P SATHASIVAM

The appellant filed a suit for specific performance of a registered agreement to sell a one‑third share of a property, alleging that the respondent’s brother, acting under a power of attorney, had entered into the sale. The respondent denied ever executing a power of attorney authorising his brother to alienate the pro…

The respondents, contract Radio Operators of ONGC, were ordered by the Madras High Court in 2006 to be absorbed as Marine Assistant Radio Operators or, if no posts were available, to receive pay parity. The corporation complied with the pay‑parity direction but did not create supernumerary Marine Assistant Radio Operat…

Vandana Tayade, a married woman, was allegedly burnt to death by her mother‑in‑law and two sisters‑in‑law after being harassed for being childless. The prosecution relied on four dying declarations made by the deceased, all implicating the mother‑in‑law and sisters‑in‑law, and on oral testimony of relatives and medical…

The appellants, A-1 and A-2, were charged with murder of Ramaiah under Sections 302 and 34 of the IPC, alleged to have acted with a common intention motivated by personal enmity. The trial court acquitted them, but the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court reversed the acquittal, relying on eye‑witness testimony, medi…

Krishan Lal was convicted of murder and originally sentenced to death, which was later commuted to life imprisonment. The Supreme Court, in Subash Chander v. Krishan Lal (2001), held that his life sentence meant imprisonment for the rest of his life, precluding any commutation or premature release under Section 401 of …

The case involved a bank manager (A‑1) and a private firm proprietor (A‑2) who were accused of conspiring to defraud the Central Bank of India by sanctioning loans without obtaining mandatory undertaking letters, bypassing pre‑inspection requirements, and crediting the proceeds to A‑2’s account. The prosecution present…

The Supreme Court examined a suit for specific performance of a 1970 agreement to sell a Delhi bungalow. The plaintiffs argued they were ready to fulfil their obligations, while the defendant claimed the suit was time‑barred and that the plaintiffs breached clause 7 by not paying an additional Rs 1 lakh. The Court held…

Kuldeep Singh, a data entry operator, was terminated by the Instrument Design Development and Facilities Centre without complying with the notice and compensation requirements of Section 25F of the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947. He made numerous representations to various government officials, after which the Haryana G…

The appellant, a Fair Price Shop dealer, was entrusted with distributing rice free of cost under the Food for Work Scheme. An inspection revealed that he disposed of 67.65 quintals of rice in the black market without the required coupons, indicating dishonest misappropriation of government property. He was convicted un…

The appellant, Sulochana Chandrakant Galande, challenged the acquisition of her land by the State under the Urban Land (Ceiling and Regulation) Act, 1976, arguing that the land was not within urban limits at the Act's commencement and that the later repeal of the Act should invalidate the acquisition. The Supreme Court…

The petitioners, accused in a CBI case under the Prevention of Corruption Act for abetting the possession of disproportionate assets by a senior income‑tax officer, filed a transfer petition under Section 406 of the Code of Criminal Procedure seeking to move the trial from the Special Court, CBI, Greater Mumbai to a Sp…

The appellants filed a suit for specific performance but initially paid only a deficient court fee. After multiple representations and condonation of delay, the trial court allowed the deficit fee to be paid well beyond the limitation period. The second defendant, a pendente‑lite purchaser, was impleaded and challenged…

The Church of Christ Charitable Trust & Educational Charitable Society (appellant) challenged the Madras High Court Division Bench’s reversal of a single judge’s order rejecting the plaint against it in a suit for specific performance filed by M/s Ponniamman Educational Trust (respondent). The Supreme Court examined wh…

The Government of Maharashtra framed a scheme to purchase land and allocate it to Scheduled Castes and neo‑Buddhists below the poverty line. While implementing the scheme, the appellant officials executed sale deeds in favour of the Government. A social worker filed a criminal complaint alleging that the land had been …

The appellant, Bhaikon @ Bakul Borah, was convicted of rape (IPC s.376) and murder (IPC s.302) of Rupamoni Dutta based on the testimony of an eye‑witness (PW‑1) corroborated by the victim's father (PW‑2) and the post‑mortem doctor (PW‑9). The trial court sentenced him to death for murder and life imprisonment for rape;…

The Joint Action Committees of the Airlines Pilots Association of India challenged a circular issued by the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) that kept the Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR) 2007 in abeyance and revived Aeronautical Information Circular (AIC) 28/92. The appellants argued that the DGCA lacked aut…

Six persons formed an unlawful assembly and attacked Usman, with A‑1 (Shaji) delivering fatal head injuries using a chopper. A‑5 and A‑6 were acquitted, while A‑1 to A‑4 were convicted under Section 302 read with Section 149 of the IPC and sentenced to life imprisonment. On appeal, the Supreme Court examined whether th…

The appellant and respondent were parties to commercial transactions in which five cheques issued by the appellant were dishonoured, leading to criminal proceedings under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881. After protracted litigation up to the Supreme Court, the parties reached a settlement and sought…

The appellant, claiming to be the sole proprietor of Vijaya Automobiles, filed a complaint under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act against the respondent who issued a cheque in the name of the firm that later bounced. The trial court and appellate court convicted the respondent, but the High Court set aside…

