of the second proviso to Article 311(2) of the Constitution to dispense with …

The appellants, M/s Brahmaputra Concrete Pipe Industries, challenged a Registrar's order refusing to register their curative petitions, arguing that the Registry lacked authority to dismiss such petitions on the ground that the preceding review petition was not dismissed by circulation. The review petition had been dis…

Commander Seema Chaudhary, a Short Service Commissioned officer in the Indian Navy's Judge Advocate General's Branch, was denied a Permanent Commission (PC) on the ground of lack of vacancies despite the Supreme Court's earlier directions in Lieutenant Commander Annie Nagaraja's case that women SSC officers be consider…

Mrs. F.L. Raitt, a foreign national, sold a portion of her Indian immovable property to the predecessor of the appellant after obtaining prior RBI permission, but gifted another portion to respondent No.1 without such permission. The appellant and respondent No.4 sued to declare the gift deeds void; the trial court dis…

The appellant, Dhirendra Kumar, was convicted of murdering Surat Singh by striking him on the head with a stone. The prosecution presented eye‑witnesses, the widow of the deceased, and corroborative testimony establishing prior enmity and a motive. The accused claimed he was falsely implicated and that the incident was…

The appellant challenged a writ order of the Allahabad High Court that had vacated an interim injunction granted by a civil court, arguing that a writ of certiorari under Article 226 could not be issued against orders of a civil court. The Supreme Court was asked to reconsider the view expressed in *Surya Dev Rai* that…

The petitioners challenged the 1976 insertion of the words ‘socialist’ and ‘secular’ into the Preamble of the Constitution, arguing that the amendment was retrospective, lacked popular consent, and violated the basic structure by restricting economic policy and religious freedom. The Court examined whether Article 368 …

UCO Bank issued a sale notification under the Securitisation and Reconstruction of Financial Assets and Enforcement of Security Interest Act, 2002 to auction mortgaged property. The borrowers, members of Scheduled Tribes, challenged the sale alleging that Section 187 of the Tripura Land Revenue and Land Reforms Act, 19…

Manoharan filed a suit seeking a mandatory injunction and reconveyance of land after a loan transaction, but paid only one‑tenth of the court fee of Rs.28,797. The Sub‑Judge rejected his application for an extension of time to pay the balance fee, leading to dismissal of the suit. Manoharan appealed, also seeking condo…

The appellant filed complaints under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act in a Mumbai magistrate’s court, alleging that cheques were drawn and handed over in Mumbai, dishonoured in Delhi, and a legal notice was issued from Mumbai. The respondents sought to have the complaints returned under Section 201 of the …

The Union transferred administrative control of the Special Service Bureau and the Chief Inspectorate of Armaments from the Cabinet Secretariat to the Ministry of Home Affairs and trifurcated the Directorate General of Security (Secretarial) Service into three separate units, allocating staff on an "as is where is" bas…

The Rajasthan Public Service Commission (RPSC) issued an advertisement on 18 June 2013 for recruitment to State and Subordinate Services. A press note dated 12 November 2014 allowed candidates to correct mistakes or change categories in already‑submitted online applications, but did not invite fresh applications. Sever…

The Supreme Court examined challenges to the Supreme Court Lawyers’ Chambers (Allotment and Occupancy) Rules, specifically the block period for meeting eligibility criteria, the requirement that applicants be members of the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA), and the residence requirement of being in Delhi/New Delhi.…

The CBI prosecuted three police officers for grievously injuring a detainee, Jugta Ram, in police custody, including the amputation of his penis using a razor. The trial court convicted all three under sections 326, 308, 323, 342, 343 and 120B of the IPC, but the Rajasthan High Court acquitted the ASI and SHO and reduc…

The appellant, Sanjabij Tari, appealed against the High Court’s ex‑parte order acquitting Kishore S. Borcar (respondent No.1) under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act for a bounced cheque of Rs.7.5 lakh. The central issue was whether the High Court could overturn the concurrent findings of the trial and sess…

The Supreme Court examined whether Khalsa Girls High School, a Sikh‑run school in West Bengal, qualifies as a linguistic minority institution under Article 30 of the Constitution and consequently whether Rule 28 of the 1969 Management Rules governs its teacher appointments. The Court held that the school was founded by…

