SUDHANSHU DHULIA

The appellants, owners of a Bangalore property, entered into an Agreement to Sell (ATS) with the complainant, who later alleged they cheated him and filed a private complaint that led to an FIR charging them under multiple IPC sections. The High Court dismissed the appellants' petition to quash the FIR, but the Supreme…

The All India Shri Shivaji Memorial Society (AISSMS) appealed against Bombay High Court orders that granted certain private engineering teachers a higher pay band and redesignation as Associate Professors. The teachers, appointed between 1995 and 2009, held only Master's degrees and, except for one, failed to obtain a …

The appellants were convicted under IPC sections 323, 324 and 325 read with section 34 for an assault incident that occurred between close relatives. They later executed a compromise deed on 29 January 2024, seeking the Court’s permission to compound the offences. The Supreme Court examined whether the conviction for t…

The dispute arose from a 1999 suit filed by PIC Departmentals against Sreeleathers concerning a signboard obstruction. The respondent failed to file a written statement within the prescribed time, and the High Court, after a 17‑year lapse and confusion caused by its own registry indicating the suit as disposed, allowed…

The deceased, Sonali Karmakar, committed suicide by hanging in her matrimonial home within seven years of marriage. The prosecution alleged that she was subjected to harassment and dowry demands by her husband and in‑laws, leading to her death. The trial court convicted the sister‑in‑law, husband, and mother‑in‑law und…

The appellant, a 20‑year‑old engineering student, was riding a motorcycle when the car ahead suddenly braked, causing him to collide with the car and subsequently be run over by a bus, resulting in amputation of his left leg and 100% functional disability. The Motor Accident Claims Tribunal awarded compensation of Rs 9…

The appellant, a forging machine operator, lost multiple phalanges of four fingers of his right hand in an accident at work. The Commissioner under the Employees' Compensation Act, 1923 initially assessed a 100% disability and awarded compensation based on a factor of 213.57. On appeal, the High Court reduced the disab…

The appellants, husband and children of a woman who died as a pillion rider in a motorcycle accident on 22 February 2015, claimed compensation from the insurer of IFFCO Tokio. The Motor Accident Claims Tribunal awarded Rs.18,81,966, applying a 1/3 deduction for personal expenses and a 50% addition for future prospects,…

The appellants' parents, who were partners in a mill, died in a road accident when a bus collided with their vehicle. The appellants filed separate claim petitions under the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 seeking Rs 1 crore each, and the Motor Accidents Claims Tribunal awarded Rs 58.24 lakh and Rs 93.61 lakh respectively, ba…

The State of Chhattisgarh appointed primary school teachers with B.Ed qualifications after the Supreme Court’s decision in Devesh Sharma, which held that a Diploma in Elementary Education (D.El.Ed) is the essential qualification for such posts. B.Ed‑qualified candidates challenged a Chhattisgarh High Court order that q…

The appellants, prominent badminton players and their coach, were accused in a private complaint of falsifying birth records to gain entry into age‑restricted tournaments, leading to the registration of an FIR under Sections 420, 468, 471 and 34 IPC. The complaint relied mainly on an unauthenticated 1996 GPF nomination…

The case concerns the honour killing of a Dalit boy, Murugesan, and his Vanniyar bride, Kannagi, in 2003. Police officers Sub‑Inspector K.P. Tamilmaran (A‑14) and Inspector M. Sellamuthu (A‑15) failed to register an FIR despite being informed of the murders and later fabricated evidence to implicate Dalit relatives whi…

The claimants, legal heirs of a government employee who died in a motor accident, were awarded Rs.37,85,800 compensation by the Motor Accident Claims Tribunal. The insurer, New India Assurance Co., appealed seeking deduction of the financial assistance payable under the Haryana Compensation Assistance Rules, 2006, whil…

The appellant filed an FIR alleging that four persons shot his father dead over a boundary dispute. While the chargesheet named only two of the alleged shooters, the trial court, relying on the testimonies of two prosecution witnesses, summoned the other two persons under Section 319 of the CrPC. The High Court set asi…

The Central Bank of India granted a Rs 10 crore project loan to advertising firm Ad Bureau for post‑production of a movie, which later defaulted and was classified as an NPA. After a one‑time settlement and issuance of a No‑Dues Certificate, the bank erroneously reported the firm as a wilful defaulter to RBI, causing l…

