Public Interest Litigation – Res Judicata – Summary dismissal of earlier petition under Article 32 does not bar the present writ petition – Court must be cautious in applying res judicata in matters of grave public interest – High Court's error in allowing the writ petition without substantive adjudication on merits [Paras 1-13, 26-35].
Disinvestment – Strategi...
Education Law – Admission and Eligibility – Fault of School – Petitioner took Class XII examination but was declared ineligible due to his Class X certificate being from a non-recognized school – Court held it was the responsibility of the admitting school to verify documents before granting admission to Class XI – Fault lies with the school, not the student – W...
Privacy – Right to Privacy – Allegations of unauthorized surveillance using Pegasus spyware – Supreme Court addresses concerns over privacy infringement and the potential chilling effect on freedom of speech and press – Emphasis on reasonable expectation of privacy and the necessity for restrictions to pass constitutional scrutiny [Paras 27-36].
Surveillance and National...
Electricity Duty – Imposition and Penalty – Appellant challenged imposition of electricity duty and penalty on supply of electricity to BSEB – High Court dismissed writ petition citing availability of alternate remedy and factual nature of dispute – Supreme Court held High Court erred in dismissing petition – Issues raised were questions of law suitable for writ juris...
Automatic Stay – Pendency of Appeal – Section 13 of the Punjab Land Revenue Act – Held, mere pendency of an appeal or application for stay does not render the impugned judgment inoperative – Statute does not provide for an automatic stay on filing of an appeal – Petitioners’ plea for automatic stay rejected [Para 11].
Sanctioning of Mutation –...
Criminalisation in Politics – Obligation to Disclose Criminal Antecedents – Addressing the growing criminalisation in the Indian political system, the Supreme Court emphasized that maintaining the purity of the political system necessitates excluding individuals with criminal records from law-making roles. The Court questioned whether it could enforce such standards through directions ...
Judicial Service – Disciplinary Proceedings – Petition challenging the compulsory retirement of Additional District and Sessions Judge due to heavy unexplained bank transactions – Full Court's recommendation and Governor's order of compulsory retirement upheld – Supreme Court finds Full Court's view justified given the substantial transactions and lack of docume...
Constitutional Law – Privileges and Fundamental Rights – Summoning of Facebook Representatives – Delhi Assembly's Committee on Peace and Harmony summoned representatives of Facebook regarding the 2020 Delhi riots – Petitioners contended that such summons violated their fundamental rights of free speech and privacy – Supreme Court held that representatives appearin...
Education Law – Conditional Affiliation – Pharmacy Colleges – The petitioner colleges sought affiliation for the academic year 2020-2021 – Supreme Court directed that the norms and regulations set by the Pharmacy Council of India (PCI) must be followed for degrees and diplomas in pharmacy – Conditional affiliation was granted by the State Government on 19.03.2021 &nda...
Disaster Management – Ex gratia assistance for Covid-19 deaths – Petitioners sought directions for ex gratia monetary compensation to families of Covid-19 victims under Section 12(iii) of the Disaster Management Act, 2005. The Supreme Court directed the National Disaster Management Authority to recommend guidelines for ex gratia assistance considering the requirement and availability o...