The appellant, a Christian minority college, challenged three Government Orders (G.O.M. No. 57, 92 and 98) that prescribed criteria for determining minority status of B.Ed. candidates, mandated centralized counselling, and required vacant management‑quota seats to be filled by non‑minority students on merit. The colleg…

The Supreme Court entertained a public‑interest writ petition under Article 32 concerning the inhuman conditions prevailing in Indian prisons. The petition highlighted overcrowding, unnatural deaths, inadequate and untrained staff, and the lack of implementation of various prison‑related guidelines. Recognising the vio…

The petitioner filed a writ petition under Article 32 seeking a direction to bar Members of Parliament, Legislative Assemblies and Councils from practising as advocates while holding office, invoking Bar Council of India Rule 49 which prohibits advocates from being full‑time salaried employees. The Court examined wheth…

The Madras Bar Association challenged the constitutional validity of the National Tax Tribunal Act, 2005, which sought to transfer appellate jurisdiction from High Courts to a newly created National Tax Tribunal (NTT) for deciding substantial questions of law in tax matters. The Supreme Court held that while Parliament…

The Supreme Court examined a writ petition filed by Rungta Engineering College, Bhilai and the Secretary of the GDR Educational Society challenging the Chhattisgarh Swami Vivekanand Technical University's refusal to grant affiliation. The University had declined affiliation on several grounds, but the All India Council…

The Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) declared member Suresh D. Shah a defaulter and the Income Tax Department sought to attach the proceeds of his membership card and securities under s.226(3) of the Income Tax Act. BSE argued that a membership card is a personal, non‑transferable privilege and that its lien under Rule 43 m…

Hukam Chand Gupta, a retired Assistant Administrative Officer of the National Dairy Research Institute, claimed that his pay scale should have been revised in line with the pay scale of Superintendents at the ICAR headquarters and that a junior colleague, J.L.P. Madan, should not have received a higher pay scale. The C…

Avinash Sadashiv Bhosale, a State Bank of India branch manager, was prosecuted under IPC sections 120B, 420, 467, 468, 471 and 201 for alleged fraud of Rs 12 crore, but was acquitted by the criminal court. Simultaneously, the bank instituted departmental proceedings under the SBI Officers Service Rules, 1992, charging …

The petitioner, Vasanta Sampat Dupare, was convicted of rape and murder of a four‑year‑old girl and sentenced to death, a sentence that was affirmed on appeal, reviewed, and followed by rejected mercy petitions. He filed a writ petition under Article 32 seeking a fresh sentencing hearing in accordance with the procedur…

The petitioner, serving a life sentence for murder and a weapons offence, applied for premature release after 24 years of incarceration, claiming denial of remission and parole. The Remission Board rejected his applications twice, relying heavily on adverse opinions of the presiding judge, despite favorable reports fro…

The appellants, teaching faculty of Government Homeopathic Colleges in Kerala, sought to have the retirement age enhancement granted to medical doctors (from 55 to 60 years) applied retrospectively to them, arguing a legitimate expectation. The State had issued a 2010 Government Order (G.O.) raising the retirement age …

The Commissioner of Police, Delhi appealed against a Delhi High Court order that directed the consideration of four candidates (Raj Kumar, Shiv Singh, Prem Singh Choudhary and Deepa Tomar) for appointment as constables despite their involvement in criminal cases. The candidates had either been acquitted or had their ca…

The case concerned the validity of the Demobilized Armed Forces Personnel (Reservation of Vacancies in the Himachal Pradesh State Non‑Technical Services) Rules, 1972, which granted a 15% reservation for ex‑servicemen and allowed counting of their military service for seniority and pay. The petitioners, former army pers…

Satya Pal Anand, a septuagenarian, claimed that a plot of land allotted to his mother by a cooperative society was unlawfully cancelled by the society through a Deed of Extinguishment dated 9‑8‑2001, and that subsequent sale deeds to third parties were also void. The Sub‑Registrar refused to cancel the extinguishment d…

The Supreme Court examined public‑interest writ petitions challenging the allocation of coal blocks by the Central Government between 1993 and 2011. The Court held that the allocation process, carried out through the Screening Committee and a government‑dispensation route, was not authorized by the Mines and Minerals (…

The State of Assam advertised for the post of Gaonburah and appointed Kandarpa Sarma after a selection committee evaluated candidates on suitability. Rajeshwar Das, the nephew of a former Gaonburah, appealed under executive instruction para 162, and the Deputy Commissioner set aside Sarma's appointment, directing Das's…

