VIKRAM NATH

The plaintiff filed a suit for specific performance of a 1998 agreement to purchase a property for Rs 30 lakhs, having paid an initial advance of Rs 3 lakhs and claiming to have paid an additional Rs 15 lakhs thereafter. The trial court denied specific performance but ordered the defendant to refund the total advance o…

The appellant, Waris, was convicted under Sections 302, 201, 376(2)(i) and 376AB of the IPC and Sections 5 and 6 of the POCSO Act for raping and killing his step‑daughter. During the trial, his original counsel withdrew and he could not afford a new lawyer, so the trial court appointed a legal‑aid defence counsel on th…

The case concerned the guardianship of two minor children of Colonel Ramneesh Pal Singh and Sugandhi Aggarwal. The Family Court had awarded permanent custody to the father with visitation rights to the mother, but the Delhi High Court set aside that order and ordered shared custody. The Supreme Court examined the welfa…

M/s Chopra Hotels Private Limited (the appellant) owned a property whose building plan was affected by an interim order dated 24‑12‑2025 issued in CWP No. 38742 of 2025, which kept certain provisions of the Punjab Unified Building Rules, 2025 in abeyance. The High Court refused to implead the appellant in that writ pro…

The appellants, private landowners in Maharashtra, challenged revenue annotations and mutation entries that labelled their lands as private forests and vested in the State, arguing that the statutory requirements for acquisition were not fulfilled. The State contended that notices issued under Section 35(3) of the Indi…

The petitioners, original allottees of a group housing project in Greater Noida, challenged the Allahabad High Court's dismissal of their writ petition seeking restoration of a cancelled lease, identification of genuine allottees, and completion of construction. The Supreme Court observed that the dispute involved comp…

The appellant, Prem Aggarwal, entered into an agreement to purchase a property in 1989, paid Rs.25,000 as earnest money and later sued for specific performance, which the Supreme Court dismissed on the ground of bar under Order II Rule 2 of the CPC, but awarded her Rs.2 crore as compensation. The respondents deposited …

The Supreme Court examined two criminal appeals challenging High Court orders that quashed criminal complaints and set aside committal orders against police officers accused of custodial deaths. The appellants alleged that the deceased were killed in police custody and that the High Court relied solely on CID and CBI r…

The appellants, doctors running a hospital, purchased land and filed a civil suit to confirm their ownership, while the respondent filed an FIR alleging forgery and fraud. The High Court refused to quash the FIR, holding that the alleged offences were made out. The appellants contended that the dispute was essentially …

The case concerned Sudhir Vilas Kalel (Appellant No.1), who was elected to a reserved OBC seat in Jambulani Gram Panchayat but failed to obtain a Validity Certificate for his caste certificate within the statutory twelve‑month period, leading to his automatic disqualification. He later obtained the certificate after re…

The plaintiff‑appellant, Muslimveetil Chalakkal Ahammed Haji, sought specific performance of a 2007 agreement to purchase a 1/11th share of a three‑acre school property from the defendant‑respondent, Sakeena Beevi, who was one of nine heirs. After the death of the father, the heirs executed an unregistered power of att…

The appellant, a former Director of CSI Institute of Technology (CSIIT), sought to remain in service until the age of 65, relying on the 2010 amendments to AICTE and UGC regulations that raised the retirement age for teachers in technical institutions. The High Court dismissed his petition, holding that CSIIT, a privat…

The appellant, a sympathiser of a political party, participated in a violent clash on 11 April 2006 during which he stabbed the deceased Subrahmannian multiple times with a knife, causing fatal injuries to vital organs. The trial court convicted him under Sections 302, 324 and 326/34 of the IPC and sentenced him to lif…

The appellant, Greater Ashoka and Land Development Co., had advertised plots in 1963 and received an earnest payment of ₹4,945 from the respondent, Kanti Prasad Jain, for plot No. 103. Due to subsequent statutory changes under the 1963 and 1971 Acts, the development was delayed and the appellant later offered the respo…

The trial court acquitted Amit Aishwarya Jogi in a 2007 murder case involving the killing of a Congress leader, after a CBI‑investigated chargesheet superseded the original police investigation. The State of Chhattisgarh, the CBI and the victim’s son (de‑facto complainant) sought leave to appeal the acquittal, but the …

