Acquisition Procedure and Legal Rights - Appellant challenges legality of land acquisition process; alleges non-compliance with procedural requirements for taking possession and providing compensation, resulting in lapse of proceedings under Section 24(2) of the 2013 Act - Court examines whether actual physical possession was taken or compensation paid five years post-award - Held, proceedings lapsed due to non-compliance, acquisition notifications quashed [Paras 15-22].

Interpretation of Possession - Court rejects respondent's claims of possession, clarifies need for actual physical possession rather than symbolic; finds that actions of Land Acquisition Collector did not constitute valid possession taking, especially in light of interim status quo orders - Relies on precedents emphasizing actual possession [Paras 18-19].

Referred Cases:

Raghbir Singh Sehrawat Vs. State of Haryana and Others, AIR 2012 SC 468

Prahlad Singh and Others Vs. Union of India (UOI) and Others, (2011) 5 SCC 386

Bimla Devi Vs. State of Haryana, (2014) 6 SCC 583

Satendra Prasad Jain and Others Vs. State of U.P. and Others, AIR 1993 SC 2517

Sita Ram Bhandar Society, New Delhi Vs. Lt. Governor, Govt. of N.C.T. Delhi and Others, AIR 2010 SC 1143

Pune Municipal Corporation and Another Vs. Harakchand Misirimal Solanki and Others, AIR 2014 SC 982

Bharat Kumar Vs. State of Haryana and Another, (2014) 6 SCC 586

Punjab Produce and Trading Co. Ltd. Vs. Commissioner of Income Tax, West Bengal II, Calcutta, AIR 1971 SC 2471

Union of India (UOI) and Others Vs. Shiv Raj and Others, AIR 2014 SC 2242

Sree Balaji Nagar Residential Association Vs. State of Tamil Nadu, (2014) 10 SCALE 388

Senjeevanagar Medical and Health Employees Co-operative Housing Society Vs. Mohd. Abdul Wahab and Others, AIR 1996 SC 3360

Legal Education - Enrollment as Advocate - Appellant, holder of Licentiate of the Court of Examiners in Homoeopathy Medicines (LCEH), sought enrollment as an advocate after completing LL.B. - Bar Council of India refused enrollment stating LCEH not equivalent to a graduation degree - Issue centered on the jurisdiction and authority of Bar Council of India to decide equivalence of qualifications for legal practice - High Court dismissed appellant's writ petition, affirming Bar Council's decision - Supreme Court upheld High Court's judgment, recognizing Bar Council of India’s authority under Advocates Act to set educational standards for legal profession - Appellant's lack of recognized graduate degree, as per legal standards, found justifiably barring her from enrolling as an advocate. [Paras 2-32]

Decision: Appeal dismissed - Bar Council of India's refusal to enroll the appellant as an advocate upheld due to non-equivalence of LCEH qualification to a graduate degree as required for legal practice.

Referred Cases:

Aparna Basu Mallick v. Bar Council of India and Others, AIR 1983 Cal 461 : 87 CWN 936

Bar Council of India and another v. Aparna Basu Mallick and others, AIR 1994 SC 1334 : (1994) 1 JT 141 : (1994) 1 SCALE 194 : (1994) 2 SCC 102 : (1994) 1 UJ 257

Baldev Raj Sharma v. Bar Council of India and Others, AIR 1989 SC 1541 : (1989) 2 JT 251 : (1989) 1 SCALE 1148 : (1989) 2 SCC 91 Supp : (1989) 2 SCR 862 : (1989) 2 UJ 206

Criminal Law – Death Sentence Justified – Appeals challenging the conviction and sentence for rape and murder of a minor – Appellant was a known figure to victim's family, exploiting trust to commit the crime – Supreme Court affirms death sentence, citing the heinous nature of the crime, especially against a minor and the lack of remorse shown by the appellant – All legal standards met for 'rarest of rare' case deserving capital punishment [Paras 1-61]

Evidence Evaluation – Eyewitnesses and Recoveries – Multiple eyewitness accounts corroborate last seen theory, placing appellant with the victim – Recovery of victim's body and other material evidences such as blood-stained stones based on appellant’s disclosure – Strong medical evidence confirming sexual assault and fatal injuries – High Court's and trial court's findings on evidences upheld [Paras 12-35]