The respondent, a legislator and social activist, filed a writ petition alleging that the Rajasthan Chief Minister's Relief Fund was being distributed arbitrarily and discriminatorily among minor rape victims, seeking a uniform grant of Rs.5 lakh to each victim. The High Court ordered that Rule 5 of the Relief Fund Rul…

The appellant was convicted for aggravated penetrative sexual assault of a five‑year‑old girl under Section 6 of the POCSO Act and Section 376AB IPC, and was sentenced to imprisonment for the remainder of his natural life. The offence occurred on 20 May 2019, before the 2019 amendment to Section 6 of the POCSO Act, whi…

The appellant, Sukdeb Saha, challenged the Andhra Pradesh High Court's refusal to transfer the investigation of his 17‑year‑old daughter's suspicious death at a coaching institute to the CBI. He alleged that the local police investigation was biased, incomplete, and that crucial forensic evidence and CCTV footage were …

The petitioners, K. Purushottam Reddy and others, challenged two notifications issued by the Union of India that effected delimitation of constituencies only for the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, arguing that the exclusion of the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana violated Article 14 and the statutory manda…

The dispute arose between Sunair Hotels Ltd (SHL) and VLS Finance Ltd over a failed Memorandum of Understanding for a hotel project, leading to multiple FIRs and arbitration. SHL filed an application under Section 156(3) CrPC on 1 July 2005, prompting a Metropolitan Magistrate to order registration of FIR No.380/2005 f…

The case involved a reference to a nine-judge bench to resolve the divergence between India Cement Ltd. v. State of Tamil Nadu (which held royalty is a tax) and State of West Bengal v. Kesoram Industries Ltd. (which held royalty is not a tax). The core issues were the true nature of royalty under Section 9 of the Mines…

The second respondent filed an application under Section 438 of the Code of Criminal Procedure seeking anticipatory bail for alleged offences under IPC sections 406, 420, 467 and 468. The Patna High Court granted the bail but, in the same order, directed the cancellation of the licence of Kanchan Kumari, the appellant,…

The appellant, a co‑sharer of land, entered into a 1995 agreement to sell his share to his elder brother, the respondent, for Rs 5 lakhs, with Rs 4 lakhs paid upfront and the balance to be paid upon execution of the sale deed. The appellant failed to execute the deed and the respondent sued for specific performance, al…

The Supreme Court examined appeals filed by Ram Kumar Patel and others against the State of Uttar Pradesh challenging the High Court's order that quashed the Uttar Pradesh Basic Education (Teachers) Service (161st Amendment) Rules, 2012 on the ground of repugnancy with the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) …

The State of Uttar Pradesh amended its Basic Education Rules to incorporate the National Council for Teachers Education (NCTE) qualifications for elementary teachers, later revoking the weightage given to Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) marks. A writ petition challenged the revocation, and the Allahabad High Court set a…

The appellant Devraj was convicted under Section 302 IPC for murdering his cousin amid a land dispute. The prosecution relied on three eye‑witnesses, two of whom were declared hostile, but their testimony was corroborated by other evidence showing Devraj’s assault on the victim. The defence argued that hostile witness …

Rajesh Kumar Gond, a Junior Hindi Translator in the Commerce Ministry, sought pay parity with Junior Translators in the Central Secretariat Official Language Service, invoking the principle of equal pay for equal work. The Central Administrative Tribunal, finding no material showing any functional distinction between t…

The appellants, selected as Lower Division Clerks in 1984, were appointed only in 1993 and 1996 after court orders, while similarly placed candidates (Parveen Singh and others) obtained retroactive appointments and back wages following a tribunal order and a Punjab‑Haryana High Court judgment. The appellants later soug…

The Himachal Pradesh Public Service Commission advertised 13 vacancies for Civil Judge (Junior Division) and conducted a written examination. Respondent No.1, Mukesh Thakur, secured the required aggregate marks but failed to obtain the mandatory 45% in the Civil Law‑II paper, and was therefore not called for interview.…

The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) issued a notification under the Land Acquisition Act, 1894 in 2003, followed by a declaration in 2004 and an award in 2005 for land needed for a road project. The respondents obtained interim stay orders that prevented DDA from taking possession, and later filed a writ petition und…