The complainant filed a criminal complaint under Sections 147, 148, 149, 323, 448 of the IPC and Section 3 of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989. The Sessions Judge held that a prima facie case was made out against the accused. The High Court, however, granted anticipatory ba…

The appellant, father of the deceased G. Arulmozhi, challenged the acquittal of a married couple (Rama Raghuraman and her husband) by the Andhra Pradesh High Court. The trial court had convicted them under Section 302 read with Section 120‑B IPC for murder, based on circumstantial evidence that the victim died from ham…

The case involved twelve accused members of an ashram who were charged with murdering a woman, Leelavathi, who was a trustee of the ashram. The prosecution relied on circumstantial evidence, including the fact that the accused were last seen with the deceased, distress cries heard by a neighbor, commotion in the ashram…

Gwalior Sugar Co. Ltd., a private limited company, was granted 215 bighas of land in 1941-42 for setting up a sugar factory, with pattas prohibiting agricultural use. Facing financial difficulties, the company sold about 9 bighas of surplus land, leading to a public interest litigation alleging violation of the patta c…

Prem Singh and six others were charged under IPC sections 120‑B, 148, 302 read with 149 and under Section 25 of the Arms Act. The trial court acquitted all accused, citing the non‑examination of a key witness, inherent lacunae in the testimony of two eye‑witnesses, doubts about the recovery of firearms and lack of fore…

The petitioner, a widow, sought a revised family pension after the Supreme Court directed its determination in 2008. She later filed contempt petitions alleging non‑compliance with that direction and with a subsequent order dated 1 September 2010 directing the Accountant General of Uttar Pradesh to calculate and report…

The case involved the murder of two brothers and the attempted murder of a third during a gun‑fire incident in Rajasthan. The trial court convicted nine accused under sections 302/149 and 307/149 IPC, but the High Court acquitted six and altered the conviction of three to sections 302/34 and 307/34 IPC. The Supreme Cou…

The appellant, Pirthi, filed a suit for possession by way of pre-emption as a co‑sharer of agricultural land, before the Punjab Pre‑emption Act, 1913 was amended. While the suit was pending, the Haryana Amendment Act 10 of 1995 substituted Section 15, restricting the right of pre‑emption to tenants and removing it from…

The accused formed an unlawful assembly of seventeen persons armed with swords, choppers, knives and iron rods to attack Sobhanan (PW2) and his father Kuttappan, resulting in Kuttappan's death and injuries to others. The trial court convicted all accused under various offences read with Section 149 IPC, and the High Co…

The Andhra Pradesh government enacted the Mutually Aided Co-operative Societies (Amendment) Act, 2006, which retrospectively excluded dairy‑milk co‑operative societies from the 1995 Act and deemed them to be registered under the 1964 Act, thereby increasing state control. Eight district milk unions challenged the amend…

The State of Kerala sought to confiscate a vehicle used by the accused to transport ivory obtained from the illegal killing of wild elephants, invoking Section 61A of the Kerala Forest Act, 1961. The vehicle was seized in 1996 and the District Judge, upheld by the High Court, set aside the confiscation, holding that iv…

Prahalad Patel was convicted under Section 302 IPC for murdering Daulat, the brother of two witnesses, after a petty dispute over thrown bushes. The prosecution presented eye‑witness testimony, corroborative statements from the victim's brothers, medical reports indicating homicidal injuries, seizure of the axe, and fo…

The appellants, convicted of murder under Section 302 IPC and sentenced to life imprisonment, appealed to the Gujarat High Court. The High Court affirmed the conviction without examining the complete record, including oral and documentary evidence, merely narrating the prosecution and defence cases. The Supreme Court h…

Punjab and Sino Bank had granted cash credit facilities to Allied Beverage Company, which later became a non‑performing asset. The bank recovered the dues through the Debts Recovery Tribunal, which awarded interest at 18% per annum with monthly rests. The High Court modified this order, reducing the pendente lite and f…

The appellant, a helmsman on the cargo ship "Lok Prem", was convicted under Section 302 IPC for allegedly murdering a fellow helmsman, L. Shivaraman, based primarily on circumstantial evidence and an alleged extra‑judicial confession to an engine officer. The prosecution relied on the appellant's fingerprints on a bloo…

The husband, Darshan Gupta, filed a petition for dissolution of marriage on the grounds of cruelty (s.13(1)(ia)) and his wife’s alleged incurable unsound mind (s.13(1)(iii)) under the Hindu Marriage Act. The wife, Radhika Gupta, sought restitution of conjugal rights. The Family Court and High Court dismissed the husban…

The case concerned a claim by a Motor Vehicles Inspector (Grade II) for out‑of‑turn/accelerated promotion to Regional Transport Officer under Rule 36(b)(ii) of the Tamil Nadu State and Subordinate Services Rules. The appellant senior officers argued that the Special Rules governing promotion and transfer in the Tamil N…

