KULDIP SINGH

The respondent, Arooran Sugars Ltd., owned over 3,400 acres of land that was declared surplus under the Tamil Nadu Land Reforms (Fixation of Ceiling on Land) Act, 1961. The original compensation rate was nine times the net annual income, but the 1972 Fourth Amendment reduced it to two times. A 1974 amendment (Act 7 of …

Sukhdev Singh and his uncle Teja Singh were tried for the murder of Socha Singh under IPC sections 302 and 34. The trial court acquitted Teja Singh but convicted Sukhdev Singh, sentencing him to life imprisonment. On appeal, the Punjab & Haryana High Court re‑examined the evidence, held that the acquittal of Teja Singh…

The Cauvery Gramina Bank, a Regional Rural Bank, promoted several officers to Senior Manager posts using a Director's Committee that assessed candidates on performance appraisal scores and interview marks, following NABARD circulars of 1984 and 1986. Unsuccessful officers filed writ petitions in the Karnataka High Cour…

The State of Kerala filed a suit to recover possession of 4,200 acres of land, claiming that the lands had escheated to the State under the Kerala Escheats and Forfeitures Act, 1964. The Collector had issued an order on 24‑12‑1968 declaring the lands escheated, and the appellants did not file an appeal under Section 7 …

The State of West Bengal issued a notification under the West Bengal Estates Acquisition Act, 1953 covering the tea garden of Singell Tea and Agricultural Industries Ltd., and the Revenue Officer assessed rent. The company contended it was not an intermediary and the land was free‑hold, challenging the officer’s jurisd…

The appellant, T.M. Balakrishna Mudaliar, purchased agricultural lands from Abdul Salam and Razia Begum and was assigned their right of repurchase under agreements dated 15‑April‑1963. The respondents, Satyanarayana Rao and his mother Pushpavathi Ammal, refused to execute reconveyance deeds, prompting Mudaliar to sue f…

The case concerned the promotion and seniority of Class III personnel in the Indian Ordnance Factories. A 1962 circular had granted accelerated promotion to diploma‑holding supervisors, but a 1966 circular withdrew that benefit. After decades of litigation, the Supreme Court in Virendra Kumar (Civil Appeal No. 441/81) …

The State of Uttar Pradesh convicted Hanif under sections 7 and 16 of the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, 1954 for selling adulterated milk, sentencing him to six months' rigorous imprisonment and a fine. The conviction was affirmed by the Sessions Court but set aside by the Allahabad High Court on the ground that…

The State of Orissa prosecuted Dambru Naiko and another accused for kidnapping and gang rape of a village girl, Manguri Bhotruni, under IPC sections 366, 376 and 34. The victim identified the two respondents in an identification parade and medical examination showed injuries to her private parts, which the trial court …

Basanagouda was elected to the Karnataka Legislative Assembly and was challenged by Dr. S. B. Amarkhed, the nearest unsuccessful candidate, who alleged booth‑capturing and rigging of votes. The High Court, relying on Order XI Rule 14 and Order XVI Rule 6 of the CPC, ordered the production of various election documents,…

The respondents, Tiwari and Passi, were prosecuted under Section 276‑B of the Income‑Tax Act for failing to deposit TDS. They applied to the Commissioner for compounding of the offences under Section 279(2). The Central Board of Direct Taxes had issued Instruction No. 1317 under Section 119(1) requiring prior Board app…

The Consumer Unity and Trust Society filed a complaint against Bank of Baroda alleging loss of banking services due to an illegal 54‑day strike by the bank’s employees. The society claimed compensation for interest on overdrafts, wharfage, demurrage and other consequential losses. The National Consumer Disputes Redress…

The Supreme Court examined whether Section 4(1) of the Benami Transactions (Prohibition) Act, 1988 could be applied to suits, claims or actions that were filed before the Act came into force, seeking to enforce rights over benami‑held property. The petitioners argued that the proceedings, initiated under the law then i…

Bhagwan Swaroop was charged with murder, attempt to murder, trespass and a violation of the Arms Act after he fired his father's licensed gun during a dispute over land. The father, Ramswaroop, was being beaten with a lathi by the complainant Shahjor Singh when Bhagwan, fearing for his father's life, shot the deceased …

The Supreme Court entertained a public‑interest writ petition filed by environmental activist M.C. Mehta alleging that emissions from coke/coal‑using industries in the Taj Trapezium Zone (TTZ) were causing severe atmospheric pollution and damaging the Taj Mahal. Expert reports (NEERI, Varadharajan Committee) establishe…

The Supreme Court considered two interlocutory applications concerning the Idgah Slaughter House in Delhi, which had been declared a hazardous/noxious industry and ordered to cease operations by 30 November 1996. The petitioners sought to set aside the July 8, 1996 order (IA No. 22) that modified a prior status‑quo ord…

The Supreme Court examined whether the Haryana Housing Board (HHB) qualifies as a "local authority" under section 32(iv) of the Payment of Bonus Act, 1965. The Board is a statutory corporation whose members are appointed by the State Government and whose functions are subject to extensive governmental control, includin…

Santi, after being widowed twice, held the estate of her second husband Ditto as a life‑estate and executed a gift deed in 1955 in favour of her granddaughter Mohindero, the daughter of her illegitimate son Buta. The Hindu Succession Act, 1956 came into force on 17 June 1956 and Santi died intestate on 6 October 1956. …

The appellant, Mis Chahal Engineering, entered a turn‑key lump‑sum contract with the Punjab Irrigation Department to construct an aqueduct. Design changes increased quantities, and the contractor claimed extra payment, leading to arbitration. The first arbitrator treated the contract as having shifted from lump‑sum to …

Miss Mohini Jain, an Indian student from outside Karnataka, was denied admission to a private medical college after she could not pay a Rs.60,000 annual fee, which she alleged to be a capitation fee. She filed a writ petition under Article 32 challenging the Karnataka Government's 1989 notification fixing differential …

The Gandhi Grab Nirman Sahkari Samiti Ltd., together with Bhawani Singh, purchased 3,49,000 sq. yards of land in Jaipur and submitted a development plan to the Urban Improvement Trust, which was objected to and referred to the State Government. The State Government, after hearing objections, issued a notice under Secti…

The State of Maharashtra appealed a High Court order that had set aside a revenue tribunal's decision adding 51.08 acres of land to the holding of Gulab Rao, a surplus land holder. The land had been conveyed by unregistered sale agreements dated 1‑April‑1968, before the cut‑off date of 26 September 1970. The issue was …

The petitioners challenged two notifications dated 6 January 1995 and 9 March 1995 issued under Sections 4, 6 and 17(4) of the Land Acquisition Act, 1894 for land in Nilothi, Delhi, which was to be used for a sewage‑treatment plant (STP). They argued that the phrase "is likely to be needed" in the Section 4 notificatio…

A civil dispute over a plot of land led to a violent incident on 16 December 1975 in which nine accused, armed with firearms and bladed weapons, attacked the complainants, resulting in several deaths and injuries. The trial court acquitted four of the accused and convicted the remaining five under sections 148, 149, 30…