The original plaintiff, M.N. Channavasavaiah, borrowed Rs.1,500 from B.M. Narayan Shetty and executed a deed of conditional sale on 28 July 1969, delivering possession of the land to the lender for five years with a condition that repayment would void the sale and reconvey the property. The lender later sold the land t…

The petitioners sought directions for the Union, State Governments and Union Territories to comply with the Supreme Court's earlier orders on the Persons with Disabilities Act, 1995, noting that the Act had been repealed and replaced by the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016. The Court examined the legislati…

Bhuvnesh Kumar Dwivedi was employed by Hindalco Industries Ltd as a labour supervisor from 30‑12‑1992 to 27‑07‑1998. Although the employer periodically terminated his service on the pretext of "sanction expired" and re‑appointed him on short contracts, the workman rendered continuous service of nearly six years. The La…

Sri Ram Builders entered into a BOT agreement with the Madhya Pradesh Road Transport Corporation (MPRTC) to construct a bus‑stand‑cum‑commercial complex on land leased by the Indore Development Authority (IDA). The High Court ordered MPRTC to hand over possession of the land and directed specific performance, but the o…

The Union of India moved a writ petition under Art. 32 seeking to quash a Tamil Nadu Government letter proposing remission of life sentences for seven convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, after the Supreme Court had earlier commuted death sentences of three of them to life imprisonment. The Court examined w…

The Supreme Court examined the convictions of three accused in a kidnapping‑for‑ransom case. It upheld the life‑sentence convictions of Gautam Kumar (A2) and Vijay Ranglal Chorasiya (A5), finding that eyewitness testimony, telephone‑booth records and voice‑spectrography reliably proved their guilt beyond reasonable dou…

The Supreme Court, hearing Special Leave Petition (Cr.) No. 5073 of 2011 filed by the State of Karnataka against Shivanna, observed the persistent incidence of rape and the inadequacy of existing procedural mechanisms. It noted the absence of a fast‑track procedure for rape cases despite the existence of Fast‑Track Cou…

The Security Association of India and other private security agencies challenged the Maharashtra Private Security Guards (Regulation of Employment & Welfare) Act, 1981 on the ground that it was repugnant to the Private Security Agencies (Regulation) Act, 2005 and violated Articles 14 and 19(1)(g) of the Constitution. T…

The Association of Management of Private Colleges, whose members are colleges affiliated to Bharathidasan University and Manonmaniam Sundaranar University, filed writ petitions seeking to bar the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) from exercising jurisdiction over their MBA and MCA programmes. The High C…

Shankar Kisanrao Khade, aged about 52, and his wife abducted an 11‑year‑old girl with moderate intellectual disability, repeatedly raped her and later strangulated her to death. The trial court and the High Court convicted Khade under IPC sections 302, 376, 366‑A, 363 r/w s.34 and sentenced him to death, while his wife…

The petitioners, women officers on Short Service Commission (SSC) in the Indian Army, challenged the Army's method of granting Permanent Commission (PC) after the Supreme Court's decision in Babita Puniya, alleging that the benchmarking of their marks against the lowest‑scoring male officer, the reliance on early‑caree…

The employee, Chhota Birsa Uranw, joined Bharat Coking Coal Ltd. in 1973 with a date of birth recorded as 15‑Feb‑1947. He later discovered that his school leaving certificate and Mining Sardarship certificate recorded his birth as 6‑Feb‑1950 and sought correction under Implementation Instruction No. 76 in 1987. The emp…

Four members of a political party filed a public‑interest writ petition under Article 32 of the Constitution alleging that the Chief Minister of Sikkim had amassed assets disproportionate to his known income and misappropriated public funds. They sought a mandamus directing the Central Bureau of Investigation to launch…

Md. Shahabuddin, a sitting MP, was in custody with more than forty criminal cases pending. Because of serious threats to public order, the Patna High Court, exercising its power under s.9(6) of the CrPC, issued a notification that the Court of Session would hold its sittings inside Siwan District Jail, and the Bihar Go…

The Supreme Court examined an appeal by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Ltd. (GRSE) against a Division Bench order of the Calcutta High Court that disposed of a writ petition seeking compassionate appointments for union members. The writ petition had been de‑listed by a Single Judge pending a reference to a lar…