The case involved a joint family property dispute among descendants of Pillappa, concerning the validity of two registered release deeds (1956 and 1967) and an unregistered palupatti (partition) deed of 1972. The plaintiffs argued that the releases were ineffective and that the palupatti could not be relied upon, while…

The State of Karnataka prosecuted accused persons for a series of bomb blasts in Bangalore in 2008, seizing numerous electronic devices that were examined by the CFSL, Hyderabad, producing a report dated 29‑11‑2010. The trial court refused to admit the CFSL report without a certificate under Section 65B of the Evidence…

The minor daughter of Jitesh Sharma challenged the High Court's order that reduced the maintenance awarded by the Family Court from Rs 20,000 to Rs 7,500 per month. The Supreme Court observed that the High Court had not required the parties to file the uniform affidavits of disclosure of assets and liabilities prescrib…

The appellant, a civil judge on probation, was terminated in December 2009 following allegations of an illicit relationship and marital discord, a decision upheld by the High Court. The Supreme Court, in a 2022 judgment, set aside both the termination order and the High Court's dismissal of the appellant's writ petitio…

The appellants, mother and brother of Ranjana Diwan, alleged that her death in 2016, officially recorded as suicide, was suspicious due to six ante‑mortem injuries and possible influence by her husband, a senior judicial officer, over the police investigation. They filed a writ petition under Article 226 seeking a fair…

The appellant, Dharmendra Sharma, purchased an apartment from the Agra Development Authority (ADA) and sought possession after paying the agreed price, but ADA's offer of possession on 4 December 2014 was made without a completion certificate or firefighting clearance certificate. The appellant filed a consumer complai…

The appellant, a co-accused in a murder case, was acquitted by the trial court on the ground that the prosecution failed to prove that the deceased was last seen in his company. The High Court reversed this acquittal and convicted the appellant under Sections 302 and 201 of the IPC, relying on a disputed 'last seen' th…

The Supreme Court considered an appeal by the Union Territory of Ladakh and related authorities against a High Court order that directed them to recognise the "Plough" symbol for the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (J&K NC) in the upcoming Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) elections. J&K NC argue…

The Peoples Rights and Social Research Centre (PRASAR), a Delhi‑based NGO, filed a writ petition under Article 32 seeking relief for the widespread occurrence of silicosis among workers in mining, construction, stone‑cutting and sand‑blasting industries. The petition alleged violations of fundamental rights under Artic…

The appellant, Tahir V. Isani, purchased a property in 2007 from M/s Rizvi Estate & Hotels Pvt. Ltd., a bona‑fide buyer who derived title from the original owner and not from the judgment‑debtor (the Maliks). The Maliks, as judgment‑debtors, had obtained a decree in a 1996 suit for ejectment, which was later executed a…

The appellant was convicted and sentenced to death for the rape and murder of a 3‑year‑9‑month‑old child based on three strands of circumstantial evidence: a disputed 'last seen together' testimony, an alleged extra‑judicial confession, and a forensic soil match. The Supreme Court examined whether the investigation was…

The appellant, Jatinder Kumar Sapra, sought a decree of divorce on the ground of irretrievable breakdown of marriage, alleging ill‑treatment by his wife, while the wife alleged cruelty by the husband. Both the Family Court and the Punjab & Haryana High Court dismissed his petition under Section 13(1)(ia) of the Hindu M…

The case concerned an FIR registered on 18 October 2022 alleging assault, criminal intimidation and related offences against eight persons, including Sajal Bose, his wife Nabina Bose and Chandidas Joardar. The High Court quashed the proceedings against two co‑accused but refused to grant the same relief to the three ap…

The Supreme Court examined a public‑interest writ petition filed by Save Mon Region Federation alleging that the Arunachal Pradesh government had repeatedly awarded public‑works contracts through non‑tender methods, favoured firms linked to the Chief Minister and other officials, and failed to maintain proper procureme…

The appellant, Gyanendra Singh, was convicted for raping his nine‑year‑old daughter, resulting in convictions under Sections 376(2)(f) and 376(2)(i) of the IPC and Sections 3 and 4 of the POCSO Act, with a life sentence and a fine. He appealed, arguing that because the offences overlapped, the special law (POCSO) under…

