DORAISWAMY RAJU

Pradip Kumar Dey, a Naik (Radio Operator) in the CRPF, filed a writ petition seeking a mandamus directing the Union of India to implement the CRPF's recommendation to the Fourth Pay Commission for a higher pay scale, invoking the principle of "equal pay for equal work". The Single Judge dismissed the petition for lack …

The husband and wife (appellants) advanced loans to Dr. G. Adinarayana (respondent) who issued four cheques as repayment, two in each spouse's name. All cheques were returned unpaid and a single, consolidated notice demanding payment of the cheque amounts within 15 days was served on the respondent. The respondent did …

The appellants claimed possession of a property based on a registered deed of settlement allegedly executed by an elderly, paralytic executor on 11 July 1970. The respondents filed a suit for declaration and permanent injunction, alleging the executor was over 100 years old, physically and mentally unfit, and that the …

The appellant was convicted of murdering two sisters and committing house trespass under Sections 302 and 449 IPC based largely on circumstantial evidence, including alleged motive, sightings, and recovered items. He appealed, contending that the prosecution had not proved a continuous chain of circumstances, had suppr…

The petitioners, a group of judicial officers, filed a writ petition under Article 32 challenging the grant of selection grade and super‑time scale to certain respondents, alleging that senior officers were bypassed, the criteria were arbitrary, and the process violated Article 16 and the Shetty Commission recommendati…

S.L. Chadha, a government employee who joined service in 1983, had his date of birth recorded as 19‑06‑1944. In 1995 he applied, under a 1994 notification, to change it to 13‑12‑1945, and the Deputy Commissioner’s enquiry supported his claim, but the State Government rejected it. The Punjab High Court, hearing a writ p…

Respondent No. I filed a writ petition in the Bombay High Court challenging a show‑cause notice issued by the Special Director of the Enforcement Directorate under the Foreign Exchange Regulation Act, 1973 and the Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999, and sought an interim injunction restraining further investigation.…

Kuldeep Singh was found in possession of 880 litres of Acetic N‑hydride, a precursor for heroin, and was convicted under Sections 9A, 25A and 29 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985. The trial court sentenced him to ten years' rigorous imprisonment. The Rajasthan High Court reduced the term to si…

The respondent, a Stenographer Grade‑II in the Geological Survey of India, sought parity of pay with Stenographers Grade‑C of the Central Secretariat, invoking the principle of "equal pay for equal work". The Central Administrative Tribunal initially rejected the claim, but in a review order applied the equal‑pay doctr…

The petitioner's husband died after alleged police beating in custody; the petitioner filed a private complaint more than a year later alleging custodial violence by the accused police officer. The trial court convicted the accused, but the High Court acquitted him, finding the delay, lack of credible evidence, materia…

The Government of NCT of Delhi appealed the Delhi High Court’s acquittal of Jaspal Singh (A4) for offences under the Official Secrets Act, 1923 and Section 120B IPC. The Supreme Court held that the High Court had misapplied the law, especially the evidentiary value of a co‑accused’s confession and the statutory presump…

The case concerned the murder of Santokh Singh, in which five accused, including the appellant Surinder Singh, were tried. The main accused, Darshan Singh, was a proclaimed offender and was tried separately, later being acquitted. The trial court had convicted Surinder Singh and another accused under Section 302 read w…

Sitabai executed a will bequeathing her self‑acquired property to her husband, Ramachandra, for his lifetime and thereafter to three minor nephews. After the testator and her husband died, the husband's brother and his children took possession, and a compromise decree was obtained in an injunction suit, which the minor…

The accused were convicted of murder under Section 302 read with Section 34 of the IPC. The trial court records were destroyed in a fire, and the High Court, after a long delay, concluded that reconstruction was impossible and ordered the acquittal of the accused. The Supreme Court held that the High Court erred by not…

Hari Mohan Mandal was convicted of offences under Sections 302 and 307 of the Indian Penal Code for a violent altercation that resulted in the death of Narayan Mandal and injuries to other witnesses. The appellant challenged the reliability of eyewitness testimony, argued that the injuries he inflicted were merely simp…

Reema Aggarwal married Anupam while his first wife was alive and was subsequently harassed for dowry by Anupam, his parents and brother, who forced her to ingest poison. She reported the incident and the accused were charged under IPC Sections 307 (attempt to murder) and 498A (dowry harassment). The trial court acquitt…