Dr. Sunil Kumar Singh, an MLC from the RJD, was expelled from the Bihar Legislative Council after the Ethics Committee found his conduct unparliamentary and his subsequent refusal to cooperate with the Committee. He challenged the expulsion through a writ petition under Article 32, arguing that the Ethics Committee's p…

The petitioners, trained teachers, filed writ petitions under Article 32 seeking appointment as Assistant Teachers in Jharkhand government schools in order of seniority and with total age relaxation, invoking the Supreme Court's decision in Ram Vinay Kumar v. State of Bihar. The State of Jharkhand had framed its own re…

A complaint alleging irregularities in construction works at the Madhya Pradesh Vidhan Sabha was investigated by the Lokayukt, which referred the matter to the Special Police Establishment (SPE) under the Prevention of Corruption Act. The Vidhan Sabha Secretary issued letters claiming a breach of legislative privilege …

The Society Common Cause filed a writ petition under Article 32 seeking a declaration that the "right to die with dignity" is a fundamental right under Article 21 and that persons should be allowed to execute a living will or attorney authorization to refuse life‑prolonging treatment. The petitioners argued that termin…

Four ad‑hoc Fast Track Court District Judges applied for regularisation under the Andhra Pradesh Judicial Service Rules, 2007. They passed the written examination with the required minimum marks but failed to obtain the requisite marks in the viva voce and the combined (written + viva) aggregate as prescribed in the Su…

The plaintiff, N.C. Bansal, filed a civil suit seeking a declaration and permanent injunction concerning a property. The trial court dismissed the suit as non‑maintainable; an appellate court remanded the matter for trial. After remand, the plaintiff filed three applications: (i) under Order 7 Rule 14 of the CPC to fil…

Five legislators were elected to the Karnataka Legislative Assembly in 2008 as independents. They supported the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government and served as cabinet ministers, but withdrew their support in October 2010, prompting the Speaker to disqualify them under paragraph 2(2) of the Tenth Schedule for "de…

The petitioner, Keshav Prasad Sharma, was tried for a criminal offence when the public prosecutor sought to implead respondents No.3‑9 as co‑accused under Section 319 of the Criminal Procedure Code. The trial court allowed the impleadment, but the Punjab & Haryana High Court set aside that order. The petitioner filed S…

The Indore Vikas Praadhikaran (IDA) issued a notice inviting bids (NIT) to lease a 3,382‑sq‑m plot, fixing a reserve price of Rs 21,120 per sq m. Shri Humud Jain Samaj Trust submitted the highest bid of Rs 25,671.90 per sq m, but the Tender Committee discovered an outstanding property‑tax demand and cancelled the tende…

The Supreme Court was approached by a group of advocates (Ajayinder Sangwan & Ors.) who had submitted applications and law degrees for verification but whose degrees had not yet been verified by universities, fearing exclusion from the electoral roll for State Bar Council elections. The Court had earlier, on 23 August …

The Supreme Court examined a batch of appeals filed by M/s Shree Bhagwati Steel Rolling Mills and other assessees against the Commissioner of Central Excise. The core issues were whether Rules 96ZO, 96ZP and 96ZQ of the Central Excise Rules could levy interest and a mandatory penalty equal to the duty amount when Secti…

The appellant, a judicial officer, was dismissed following an enquiry under the Gujarat Civil Services (Conduct) Rules, 1971. He challenged the dismissal in a Special Civil Application, and the High Court set aside the enquiry report and his dismissal. The respondent (the High Court) appealed, arguing that the trial co…

The Central Bureau of Narcotics alleged that Bahadur Singh, a servant in a dhaba, was found with a key that opened a locked box containing 17.45 kg of opium. The trial court convicted him under Sections 8 and 18 of the NDPS Act, but the Rajasthan High Court acquitted him, holding that there were no reliable independent…

The Supreme Court examined whether IIT Kanpur could limit the extension of retirement age to 62 years only to teachers and staff treated on par with teachers, as per communications from the Ministry of Human Resource Development. The first respondent, an Assistant Registrar, claimed entitlement to the extended age but …

The Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA) appealed against a Division Bench order that quashed its acquisition of a flat requisitioned under the West Bengal Land (Requisition and Acquisition) Act, 1948. The property had been under requisition since 1979 and the High Court, in 1993, directed the Land Acquisi…