The appellants, originally members of the Junior Branch of the Bihar Finance Service, were merged into the Senior Branch by a government resolution dated 2 November 1975, purportedly with retrospective effect from 1 April 1974. The respondents, who were direct recruits to the Senior Branch on 12 May and 25 May 1974, ch…

M.R. Pratap, the Managing Director of Rayala Corporation Private Ltd., signed and verified the company's income‑tax return for AY 1965‑66, which was later found to be false. He was prosecuted under section 277 of the Income‑Tax Act for wilfully making a false verification. The appellant contended that the term "person"…

The Supreme Court examined appeals filed by promotees of the Indian Statistical Service challenging a seniority list that excluded periods of service in "ex-cadre" posts. The issue arose from the earlier judgment in Narender Chadha v. Union of India (1986), where the Court had directed that promotees be treated as regu…

The case concerned the validity of the Employees' Family Pension Scheme introduced under Section 6‑A of the Employees' Provident Funds and Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1952, which automatically enrolled employees who joined the EPF after 1 March 1971 but gave earlier members an option to opt‑out. The petitioners argue…

The appellants filed an eviction suit against the first respondent, claiming they were landlords and the respondent was a tenant in arrears of rent, and valued the suit on the basis of twelve months' rent. The respondent denied any landlord‑tenant relationship and argued that the suit required adjudication of title, th…

The Delhi Water Supply and Sewage Disposal Undertaking and Commodore S. D. Sinha filed a public‑interest petition under Article 32 seeking a direction that the upstream states release sufficient water in the Jamuna River for Delhi's drinking needs. The Supreme Court, after hearing the parties, issued an interim order d…

The Official Trustee of Tamil Nadu, acting as trustee of a marriage hall trust, demolished the existing building and planned a new construction after an architect’s report recommended demolition, but without obtaining a fresh High Court order beyond the earlier sanction for roof conversion costing Rs 6 lakhs. The High …

The Bihar Government requisitioned the State Public Service Commission to fill vacant Unani Medical Officer posts and, in the absence of specific rules, directed that selection be made solely on interview. The Commission, following its long‑standing practice, allocated 50% of the total marks to academic performance and…

The respondent, S. Dharmalingam, served as an Investigator from 1956 to 1960 and was later appointed Labour Officer by direct recruitment in 1960, retiring in 1985. He claimed an addition to his qualifying service under Rule 30(1) of the Central Civil Services (Pension) Rules, 1972, which the authorities rejected, lead…

The Andhra Pradesh Entertainment Tax Officer appealed against a High Court order that struck down the retrospective operation of the Andhra Pradesh Entertainment Tax (Amendment) Act, 1985, which re‑imposed tax on the basis of gross collection capacity for the period 7 September 1984 to 24 October 1984. The State had, t…

The Employees' State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) issued a notification under Section 1(5) of the Employees' State Insurance Act, 1948 extending the Act to "shops" and claimed that advertising agencies and a steamship company fell within this category. The agencies contested, arguing that their activities did not const…

The appellants challenged the liability to pay stamp duty on a consent decree that transferred title to immovable property. The issue was whether such a decree qualifies as a "conveyance" under section 2(g) or an "instrument" under section 2(1) of the Bombay Stamps Act, 1958. The High Court’s single judge held it did n…

The petitioners challenged the validity of the Central Government's notification dated 24 February 1983 declaring seeds of food‑crops, fruits and vegetables as essential commodities under the Essential Commodities Act, 1955, and the consequent Seeds (Control) Order, 1983 which required licences for dealing in such seed…

The Supreme Court entertained a public‑interest writ under Article 32 filed by the Vellore Citizens Welfare Forum alleging that tanneries in five districts of Tamil Nadu were discharging untreated effluents, contaminating surface and groundwater, rendering 35,000 hectares of agricultural land unfit for cultivation and …

Surinder Kumar's second wife, Sheema, died from severe burn injuries. Kumar and his son were convicted of murder under Sections 302 and 34 of the IPC and of cruelty under Section 498‑A, based primarily on a dying declaration recorded before a Judicial Magistrate, with a doctor's certificate that she was conscious. On a…

Padmakar More died in a bus accident in 1978, and his father, widow, and minor daughter filed a claim for compensation under the Motor Vehicles Act. The Motor Accidents Claim Tribunal awarded Rs 26,000, fixing the family’s monthly dependency at Rs 150 based on an unsubstantiated claim that the deceased was a drunkard, …

The State of Haryana acquired land in Gurgaon for the National Security Guard at the request of the Union of India. Landowners filed reference petitions under Section 18 of the Land Acquisition Act, 1894 seeking higher compensation. The Union of India applied to be impleaded as a respondent, arguing that it was a "pers…

The appellants imported and sold brown (watery) coconuts in Ahmedabad and challenged the municipal octroi levied on them, arguing that such coconuts are "green fruits" exempt under Item 10 of Rule 4 of the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation Octroi Rules. The Supreme Court examined the ordinary commercial meaning of "green…

Jagannath, acting as a clerk for Chunilal Sowcar, purchased property at a court auction on behalf of his master and later executed a registered release deed relinquishing all his rights to the property. Despite this, he filed a partition suit claiming ownership and obtained a preliminary decree, without disclosing the …

Goodwill Paint and Chemical Industry, a manufacturer of "thinner", filed a writ petition under Article 32 challenging the constitutional validity of Section 5 of the Poisons Act, 1919 and a 1973 Delhi Poisons Rules amendment that classified thinner as a poison. The petitioners argued that the provision gave the State a…

The petitioners, ship‑breakers, were directed by the Central Excise authorities to pay duty on ship scrap, which they contested as not being ‘manufacture’ under the Central Excises and Salt Act, 1944. The Gujarat High Court, in an interim order, allowed them to clear the scrap on payment of 25% of the duty, subject to …

The appellants, former army personnel who demobilised in 1968, joined the Himachal Pradesh Administrative Service in 1975 and claimed that their five years of military service should be counted towards seniority under Rule 4(1) of the Himachal Pradesh Administrative Rules, 1974. The rule provides such credit only if th…

The Government of West Bengal, by an order dated 4 June 1965, bifurcated the cadre of Inspectors in the Housing Department into Grade‑I and Grade‑II, upgrading 20 % of the posts and providing for promotion from Grade‑II. The three Pay Commissions (1971, 1981, 1990) examined the pay‑scale revisions and recommended retai…

The appellant, R.S. Mital, was placed fourth on a selection panel prepared by a board headed by a sitting Supreme Court judge for the post of Judicial Member of the Income‑Tax Appellate Tribunal. The board sent its recommendation to the Central Government on 25 January 1988, but the government neither appointed any can…

The Karnataka Government framed Special Rules in 1977 to appoint local candidates belonging only to Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Backward Tribes to Class‑III posts without any merit‑based selection. Several local candidates from other categories were also appointed, and the Special Rules compelled the termina…

