Punjab and Haryana High Court Quashes State Election Commission's Cancellation of Panchayat Elections in Punjab J&K High Court Quashes FIR Against Bajaj Allianz, Asserts Insurance Dispute Shouldn’t Be Criminalized Sole Eyewitness's Testimony Insufficient to Sustain Murder Conviction: Madras High Court Acquits Three Accused in Murder Case Presumption of Innocence is Strengthened in Acquittal Cases; Appellate Courts Must Respect Trial Court Findings Unless Clearly Perverse: Delhi High Court NDPS | Physical or Virtual Presence of Accused is Mandatory for Extension of Detention Beyond 180 Days: Andhra Pradesh HC Bombay High Court Quashes Suspension of Welfare Benefits for Construction Workers Due to Model Code of Conduct Section 131 of Electricity Act Does Not Mandate Finalized Transfer Scheme Before Bidding: Punjab and Haryana High Court Upholds Privatization of UT Chandigarh Electricity Department Revenue Authorities Must Safeguard State Property, Not Indulge in Land Scams: Madhya Pradesh High Court Proposed Amendment Clarifies, Not Changes, Cause of Action: High Court of Jharkhand emphasizing the necessity of amendment for determining real questions in controversy. EWS Candidates Selected on Merit Should Not Be Counted Towards Reserved Quota: P&H High Court Finance Act 2022 Amendments Upheld: Supreme Court Validates Retrospective Customs Authority for DRI Mere Breach Of Contract Does Not Constitute A Criminal Offense Unless Fraudulent Intent Exists From The Start: Delhi High Court Anticipatory Bail Not Intended As A Shield To Avoid Lawful Proceedings In Cases Of Serious Crimes: Allahabad High Court Rajasthan High Court Grants Bail in Light of Prolonged Detention and Delays in Trial U/S 480 BNSS Provision Bombay High Court Orders Disclosure of Candidates' Marks in Public Recruitment Process: Promotes Transparency under RTI Act Maintenance | Father's Duty to Support Daughters Until Self-Sufficiency or Marriage: Karnataka High Court Designation of Arbitration 'Venue' as 'Seat' Confers Exclusive Jurisdiction: Supreme Court Rules in Dubai Arbitration Case Corporate Veil Shields Company Assets from Partition as Joint Family Property: Madras High Court Principal Employers Liable for ESI Contributions for Contract Workers, But Assessments Must Be Fair and Account for Eligibility: Kerala High Court Government Entities Must be Treated Equally to Private Parties in Arbitration Proceedings: Supreme Court Supreme Court Allows Resumption of Disciplinary Inquiry Against Storekeeper in Ration Misappropriation Case

"Writ Law" Digest

Application sought directions - High Courts to fill vacancies from service judges or the bench up to 50% of their total strength of judges if a vacancy from the Bar Quota has been lying vacant for more than 6 months, appropriate directions to fill vacancies from the Judicial Service Quota as expeditiously as possible, and clarification to ensure that the ratio of quota of judges from the Service J...

Service Law – Reservation and Merit – Reallocation of Reserved Category Candidates – Petitioners, General Category candidates, challenged the reallocation of Reserved Category candidates to Open Category posts in the selection process for Constable PAC and Fireman – Supreme Court held reallocation to be valid and consistent with prior directives – Petitioners did not ...

Grant of parole - Sections 21, 23, 28, 29, 60, 61, 63 of the NDPS - Challenge to declining order of parole - Whether declining order was ill-informed and not founded on credible material - Reasons given for denying parole based on mere apprehensions - No adverse report by Superintendent of Jail concerning petitioner's conduct - Order suffers from non-application of mind - Petition allowed and ...

Constitution of India – Extension of Limitation – Article 142 – COVID-19 pandemic led to initial extension of limitation period by Supreme Court from 15.03.2020 – Significant improvement in pandemic situation and lifting of lockdown – Courts and Tribunals functioning normally – Extension of limitation ended [Paras 1-2]. Limitation Period – Computation &...

Writ Petition under Article 32 – Juvenility Claim – Petitioner seeks verification of his claim of juvenility under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2000 – Court allows the Writ Petition based on the report confirming the petitioner's juvenility at the time of the offense. [Para 1] Criminal History – Petitioner convicted under Section 302 re...

Statutory Provisions - Validity - Challenge not raised in writ petition - High Court's examination of validity unwarranted - Presumption of constitutionality in favor of statutory instrument - Lack of specific challenge in writ petition precludes consideration of repugnancy or legislative competence - Writ Court should refrain from issuing directions to ignore statutory provisions without stri...

Reservation for OBCs – Validity of Reservation Provisions – Section 12(2)(c) of the Maharashtra Zilla Parishads and Panchayat Samitis Act, 1961 – Provision read down to mean reservation for OBCs may be up to 27% but must not exceed an aggregate of 50% of the total seats reserved for SCs/STs/OBCs together – Requirement for contemporaneous rigorous empirical inquiry into back...

Termination of dealership agreement - Quashing of termination letter - Challenge to guidelines - Prayer not pressed - Petitioners appointed as dealer for sale of LPG in Hoshiarpur - Complaint received against petitioner No.2 for concealing and suppressing facts - Allegation of not being eligible for grant of LPG distributorship - Show cause notice issued - Reply filed - Dealership terminated - Pet...

Punjab Village Common Lands (Regulation) Act, 1961 - Unauthorized occupation of Hadda Rori land - Demarcation of land - Eviction - Delay in demarcation by respondents - Writ petition seeking mandamus for expeditious demarcation and subsequent legal action - Valid demarcation report necessary to establish claim before Competent Authority - Court allows the writ petition and directs empowered Revenu...

Environmental Law – Protection of Endangered Species – Great Indian Bustard and Lesser Florican facing extinction due to collisions with overhead power lines – Interim directions issued for installation of bird divertors and conversion of overhead cables into underground powerlines where feasible – Emphasis on ecocentric approach and sustainable development – Specific...