Amnesty Scheme – Liberal Interpretation – Enquiry Initiation Date – Petitioners' declarations under the Sabka Vishwas Scheme rejected due to ongoing enquiry – Court held that any enquiry/audit/investigation initiated after the scheme commencement on 01.09.2019 cannot disqualify a declarant – Scheme aims to reduce litigation and recover dues – Liberal interpretation emphasized to fulfill legislative intent – Rejection of declarations on procedural grounds deemed improper – Petitions allowed [Paras 1-17].

Beneficial Legislation – Application Scope – Sections 123, 124, 125 of Finance Act, 2019 – Dispute on cut-off date for voluntary disclosure – Petitioner argued 30.06.2019 as cut-off date – Respondents contended ineligibility due to enquiry initiation post-01.09.2019 – Court favored petitioners' interpretation, supporting broad and liberal application of the scheme [Paras 5-6, 12-13].

Circulars and Guidelines – Board Clarifications – Circulars from Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs extended scheme benefits even to those excluded by Section 125 – Liberal interpretation endorsed by recent Supreme Court judgment in Brahampal @ Sammay v. National Insurance Company – Scheme’s success reliant on avoiding strict interpretations [Paras 13-15].

Decision – Petitions Allowed – Held – Rejection of declarations under the Amnesty Scheme set aside – Enquiries initiated post-scheme commencement irrelevant for disqualification – Liberal interpretation to advance scheme’s purpose endorsed – Orders for declaration rejection quashed [Para 17].

Panchayati Raj Act – Suspension of Sarpanch – Registration of FIR – Section 20 – Court held pendency or registration of FIR itself not sufficient for suspension – Director must form opinion on likelihood of embarrassment in duties or involvement of moral turpitude or character defect – Impugned suspension order not meeting statutory requirements set aside [Paras 1-12].

Judicial Review – Procedural Requirements – Director’s Order – Director’s suspension order did not specify how FIRs would cause embarrassment or involve moral turpitude – Court found Director only stated public interest without statutory grounds – Suspension order invalid as per statutory provision [Paras 7-8].

Acquittal and Pendency of FIRs – Impact on Suspension – Petitioner acquitted in several FIRs, some FIRs pending for years without progress – FIRs predate election, and latest FIR under investigation – Director’s order failed to account for these aspects – Suspension for long duration unjustified [Paras 9-11].

Decision – Writ Petition Allowed – Held – Suspension order and affirmation by Financial Commissioner set aside – Elected representative cannot be suspended for prolonged period without meeting statutory criteria – Orders dated 26.08.2019 and 19.12.2019 quashed [Paras 11-12].

Employee’s Compensation – Jurisdiction – Section 21 – Deceased driver killed during employment – Commissioner at Nuh awarded compensation – Appellant contended lack of jurisdiction as incident occurred in Mathura, UP – Court held jurisdiction valid where dependents reside or employer has registered office – Procedural notice irregularity does not prejudice claimants – Jurisdiction upheld [Paras 4-5].

Interest on Compensation – Section 4A – Award of 12% interest from date of incident – Appellant challenged interest from incident date – Court upheld interest award as per Section 4A for defaults in compensation payment – Statutory interest justified from date compensation fell due [Para 6].

Cause of Death – Connection with Employment – Gunshot Injury – Appellant argued death unrelated to employment – Court rejected argument – Death during employment course meets compensation criteria under Section 3(1) – Employer liable for compensation regardless of injury cause if connected to employment [Paras 7-8].

Judicial Review – Substantial Question of Law – Appeal under Section 30 requires substantial law question – Court found no substantial question of law in appeal – Commissioner’s award upheld as reasoned and justified [Para 9].

Decision – Appeal Dismissed – Held – Jurisdiction and compensation award by Commissioner at Nuh affirmed – No substantial question of law for appellate review – Appeal dismissed in limine, compensation to be released to claimants [Paras 10-12].

Industrial Disputes Act – Contractual Employees – Retrenchment – Alternative Remedy – Appellants working as Data Entry Operators under Haryana Shehari Vikas Pradhiaran (HSVP) – HSVP is a statutory authority, not a housing apartment – Appellants prima facie covered under definition of "workmen" – Single Judge’s decision to relegate appellants to alternative remedy under ID Act upheld – Reliance on MGT Som Vihar’s case misconceived as facts differ – Appeal dismissed [Paras 1-7].

Right to Continuation of Services – Contractual Employees – Retrenchment Criteria – Principles derived from precedents:

'Last Come First Go' Principle – Applicable in retrenchment but not if initial appointment is against public policy or work/conduct unsatisfactory.

Work and Conduct Evaluation – Unsatisfactory conduct nullifies seniority; services can be terminated per terms of employment.

Contractual Protection – Contractual/temporary employees have no protection against termination unless action is illegal, perverse, unreasonable, unfair, or irrational.

Renewal of Contract – Not a right; depends on management's perception of employee's usefulness and need for position [Paras 17-18].

**Judicial Review – Scope – Validity of Termination – Court examines legality, reasonableness, and fairness but does not act as appellate authority – Contractual terminations can be upheld if not vitiated by procedural infirmities [Paras 16, 19].

**Decision – Appeal Dismissed – Held – Single Judge’s order upheld; Appellants to seek remedy under Industrial Disputes Act – Initial appointments against public policy; terminations justified – No merit found in appeal [Paras 18-20].

Examination – Re-evaluation of Answer Sheets – Absence of Provision – Petitioner requested re-evaluation of answer sheets for English language and Criminal Law papers in PCS (JB) 2019 – Court held that re-evaluation is not permitted in absence of relevant rules/instructions – Clause 11 of the advertisement explicitly disallowed re-evaluation – Petition dismissed as the request does not meet the established criteria [Paras 1-19].