The Automobile Products of India Employees Union (appellant) and the Association of Engineering Workers, Bombay (respondent) contested the recognition of a trade union under the Maharashtra Recognition of Trade Unions & Prevention of Unfair Labour Practices Act, 1971. After a series of applications for cancellation and…

The Rajasthan Government issued a notification under the Rajasthan Land Acquisition Act, 1953 to acquire about 2,517 bighas of land for the Rajasthan Housing Board and, under Section 17(4), dispensed with the inquiry required by Section 5(A). The acquisition was challenged on the grounds that the land was not waste or …

A suit filed by 56 members of the public sought a declaration of a customary right to bury the dead on two parcels of land (R.S. Nos. 975/1 and 975/2) and a permanent injunction against 15 defendants, who were the brother‑owners and subsequent purchasers of the land. The trial court decreed in favour of the plaintiffs;…

The first respondent, a defeated candidate, filed an election petition challenging the election of the appellant. The appellant filed a recrimination notice under Section 97 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, but did so beyond the 14‑day period prescribed, and sought condonation of the delay under Section 5…

Raman Nair contracted a second marriage while his first wife was alive, violating Section 5 of the Madras Marumakkattayam Act, 1932, which rendered the second marriage void. After the Act was repealed by the Kerala Joint Hindu Family System (Abolition) Act, 1975, the appellants claimed that the repeal validated the sec…

The State of Andhra Pradesh prosecuted Y. Basavadevudu and S. Subha Rao for embezzling Rs.1,22,500 by falsifying entries related to fake RBI demand drafts in a Sub‑Treasury. The trial court found the accused and an approver guilty under IPC sections 409, 467, 471 and 477‑A, but the High Court acquitted them, holding th…

The Monopolies and Restrictive Trade Practices (M.R.T.P.) Commission issued a notice alleging that Raymond Woollen Mills Ltd. engaged in resale price maintenance because its price lists did not state that dealers could charge lower prices. The Commission held that the price lists merely indicated rates per metre and la…

The appellants, dealers registered under the Madhya Pradesh Sales Tax Act, imported sugar and other goods listed in Schedule II of the Madhya Pradesh Entry Tax Act into the state for consumption, use or sale. They challenged the entry tax levied under Section 3(1)(a) of the Act, contending that because sugar attracts a…

The petitioners, contractors and dealers of motor vehicles, purchased vehicles outside Maharashtra and brought them into the state, where they were levied an entry tax under the Maharashtra Tax on Entry of Motor Vehicles into Local Areas Act, 1987. They challenged the tax as unconstitutional, arguing that it exceeded t…

The appellants, Jeet Singh (who had two wives) and his first wife Mayawati, challenged the inclusion of two plots transferred to Mayawati in Jeet Singh's land holding under the U.P. Imposition of Ceiling on Land Holdings Act, 1960, arguing that Mayawati was a "judicially separated" wife and therefore the land should be…

The appellant filed a complaint before the District Forum, Bankura, alleging inflated telephone bills and obtained an interim order directing the respondent not to disconnect his line on condition of a Rs 4,000 deposit, which he complied with. The respondent appealed to the State Commission, which dismissed the appeal;…

The Supreme Court examined the discretionary allotment of fifteen petrol pumps by the then Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas, Capt. Satish Sharma, who granted them to relatives of politicians, Oil Selection Board members and ministry officials without any advertisement, guidelines or transparent criteria.…

Ashok Kapil, a former tenant, applied to the District Magistrate for allotment of a premises owned by Sana Ullah under Section 16 of the U.P. Urban Buildings (Regulation of Letting, Rent and Eviction) Act, 1972. The landlord objected that the structure was not a "building" because its roof had been removed after the pr…

Adair Dutta & Co. India Pvt. Ltd., a tenant in a Madras building, challenged an order under Section 269 UD of the Income Tax Act that required surrender of possession after the building was purchased by the Central Government under Section 269 UE, which stated the property would vest free from all encumbrances. The com…

The Board of Management of the School of Buddhist Philosophy, Leh, amended its 1973 recruitment rules in August 1978 to require that the Principal possess a specialised academic background in Buddhist Philosophy. After appointing Tashi Paljor under the revised criteria, M.L. Mattoo, who had been serving as Administrati…

Kishori claimed ownership of two plots in Varanasi and filed objections under the U.P. Consolidation of Holdings Act, 1953. He had earlier instituted a civil suit on 5 January 1954 for injunction and possession against Faqir in the Munsif Court; the trial court dismissed it, but the appellate court allowed the suit, is…

Karamat Husain Muslim Girls College, a Muslim minority institution, advertised a principal's post requiring a master's degree, five years teaching/administrative experience, and working knowledge of Urdu. Ms. Shainda Hasan, lacking the experience requirement, was selected after the selection committee relaxed that qual…

The Andhra Pradesh State Electricity Board (APSEB) granted a 25% rebate on demand and energy charges to high‑tension industries, initially for three years from the date of regular production and later extended for two additional years by a government order dated 23 August 1985. The Board subsequently withdrew the conce…

Kamlesh Baboo and V.K. Bhardwaj, originally Section Officers in the Chandigarh Engineering Department, were promoted to Sub‑Divisional Engineer and later to Executive Engineer (Class I) with effect from 21 January 1986 after being selected by the committee prescribed under Rule 8 of the Punjab Service of Engineers (Cla…

The workmen of several Bombay textile mills went on strike in January 1982, after which the Textile Undertakings (Taking Over of Management) Act, 1983 was enacted and the management of the mills was taken over by the National Textile Corporation Limited (NTC) on 10 February 1984. The central issue was whether the takeo…

The Supreme Court examined whether a rule prescribing a 1:1 ratio for promotion of Excise Guards to Excise Preventive Officer, based on possession of the Secondary School Leaving Certificate (SSLC), violated Article 16 of the Constitution. The Court reiterated that higher educational qualifications can be a permissible…

A. Rajapandian, a Sub‑Inspector of Police, was dismissed after a departmental inquiry found three charges of misconduct proved against him. He challenged the dismissal before the Madras High Court, which transferred the matter to the Tamil Nadu Administrative Tribunal. The Tribunal set aside the dismissal by re‑appreci…

The respondents sold 220.25 acres of agricultural land in December 1971 through fourteen sale deeds. The State of Andhra Pradesh contended that the transfers were made to evade the ceiling provisions of the Andhra Pradesh Land Reforms (Ceiling) on Agricultural Holdings Act, 1973, and should be disregarded for ceiling c…

Ram Parkash Makkar was appointed as a Steno‑Typist in the Haryana Civil Secretariat in 1973 and was placed at the disposal of the Directorate of Local Bodies as an Assistant on 8 January 1986 on a transfer basis, with a one‑year probation and a clause that the appointment was temporary and he could be reverted to his p…

The petition challenged the Kerala High Court's interpretation of a will that contained an earlier clause granting an absolute estate to Kannan and a later clause (Schedule A) stating the same properties were to be possessed as "Tavazhi". The Supreme Court examined whether the later clause, which was inconsistent with …