Dr. R.N. Rajanna, a Karnataka state government employee, retired voluntarily while on deputation to a public sector undertaking and sought re‑fixation of his pension at 50% of his emoluments, relying on three Government Orders (1983, 1986, 1994). He contended that the deputation allowance should be included in the pens…

The case concerns the murder of Nawal Kishore Jha on 9 April 1980, for which fifteen persons were originally charged. The trial court convicted several of them under sections of the IPC and the Arms Act, but the Patna High Court later acquitted all the convicted persons. The informant appealed, challenging the High Cou…

The Vedanta Sthapna Sabha, a society that constructed a temple with contributions from its members and the government, applied under Section 63(b) of the Tamil Nadu Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Act, 1959, seeking a declaration that it was the hereditary trustee of the temple. The Deputy Commissioner dismis…

The State of Gujarat and an accused, Tulsibhai Bhikhabhai Tadvi, filed applications seeking modification of a Supreme Court judgment that ordered a fresh trial of the Zahira Habibullah Sheikh case outside Gujarat. They contended that such a transfer was unlawful, alleging lack of a specific prayer, violation of Section…

The father filed a petition under Section 125 of the CrPC for maintenance against his son in the Siwan court. The son, who was practicing and residing in Patna, applied for transfer of the case, arguing that Siwan lacked jurisdiction because the maintenance respondent lived elsewhere. The High Court rejected the transf…

Bhag Singh was tried under Section 18 of the NDPS Act and acquitted by the trial court because the prosecution case rested solely on official witnesses and lacked an independent witness. The State of Punjab sought leave to appeal the acquittal under Section 378(3) of the CrPC, but the Punjab and Haryana High Court dism…

The appellant, Suchand Pal, appealed against the Calcutta High Court's acquittal of the accused Phani Pal for murder and related offences. The trial court had convicted Phani Pal based on the prosecution's claim that a gun was fired from a short range and on a dying declaration of the deceased, Bhanumati, which was rec…

The appellant, a college principal, was accused of tampering with his son’s answer sheet in a university examination. The Managing Committee suspended him, issued a charge‑sheet and, after multiple adjournments, found him guilty and recommended dismissal, later changed to termination with the Vice‑Chancellor’s approval…

The dispute concerned the eligibility of 38 persons listed in the electoral roll for the 1996 election of the managing committee of Vidya Vardhak Sangh, a society registered under the Societies Registration Act and the Bombay Public Trust Act. The appellants argued that the election was void because the 38 persons were…

The accused, a senior police officer, was alleged to have assaulted and caused the death of a man in a hotel swimming pool. The trial court acquitted him, finding the medical evidence and witness testimony insufficient, while the Karnataka High Court set aside the acquittal, convicted him under Sections 302, 304(II), 2…

The State of Orissa prosecuted Rajendra Tripathy and others for unlawful possession of heroin under Sections 18 and 21 of the NDPS Act. The trial court convicted them, but the Orissa High Court acquitted on the grounds that the seizure memo contained a corrected name and that the prosecution failed to explain the safe …

V.P. Patil was accused of murdering his first wife Suman. The prosecution relied on motive, the accused's suspicious conduct, extra‑judicial confessions to two witnesses, blood‑stained articles, the mangalsutra and blood found in the accused's nail clippings, and a medical report indicating death by sub‑dural hematoma.…

The appellants were convicted of murder (IPC 302) and related offences (IPC 326, 324) based largely on the testimony of a single eye‑witness (PW‑1) whose evidence was held by the trial and high courts to be not wholly reliable, while two other eye‑witnesses turned hostile. The appellants challenged the convictions, arg…

The legal heirs (respondents) sued the appellant for declaration of title and possession of certain land; an earlier suit had only sought title and injunction. The appellant later filed a suit for recovery of possession and mesne profits, claiming he was a cultivating tenant and seeking compensation for improvements un…

The Government of Andhra Pradesh issued a Government Order granting remission of sentences to certain categories of prisoners, expressly excluding those convicted by courts of other States but serving their sentences in Andhra Pradesh. Two convicts, S. Appala Swamy (convicted in Madhya Pradesh) and Rajender (convicted …