The appellant Sanjay was convicted of murder and rape of a four‑year‑old girl, X, and sentenced to death by the trial court, a decision affirmed by the High Court. The prosecution's case relied on the victim’s last‑seen testimony, an extra‑judicial confession by the accused that led to the recovery of the body and clot…

Century Textiles entered into a lease for Block‑A in 1928 under the Bombay Improvement Trust Transfer Act, 1925, with a 28‑year term that expired in 1955. The lease required the construction of poorer‑class dwellings and contained no clause obligating the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai to convey the land after…

The Karnataka State Electronics Development Corporation (KSEDC), a wholly‑owned public sector undertaking, allotted a 0.25‑acre plot to Kumaon Entertainment for IT‑related activities on a lease‑cum‑sale basis, with a tentative price of Rs 1 crore per acre and a provision that the final price would be fixed later. The a…

The respondents filed a suit for specific performance of a sale deed in September 1993, based on an agreement dated 17 December 1989 that required execution of the deed within one month (by 16 January 1990). The trial court dismissed the suit as time‑barred, but the first appellate court set aside that order and decree…

The appellant, father of the deceased Dharminder Singh, challenged the High Court's order quashing a summons issued by the trial court under Section 319 of the CrPC against respondent No.2 (Varinder Singh) for alleged abetment to suicide. The incident involved a confrontation on 10 May 2016 where the deceased was taunt…

The appellant, Rajendra Anant Varik, was convicted under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act for a dishonoured cheque and was ordered to pay compensation. He appealed, and the First Appellate Court acquitted him, holding that the complainant was an unlicensed money‑lender under the Goa Money‑Lenders Act, whic…

The State of Madhya Pradesh filed a criminal appeal challenging the High Court's order that quashed FIR No. 551 of 2015, which alleged offences under Sections 420, 466, 467, 468, 471 and 120B IPC relating to fraudulent sale of government land. The dispute originated from a civil suit over possession of the suit propert…

The husband and wife were married in 2013, lived together in the United Kingdom for over seven years and later separated in 2021. The wife filed a divorce petition under Section 13(1)(ia) of the Hindu Marriage Act, alleging non‑consummation due to the husband’s alleged impotency. The husband filed an application under …

The appellants, Shashin Patel and Bhavini Patel, heirs of the original occupier of Flat No.7 in Malboro House Co‑operative Housing Society, sought admission as members of the Society by paying the required contribution many years after the Society’s formation. Their application was initially rejected by the Society’s A…

The Supreme Court examined the constitutional validity of the Karnataka Motor Vehicles Taxation and Certain Other Law (Amendment) Act, 2003, which repealed the Karnataka Contract Carriages (Acquisition) Act, 1976, and whether the State Transport Authority (STA) could delegate the power to grant contract carriage, speci…

The appellant was convicted under sections 3(a) and 4 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and sentenced by the Sessions Court to ten years of rigorous imprisonment, a fine of Rs.5,000, a three‑month default sentence of simple imprisonment and a compensation of Rs.1,00,000 to the victim. The H…

Abdul Jabbar was convicted by a trial court for offences under Sections 323 and 325 read with Section 34 of the Indian Penal Code, receiving three months' imprisonment for the former and one year with a fine of Rs.500 for the latter. The High Court, noting a 13‑year delay in the proceedings, reduced the latter sentence…

The husband and his in‑laws were initially acquitted after a compromise before a Lok Adalat, but the complainant‑wife later withdrew her consent and the trial court re‑opened the case by issuing a docket order on 20 July 2021, charging them under sections 420, 498A, 506 IPC and sections 3 and 4 of the Dowry Prohibition…

The petitioner, Dharmendra Sharma, filed contempt petitions alleging that respondent No.1 (M. Arunmozhi) willfully failed to refund Rs.3,99,100, the cost of non‑judicial stamp papers, as directed by the Supreme Court in Dharmendra Sharma v. Agra Development Authority (2025) 1 SCC 422. The respondent returned the expire…

The appellant, an Inspector, was summoned along with three other police officials under Section 319 of the CrPC following allegations that they demanded money and tortured the accused and his family in a misappropriation case. The trial court allowed the summoning, the High Court upheld that order, and the appellant ch…