The Supreme Court examined whether the income of Ganga Bai Charities, a trust that owned a building let out as a marriage hall and operated a printing press, qualified for exemption under Section 11(l)(a) of the Income Tax Act, 1961. The trust argued that its income was wholly applied to religious, charitable, cultural…

J.N. Kaul, elected president of the Zilla Parishad, Lucknow, was removed after a no‑confidence motion was passed. Kaul challenged the validity of the motion, arguing that two nominated members were disqualified as they held offices of profit and that the phrase "for the time being" in Section 28(11) of the U.P. Kehhetr…

The non‑law graduate staff of the Kerala High Court sought redress for grievances, prompting the Chief Justice to amend Rule 16(d) of the Kerala High Court Service Rules, 1970. The amendment limited promotion of non‑law graduates to a maximum of eight posts, subject to age or service length, a capacity test, and a 1:1 …

The Supreme Court entertained a public interest writ under Article 32 challenging large‑scale out‑of‑turn allotments of government residential quarters in Delhi, alleged to be made on a ‘Special Compassionate Ground’ and constituting a housing scam. A three‑member Gupta Committee examined the allotments and categorized…

The Government of Andhra Pradesh issued a 1967 Government Order (G.O.) that prescribed an ad‑hoc rule for retrenching temporary employees, giving preference to Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (SC/ST) candidates over general‑category probationers and approved probationers. The High Court struck down the G.O. as viol…

The case arose from a dispute over the management of a society‑run school where Ram Autar Shukla (petitioner) claimed to be the duly elected manager and Arvind Shukla (respondent) contested the same. After a series of orders by the Assistant Registrar and the High Court, the Supreme Court stayed the High Court's judgme…

S.P. Dubey joined a private transport company in 1947 where the superannuation age was 60. The company was taken over by the Madhya Pradesh Government on 31 August 1955 with a notification assuring that existing staff would not be adversely affected in their terms of service. When the staff were transferred to the Madh…

The Indian Express Newspapers and other newspaper establishments challenged two 1989 government orders that gave effect to the Bachawat Wage Board's recommendations fixing wage scales, grades, house rent and city compensatory allowances under the Working Journalists and Other Newspaper Employees (Conditions of Service)…

The Supreme Court examined amendments to the Tamil Nadu Chit Fund Rules, 1964 that raised the registration fee for chit‑fund bye‑laws (Article 1) and introduced a fee for filing audited balance‑sheets (Article 8‑A). The respondents argued that the fees were disproportionately high, lacked a quid‑pro‑quo relationship wi…

The dispute involved about 20 acres of agricultural land owned by Trimbak Bhikaji Patil (respondent) and cultivated by Pundlik Krishna, Keshao Krishna and Zipra Wanchhu (appellants) since 1951, who claimed protected‑lessee status under the Berar Regulation of Agricultural Leases Act, 1951 and the Bombay Tenancy and Agr…

The Supreme Court examined whether arrears of wages payable to workmen as a result of an award under the Industrial Disputes Act, which revised pay‑scales retrospectively to 1 April 1980, fall within the definition of “basic wages” under Section 2(b) of the Employees’ Provident Funds and Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1…

The appellants challenged the compensation awarded in a land acquisition proceeding that began in 1963, arguing that they were entitled to the enhanced rate of interest introduced by Section 18 of the Land Acquisition (Amendment) Act, 1984. The Collector's award (1968) and the Reference Court's award (1972) were both m…

The petitioners, who were directly recruited as District and Sessions Judges (Second Grade) in 1981, claimed seniority over respondents 4‑16, who had been appointed temporarily in 1978/79 and made substantive in 1983 after promotion from the Subordinate judiciary. The dispute centered on the interpretation of the Andhr…

The National Federation of Blind filed a writ petition under Article 32 seeking a mandamus directing the Union of India and UPSC to allow blind and partially blind candidates to compete for the Indian Administrative Service and allied services and to write the civil services examination in Braille or with a scribe. The…

The petitioners, P.M. Bayas and the State of Maharashtra, challenged the Central Administrative Tribunal’s order quashing their selection to the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) under the special selection provisions of the IAS (Recruitment) Rules, 1954. The core issue was the interpretation of the phrases “in speci…

The appellants, originally appointed as Overseers and later as Junior Engineers in the Madhya Pradesh Public Works Department, were promoted on an ad hoc basis to Assistant Engineer on July 22, 1971 under the proviso to Rule 19(1) of the 1969 Recruitment Rules because of an administrative exigency. They later qualified…

The Municipal Corporation of Greater Bombay billed Mafatlal Industries for electricity duty on guest houses it maintained for its employees, classifying them under Category C of the 1981 tariff. The company contended that the guest houses should fall under Category R, which is applicable to premises "exclusively used a…

The landlords (Gurbachan Singh & Anr.) sought eviction of Shivalak Rubber Industries & Ors. under Section 13(2)(iii) of the East Punjab Rent Restriction Act, 1949, alleging that the tenants had made extensive unauthorised alterations—removing roofs, walls, doors, converting shops into sheds, stores and residential unit…

The appellant, B. Gajanan Kajrekar, retired after 23 years of service as Chief of Police in Dadra and Nagar Haveli, but was denied pension on the ground that he had never been substantively appointed to any post. He challenged the denial before the Central Administrative Tribunal, which held that he retired without hol…

Sardar Singh, his wife Saraswati and his brother's wife Savitri were charged with murder and with concealing evidence under Sections 302/34 and 201/34 of the IPC. The prosecution relied solely on circumstantial evidence: the deceased's illicit relationship with Saraswati and Savitri, the discovery of his body buried in…

MIS K. TROLLING MILLS Pvt. Ltd. failed to deposit Employees' Provident Fund contributions for the period July 1968 to October 1977. The Regional Provident Fund Commissioner initiated proceedings in 1985 and, under Section 14‑B of the EPF Act, levied damages of Rs. 52,034.80. The Bombay High Court set aside the order, h…

The Uttar Pradesh State Financial Corporation (SFC) had sanctioned a Rs 30 lakh term loan to Naini Oxygen and Acetylene Gas Ltd. (the Company). The Company repeatedly defaulted, leading to a recovery certificate under the U.P. Public Moneys (Recovery of Dues) Act and a notice under Section 29 of the U.P. State Financia…

Indian Bank sued K. Nataraja Pillai, his wife and son to recover Rs.1,21,006.98 secured by a promissory note, hypothecation deeds and an equitable mortgage. The defendants denied execution of the note and guarantee agreement, alleging fraud, undue influence and, in the son’s case, minority. The trial court held the not…

The State of West Bengal challenged the High Court’s view that auction sales of raiyati interests, made in execution of rent decrees under the Bengal Tenancy Act, could be treated as sales under the Code of Civil Procedure and thus be valid. The Assistant Settlement Officer had revised the record of rights, substitutin…

The dispute arose over a proposed drain through the fields of the complainant, Baghel Singh, leading to a violent clash between his party and that of Swaran Singh and his brothers. During the altercation, Swaran Singh, armed with a rifle, fired two shots that killed Kandhara Singh and Darbara Singh, while his brothers …

