Civil Writ - Service Law - Retiral Benefits – Withholding Due to Pending Criminal Proceedings – Criminal Case Abated – No Disciplinary Action Initiated – Held Arbitrary - The deceased teacher was accused of misappropriating ₹4,00,000 but no disciplinary proceeding was initiated and the criminal case abated due to his death – Held: Retiral benefits cannot be withheld in absence of proven misconduct – Pension is a vested right of the deceased [Paras 1, 4, 8-9].

No-Liability Certificate – Refusal by School on Grounds of Unproven Allegation – Unwarranted - The school declined to issue the certificate citing lack of evidence on fund usage – Held: In absence of disciplinary proceedings or conviction, denial of certificate unjustified – Court directed school to issue certificate within three weeks [Paras 3, 5, 9].

DCRB Scheme – Applicability of Para 19(5) – Not Attracted – No Pending Proceedings - Paragraph 19(5) bars disbursal of final pension if judicial/departmental proceedings are pending – Since no such proceedings were in place, the provision inapplicable – Retiral dues must be released [Para 8-9].

Direction to State – Duty to Disburse Pension Benefits – Petition Allowed - Court ordered issuance of 'No-Liability Certificate' and directed State to disburse arrear retiral benefits and initiate family pension – Held: State may initiate recovery as per law, but cannot deny pension without proof of liability [Final Para].
 

Civil Law - Auction Sale – Stamp Duty on Sale Certificate – Auction Value Prevails – Demand on Market Value Held Illegal - Petitioners purchased immovable property in public auction conducted by SBI – Sub-Registrar refused to register Sale Certificates unless stamp duty was paid on market value instead of bid amount – Held: Registration authorities must assess duty based on auction price, not market rate [Paras 3-6, 9-10].

Precedents – Consistent Judicial View on Auction Sales – Registration to Follow Auction Price - Court reiterated settled legal position from multiple precedents including V.N. Devadoss, Marvel Financial Services Ltd., and recent Supreme Court decision in Ferrous Alloy Forgings Pvt. Ltd. – Held: No deviation permissible by registration authorities from binding precedent [Paras 7-8].

Sale Certificate – Not Compulsorily Registrable Unless Used Otherwise – Supreme Court Clarification - A sale certificate issued by an authorised officer under auction need not be compulsorily registered unless used to transfer title or for other purposes – Held: Stamp duty arises only if voluntary registration is sought and must be calculated based on auction value [Para 7].

Direction to Registering Authority – Duty to Act on Auction Price – Mandamus Issued - Sub-Registrar directed to assess and collect stamp duty based on auction bid of ₹55,10,000 and process registration accordingly within two weeks – Held: Executive action contrary to judicial precedent not sustainable [Para 10].

Criminal Law - Discharge Petition – Absence of FIR Mention Not Ground to Discharge – Petition Dismissed – Petitioner sought discharge citing non-mention of name in FIR and acquittal of co-accused in original trial – Court held that FIR is not an encyclopedia and acquittal of co-accused irrelevant as evidence was not recorded in presence of present petitioner – Charge sheet disclosed prima facie case based on investment inducement and petitioner’s role as company Director – Discharge rightly denied [Paras 2-4, 8-11].

Discharge Procedure – Timely Filing Under BNSS Critical – Application Filed Without Clarifying Timelines – Court noted that under Section 262(2) BNSS, discharge application must be filed within 60 days from supply of documents under Section 230 BNSS – Petitioner failed to clarify filing date or compliance with procedural timelines – Held: Procedural default further undermined challenge [Para 6].

Revisional Scope – Interference With Discharge Order Limited – Principles Reiterated – Court emphasized that revisional powers under Sections 397/401 CrPC should not be used to re-appreciate evidence or substitute views unless there is manifest illegality or jurisdictional error – Trial Court applied correct legal tests; no interference warranted [Paras 7, 10-11].

Decision – Revision Dismissed – Impugned order refusing discharge upheld – Trial to proceed as framed charges disclose grave suspicion – Petition dismissed on contest without costs [Para 12].

