Civil – Writ - NHRC Membership – Eligibility – Section 3(2)(d), Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993 – Police Officer as Member – Appointment Upheld – Challenge to appointment of former CBI Director as NHRC Member contending police officers are impliedly excluded and appointment violates Articles 14/21 and Paris Principles – Held: Section 3(2)(d) uses clea...
Land Acquisition – Market Value – Comparable Sales – Exclusion of DDA Brochure – Inclusion of Contemporaneous Sale Deeds – High Court wrongly relied on DDA brochure rates and excluded registered sale deeds for want of examination of parties – Supreme Court held: Allotment rates of small leasehold developed plots by DDA not reliable for determining market value o...
Civil Writ - PIL - Service — Appointment to Key/Sensitive Post — Transparency and Propriety — Article 32 — Challenge to appointment of officer facing CBI charge-sheets and Commission inquiry as Chief Secretary — Held: Chief Secretary is a key post — the State should have awaited Commission report and avoided controversy — justice must appear to be done &md...
Land Acquisition – Res judicata / evidentiary use of prior awards – No estoppel against State – Appeals maintainable – Judgments/awards in other acquisitions (same/nearby villages) have only evidentiary value and do not operate as res judicata or issue estoppel; State may contest entitlement, statutory limitations, and comparability even if it did not appeal in earlier matt...
Religious Trust Dispute – Change of Trustees – Jurisdiction of Charity Commissioner – Civil Court Jurisdiction Barred – Judgments Set Aside – The appeal arose from the High Court’s decision upholding approval of a change notice appointing new trustees to the Church of Brethren General Board (India) Trust without proper inquiry – The Supreme Court held that...
Civil Law – Injunction Suit Without Declaration – Maintainability – Plaintiff sought injunction against defendant (her brother) on the basis of a Will executed by their father – Admitted that defendant was in possession – No prayer for recovery of possession or declaration of title made – Held: Where possession is with defendant and ownership is disputed, suit f...
Public Interest Litigation – Road Safety – Pedestrian Protection – Directions Issued – Supreme Court takes cognizance of alarming rise in road accident deaths (1.72 lakh in 2023 including 35,000 pedestrians) – Court issues detailed directions on five key aspects: (i) pedestrian footpaths, (ii) pedestrian crossings, (iii) mandatory helmet use, (iv) prevention of wrong-...
Hindu Minority and Guardianship Act, 1956 – Section 8(3) – Alienation of Minor’s Property – Mode of Repudiation – Natural guardian sold minors’ immovable property without prior court permission – Upon attaining majority, minors executed fresh sale deed of same property in favour of appellant within limitation – High Court held absence of suit to canc...
Property Law – Declaration of Title – Oral Gift (Hiba) – Suit for declaration of title and cancellation of sale deeds based on oral gift by Muslim mother to daughter – Plaintiff claimed oral gift of 10 acres out of 24 acres 28 guntas, and inheritance of remaining land – Trial Court disbelieved oral gift, but decreed 3/4th share based on succession – High Court r...
Taxation – Works Contract – Transfer of Property in Goods – Printing of Lottery Tickets – Appellant engaged in printing lottery tickets using ink and chemicals procured by itself while paper was supplied by contractee – Assessing Authority levied tax under Section 3F(1)(b) of U.P. Trade Tax Act on ink and chemicals – Appellate Authority and Tribunal deleted levy...