The petitioner sought a writ under Article 32 of the Constitution directing all States and Union Territories to implement Section 6 of the Anand Marriage Act, 1909, which mandates rules for registering Sikh Anand Karaj marriages. The Court noted that while some jurisdictions had notified such rules, many had not, resul…

The Rajasthan Public Service Commission (RPSC) issued an advertisement on 7 March 2024 for 181 Assistant Prosecution Officer posts, requiring a law degree. Several candidates applied online before obtaining their degrees and later acquired the qualification on 22 August 2024. The RPSC issued press notes clarifying that…

The appellants, who are relatives of the complainant, filed a petition under Section 482 of the CrPC seeking to quash FIR No. 21 of 2019 alleging offences under IPC sections 420, 342, 294(b) and 506(1). The complainant claimed he had invested Rs. 1.5 crore in a Nissan car dealership run by the appellants, was denied pa…

The appellant was convicted of kidnapping, rape, and murder of a minor based entirely on circumstantial evidence, a confession narrated by a police officer, and DNA/FSL reports. The Supreme Court examined the reliability of the 'last seen' testimony, the admissibility of the confession under Sections 24, 25 and 26 of t…

Sovaran Singh Prajapati was convicted of murdering his wife and daughter under Sections 302 and 201 IPC and sentenced to death by the Trial Court, a judgment affirmed by the Allahabad High Court. The appellant challenged the conviction on the ground that the trial was not a fair trial, citing numerous procedural irregu…

Mission Accessibility, a disability‑rights organization, filed a writ petition seeking modification of the scribe‑registration timeline for the Civil Services Examination and the introduction of laptops with screen‑reader software and accessible digital question papers for visually‑impaired candidates. The petition arg…

The State of Uttar Pradesh sought to recover annual lease rent from Northern Coal Fields Ltd., a government company, for forest land transferred for mining under the Coal Bearing Areas (Acquisition and Development) Act, 1957. The land had been acquired by the Central Government in 1981 under s.10(1) of the Act and subs…

The deceased Anjali Agarwal was found dead after allegedly falling from the terrace of her matrimonial home. The trial court framed charges against her husband and in‑laws under sections 498‑A, 306, 302 and 201 IPC read with section 34, alleging abetment to suicide and murder. The High Court quashed these charges, hold…

The appellants, senior firemen of the Pune Municipal Corporation, challenged the corporation's order that reduced their retirement age from 60 to 58 years based on a reclassification of their post as Class III under the 2014 Recruitment Rules. The High Court had upheld the lower retirement age, interpreting the newer c…

The appellant, a real‑estate developer, was penalised by the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC) with 27 penalties under Section 27 of the Consumer Protection Act for failing to deliver possession of residential units. While insolvency proceedings were initiated against the appellant under Section 9…

The appellant was convicted under Sections 120B, 468 and 471 of the IPC for allegedly preparing a postal cover that transmitted a forged marksheet. The prosecution’s case hinged on the testimony of a handwriting expert who claimed the cover bore the appellant’s handwriting, but the original postal cover was never produ…

The appellant filed a civil suit for declaration of title, possession and permanent injunction over an 8‑cents parcel of land, which had previously been the subject of litigation culminating in a High Court judgment on 30 March 1990. In the second round of litigation, the trial court and a later High Court judgment lim…

Satish P. Bhatt and Vishwanath R. Nayak, directors of Astral Glass Pvt Ltd, were convicted under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act and sentenced to ten months imprisonment with a compensation liability of Rs.1.10 crore. They entered into a settlement undertaking on 3 July 2018 to pay Rs.4.63.5 lakh to the c…

The appellant, Brij Narayan Shukla, purchased a 3500 sq. ft. plot by a registered sale deed dated 21 January 1966 and sought an injunction with alternative relief for possession after the respondents obstructed construction in 1975. The respondents claimed title by adverse possession, alleging continuous possession sin…

The Supreme Court examined two civil appeals challenging the decisions of the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, State Commission and District Forum, which had held the insurer liable to pay the sum assured after the assured's suicide. The central issue was the date from which an insurance policy becomes …