The appellant, a former biswedar, sought redemption of two agricultural lands that had been mortgaged to the respondent. The lands were mortgaged before the Rajasthan Zamindari and Biswedari Abolition Act, 1959 came into force. The respondent contended that, under the Act, all rights in the lands vested in the State an…

The appellant was declared elected to the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly on 26 November 1989. An election petition challenging his election was filed on 15 January 1990, after the 45‑day limitation under Section 81 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 had expired on 10 January because the High Court was o…

The appellant, Dr. Ranbir Singh, purchased a property from Shri Hemant Singh, the adopted son of the late Maharaja of Dholpur, and served notice to the tenant, Asharfi Lal, for rent default. The trial court and first appellate court upheld the eviction, finding a landlord‑tenant relationship and greater hardship to the…

The case arose from the murder of a 12‑year‑old domestic help, Vinod Kumar, in 1968. Four persons – Kapil Deo, his wife Sheo Kumari, their son Vidya Sagar and brother Ramapati – were charged under IPC s.302, s.302 read with s.34 and s.201 read with s.34. The trial court convicted Vidya Sagar of murder and the others of…

The Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation conducted a 1972 selection for Assistant Stores/Purchase Officers, appointing four candidates in order of merit. Under the Government Instructions dated 6 September 1969, the first vacancy was reserved for a Scheduled Tribe (ST) candidate, followed by Scheduled Caste (SC),…

East India Hotels Ltd operates three restaurants in its Oberoi Grand hotel in Calcutta, each equipped with dancing floors, music and occasional cabaret shows. The Calcutta Municipal Corporation levied a licence fee under Section 443 of the Calcutta Municipal Act, 1951, treating the restaurants as places of public amuse…

The case concerned an IAS officer, Rajiv Yadav, who was allocated to the Manipur‑Tripura cadre despite his preference for the Union Territories cadre, his home state. He challenged the allocation before the Central Administrative Tribunal, arguing that the reservation of SC/ST candidates for their home states in the ca…

Dr. L.P. Agarwal was appointed Director of AIIMS for a five‑year term or until he turned 62, whichever came first, and was confirmed in the post in February 1980. In November 1980 the Institute‑Body retired him immediately in the public interest, paying three months' salary in lieu of notice. He challenged the retireme…

Lakshmanaiah was charged with murdering his wife Nagarathnamma and with theft of his mother‑in‑law's property. The prosecution relied on circumstantial evidence showing a motive of money, prior maltreatment of the wife, and that the accused sent the mother‑in‑law, her daughter and a relative out of the house, leaving h…

The Trustees of Port of Madras sued M/s. Nagavedu Lungi and Co., the exporter‑consignor, and other parties for recovery of demurrage and incidental charges arising from textile goods that were illegally detained in the customs area of the Port of Madras by the Collector of Customs. The City Civil Court dismissed the su…

The Government of Maharashtra appointed police prosecutors as Assistant Public Prosecutors under a notification issued on 1 April 1974 pursuant to Section 25 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973, but retained them within the police department's administrative and disciplinary hierarchy. The appellants filed a petiti…

In 1993 a series of bomb blasts in Bombay led to the arrest of Abdul Hamid Haji Mohammed, during which six Chinese AK‑56 rifles and twelve magazines were recovered. The Designated Court under the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act (TADA) refused his bail, holding that the allegations attracted TADA pr…

N.M. Parthasarathy, a former Inspector of Industries, and another Inspector were charged with criminal conspiracy to obtain a Small Scale Industries Registration Certificate, Essentiality Certificate and import licences by making false representations. The trial court acquitted them, but the Madras High Court, after re…

The appellant, a tenant, occupied a plot owned by the respondent and raised super‑structures. The respondent filed an eviction suit without first giving the tenant a written notice and observing the three‑month waiting period required under Section 11 of the Tamil Nadu City Tenant's Protection Act, 1921. The trial cour…

A highway robbery on 20 April 1975 resulted in the death of Naresh Chand after he was stabbed. Five persons were initially charged; the Delhi High Court acquitted one, leaving four accused. The High Court convicted the four under Sections 302/34 IPC (murder with common intention) and 394 IPC (voluntarily causing hurt i…

The petitioners, members of the legal profession, sought suo motu initiation of criminal contempt proceedings against respondents, who were also lawyers and members of a Sub‑Committee on Judicial Accountability, alleging that they made statements disparaging judges and the judicial system. The petition relied on Sectio…

The original applicant, a tenant of the building's owner, became a member of a co‑operative society that purchased the building and was allotted the flat. She granted a licence to the original respondent over part of the flat, later terminated it and filed an ejectment suit under s.41 of the Presidency Small Causes Cou…

The Sub‑Committee on Judicial Accountability filed a suo motu criminal contempt petition against Justice V. Ramaswamy, alleging that a letter he wrote to the Enquiry Committee under the Judges (Inquiry) Act, 1968 contained sweeping allegations against judges and the judiciary. The petition invoked Section 15 of the Con…

The appellant, a temporary government servant, had rendered over 20 years of service but was compulsorily retired by the Government under Rule 56(J)(ii) of the Fundamental Rules while a disciplinary appeal was pending. He challenged the retirement order before the Central Administrative Tribunal, which held that compul…

The Supreme Court heard two writ petitions on 20 September 1994. In Kanta Devi v. Union of India, a widow of an ex‑serviceman was denied family pension because the Army Instructions No. 51 of 1980 excluded marriages contracted after retirement; the Court held the exclusion to be harsh, heartless and unconstitutional, s…

The Supreme Court examined a petition by the All India Ex‑Emergency Commissioned Officers and Short Service Commissioned Officers Welfare Association seeking to extend the benefits of the 1971 Rules on reservation of vacancies to officers appointed to non‑reserved posts, alleging that the classification of officers int…

The Supreme Court examined whether civil servants who are residents of the North‑Eastern Region, but appointed to posts with "All India Transfer Liability", are entitled to a special duty allowance. The Central Administrative Tribunal had held they were entitled, relying on an Office Memorandum of 14 December 1983 that…

The respondent, a railway employee, gave three months' notice on 22 July 1985 to retire voluntarily under Article 1802(b) of the Indian Railway Establishment Code, with the notice period ending on 21 October 1985. While the notice period was pending, he was suspended in a disciplinary proceeding and an order of removal…

The appellant, a non‑resident company exporting manganese ore, was assessed for the assessment year 1953‑54. Customs authorities later found that the company had under‑invoiced its exports, resulting in a finding of under‑invoicing of about Rs 44‑45 lakh. On this basis, the Income‑Tax Officer issued a notice under Sect…

The Sikkim State Civil Service Rules, 1977 provided for recruitment through the Sikkim Public Service Commission, which was not constituted until 1982, rendering the rules inoperative for about five years. In September 1981 the State Government issued a notification for a special recruitment, citing exigencies of servi…