The appellant, Sachin Jaiswal, challenged a High Court clarification that the land and hotel building contributed by his late father to the partnership firm M/s Hotel Alka Raje constituted the firm's property under Section 14 of the Partnership Act, 1932. The father had purchased the land in 1965, entered into a partne…

The appellants, a husband and wife, were charged in two FIRs (2010 and 2011) for offences under the IPC and the IT Act. They contended that the second FIR was based on a complaint under Section 156(3) of the CrPC that was not accompanied by an affidavit, thereby violating the Supreme Court’s direction in Priyanka Sriva…

The mother, Pappammal, filed a suit for recovery of possession which was being prosecuted by her son as her power of attorney. After the mother died, the son applied to be substituted as the legal representative based on a registered will, and the Supreme Court later allowed his substitution. The daughter, another lega…

The appellants, who were transit camp tenants, challenged notices issued by the Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) under Sections 33 and 38 of the Maharashtra Slum Areas (Improvement, Clearance and Redevelopment) Act, 1971, seeking to evict them from a plot they claimed was a MHADA layout and therefore could only be r…

A Block Development Officer was riding pillion on a scooter when it collided with the tail‑end of a long trailer, resulting in the amputation of both his legs. The claimant sought compensation under Section 166 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, but the Tribunal and the Calcutta High Court held that the scooter driver, w…

The appellant was accused of raping the complainant three times, allegedly after promising to marry her. The complainant claimed she was coerced into sexual intercourse under threat and that the promise of marriage was a false inducement. The High Court rejected the appellant's application to quash the proceedings unde…

The petitioner obtained a loan of Rs.3,00,000 from Shriram Transport Finance Company to purchase a vehicle, defaulted on repayments and allegedly forged documents to clear the hypothecation and sell the vehicle to a third party. The trial court convicted him under sections 406, 420, 468, 465 and 471 of the Indian Penal…

The appellants, heirs of a businessman who died when a bus collided with his motorcycle in August 2008, claimed compensation under the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988. The Motor Accident Claims Tribunal awarded Rs 31,41,000 with 9% interest, but the Delhi High Court reduced the amount to Rs 16,97,370, excluding the deceased's…

The appellants, sons of Tirakappa Gurusiddappa Malagi, challenged a compromise decree dated 18 January 2000 that partitioned seven acres of land among their father, uncles, and grandfather, alleging that their father was coerced into the settlement and that the land was not ancestral joint family property. The trial co…

The appellant, Inder Singh, filed a suit seeking title and possession of a parcel of land, which the State later claimed as government land. After the trial court dismissed the suit, the first appellate court reversed that decision in favour of the appellant. The State filed a review petition, which was dismissed for d…

The case concerned the computation of pension benefits for employees who had served as 'Job Contractors' under the Odisha Civil Services (Pension) Rules, 1992. The State of Odisha appealed against a High Court order that had dismissed its writ appeals on the ground of inordinate delay and had earlier directed that the …

The appellants, children of a tenant who died in 1970, claimed that they inherited tenancy rights under the West Bengal Premises Tenancy Act, 1956, which were later purportedly extinguished by the 1997 Act. The landlord sought eviction, relying on a deposition in an unrelated case as an admission that the tenancy was i…

The respondent, Snehasis Nanda, bought a flat and entered into a sale agreement with a borrower, while Citicorp Finance (the appellant) granted a home loan to the borrower and transferred part of the loan amount to the bank to foreclose the borrower's existing loan. Nanda claimed that under a purported Tripartite Agree…

The Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR) withheld grant-in-aid to the Centre for Research in Rural and Industrial Development (CRRID) after multiple committees found irregularities such as fake qualifications, unauthorized promotions and misuse of funds. Seventeen CRRID employees filed a writ petition seek…

The appellant, a Traffic Superintendent of Indian Airlines at Jammu, was convicted of cheating the airline by preparing an infant ticket under a fictitious name and then forging the flight coupon to convert it into an adult ticket, thereby obtaining a lower fare and causing loss to the airline. The trial court and the …

The appellants, the family of Smt. Tarawati who was killed by a negligent truck driver, challenged the compensation awarded by the Motor Accident Claims Tribunal and enhanced by the High Court under the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988. They contended that the deceased's age was incorrectly taken as 60 years, that her monthly …

The respondents claimed that a 1967 family settlement had demarcated separate shares of land among family members, so the land could not be treated as the holding of a single tenure‑holder for purposes of the Uttar Pradesh Imposition of Ceiling on Land Holdings Act, 1960. The Prescribed Authority ignored the settlement…