Nominee Under Insurance Act – Beneficial Nominee vs. Heir – Nominee Not Absolute Owner – Writ Dismissed – Court held that nomination under Section 39(7) of the Insurance Act, though termed “beneficial”, does not override statutory rights of heirs under Hindu Succession Act – Held: Succession law is a specific statute on devolution of property; Insurance Act is general – Hence, nomination only ensures payment to nominee but not title to proceeds in exclusion of legal heirs [Paras 25–35].

Conflicting Judicial Opinions – Divergent Views Among High Courts – Harmonious Construction Adopted – Allahabad High Court noted conflicting rulings from Delhi, AP, Madras (favoring beneficial nominee) vs. Karnataka and MP (favoring succession) – Applied principle of generalia specialibus non derogant to hold that specific law of succession prevails – Reaffirmed that mere nomination does not exclude lawful heirs [Paras 16–20, 26–35].

Comparison with Banking Regulation Act – Section 39 Insurance Act is Pari Materia with Section 45-ZA – Only Collection Right Conferred – Court compared interpretation of similar nomination provision under Banking Regulation Act – Relied on SC ruling in Ram Chander Talwar to conclude that nominee under insurance policy holds proceeds in trust and not as absolute owner [Paras 10–13, 35(i)].

Supreme Court Precedent – Shakti Yezdani Followed – Nominee Does Not Override Succession Law – SC’s ruling in Shakti Yezdani v. Jayanand Salgaonkar applied – Nomination facilitates transmission but does not create a third mode of succession – Legal heirs can claim title despite nomination [Paras 21–22, 35(ii)].

Interpretation – Special Law Over General – Hindu Succession Act Prevails Over Insurance Act – Held – Succession rights being governed by specific personal law must prevail – Insurance Act is not a succession statute; its purpose is regulatory and administrative – Nomination cannot extinguish heirship rights [Paras 26–35].

Decision – Writ Petition Dismissed – Revision Court’s Order Affirmed – Insurance proceeds to be invested in fixed deposit in minor heir’s name – Certificate under Article 134-A granted for appeal to Supreme Court due to public importance and conflicting precedents [Paras 36–38].

Criminal Law - Murder vs. Culpable Homicide – Reclassification to Section 304 Part II IPC – Intent to Kill Not Established – The appellant was convicted for murder under Section 302 for stabbing a police constable during a raid – However, the injury was on the wrist, not a vital part, and occurred during a scuffle when the appellant was trying to escape arrest – Held: No clear intention to kill was established – Conviction under Section 302 altered to Section 304 Part II IPC [Paras 18-19].

Police Testimony – Sole Reliance – Credibility Upheld – All eyewitnesses to the incident were police officers – Court relied on consistent and corroborated testimonies from multiple officers, citing legal precedent that police evidence can be the basis of conviction if found credible – No independent civilian witnesses were available due to the nature of the raid [Paras 11-12].

Medical Evidence – Non-Vital Injury Led to Death – Injury on the deceased’s left arm ruptured brachial vessels and caused death due to shock – PM doctor confirmed the wound could cause death, but not necessarily inflicted with intent to kill – Held: Injury sufficient in ordinary course to cause death, but intent not proven [Para 10].

Final Decision – Conviction Modified – Life Imprisonment Set Aside – Conviction altered to Section 304 Part II IPC – Appellant sentenced to 10 years rigorous imprisonment and ₹5,000 fine – Ordered release if not required in any other offence [Para 20].

Criminal Law – Quashing of FIR – Allegations of Sexual Harassment and Intimidation – Petition Dismissed – Petitioner sought quashing of FIR under Sections 354, 354A, 506 IPC, alleging false implication by his niece-in-law – The Court noted that FIR disclosed specific acts of molestation and intimidation occurring over a sustained period – Held: Allegations, if taken at face value, prima facie disclosed commission of cognizable offences – Mere absence of such claims in parallel proceedings or assertions of malafide cannot justify quashing at preliminary stage – Petition dismissed [Paras 2–13].