Kashi Nath claimed to be the adopted son of the temple pujari Bala Bux, seeking exclusive rights to manage the Thakurji Shri Gopalji temple, perform sevapuja and receive offerings. The respondents contested his claim, arguing that no valid adoption existed. The trial court, the first appellate court, and the Rajasthan …

The Bihar State Housing Board acquired land under the Land Acquisition Act, 1894. A preliminary notification was published in the Gazette on 16‑Mar‑1989, in two newspapers on 29‑Apr‑1989 and locally on 20‑Mar‑1989. The declaration of acquisition was published in the Gazette on 1‑Feb‑1990, in two newspapers on 27‑Feb‑19…

The appellants were convicted of murder under IPC s.302 read with s.34 for the killing of Hamam Singh. The trial court had acquitted them, relying on the alleged unreliability of witnesses who were relatives of the deceased, the absence of independent shop‑keeper witnesses, a site‑plan omission, and a perceived conflic…

Prem Raj was convicted under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 and sentenced to two years of rigorous imprisonment with a fine of Rs.500, and an additional three years of rigorous imprisonment with a fine of Rs.1,000, to run concurrently. He appealed to the Delhi High Court seeking a reduction in the term of impri…

The deceased, an agriculturist, died in a motor accident and his widow and minor son claimed compensation of Rs 10 lakhs under Section 166 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988. The Motor Accident Claims Tribunal awarded Rs 6.5 lakhs based on an assumed monthly income of Rs 4,500, which the State of Haryana challenged for la…

A detention order under Section 3(1) of the Conservation of Foreign Exchange and Prevention of Smuggling Activities Act, 1974 (COFEPOSA) was issued against Ratan Bagaria. Before the order could be served, his wife Vidya Bagaria filed a habeas corpus petition under Article 226 challenging the order. The Punjab and Harya…

The Supreme Court examined the applicability of the Haj Committee Act, 1959 after pilgrim travel shifted from sea to air in 1993, rendering the ex‑officio members listed in Section 4(1)(a)‑(f) practically redundant. The petitioners sought direction to replace these members, arguing the Act had become obsolete, while th…

The appellant, Hasanbai Valibhai Qureshi, filed a writ petition alleging that the FIR in a communal clash originally listed offences under Sections 395 and 120‑B IPC, but these were later deleted by the police, enabling the accused to obtain bail. He claimed the investigating agency was biased, influenced by a local ML…

The accused Main Pal and others were charged with murder of Hans Raj and offences under the Arms Act. The prosecution relied on eye‑witnesses PW‑1 (Ram Sarup) and PW‑2 (Devi Lal), who were relatives of the deceased, and on firearms recovered at the behest of the accused. The trial court acquitted, holding that motive w…

Four accused abducted the deceased, who later died en route to the hospital. The prosecution relied solely on a statement recorded under Section 161 CrPC, treated as a dying declaration, to secure convictions. The trial court convicted all four; the High Court acquitted two on the ground that the dying declaration was …

Anter Singh was convicted for the murder of Hansraj based largely on a pistol and empty cartridges recovered after he, while in police custody, disclosed their location. The prosecution relied on Section 27 of the Indian Evidence Act to admit the recovered items, asserting they were the murder weapon. On appeal, the Su…

Mangilal was convicted of murder and other offences and sentenced to life imprisonment. The Madhya Pradesh High Court, exercising its revisional powers, ordered him and the other accused to pay Rs.30,000 as compensation under Section 357(3) and (4) of the Cr.P.C. without hearing them on the quantum of compensation. The…

The respondents, who were employees of the Reserve Bank of India, resigned in 1988 before the RBI Pension Regulations, 1990 came into force. The Pension Regulations, particularly Regulation 18, state that resignation results in forfeiture of service and disqualification for pension. The High Court held that Regulation …

The respondent, Constable Ram Saran of the CRPF, was convicted by an Assistant Commandant exercising the powers of a Judicial Magistrate under Section 10(m) of the Central Reserve Police Force Act for unauthorised absence and sentenced to three months' imprisonment. The Sessions Court and the Himachal Pradesh High Cour…

On 13 May 1994, Excise officials seized about 12 kg of cannabis from the accused and sent a 50‑gram sample for chemical analysis four days later. The trial court convicted the accused under Section 20(b)(i) of the NDPS Act, but the Orissa High Court acquitted him, holding that the prosecution failed to explain the cust…