The appellant, Ajay Raj Shetty, who was employed as General Manager/Technical Coordinator of M/s Electriex (India) Ltd., was convicted under Section 85(i)(b) of the Employees' State Insurance Act, 1948 for failing to remit ESI contributions that had been deducted from employees' wages. The issue before the Supreme Cour…

The appellant, a father, was convicted of murdering his son under Section 302 of the IPC and Sections 25 and 27 of the Arms Act. The central issue was whether the death was a homicide or a suicide, given the absence of a clear motive and reliance on circumstantial evidence. The Supreme Court examined forensic evidence,…

The appellant-father and respondent-mother obtained a mutual consent divorce, with the mother given permanent custody of their son and the father granted interim weekend custody. The father later filed an execution petition to enforce the decree, while the mother filed an application seeking modification of the interim…

The appellant, a former director of a corporate debtor, was served a notice under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act for dishonoured cheques drawn before the commencement of insolvency proceedings. While the insolvency process and a moratorium under Section 14 of the IBC were imposed on 25 July 2018, the dem…

The deceased, K.H.M. Shivamurthaiah, died in a motor vehicle accident, leaving behind a family dependent on his earnings from agriculture, milk‑vending and tractor‑hiring. The Motor Accidents Claim Tribunal (MACT) awarded compensation based on a notional monthly income of Rs.10,000, which the High Court reduced to Rs.8…

The plaintiff, Gangubai Raghunath Ayare, sued for administration of her father‑in‑law's estate and sought to declare a sale deed by her brother Vishnu null and void. The trial court dismissed the administration claim for lack of necessary parties but declared the sale deed void and ordered possession of half the proper…

The Supreme Court examined two appeals challenging the forfeiture of gratuity by a public sector undertaking (Western Coal Fields Ltd.) and the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) after employees were terminated for misconduct. The employees argued that forfeiture required a criminal conviction, which …

The appellant, V.S.R. Mohan Rao, purchased land recorded in survey no. 10 in 1997 and occupied it, while the respondent claimed ownership of an adjoining 555‑square‑yard parcel in survey no. 9 based on a 1965 sale deed. The respondent filed a petition before the Special Court under the Andhra Pradesh Land Grabbing (Pro…

The wife and two minor children of a deceased engineer who died in a 1995 motor vehicle accident filed a claim for loss of dependency before the Motor Accident Claims Tribunal, which awarded compensation using a multiplier of 13 and a 9% interest rate. The insurer appealed, contending that the multiplier should be redu…

The Communidade of Tivim, a traditional agricultural community in Goa, sought permission from the Administrative Tribunal to settle a tenancy dispute with private respondents by bifurcating the disputed land on a 60:40 basis. The dispute arose from a 2017 trial court decree that declared the private respondents as agri…

The appellants challenged the recruitment of 1,091 Assistant Professors and 67 Librarians in Punjab Government Degree Colleges, alleging that the State bypassed the Punjab Public Service Commission (PPSC) and ignored UGC regulations. The High Court Division Bench upheld the recruitment, reversing a Single Judge’s order…

The petitioner, son of a teacher who died while in service at an aided school, claimed death‑cum‑retirement gratuity under the Payment of Gratuity Act, 1972. The claim was rejected by the school authorities, the appellate authority and the High Court, which held that the teacher was not an employee within the meaning o…

The case concerned a former municipal council member who challenged the display of the name of the Municipal Council of Patur in Urdu alongside Marathi on the council’s building signboard, alleging that Marathi is the sole official language under the Maharashtra Local Authorities (Official Languages) Act, 2022 and that…

The appellant, a Member of the Manipur Legislative Assembly, was elected from the Saikul constituency in 2022. The respondent filed an election petition alleging that the appellant concealed assets worth about Rs. 2 crore and falsified her income, thereby committing corrupt practices. The appellant moved an application…

The appellant, Proposed Vaibhav Cooperative Housing Society Ltd., challenged the allocation of a land plot to Medinova Regal Co-operative Housing Society (MRCHS) by the State of Maharashtra. MRCHS had originally applied for a plot to house doctors of Tata Memorial Hospital, but the plot eventually allotted was differen…

The appellant, an Assistant Superintendent at Chennai Port Trust, was convicted for abetting her husband, a public servant, in acquiring assets disproportionate to his known income during the check period 2002-2009. The assets were held in the appellant's name, and she was alleged to have concealed the wealth, thereby …