The State Bank of India sued Yumnam Gouramani Singh for recovery of a loan amount and the trial court decreed a partial sum of Rs.9,962.91 with interest. The High Court reversed this decision, holding that the bank's books of account were not corroborated by any other evidence and thus could not establish liability und…

The respondent, M/s Fusebase EltoTo Ltd., manufactured projection television sets consisting of a projection unit and a large screen, sold to institutions for large audiences. It claimed exemption from central excise duty under Notification No.68/86, which exempts broadcast television receiver sets. The revenue authori…

Miss Radha Bai, an Assistant Director in the Pondicherry Social Welfare Department, alleged that a minister and officials misused a shelter home for women and attempted to molest her. She complained to the Governor, who ordered a judicial enquiry, but the administration failed to comply. The Madras High Court dismissed…

S.M. Sharma, a Sub‑Divisional Officer of the Haryana State Agricultural Marketing Board, was entrusted with the current duty charge of the post of Executive Engineer on 13 June 1991. On 6 January 1992 the Chief Administrator withdrew this charge and transferred Sharma, who then filed a writ petition under Article 226 c…

The appellant, a wife, complained that her husband subjected her to cruelty and later contracted a second marriage, invoking Sections 498A and 494 of the Indian Penal Code. The Andhra Pradesh High Court, applying Section 468 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), quashed the criminal proceedings on the ground that the …

The State Government advertised for Grade‑I and Grade‑II teacher posts requiring a second‑class M.A. degree. M. Tripura Sundari Devi, who held only a third‑class M.A., was nevertheless appointed as a Post Graduate Teacher. When her original certificates were examined, the deficiency was discovered and she was denied en…

The appellants, originally recruited as supervisors in the Karnataka Public Works Department in the early 1960s, later obtained engineering degrees and sought to be treated as Junior Engineers (Division‑I) after the 1974 bifurcation of the service. The State had merged the supervisor and junior engineer cadres in 1969,…

The Supreme Court, hearing a public‑interest writ filed by environmental activist M.C. Mehta, examined the pollution caused by about 550 tanneries in the eastern fringe of Calcutta that were discharging untreated effluent into the River Ganga. The Court found that the tanneries were operating without consent under the …

The appellant, Ichchapur Industrial Co‑operative Society Ltd., owned land over which the Oil and Natural Gas Commission (ONGC) had been vested with the right of user under the Petroleum and Minerals Pipelines (Acquisition of Right of User in Land) Act, 1962 for laying a gas pipeline. When water became necessary for the…

The husband, a Supreme Court advocate, filed a divorce petition on the ground of adultery, which the wife denied and countered by alleging his mental instability. He later amended the petition to include mental cruelty, relying on the wife's written statements that labeled him a lunatic and on aggressive cross‑examinat…

Ms. Renu Mullick joined the Central Excise and Customs as a Lower Division Clerk in 1974, was promoted to Upper Division Clerk, and on her own request transferred to the Allahabad Collectorate in 1987 where she was placed at the bottom of the seniority list as per the 1980 executive instructions. In 1991 she was promot…

Sat Pal alias Sadhu, convicted under Section 302 IPC and sentenced to life imprisonment in 1978, filed a writ petition claiming his continued detention was illegal because he had served more than 14 years (including remission) and thus his sentence should be deemed commuted under Section 55 of the IPC or Section 433(b)…

Tej Singh Rao, a descendant of a Maratha general, held 294.61 acres in the former Nagpur State and claimed that the land was covered by a sovereign grant made by the ruler Raghoji II in 1793, which he argued was a legislative act protected by Article 372 of the Constitution and therefore exempt from the Maharashtra Agr…

J.N. Ganatra, an overseer with Morvi Municipality, was dismissed by a resolution dated 1 December 1970 without the procedure prescribed in Rule 35 of the Morvi City Municipal Officers and Servants Conduct, Discipline, Dismissal, Penalty and Appeal Rules, 1960. He filed a civil suit challenging the dismissal; the trial …

Instructors employed on a part‑time basis in non‑formal education centres in West Bengal were paid a modest monthly honorarium and taught for two hours a day. They filed a writ petition seeking the same pay scales and allowances as regular primary school teachers, invoking the constitutional principle of "equal pay for…

The State of Madhya Pradesh appealed against a High Court order that had allowed M/s. Bindal Agro Chemical Ltd. to claim subsidies under a 1986 state notification. The company had purchased a vanaspati factory originally licensed for Dewas and obtained Central Government permission to shift the licence to Mandideep. Th…

The Hoshiarpur Improvement Trust sought higher compensation benefits after the Land Acquisition (Amendment) Act, 1984 amended the Land Acquisition Act, 1894. The Tribunal had originally awarded 15% solatium and 6% interest, but later modified the award to 30% solatium and 12% interest under Sections 23(2) and 23(1‑A). …

The Supreme Court, hearing a public‑interest writ filed by Banwasi Seva Ashram on behalf of Adivasi land‑owners displaced by the Rihand Super‑Thermal Power Project of NTPC, reviewed the rehabilitation measures ordered in 1986 and issued a final order in 1992. The Court directed NTPC, in collaboration with the Uttar Pra…

The petition involved a dispute over the property of a deceased adoptive mother between the adoptive son K.V. Seshiah and his two sons, each claiming rights under different wills. The parties executed a compromise on 21 August 1987, whereby Seshiah agreed to pay each son Rs.1 lakh in exchange for relinquishing their in…

The petitioners, Short Service Commissioned Officers (SSCOs) appointed as Assistant Commandants in the Border Security Force (BSF) between 1974 and 1978, claimed that their prior Army service should be counted for seniority, relying on Rule 8(b) of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) Rules. The Court examined wheth…

The Supreme Court entertained a public‑interest writ petition filed after media reports of deaths and torture in police lock‑ups, seeking guidelines for preventing custodial violence and for awarding compensation to victims or their families. The Court held that torture, rape and death in police custody violate Article…

The People's Union for Civil Liberties filed a public‑interest writ petition challenging the constitutional validity of Section 5(2) of the Indian Telegraph Act, 1885, which permits telephone interception in cases of public emergency or public safety. The petition argued that telephone tapping infringes the right to pr…

Krishan Prasad Gupta, an employee, filed a claim under Section 15 of the Payment of Wages Act seeking recovery of unauthorized wage deductions. The Authority passed an ex‑parte order and the respondent appealed under Section 17 before the District Judge. While the appeal was pending, the Central Administrative Tribunal…

Rohtas Industries, a large multi‑product manufacturer in Bihar, was ordered to be wound up in 1984, leaving about 10,000 workmen unemployed. The workmen filed a writ petition under Article 32 seeking revival of the undertaking, prompting the Supreme Court to direct the Union and State governments to refer the matter to…

The Tamil Nadu Government transferred employees from the Dairy Development Department to the Dairy Development Corporation on deputation/foreign service, later replacing the corporation with a cooperative federation. The employees challenged GO 1921 (1993), which provided terminal benefits on permanent absorption into …