Aggravating vs. Mitigating Circumstances – Appellant's previous criminal antecedents considered; no mitigating circumstances present to offset the aggravating factors of brutality, trust breach, and vulnerability of a four-year-old victim – No evidence suggesting possibility of reformation [Paras 36-61]

Referred Cases:

C. Chenga Reddy and Others Vs. State of Andhra Pradesh, (1996) 5 AD 445 : AIR 1996 SC 3390 : (1996) CriLJ 3461 : (1996) 3 Crimes 119 : (1996) 6 JT 739 : (1996) 5 SCALE 318 : (1996) 10 SCC 193 : (1996) 3 SCR 479 Supp

Dana Yadav @ Dahu and Others Vs. State of Bihar, AIR 2002 SC 3325 : (2002) 7 JT 68 : (2002) 6 SCALE 447 : (2002) 7 SCC 295 : (2002) 2 SCR 363 Supp

Kamta Tiwari Vs. State of M.P., AIR 1996 SC 2800 : (1996) CriLJ 4158 : (1996) 3 Crimes 241 : (1996) 8 JT 198 : (1996) 6 SCALE 337 : (1996) 6 SCC 250 : (1996) 5 SCR 507 Supp

Dhananjay Chatterjee alias Dhana Vs. State of W.B., (1994) 1 JT 33 : (1994) 1 SCALE 48 : (1994) 2 SCC 220 : (1994) 1 SCR 37 : (1994) 2 UJ 106

Rumi Bora Dutta Vs. State of Assam, (2013) 6 AD 511 : AIR 2013 SC 2422 : (2013) CriLJ 3260 : (2013) 9 JT 296 : (2013) 7 SCALE 535 : (2013) 7 SCC 417 : (2013) AIRSCW 3517 : (2013) 4 Supreme 488

Shyam Narain Vs. The State of NCT of Delhi, (2013) 6 AD 204 : AIR 2013 SC 2209 : (2013) CriLJ 3009 : (2013) 2 Crimes 342 : (2013) 9 JT 42 : (2013) 3 RCR(Criminal) 102 : (2013) 7 SCALE 392 : (2013) 7 SCC 77 : (2013) AIRSCW 4130

Md. Mannan @ Abdul Mannan Vs. State of Bihar, (2011) 2 Crimes 216 : (2011) 5 JT 167 : (2011) 2 RCR(Criminal) 874 : (2011) 4 SCALE 809 : (2011) 5 SCC 317 : (2011) 2 SCC(Cri) 626 : (2011) 5 SCR 518 : (2011) 2 UJ 1819

State of Punjab Vs. Gurnam Kaur and Others, (2009) 3 JT 373 : (2009) 4 SCALE 343 : (2009) 11 SCC 225 : (2009) 4 SCR 1195 : (2009) AIRSCW 3955 : (2009) 3 Supreme 847

State of Maharashtra Vs. Damu Shinde and Others, AIR 2000 SC 1691 : (2000) CriLJ 2301 : (2000) 5 JT 575 : (2000) 4 SCALE 8 : (2000) 6 SCC 269 : (2000) AIRSCW 1617

Dharam Deo Yadav Vs. State of U.P., (2014) AIRSCW 2253 : (2014) CriLJ 2371 : (2014) 5 JT 31 : (2014) 4 SCALE 730 : (2014) 5 SCC 509

Sidhartha Vashisht @ Manu Sharma Vs. State (NCT of Delhi), AIR 2010 SC 2352 : (2010) 4 JT 107 : (2010) 4 SCALE 1 : (2010) 6 SCC 1 : (2010) 4 SCR 103 : (2010) 3 UJ 1650

A.N. Venkatesh and Another Vs. State of Karnataka, AIR 2005 SC 3809 : (2005) 100 CLT 781 : (2005) CriLJ 3732 : (2005) 7 JT 246 : (2005) 7 SCC 714

Laxman Naik Vs. State of Orissa, AIR 1995 SC 1387 : (1995) CriLJ 2692 : (1994) 1 Crimes 806 : (1994) 2 JT 39 : (1994) 1 SCALE 692 : (1994) 3 SCC 381 : (1994) 2 SCR 94 : (1994) 1 UJ 645