Banti (Guddu) and Teekaram were convicted for the murder of Pravin Pathak under IPC s.302 r/w s.34. The prosecution relied on two eye‑witnesses, PW‑I (the deceased’s brother) and PW‑II (a friend), who identified the accused. The defence presented DW‑1, who initially corroborated the eye‑witnesses but later recanted, cl…

The case concerned appeals arising from a land acquisition proceeding under the Land Acquisition Act, 1894, where the claimants sought compensation and the Union of India contested the percentage of deduction for development costs. The High Court had segregated the appeals of the land owners from those of the acquiring…

The Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation initiated land acquisition under the Maharashtra Regional Town Planning Act (MRTP Act) and the Land Acquisition Act. After the acquisition, the Central Act 68 of 1984 amended the Land Acquisition Act, adding benefits such as interest on compensation and increased solatiu…

The State of Orissa prosecuted Dhaniram Luhar for encroaching about five acres of reserved forest land under Section 27(1)(a) of the Orissa Forest Act, 1972. Although the accused admitted the encroachment in his statement under Section 313 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, the trial court acquitted him on the ground t…

The appellant, Giri Ja Shankar, was convicted along with three others for murder (Sec. 302), assault (Sec. 307) and snatching (Sec. 394) IPC, each conviction read with Sec. 34. The trial court and the High Court held that the accused shared a common intention, despite the fact that the fatal shot was fired by another a…

Eight persons, including Narain Singh, were tried for offences under various sections of the IPC for the death of Makhan and injuries to others. The prosecution's case relied on inconsistent statements from an informant, a disputed dying declaration, and eye‑witnesses who gave varying accounts of the incident's locatio…

Saikou Jabi, a Gambian national, was intercepted at Bombay airport with approximately 1 kg of heroin concealed in a suitcase. The baggage was screened on an X‑ray machine and the contraband was recovered from the suitcase, not from a personal search of Jabi. He was charged under Sections 21, 23, 28 and 29 of the NDPS A…

The petitioners, landowners, sought redetermination of compensation under Section 28-A of the Land Acquisition Act, 1894, filing applications after a later award by the Reference Court. The Land Acquisition Collector rejected the petitions, holding that the three‑month limitation period must be computed from the earlie…

The case concerned appointments of junior assistants in the office of the Director General/Inspector General of Police in Orissa made between 1981 and 1985 under the Orissa Police Manual, 1940. After the Orissa Ministerial Service Rules of 1975 and the statutory rules of 1988 came into force, the State Government grant…

The respondent, a government servant, was convicted under IPC sections 302 and 34 and dismissed from service. He was later acquitted on appeal, after which the High Court ordered his reinstatement with full back wages. The Union appealed, arguing that the department should not be liable for wages for the period of dism…

The appellant, Ram Udgar Singh, was convicted under Section 302 IPC and Sections 25A and 27 of the Arms Act for the murder of a political rival. The conviction was based on the testimony of four eyewitnesses, while eight co‑accused were acquitted on the same evidence. The appellant challenged the conviction, arguing th…

The father of Ankur Gupta died while in government service. Under the compassionate appointment scheme, which was modified on 22‑August‑1996 to bar dependants whose other parent was in government service and to limit family income to Rs 2,500 per month, Gupta was appointed as a clerk despite his mother’s government emp…

Vijaya and her brother were charged for the murder of the brother's wife, who was burnt to death. While the brother was convicted of murder under Section 302 IPC, Vijaya was acquitted of that charge but convicted under Section 201 IPC for allegedly causing disappearance of evidence and giving false information. On appe…

Ahuja Industries Ltd purchased a parcel of land but its title was not entered in the revenue records. The Karnataka government acquired the land for industrial development under the Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Act, 1966, issuing a preliminary notification under Section 28(1) on 3 Oct 1997 and gazetting it on…

The police raided the house of a gambling den where Virendra Prasad and his father Ram Prasad were present. When the police attempted to seize a rifle, Virendra snatched it from his father and fired seven rounds at the police party, killing ASI Gokaran Nath Pandey and injuring two constables. The trial court convicted …