The Union of India appealed against a decision of the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) that had set aside the railway authorities' order directing 35 candidates who had appeared for a written exam at the Katihar centre to retake the written portion of the selection test. The railway authorities, after an inquiry, …

The appellant's factory was raided and 28 packages of synthetic fabrics were seized under Section 110(1) of the Customs Act, 1962 on 29 May 1969. A show‑cause notice required by Section 124(1)(a) was served only on 19 December 1969, exceeding the six‑month period prescribed in Section 110(2). The appellant argued that …

The State of Orissa appealed against Minerals and Metals Trading Corporation of India Ltd. (MMTC), a government dealer that purchased mineral ore in Orissa, declared the ore for resale within the state, and then sold it to a Japanese buyer by delivering it at Paradeep port for export. The Sales Tax Officer held MMTC li…

The Indian Council for Enviro‑Legal Action filed a public‑interest writ under Article 32 seeking enforcement of the 19 February 1991 Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) Notification and challenging the validity of the 18 August 1994 amendment Notification. The petition alleged widespread non‑implementation of the 1991 Notifi…

The Board of Arbitration under the Joint Consultative Machinery (JCM) Scheme awarded a higher pay scale to Senior Scientific Assistants effective 22 September 1982. The Government of India, without invoking the procedure in Clause 21 of the JCM Scheme, decided to implement the award from 1 January 1988, prompting the C…

The State Bank of India complained that D.S. Dalal and his partners, as advocates of Singh & Co., failed to file a recovery suit and misappropriated Rs. 11,475 paid for court fees and fees. The Bar Council of India, after hearing evidence that the suit filed on 15‑12‑1975 was returned by the Delhi High Court with objec…

The Food Corporation of India (FCI) entered into a storage agency agreement with Jagannath Dutta in 1967, which contained a clause allowing either party to terminate the contract with two months' notice without assigning a reason. In 1985, FCI decided, through a series of meetings and letters, to abolish private storag…

The respondent, Angamuthu Ammal, sought eviction of the appellant, K.V. Muthu, under the Tamil Nadu Buildings (Lease and Rent Control) Act, 1960, claiming personal need for herself and her foster son Arunachala Bakthar. The appellant contested, arguing that a foster son is not a "member of family" as defined in Section…

The case concerned two employees of the Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board, Shri D.R. Mehta and Shri Uppal, who were promoted to the post of Superintendent after passing the Subordinate Accounts Service (SAS) examination. Mehta passed the exam in October 1972 and was appointed in April 1973, while Uppal passed in…

St. Joseph Textiles booked a consignment of hand‑loom cloth for carriage by the Indian Railways and sent the parcel way‑bill and a bank demand draft to the bank for clearance. The bank returned the documents, and the appellant wrote to the destination station master requesting re‑booking of the goods, but received no r…

The appellant, a user of steel products, applied to the Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) for imported G.P. sheets/coils. After registering a demand and opening letters of credit, SAIL offered supplies at a price that was later increased by Rs. 800 per metric ton following a decision of the Government’s Pricing C…

The Supreme Court entertained contempt petitions filed against the editors and publishers of The Sunday Tribune and Punjab Kesari for publishing a news item that falsely alleged that the sons of a senior Supreme Court judge and the Chief Justice of India had been allotted petrol pumps from a discretionary quota. The Co…

The Supreme Court examined two disputes concerning properties bought by the former ruler of Nabha, R.S., benami in the names of others. The first involved the Simla property (Sterling Castle) and the second the Delhi property (34 Alipur Road). The Court held that the rule of primogeniture, which applies to the rulershi…

Narasoji Rao died intestate leaving a sole son (the appellant) and five daughters (including the plaintiff). The daughter filed a suit for partition of the family house (Schedule A) and other property, alleging a one‑seventh share, later increased to one‑sixth after the mother’s death. The trial court granted a prelimi…

In the 1985 Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly election for Constituency No. 14 Lahar, the Returning Officer rejected the nomination paper of candidate Ramprakash because his name could not be identified on the electoral roll and he was absent to correct the defect. The election was won by Mathura Prasad, whose electi…

The father of a minor leased his son's land to G. Annamalai Pillai for five years, a term that extended beyond the minor's attainment of majority, violating Section 8(2)(b) of the Hindu Minority and Guardianship Act, 1956. The minor, upon reaching majority, avoided the lease under Section 8(3), raising the question whe…

The case involved G.T.N. Textiles and other spinning mills that only packed cotton yarn in cone form because they lacked reeling machines. The Textile Commissioner, exercising powers under clause 16 of the Textile (Control) Order, 1986, issued a notification requiring every yarn producer to pack at least 50% of its out…

The Supreme Court examined several writ petitions filed by employees of the New Delhi Municipal Committee (NDMC) seeking the benefit of the Shiv Shankar Committee (SSC) pay‑scales on the ground of equal pay for equal work under Article 39(d) of the Constitution. The petitions concerned various categories – auto‑worksho…

The State of Bihar prosecuted Tata Iron and Steel Co. Ltd. for selling non‑metallurgical coal without a licence under the Bihar Trade Articles (Licence Unification) Order, 1984. Tata argued that, as a colliery governed by the Central Government's Colliery Control Order, 1945, the State Order could not apply to it. The …

The Food Corporation of India (FCI) had several registered trade unions and needed to select a sole bargaining agent. Both FCI and the unions agreed to use a secret ballot to determine which union(s) represented the majority of workers. The Supreme Court was asked to prescribe a procedure that would ensure a fair and r…

The appellant, a Central Government employee, was absorbed into the public sector undertaking Neyveli Lignite Corporation Ltd in 1964 after completing 15 years of pensionable service. The Government issued a 1967 Memorandum revising pension benefits for employees absorbed after 16 June 1967, denying those benefits to t…

The case involved ten accused who were charged with conspiracy to supply spurious liquor that caused 70 deaths and permanent loss of sight to 24 persons. The High Court convicted five of them under sections 326, 328 and 272 of the IPC and sentenced them to rigorous imprisonment. The appellants filed appeals under Artic…

The State of West Bengal exempted the slaughter of healthy cows on Bakri‑Idd day under Section 12 of the West Bengal Animal Slaughter (Control) Act, 1950, claiming it was required for a religious purpose of the Muslim community. The High Court held that such slaughter was not an essential religious requirement and the …

Rameshwar Manjhi, a coal cutter, was injured at work and was denied light‑duty work, leading to his termination and compensation. He filed an individual industrial dispute under Section 2A of the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947, which was referred to the Central Government Industrial Tribunal. While the reference was pen…

The Government of Orissa issued a resolution on 15 December 1986 revising the eligibility criteria for promotion to Deputy Director of Homeopathy, eliminating the requirement of a recognised qualification under the Homeopathy Central Council Act and excluding college lecturers from consideration, limiting eligibility t…

The plaintiff Deva Ram sued Ishwar Chand for Rs 6,300 as sale price of a land, but the trial court held the document was only an agreement for sale and that the defendants were tenants, dismissing the suit. The plaintiff then filed a second suit for possession of the same land; the trial court dismissed it as barred by…