Surendra Koli Vs. State of U.P. Ors., AIR 2011 SC 970 : (2011) 2 Crimes 56 : (2011) 2 JT 118 : (2011) 2 RCR(Criminal) 12 : (2011) 2 RCR(Criminal) 1 : (2011) 2 SCALE 490 : (2011) 4 SCC 80 : (2011) 2 SCC(Cri) 92 : (2011) 2 SCR 939 : (2011) 2 UJ 964 : (2011) AIRSCW 3628 : (2011) AIRSCW 3913 : (2011) 3 Supreme 746 : (2011) 2 Supreme 281

Himachal Pradesh Administration Vs. Om Prakash, AIR 1972 SC 975 : (1972) CriLJ 606 : (1972) 1 SCC 249 : (1972) SCC(Cri) 88 : (1972) 2 SCR 765

Rabindra Kumar Pal @ Dara Singh Vs. Republic of India, AIR 2011 SC 1436 : (2011) 1 Crimes 217 : (2011) 1 JT 350 : (2011) 1 RCR(Criminal) 641 : (2011) 1 SCALE 615 : (2011) 2 SCC 490 : (2011) 1 SCC(Cri) 706 : (2011) 1 SCR 929 : (2011) 1 UJ 353 : (2011) AIRSCW 1865 : (2011) AIRSCW 606 : (2011) 2 Supreme 449 : (2011) 1 Supreme 353

Aftab Ahmad Anasari Vs. State of Uttaranchal, AIR 2010 SC 773 : (2010) CLT 499 : (2010) 1 Crimes 97 : (2010) 1 JT 424 : (2010) 1 SCALE 408 : (2010) 2 SCC 583 : (2010) 1 SCR 1027

Hanumant Vs. The State of Madhya Pradesh, AIR 1952 SC 343 : (1953) CriLJ 129 : (1952) 1 SCR 1091

Bachan Singh Vs. State of Punjab, AIR 1980 SC 898 : (1980) CriLJ 636 : (1982) 1 SCALE 713 : (1980) 2 SCC 684 : (1980) SCC(Cri) 174 : (1983) 1 SCR 145

Sharad Birdhichand Sarda Vs. State of Maharashtra, AIR 1984 SC 1622 : (1984) CriLJ 1738 : (1984) 2 SCALE 445 : (1984) 4 SCC 116 : (1985) 1 SCR 88

Udai Bhan Vs. The State of Uttar Pradesh, AIR 1962 SC 1116 : (1962) 2 SCR 830 Supp

Prakash Chand Vs. State (Delhi Administration), AIR 1979 SC 400 : (1979) CriLJ 329 : (1979) 3 SCC 90 : (1979) SCC(Cri) 656 : (1979) 2 SCR 330 : (1979) 11 UJ 17

Rajendra Pralhadrao Wasnik Vs. The State of Maharashtra, AIR 2012 SC 1377 : (2012) CriLJ 1917 : (2012) 1 Crimes 342 : (2012) 3 SCALE 182 : (2012) 4 SCC 37 : (2012) AIRSCW 1939 : (2012) 2 Supreme 196

Mohmed Inayatullah Vs. The State of Maharashtra, AIR 1976 SC 483 : (1976) CriLJ 481 : (1976) 1 SCC 828 : (1976) SCC(Cri) 199 : (1976) 1 SCR 715

Machhi Singh and Others Vs. State of Punjab, AIR 1983 SC 957 : (1983) CriLJ 1457 : (1983) 2 Crimes 268 : (1983) 2 SCALE 1 : (1983) 3 SCC 470 : (1983) 3 SCR 413

Devender Pal Singh Vs. State National Capital Territory of Delhi and Another, AIR 2002 SC 1661 : (2002) CriLJ 2034 : (2002) 2 Crimes 133 : (2002) 3 JT 264 : (2002) 3 SCALE 139 : (2002) 5 SCC 234 : (2002) 2 SCR 767 : (2002) AIRSCW 1586 : (2002) 3 Supreme 9

C. Muniappan and Others Vs. State of Tamil Nadu, AIR 2010 SC 3718 : (2010) 9 JT 95 : (2010) 9 SCC 567 : (2010) 10 SCR 262