The appellant, Prakash, was charged along with another accused for kidnapping and attempted rape of a 5½‑year‑old girl. The victim’s grandmother (PW‑5) witnessed the incident and testified that she heard the child’s cries and found the child naked in the accused’s house. The trial court convicted the appellant under Se…

The accused were intercepted while carrying opium and were served a notice under Section 50 of the NDPS Act informing them of their right to be searched before a gazetted officer or magistrate. They declined that option and were searched by a narcotics officer, leading to the seizure of 200 g of opium and conviction un…

The appellant deposited Rs 1,50,200 with a bank to obtain demand drafts, handing the cash to the Head Cashier and a cash peon for counting. The money later went missing from the bank's cash counter, and the officials were charged under Section 409 read with Section 34 of the IPC. The trial court convicted the Head Cash…

The insurer, National Insurance Co., appealed against a tribunal and High Court order that held it liable to pay compensation under the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 for the death of a person travelling as a passenger in a goods carriage. The Supreme Court examined whether the Act imposes a statutory duty on vehicle owners …

The Karnataka State Financial Corporation advertised two manager posts in 1995, specifying that age and qualifications be measured as of 31 July 1995 and that applications be received by 29 July 1995. The appellant and two respondents applied; the respondents were not qualified on the last date of submission but were a…

The case concerns an appeal by Madan Singh and others against their conviction for murder, attempted murder, assault, robbery and offences under the Arms Act and the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act (TADA). The police raided a house where about 20‑25 persons were assembled; a gunfight ensued, result…

The Municipal Corporation of Greater Bombay instituted criminal proceedings against Bharat Petroleum for erecting signboards displaying the Shell trademark at its petrol pumps without obtaining permission under the Mumbai Municipal Corporation Act, 1888. The corporation relied on Sections 328, 328A and 471, alleging th…

Bhanwaroo Khan and his wife, who migrated to Pakistan after Partition and obtained Pakistani passports, entered India in 1955 on a visa, later failed to return and lived underground. In 1984 they applied for Indian citizenship, but the Government of India, invoking Section 9(2) of the Citizenship Act, 1955 and Rule 3 o…

Sukhdev Singh, a personal security officer, got into a quarrel with Devender Singh over a parked scooter. During the scuffle he drew his pistol and fired, killing Singh and injuring a passer‑by. He claimed the pistol was snatched and the discharge accidental. The trial court convicted him of murder (Sec. 302 IPC) and a…

The appellant, G. V. Rao, was convicted of murder under Section 302 IPC based solely on circumstantial evidence, including the identification of the deceased’s skeletal remains, a witness who last saw the victim with the accused, the accused’s extra‑judicial confession, and the recovery of clothing and other items purs…

The appellants were charged with murder of a man who refused to sell his property. The trial court acquitted them, finding that the prosecution failed to prove motive, that the eyewitnesses were unreliable and that there was no evidence of common intention. The High Court reversed the acquittal, convicting the accused …

The appellant was convicted for murder under Section 302 IPC based on the testimony of the deceased's son, who claimed the appellant killed his father with an axe over a marital dispute. The trial court and the Madhya Pradesh High Court upheld the conviction despite serious inconsistencies, lack of corroboration, and t…

The appellants were charged with murder under Sections 302 and 34 of the IPC for allegedly tying a woman to a tree and beating her with heated weapons. The Sessions Court acquitted them, finding the sole eye‑witness, the husband of the deceased, unreliable due to contradictions, omissions and lack of corroboration. The…

The appellant, P. Varadarajulu, sued the Agricultural Produce Market Committee for renewal of his licence and allotment of a vacant site in the market yard as specified in the decree. The decree ordered the committee to allot the site between plot numbers 10‑C and 11/2, but the committee contended that execution was im…

The Department of Telecommunications initiated land acquisition proceedings in 1984, but due to multiple court stays and interim orders, the final award was only passed on 27 August 1993. The issue before the Supreme Court was whether the acquisition proceedings had lapsed under Section 11‑A of the Land Acquisition Act…

The landlord, ARM Group Enterprises Ltd., owned premises that were leased to Allenberry & Co., who gave notice of surrender on 31‑Aug‑1953 but failed to hand over vacant possession. The tenant vacated under a compromise decree that reserved the landlord's right to evict any sub‑tenants. The restaurant Waldorf, initiall…