The appellant NDA Securities Ltd. filed a criminal appeal challenging a Delhi High Court order that had allowed a petition under Section 482 of the CrPC filed by respondent No.2, directing the Bombay Stock Exchange to release Rs 15.90 lakhs withheld as payout for shares sold on superdari. The dispute arose from an FIR …

The Supreme Court considered an appeal by the married daughter (appellant No.1) and the mother (appellant No.2) of a woman who died in a road accident. The High Court had reduced the daughter’s compensation to Rs.50,000 and dismissed the mother’s claim, relying on Manjuri Bera. The Court held that a married daughter ca…

The appellants, senior officials of a bicycle manufacturing company, were charged under Sections 406, 420 and 506 IPC for alleged cheating and criminal breach of trust arising from a payment dispute with a contractor. The contractor claimed underpayment for assembling 83,267 bicycles, leading to an FIR and subsequent c…

The appellants, heirs of Rai Bahadur Randhir Singh, claimed that a 1953 oral gift of 38 Bighas of land to the respondents was conditional on the donees rendering lifelong services to the donor and his heirs, and that the cessation of such services entitled the donors to resume possession. The trial court and first appe…

The appellants challenged the registration of FIR No.0092/2023 under the Uttar Pradesh Gangsters & Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act, 1986, alleging that the three predicate cases cited in the FIR were essentially civil property and monetary disputes. The High Court had dismissed the writ petition and allowed the…

The appellant, a pillion rider, was injured in a motor accident on 27 January 2013, sustaining fractures of both forearms and undergoing surgery with plates and screws. A medical disability certificate issued by Dr. N.Y. Joshi recorded a 50% permanent disablement. The Tribunal awarded compensation based on a 25% disabi…

The case concerns the murder of Ramkrishna, allegedly orchestrated by his son A1 and associates over a sibling rivalry concerning assets. The trial court acquitted six accused (A1‑A6) because the majority of the 87 witnesses turned hostile and the prosecution failed to prove motive, conspiracy, preparation, or identifi…

The appellant, a former Revenue Inspector, was accused of demanding a Rs.2,000 bribe to conduct an inquiry into compensation for drought‑damaged trees and of accepting the money, which was allegedly recovered from a bag attached to his motorcycle during a trap operation. The trial court and the High Court convicted him…

The Punjab government issued an advertisement (No.14 dated 11‑12‑2020) for recruitment to 77 posts, reserving one DSP post for the SC Sports (Women) category in accordance with the Punjab Civil Services (Reservation of Posts for Women) Rules, 2020 which mandated 33% reservation for women. The private respondent, who ha…

The appellant, K.B. Lal, sought to set aside a 2006 ex-parte order of the Civil Judge (Jr. Division) Barabanki by filing applications under Order IX, Rule 7 of the CPC, first in 2017 and again in 2020, after a delay of about 14 years. The delay was explained by the appellant as due to non-receipt of summons and neglige…

The appellant was convicted under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act for issuing dishonoured cheques and also faced an FIR under Sections 406, 420 and 120B of the IPC for allegedly cheating a complainant after taking an advance for a laser cutting machine. Both parties initially agreed to settle the dispute …

The dispute concerned 53 acres of land in Survey No.83/2, claimed by the original owners (appellants) and by M/s Visweswara Infrastructure Pvt Ltd. (respondents) who relied on sale agreements dated 19 March 1982 that were never registered. The appellants argued that the unregistered agreements could not convey title an…

The case concerns P. Nallammal, wife of a former MLA and minister, who was convicted under Section 109 IPC in conjunction with Sections 13(2) and 13(1)(e) of the Prevention of Corruption Act for allegedly abetting her husband in acquiring assets disproportionate to his known income. The trial court and the Madras High …

The State of Karnataka appealed a Karnataka High Court order that had quashed an FIR registered against Sri Channakeshava H.D., an executive engineer, for alleged disproportionate assets under Sections 13(1)(b) and 13(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988. The High Court had held that the Superintendent of Polic…

The deceased, a junior public health nurse, died in a 2000 motorbike accident. Her husband and two minor children filed a claim petition under Section 166 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, and the Motor Accidents Claims Tribunal awarded Rs.6,53,000. After ten years, the children alone appealed to the Kerala High Court, …

An oil tanker carrying hazardous goods collided with a bicyclist and a pedestrian, killing both. The driver of the tanker did not have the statutory endorsement on his licence required under Section 11 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 read with Rule 9 of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989. The Motor Accidents Claims…