The petitioners were appointed as Chairmen, Vice‑Chairmen and members of Agricultural Market Committees under the Andhra Pradesh (Agricultural Produce and Livestock) Markets Act, 1966. After the creation of Telangana in 2014, the State promulgated Ordinance No.1 of 2014 reducing the size of the committees, shortening t…

The Rajasthan government issued Notification S.O.377 on 9 March 2007, exempting VAT on asbestos cement sheets and bricks containing at least 25% fly ash, provided the dealer began commercial production in the state by 31‑December‑2006 and the exemption lasted until 23‑January‑2010 (later extended). The appellants, manu…

The case concerned Group Captains in the Indian Air Force who were promoted either on a merit basis (Select) or on a time‑scale basis (Time Scale) and were subjected to different ages of superannuation – 54/57 years for Time Scale officers versus 57 years for Select officers. The respondents argued that, since both cat…

The State Bank of India (SBI) disciplined its field officer A.G.D. Reddy for alleged misconduct, including failure to conduct periodical inspections and not completing formalities for an equitable mortgage, and imposed a penalty of reduction in basic pay to the lowest stage in Scale‑I under Rule 49(e) of the SBI (Super…

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) acquired land from private owners and an arbitrator awarded enhanced compensation, which NHAI challenged under Section 34 of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996. The land owners, instead of filing an execution proceeding, approached the High Court under Article 226…

The State of Tripura framed the Tripura State Civil Services (Revised Pension) Rules, 2009, wherein Rule 3(3) provided that revised pension would be computed notionally from 1 January 2006 but the actual financial benefit would be payable only from 1 January 2009. A group of pensioners, led by Smt. Anjana Bhattacharjee…

The case arose from a reference to a nine-judge bench to determine whether the right to privacy is a constitutionally protected fundamental right under the Indian Constitution, particularly in light of the Aadhaar scheme's collection of biometric data. The petitioners argued that privacy is an intrinsic part of the rig…

The Supreme Court examined the renewal of a 30‑year lease granted by the Ujjain Development Authority (UDA) to Mis Ajar Enterprises Private Limited (Ajar) after the leasehold interest was acquired from the liquidated IISCO. The Court held that Rule 24 and Rule 25 of the Madhya Pradesh Nagar Tatha Gram Nivesh Vikasit Bh…

The Supreme Court, hearing Budhadev Karmaskar v. State of West Bengal (Criminal Appeal No. 135 of 2010), continued its earlier directives to improve the rehabilitation of sex workers by ordering the Central Government to provide Rs.10 lakh and each State Government Rs.5 lakh (Union Territories Rs.2 lakh) to the Court‑a…

The appellant, a dealer in red arecanut, had its consignment detained by the GST Mobile Squad and was served a show‑cause notice under section 129(3) of the CGST Act. The appellant filed objections but, due to business exigencies, paid the tax and penalty amount of Rs 7,20,440 under protest and the goods were released …

Bhima Rao Baswanth Rao Patil, a successful Lok Sabha candidate, was challenged by K. Madan Mohan Rao through an election petition under Sections 81 and 84 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, alleging false information, non‑disclosure of pending criminal cases and convictions, and non‑compliance with Election…

The West Bengal Central School Service Commission advertised for Assistant Teacher posts, requiring candidates to have Bengali as a first, second or third language at secondary, higher secondary or any higher level. Respondent No.1, educated outside West Bengal, applied for an Arabic teaching post in a Bengali‑medium s…

The Supreme Court examined petitions seeking directions to set up State Human Rights Commissions (SHRCs) in several states that had failed to do so under the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993. The Court held that the word "may" in Section 21 of the Act does not make the power to constitute SHRCs discretionary; it is…

The case arises from the 2002 Gujarat riots following the Godhra train burning incident, in which the appellant's husband was killed in the Gulberg Society massacre. The appellant filed a complaint alleging a larger criminal conspiracy at the highest level of the state government, including the then Chief Minister, to …

The Rajasthan State Warehousing Corporation (RSWC) issued a PPP tender for operating warehouses at 71 locations. Writ petitions challenged a tender condition and were dismissed by the High Court. After technical bids were opened, the successful bidders were identified and a letter of intent was issued, but the High Cou…

The State of Rajasthan appealed against the Rajasthan High Court’s order converting the murder conviction of respondent No.1 Islam under IPC Section 302 to a lesser offence under Section 304 Part‑II, on the ground that the High Court had erred in its appreciation of the evidence and its application of the fourth except…