Vinod Bhalla and his mother-in-law Sarojini were charged with the homicide of Rajini, the wife of Vinod, under sections 302 and 34 of the IPC, alleged to be a dowry death. The trial court convicted them, but the High Court acquitted both of the murder charge, convicting only Sarojini under section 201 for destroying ev…

The landlord of a building let to the Uttar Pradesh Sales Tax Department applied for a rent enhancement under the U.P. Urban Buildings (Regulations of Letting, Rent and Eviction) Act, 1972. The Rent Control Officer enhanced the rent by assessing the market value of the building, adding the value of the super‑structure …

The Supreme Court upheld a Bombay High Court order directing the State of Maharashtra to extend its grant‑in‑aid and pension‑cum‑gratuity schemes to all recognised private law colleges. The Court held that the State’s refusal to provide these benefits to private law colleges, while extending them to other non‑governmen…

The State of Orissa challenged two provisions of the Orissa District Revenue Service (Method of Recruitment and Conditions of Service) Rules, 1983. The first was the proviso to Rule 5(1) allowing relaxation of the maximum age limit for certain categories, which the Orissa Administrative Tribunal held gave the Governmen…

Two Lower Division Clerks of the Indo‑Tibetan Border Police Force filed writ petitions under Article 32 seeking to bar the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) from hearing their promotion matters, arguing that they are members of the Union's armed forces and thus outside the Tribunal's jurisdiction. The respondents c…

The Food Corporation of India (FCI) had employed 464 handling mazdoors at its Siliguri depot, first through a contractor, then via a direct‑payment system, and later reverted to the contractor method. The workers, represented by their union, claimed that the re‑introduction of the contractor system was illegal and that…

I.T.C. Ltd, a cigarette manufacturer, paid excise duty based on the price to secondary wholesale dealers, a mistake of law later corrected by the Supreme Court's Valtas decision. It filed five refund applications; three were allowed, two were rejected as time‑barred, but the Delhi High Court set aside the limitation an…

The Supreme Court examined two writ petitions filed under Article 32 challenging the enforcement of Section 20 of the Inter-State Migrant Workmen (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 1979. The petitioners sought clarification on whether officers of the state from which migrant labour originates cou…

The election of Mullapudi Venkata Krishna Rao to the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly was challenged on the ground that he had used a poster depicting N.T. Rama Rao as Lord Krishna, together with a sloka from the Bhagavad Gita and a derogatory reference to the Congress party, thereby violating Section 123(3) of the …

M.P. Pradhan joined the Uttar Pradesh State Government as a paid apprentice on a permanent basis on 1 July 1937 and subsequently held various officiating posts before being appointed to the permanent post of Copyist on 1 August 1941. He retired in February 1976 at the age of 58 and claimed that, under Fundamental Rule …

The appellants, originally Talatis in Gujarat's Revenue Department, were transferred to the Panchayat Service under the Gujarat Panchayats Act, 1961 and later deputed as Circle Inspectors in the State Service. When vacancies arose, they were reverted to their parent Panchayat cadre, and they claimed a right to be absor…

The respondent, Subhra Chakraborty, filed a criminal complaint against Bodhisattwa Gautam under IPC sections 312, 420, 493, 496 and 498‑A alleging false promise of marriage, a secret marriage, sexual relations, and forced abortions. Gautam sought to quash the complaint via a petition under CrPC s.482, which the Gauhati…

The Government absorbed central civil servants into public enterprises and offered them retirement benefits, including the option to commute one‑third of their pension or, in some cases, the entire pension. Petitioners who had commuted the full pension were denied the restoration of the one‑third commuted portion under…

Kartik Malhar was convicted of murder under Section 302 IPC and sentenced to life imprisonment based primarily on the testimony of Fulmani, the widow of the deceased, after two other eye‑witnesses turned hostile. The appellant argued that a conviction could not rest on a single, highly interested witness and that the l…

Mrs. Paramjit Kaur filed a habeas corpus petition under Article 32 of the Constitution alleging that her husband, Jaswant Singh Khalra, a human‑rights activist, was abducted by persons in police uniforms in broad daylight in Amritsar. The petition also highlighted serious allegations that the Punjab police had been cre…

The appellants, part‑time vocational teachers appointed under Karnataka's vocational education scheme since 1977‑78, sought regularisation and equal pay with non‑vocational teachers, invoking the principle of "equal pay for equal work" and alleging violation of Articles 14 and 16. The State argued that the scheme creat…

Ms. Vineeta Mahajan appeared for a CBSE Class XII examination and was found by the invigilator in possession of three small pieces of paper in her pencil box. She claimed the papers were not used and that she had arrived late and forgotten to remove them. The CBSE Result Committee, invoking Rule 36.1(iv)(a) of its Exam…

Mala Singh, a long‑time tenant, occupied land owned by Kishan Dutt, a big land‑owner under the Punjab Security of Land Tenures Act, 1953. The land was declared surplus and later reserved as the tenant's permissible area, after which Kishan Dutt died and his heirs claimed to be small land‑owners. Mala Singh filed an app…

The case concerned Sub‑Engineers in the Madhya Pradesh Public Health Engineering Department, some of whom were diploma‑holders who later obtained a degree in engineering. Under the Service Rules, diploma‑holders required 12 years of service for promotion to Assistant Engineer, whereas those who obtained a degree during…

In execution of a pre-emption decree, the respondent was given actual possession of 135 kanals and symbolic possession of an additional 62 kanals 13 marlas, which was beyond the decree's terms. The appellants' father filed a declaratory suit in 1965, which was decided in his favour and affirmed in 1969, but no injuncti…

The case concerned the murder of the village Sarpanch, Nethala Veeraswamy, for which twelve persons were charged. The trial court convicted all under Section 302 read with Section 149 of the IPC, but the Andhra Pradesh High Court set aside the convictions of seven accused and upheld the convictions of five (A-1, A-2, A…

Wazira Singh died leaving three sons and two minor daughters. The daughters were given possession of 53 kanals 12 marlas of land until their marriage or death, and they remained in possession for over thirty years after marrying, while the sons never asserted any claim. The sons filed a suit in 1963 seeking declaration…

Jattu Ram exchanged his land with Hakam Singh, who later lost the exchanged land due to a defect in title and a court decree in favor of the minors of Kartar Kaur. To compensate, Hakam Singh gave Ram 47 kanals 1 marla of land and promised further compensation. Ram sued for a declaration that he held the land as a resul…

Sewaram was elected to the Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly from Morena, but his opponent Sobaran Singh challenged the election alleging that Sewaram held contracts with the state government at the time of filing his nomination, which would disqualify him under Section 9‑A of the Representation of the People Act, 19…

Several lawyers were appointed as Assistant District Government Counsel (Criminal) under Section 24 of the Criminal Procedure Code and the Legal Remembrancer Manual. As their terms were about to expire, the District Judge prepared a List ‘A’ recommending their extension, but the District Magistrate rejected the recomme…