State of Maharashtra Vs. Bharat Fakira Dhiwar, AIR 2002 SC 16 : (2002) CriLJ 218 : (2002) 1 Crimes 164 : (2001) 9 JT 407 : (2001) 7 SCALE 602 : (2002) 1 SCC 622 : (2002) 1 UJ 292 : (2001) AIRSCW 4609 : (2001) 8 Supreme 309

State of Maharashtra Vs. Suresh, (1999) 9 JT 513 : (1999) 7 SCALE 386 : (2000) 1 SCC 471 : (1999) 5 SCR 215 Supp : (2000) 1 UJ 326

State of T.N. Vs. Suresh and Another, AIR 1998 SC 1044 : (1998) CriLJ 1416 : (1997) 4 Crimes 414 : (1997) 9 JT 647 : (1997) 7 SCALE 402 : (1998) 2 SCC 372 : (1997) 6 SCR 203 Supp : (1998) AIRSCW 819 : (1997) 10 Supreme 426

Haresh Mohandas Rajput Vs. State of Maharashtra, AIR 2011 SC 3681 : (2011) 4 Crimes 163 : (2011) 10 JT 493 : (2011) 4 RCR(Criminal) 257 : (2011) 10 SCALE 629 : (2011) 12 SCC 56 : (2011) 6 UJ 3571 : (2011) AIRSCW 5414 : (2011) 6 Supreme 450

Bhagwan Dass Vs. State (NCT) of Delhi, AIR 2011 SC 1863 : (2011) CriLJ 2903 : (2011) 2 Crimes 266 : (2011) 6 JT 345 : (2011) 2 RCR(Criminal) 920 : (2011) 5 SCALE 498 : (2011) 6 SCC 396 : (2011) 2 UJ 1770 : (2011) AIRSCW 2867 : (2011) 3 Supreme 729

Akhtar Vs. State of U.P., (1999) CriLJ 5007 : (1999) 9 JT 348 : (1999) 6 SCC 60

Sudam @ Rahul Kaniram Jadhav Vs. State of Maharashtra, (2011) 7 JT 335 : (2011) 3 RCR(Criminal) 526 : (2011) 7 SCALE 415 : (2011) 7 SCC 125 : (2011) 3 SCC(Cri) 56

Deepak Chandrakant Patil Vs. State of Maharashtra, AIR 2006 SC 1708 : (2006) 3 JT 537 : (2006) 3 SCALE 229 : (2006) 10 SCC 151 : (2006) 1 UJ 778 : (2006) AIRSCW 1637 : (2006) 3 Supreme 162

Bantu Vs. The State of U.P., (2008) 8 JT 136 : (2008) 11 SCC 113

Rent Law - Deemed Vacancy - Interpretation of Section 12(3) of the Uttar Pradesh Urban Buildings (Regulation of Letting, Rent and Eviction) Act, 1972 - Concerns whether a tenant's acquisition of a new residential property before the Act's applicability to the tenancy leads to 'deemed vacancy' - Supreme Court overturns High Court's decision, holding that prior acquisitions do fall under the scope of the Act if alternative accommodation is acquired after the tenancy begins - Context and scheme of Act suggest the provision is intended to cover situations where tenant already has another residence irrespective of the Act's commencement date - Proviso to Section 12(3) explained as giving additional protection to tenant for one year post-Act commencement, rather than restricting the main provision's applicability - Full Bench judgment incorrectly interpreted by High Court, leading to erroneous legal conclusion - Order of Rent Controller restored, declaring the tenant's premises vacant. [Paras 3-18]

Referred Cases:

Kewal Singh Vs. Smt. Lajwanti, AIR 1980 SC 161

Gajanan Dattatraya Vs. Sherbanu Hosang Patel and Others, AIR 1975 SC 2156

Prabhakaran Nair and Others Vs. State of Tamil Nadu and Others, AIR 1987 SC 2117

Mangi Lal Vs. V Addl. District and Sessions Judge and Others, (1980) AWC 33

Malpe Vishwanath Acharya and Others Vs. State of Maharashtra and Another, AIR 1998 SC 602