Judicial Review – Scope and Limits – Precedent Cases – Court referenced Supreme Court judgments including Pramod Kumar Srivastva, Secretary, All India Pre-Medical/Pre-Dental Entrance Examination v. Khushboo Srivastva, and H.P. Public Service Commission v. Mukesh Thakur – Consistent position that re-evaluation not permitted unless explicitly provided by relevant rules – Petitioner’s case did not merit deviation from established judicial norms [Paras 16-18].

Delay in Filing – Procedural Lapse – Petitioner sought answer sheets under RTI, received them in September 2020, but delayed raising grievances until December 2020 – Court found this delay undermined the merit of the petition – Absence of timely action further justified dismissal [Paras 17-18].

Decision – Writ Petition Dismissed – Held – No provision for re-evaluation in the advertised rules – Previous Supreme Court rulings reaffirm non-entitlement to re-evaluation without specific provisions – Petition dismissed with no merit [Paras 18-19].

Proclaimed Offender – Procedural Compliance – Section 82 Cr.P.C. – Petitioner declared proclaimed offender for theft – Notice of proclamation issued but not published as per statutory requirement – Period between proclamation and hearing less than prescribed 30 days – Court found procedural lapses in compliance with Section 82 – Proclamation order quashed due to non-compliance [Paras 1-12].

Judicial Review – Scope and Application – Quashing FIR – From a perusal of the FIR, prima facie cognizable offence established – No ground for quashing FIR – Procedural lapses in declaring petitioner proclaimed offender addressed separately – Judicial review emphasized adherence to procedural mandates to avoid miscarriage of justice [Paras 8, 11-12].

Decision – Petition Partly Allowed – Held – FIR not quashed; Order declaring petitioner proclaimed offender quashed – Petitioner to surrender before trial court within four weeks – Trial court directed to consider bail application promptly [Para 12].

Recruitment – Equivalence of Degrees – Armed Services – Petitioner's degree in 'Electronic Communication System Engineering' not accepted as equivalent to 'Electronics and Communication Engineering' for Commissioned Officer recruitment – Court directed respondents to take a specific decision on the equivalence of the degrees – AICTE's recognition of both degrees as equivalent in norms considered relevant – Decision to impact both present and future recruitments to avoid inconvenience to similarly situated candidates [Paras 1-17].

Judicial Review – Scope and Power – Court emphasized its duty to ensure rational and unbiased decision-making by authorities – Directive to recruiting respondents to consciously determine equivalence based on AICTE norms and course content – Ensured procedural fairness and protection of petitioner’s rights under Articles 14 and 19 of the Constitution [Paras 13-17].

Decision – Writ Petition Disposed – Held – Respondents to decide on degree equivalence within two weeks – Petitioner's claim to be considered if equivalence is affirmed – Immediate right to join training course subject to respondents' decision – Petition disposed with specific directives for timely decision-making [Paras 15-17].

Scheduled Caste Certificate – Cancellation – Inquiries and Judicial Review – Petitioners' Scheduled Caste certificates cancelled after two-level inquiry as per Supreme Court guidelines in Kumari Madhuri Patil case – Vigilance Cell and Scrutiny Committee found petitioners did not belong to Scheduled Caste – Petitioners challenged cancellation claiming lack of opportunity and improper consideration of evidence – Court upheld cancellation, finding due process followed and no perversity in findings – Petition dismissed [Paras 1-22].

Principles of Certiorari – Scope and Application – Court reiterated principles for issuing writ of certiorari as per T.C. Basappa case – Writ to correct jurisdictional errors, flagrant procedural violations, or manifest errors apparent on record – Supervisory jurisdiction emphasized, not appellate – Applied to uphold administrative findings against petitioners [Paras 17-18].

Judicial Review – Scope and Limits – High Court’s role in ensuring procedural fairness and correcting patent errors – Court found sufficient opportunities given to petitioners and due process followed by authorities – No material produced by petitioners to substantiate claims against findings of Vigilance Cell and Scrutiny Committee [Paras 19-22].

Decision – Writ Petition Dismissed – Held – Cancellation of Scheduled Caste certificates upheld – Findings of Vigilance Cell and Scrutiny Committee affirmed – No interference warranted by High Court under Article 226 [Paras 22-23].

Arbitration Proceedings – Termination – Judicial Superintendence – Petition challenged the continuation of arbitration proceedings that extended over nine years without the parties' written consent – High Court held that the arbitrator's mandate had expired, and further proceedings without written consent were unauthorized – High Court can exercise judicial superintendence under Article 227 to set aside the arbitration proceedings – Orders appointing the arbitrator and subsequent procedural orders set aside – Parties directed to appoint a new arbitrator as per the agreement [Paras 1-44].

Arbitration Time Limits – Extension Without Consent – Arbitrator's mandate extended beyond the initial six months and four-month extension without written consent from parties – Arbitrator continued proceedings for nine years – Court emphasized that arbitration must conclude within specified timeframes unless explicitly extended by mutual consent – Mandate automatically terminates upon expiration of agreed period without consent – Arbitrator's prolonged delay deemed unjust and perverse [Paras 14-43].

Judicial Review – Supervisory Jurisdiction – High Court’s power under Article 227 – Court upheld its authority to exercise judicial superintendence over arbitration matters to meet the ends of justice – Arbitration proceedings reviewed and set aside due to procedural violations and extended delays [Para 40].

Decision – Civil Revision Allowed – Held – Orders appointing arbitrator and subsequent procedural orders set aside – Directed appointment of new arbitrator as per agreement – Revision petition allowed [Paras 43-44].