Bail - NDPS Offense – Commercial Quantity – Application of Section 37 – Bail Granted – Petitioner accused of possessing 71 Buprenorphine injections, constituting commercial quantity under FSL report – Despite applicability of statutory bar under Section 37, prolonged incarceration of 1 year and 5 months invoked constitutional protection under Article 21 – Held: Bail granted subject to strict conditions [Paras 6-11].

Clean Antecedents – No Prior Criminal Record – Considered Favorably – Petitioner had no criminal history and undertook not to indulge in any future NDPS Act offense – Assurance accepted as mitigating factor justifying conditional release [Paras 2, 4].

Prolonged Pre-trial Custody – Grounds for Bail – Article 21 Consideration – Noted by Court that trial had not commenced and petitioner was in custody for over 1.5 years – Delay in trial held to be unjustified restraint on liberty – Conditional liberty granted to ensure fairness and avoid irreversible injustice [Paras 10-13].

Comparative Precedents – Supreme Court Bail Orders Followed – Cited series of SC judgments including Chitta Biswas, Rajib Dey, and Tajmul SK cases granting bail in commercial quantity NDPS cases with long incarceration – Held: Constitutional guarantee of liberty prevails over statutory embargo when trial delay is substantial [Paras 9, 11, 12].

Firearm Restrictions – Bail Condition – Court imposed prohibition on possession of arms post-release, citing need to protect society and deter intimidation of witnesses – This measure based on preponderance of probability rather than certainty [Para 20].

Decision – Petition Allowed – Bail Granted – Regular bail granted to petitioner under strict compliance terms including personal bond, prohibition on weapon possession, and cooperation with trial – State at liberty to seek cancellation of bail upon any future NDPS offense by petitioner [Paras 15-26].
 

Bail – Jurisdiction of Magistrate – Offences under SC/ST Act and IPC Section 409 – Bail Order Set Aside - The learned Magistrate rejected remand of accused but also granted bail in offences triable by Sessions/Special Court including under SC/ST Act and Section 409 IPC – Held: Though rejection of remand was within discretion of Magistrate, granting bail was beyond jurisdiction – Victim not heard as required under Section 15A(3) SC/ST Act – High Court held Magistrate’s order granting bail without jurisdiction was legally unsustainable – Appeal partly allowed; remand rejection upheld, bail order set aside [Paras 6-13].

Criminal Law - Motor Vehicle Accident – Rash and Negligent Driving – Sections 279 and 304(A) IPC – Conviction Set Aside – The accused was convicted by the Trial Court and the same was upheld by the First Appellate Court for allegedly causing death by rash and negligent driving – Held: Prosecution failed to establish rashness or negligence beyond reasonable doubt – Sole eyewitness PW-1 found to be unreliable, with contradictory testimony and no corroboration from other witnesses – Postmortem report indicated presence of alcohol in deceased’s body – Benefit of doubt extended to accused – Conviction and sentence quashed [Paras 12–20].

Eyewitness Testimony – Reliability – PW-1's Presence at Scene Disbelieved – PW-1 claimed to be eyewitness but admitted visiting hospital on call from accused and signing documents at police station – Held: Testimony found doubtful and inconsistent – No other eyewitness supported the prosecution version – Spot mahazar not supported by credible firsthand account – Conviction cannot rest solely on untrustworthy evidence [Paras 13–14].

Speed and Rashness – Mere High Speed Not Equivalent to Rash Driving – Reference to Supreme Court Judgment in State of Karnataka v. Satish (1998) 8 SCC 493 – Held: No material on record showing actual speed or driving behaviour of accused to infer rashness – High speed, without context, not enough to establish offence under Section 279 IPC [Paras 15–17].

Foreseeability and Contributory Negligence – Influence of Alcohol on Deceased – Postmortem showed strong traces of alcohol in deceased – Held: Prosecution failed to show foreseeability or breach of duty by accused – In absence of clear proximate cause linking accused’s conduct to the fatal accident, conviction unsustainable [Paras 18–19].

Final Decision – Acquittal Ordered – Revision allowed – Conviction and sentence by Trial and Appellate Courts set aside – Fine, if paid, to be refunded [Para 20].