The case arose from a claim for compensation under the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 following the death of a government employee, where the dependents were also entitled to ex‑gratia assistance under the Haryana Compassionate Assistance Rules, 2006. The High Court had deducted only 50% of the amount payable under the Rules…

The wife of a man detained under the COFEPOSA Act challenged his preventive detention, arguing that the detaining authority had not applied its mind and had ignored the stringent bail conditions imposed by the magistrate. The Supreme Court examined the factual matrix, which showed the detainee’s involvement in a large‑…

The appellant was convicted under IPC sections 450 and 376(2) and POCSO Act section 4 for raping a 15‑year‑old girl after forcing her onto a cot in the porch of her house. The prosecution's case rested primarily on the victim's detailed testimony, corroborated by her brother, parents, and neighbours, while medical evid…

The deceased was a coolie travelling on a trailer that was being pulled by a tractor insured by The Royal Sundaram Alliance Insurance Company. Due to rash driving, the tractor and trailer toppled, causing the deceased's death. The Motor Accident Claims Tribunal awarded Rs.9,50,000 compensation and held that the employe…

The Sports Authority of India (SAI) challenged a Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) order that directed it to treat two physiotherapists as "Initial Constituents" under the 2022 Recruitment Rules, converting them from contractual to regular employees. In the Delhi High Court, SAI’s counsel sought only an extension o…

The petition arose from a criminal trial under which the petitioner sought, under Section 311 of the CrPC, the summons of two individuals, Vinay Kumar Pathak and Kanak Lata Singh, as independent witnesses. The trial court partially granted the application, summoning only Pathak and later closed the opportunity to exami…

Shahjahan, married under Islamic customs in a second marriage, filed a maintenance petition under Section 125 of the Code of Criminal Procedure after her husband obtained a divorce through informal religious courts. The Family Court awarded maintenance only to the two children, rejecting the wife's claim on the basis t…

The appellant was convicted of murder under Section 302 IPC for allegedly pouring kerosene on his wife and setting her on fire. The prosecution's case relied heavily on a dying declaration recorded by a Judicial Magistrate, which accused the appellant, while earlier statements by the deceased to a doctor and a police c…

The plaintiff, a member of a cooperative society, obtained a loan from the society and created a charge on his ancestral agricultural land. He later sold the land to his nephew/son‑in‑law (defendant 1) on 2 Nov 1971 without repaying the loan or obtaining the society’s consent, and defendant 1 subsequently sold part of …

The Supreme Court examined a criminal contempt case where three appellants were accused of forging and using bogus interim orders of the Madras High Court to obstruct the execution of a decree. The High Court had convicted them of contempt and sentenced each to six months’ imprisonment, based on investigations by the C…

The appellant, Vinay Aggarwal, was charged under several IPC offences for allegedly impersonating an IB officer and extorting money. The complainant filed a petition under Section 482 of the CrPC seeking transfer of the investigation from the Haryana police to the CBI, which the Punjab and Haryana High Court allowed, d…

The plaintiffs, grandchildren of Shivanna, filed a suit for partition of ancestral immovable property in 2023, alleging denial of their share. The defendants moved an application under Order 7 Rule 11 of the CPC, contending that the property had been orally partitioned in 1968 and that registered sale deeds executed in…

The appellant, Ashok Singh, claimed he had advanced a loan of Rs.22,00,000 to the accused, who issued a cheque that was later dishonoured with a ‘payment stopped by drawer’ endorsement. The appellant presented the cheque, sent a statutory notice within the prescribed period, and filed a complaint under Section 138 of t…

The Worth Trust, a charitable organization that also runs commercial factories, was challenged by its workers' union for payment of bonus and ex-gratia for the year 1996-97. The union argued that the workers, employed in the Trust's factories, fall within the definition of "workmen" under the Factories Act and are ther…

The appellants entered the deceased's house armed with an axe and a cutting weapon to dispute a place of worship on contested land, leading to a scuffle that resulted in the grandfather's death and injuries to three grandchildren. The trial court convicted the appellants under Sections 302, 323 and 324 read with Sectio…

The appellant, Dattatraya, was convicted for the death of his nine‑month‑pregnant wife after he allegedly poured kerosene on her during a drunken quarrel, causing severe burns, a still‑born child and her eventual death. The prosecution relied on the dying declaration of the deceased, testimony of the maternal grandmoth…