The respondent was arrested under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, the Indian Penal Code and the Arms Act, and the investigation period of 90 days expired on 15 September 2020. The investigating officer obtained two extensions, first to 11 November 2020 and then, on 7 November 2020, a further 30‑day extension …

The plaintiffs filed a suit seeking a declaration that a 2011 sale deed was void, claiming ownership of a parcel of land based on an alleged oral partition among four brothers and a will executed by one brother. The trial court and the subordinate appellate court dismissed the suit, finding that the oral partition was …

The appellant, a serving army Naik, was convicted under Section 498-A IPC for cruelty towards his wife and sentenced to three years' simple imprisonment. After his conviction, the parties entered into a genuine settlement, resumed cohabitation, and the wife was nominated as his service record nominee. The High Court, n…

The appellant, a Scheduled Caste candidate with benchmark disabilities, secured a high rank in the NEET‑UG 2024 examination and applied for admission to the MBBS UG course at AIIMS, New Delhi under the SC‑PwBD quota. The Vardhman Mahavir Medical College’s disability certification board deemed him ineligible under NMC n…

The New Mangalore Port Trust (NMPT) had revised licence fees for land allotted to several licensees and issued demand notices for arrears. The licensees challenged the retrospective application of the revised tariff before the Karnataka High Court, which dismissed their writ petitions, leading NMPT to file writ petitio…

The appellant, Rajnish Singh, was charged under Sections 376, 384, 323, 504 and 506 IPC for alleged sexual exploitation and blackmail of the complainant, who claimed he promised marriage and later married another woman. The complainant alleged a 16‑year consensual relationship that began with a forced act in 2006, duri…

The appellant, brother of the deceased, filed FIRs alleging that the deceased wife was subjected to relentless dowry demands and cruelty by her in‑laws, culminating in her death by strangulation within two years of marriage. The trial court denied bail to the accused in‑laws, but the High Court later granted bail to al…

The case concerned a petition by Sandeep Singh Bora (appellant) challenging a High Court interim order that directed the Returning Officer to allot a party symbol to respondent Narendra Singh Deopa and allow him to contest the Zila Panchayat election after his nomination had been cancelled for alleged non‑disclosure. T…

The State of Tamil Nadu filed a suit under Article 131 of the Constitution against Karnataka and the Union of India, seeking a declaration that Karnataka's construction of check dams and diversion structures on the Pennaiyar River without Tamil Nadu's consent was illegal and violated the fundamental rights of its inhab…

The appellant, Vinod K. Bhagora, served as a Postal Assistant for the Central Government from 1983 to 1993 and then joined the Gujarat State Government as a Senior Assistant after obtaining a No‑Objection Certificate and tendering a technical resignation. He sought to have his ten years of Central Government service co…

The respondent filed a suit for possession and mesne profits of a property relying on an unregistered power of attorney, agreement to sell, affidavit and will, while the appellant, who was in possession, claimed title through an oral gift (Hiba) from his brother. The trial court decreed possession in favour of the resp…

M/s. Jai Balaji Industries (operational creditor) entered into MOUs with Orissa Minerals Development Company Ltd for iron ore supply, leading to arbitration awards in its favour. The corporate debtor challenged the awards under the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996; the challenges were dismissed in default on 22.1…

The case concerned the conviction of Tarun Sharma under Section 302 IPC for the murder of Munish Kumar, based primarily on a dying declaration recorded by a police Sub‑Inspector. The Supreme Court examined whether the dying declaration was reliable, given that the victim had been unconscious for most of the period, the…

The appellants, a company and its directors, were alleged to have acquired shares of a Singapore entity without RBI approval, violating Section 4 of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA). The Enforcement Directorate seized their assets under Section 37A, but the Competent Authority later refused to confirm the sei…

The appellant society applied to register as a new Primary Agricultural Credit Co-operative Society (PACCS) but the Scrutiny Committee rejected the application on grounds of lack of financial viability and failure to meet statutory criteria. The State of Maharashtra, exercising its discretion under the Maharashtra Co-o…

The appellant lodged an FIR in 1999 alleging assault, abduction and other offences under Sections 147, 148, 149, 323 and 364 IPC against three accused. During trial, the accused entered into a settlement agreement with one victim (Respondent No.5) but the original complainant (the appellant) was neither a party to nor …