The complainant, a resident of Bhiwani, presented a cheque drawn by the appellant on a Guwahati bank, which was stopped and returned unpaid. After sending a legal notice under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act, the complainant filed a complaint in the Judicial Magistrate Court at Bhiwani, which initially he…

The State of Rajasthan acquired 15.5 hectares of land to set up a North‑Western Railway Zone complex and staff quarters. The landowners challenged the acquisition, arguing that because the project was a railway (a Union subject) only the Central Government could be the "appropriate Government" under Sections 4 and 6 of…

The National Textile Corporation (U.P.) Ltd. (NTC) sought possession of Bungalow No.2 of the Swadeshi House, claiming it vested in it under the Swadeshi Cotton Mills Company (Acquisition and Transfer of Undertakings) Act, 1986. The respondents, led by Dr. Raja Ram Jaipuria, contended that the bungalow was never part of…

The appellant, Mrs. Aparna A. Shah, challenged criminal proceedings initiated under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act for a cheque dishonoured due to insufficient funds. The cheque was issued by her husband from a joint account and was signed only by him. The Supreme Court examined whether a joint account h…

The appellant, Mohit alias Sonu, and another were not summoned under an application filed by the complainant under Section 319 CrPC, and the Sessions Court rejected the application twice. The complainant challenged the rejection in the High Court by invoking the inherent power under Section 482 CrPC, which led the High…

The appellant Karthick was convicted for rape and cheating after he forced sexual intercourse on the prosecutrix Poomari by gagging her and promising to marry her, thereby obtaining her consent through deceit. The first assault occurred when she was alone at home; subsequent intercourse continued for six months under t…

The appellant, Vanchalabai Raghunath Ithape (by legal representatives), executed a deed in 1967 transferring land to Shankarrao Baburao Bhilare for Rs.3,000 with a clause that the land would be returned if the amount was paid within five years. The appellant later claimed the deed was a mortgage by conditional sale and…

The appellant Jarnail Singh was convicted under IPC sections 366, 376(g) and 120‑B for kidnapping and raping a girl who was later found to be a minor. The Supreme Court examined the prosecution's evidence, including the victim's statements under Section 164 CrPC, forensic reports, and corroboration by her father, and r…

The appellants were charged under Section 420 IPC for allegedly cheating a complainant of Rs 30 lakhs and sought anticipatory bail, arguing that the offence fell within the jurisdiction of a Gram Panchayat under the Punjab Panchayati Raj Act, 1994. The High Court dismissed their bail applications and a subsequent writ …

Sarabjit Singh purchased land from Salamat Masih and later claimed that an agreement to sell additional land existed, for which he alleged he paid Rs.3,00,000. He filed an FIR under Sections 420, 379, 427, 506, 148 and 149 IPC alleging fraud by the vendor Ittefaq Singh and his brother, but the FIR contained no details …

Doliben Kantilal Patel, an American citizen of Indian origin, was arrested in connection with a land dispute and alleged that she was repeatedly raped during a five‑day police remand. She filed a complaint under Sections 376 and 1208 IPC, but no FIR was registered. She approached the High Court under Article 226 seekin…

The State of Madhya Pradesh prosecuted Najab Khan and three others for grievous hurt with common intention under IPC s.326 read with s.34. The trial court sentenced them to three years of rigorous imprisonment and a fine. The High Court, noting a compromise between the accused and the victim, reduced the sentence to th…

The appellant, a 45‑year‑old proprietor who lost his right leg below the knee in a bus accident, claimed Rs. 21,00,000 as compensation under the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988. The Motor Accidents Claims Tribunal awarded Rs. 9,42,822, applying a multiplier of 13 and granting Rs. 1,00,000 for 85% permanent disability. The Hig…

Vikrambhai Chaudhari, a Postal Assistant, was suspended for refusing to accept money order forms and later censured under the Central Civil Services (Classification, Control and Appeal) Rules, 1965. The Chief Postmaster General invoked Rule 29(1)(vi) and issued a notification on 29 May 2001 directing further disciplina…

The Arunachal Pradesh Public Service Commission (APPSC) issued an advertisement for a combined competitive exam in 2006 and later, after the main exam had begun, fixed a 33% cut‑off in each subject through a government Office Memorandum (O.M.) of 7 January 2008, which it adopted by notification on 16 April 2008. Severa…

The appellants, legal heirs of a deceased road‑accident victim, were awarded Rs.98.40 million with 12% interest by the Motor Accident Claims Tribunal. The insurer appealed, reduced the principal to Rs.56.40 million but retained the interest rate, and made several partial payments. The Executing Court adjusted those pay…

Rizwanur Rahman married Priyanka Todi under the Special Marriage Act. After the marriage, police officials repeatedly interfered, threatened the couple and later the deceased was found dead on railway tracks. The mother and brother of the deceased filed a writ petition seeking transfer of the investigation from the Sta…

The appellant’s Eicher truck was seized by police for transporting 28 buffalo calves, and the appellant sought its release under Section 451 of the CrPC. The lower courts rejected the application, invoking Section 68(3) of the Gujarat Animal Preservation (Amendment) Act, 2011, which bars release of a seized vehicle for…