Shiv Sarup Gupta Vs. Dr. Mahesh Chand Gupta, AIR 1999 SC 2507

Goppulal Vs. Thakurji Shriji Shriji Dwarakadheeshji and Another, AIR 1969 SC 1291

Reserve Bank of India Vs. Peerless General Finance and Investment Co. Ltd. and Others, (1987) 1 SCALE 100

S. Sundaram Pillai and Others Vs. `R. Pattabiraman and Others, AIR 1985 SC 582

Arjun Khiamal Makhijani Vs. Jamnadas C. Tuliani and Others, (1989) 4 JT 74

Mst. Bega Begum and Others Vs. Abdul Ahad Khan (Dead) by Lrs. and Others, AIR 1979 SC 272

Joginder Pal Vs. Naval Kishore Behal, AIR 2002 SC 2256

Arbitration Law – Challenge against High Court's setting aside of an arbitration award – Claims initially awarded to appellant for construction delays and cost escalations caused by respondent – Claims for delays, hire charges for shuttering and extra establishment costs granted by arbitrator, upheld by Single Judge, but set aside by Division Bench – Supreme Court restores arbitrator's award, emphasizing limited scope of judicial intervention in arbitral awards as per Section 34 of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996 – Held that factual determinations by the arbitrator, unless showing patent illegality or irrationality, should not be interfered with – Supreme Court reiterates adherence to the arbitrator's factual findings and awards based on evidence presented. [Paras 1-29]

Referred Cases:

Hindustan Zinc Ltd. Vs. Friends Coal Carbonisation, (2006) 4 SCC 445

Delhi Development Authority Vs. R.S. Sharma and Co., (2008) 13 SCC 80

Union of India (UOI) Vs. Col. L.S.N. Murthy, (2012) 1 SCC 718

Harsha Constructions Vs. Union of India (UOI), (2014) 9 SCC 246

Central Inland Water Transport Corporation Limited Vs. Brojo Nath Ganguly, (1986) 3 SCC 156

Renusagar Power Co. Ltd. Vs. General Electric Co., (1994) 1 SCC 644 Supp

Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Ltd. Vs. SAW Pipes Ltd., (2003) 5 SCC 705

J.G. Engineers Pvt. Ltd. Vs. Union of India (UOI), (2011) 5 SCC 758

State of Rajasthan and Others Vs. Basant Nahata, (2005) 12 SCC 77

Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Ltd. Vs. Western Geco International Ltd., (2014) 9 SCC 263

Centrotrade Minerals and Metal Inc. Vs. Hindustan Copper Limited, (2006) 11 SCC 245

Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996 - Interpretation of Section 31(7) - The Supreme Court confirms that the Arbitral Tribunal has the discretion to include interest as part of the principal sum awarded for pre-award periods and that such sum may accrue interest post-award unless otherwise specified by the arbitral award - The term 'sum' as used in the award includes both the principal and any pre-award interest, thus permitting compound interest post-award unless expressly ruled out by the award - Clarifies that interest on the total sum awarded, inclusive of any interest component accrued pre-award, does not constitute 'interest on interest' but is a continuation of interest on the principal sum now inclusive of pre-award interest [Paras 30-32, 66-70].

Referred Cases:

McDermott International Inc. Vs. Burn Standard Co. Ltd. and Others, (2006) 2 ARBLR 498 : (2007) 3 CompLJ 213 : (2006) 11 JT 376 : (2006) 6 SCALE 220 : (2006) 11 SCC 181 : (2006) 2 SCR 409 Supp

U.P. Cooperative Federation Ltd. Vs. Three Circles, (2009) 12 JT 123 : (2009) 12 SCALE 443 : (2009) 10 SCC 374 : (2009) 15 SCR 310 : (2009) 9 UJ 4416

Bhai Jaspal Singh and Another Vs. Assistant Commissioner of Commercial Taxes and Others, (2010) 11 JT 562 : (2010) 11 SCALE 263 : (2011) 1 SCC 39 : (2010) 35 VST 456

Central Bank of India Vs. Ravindra and Others, AIR 2001 SC 3095 : (2001) 107 CompCas 416 : (2001) 9 JT 101 : (2001) 7 SCALE 351 : (2002) 1 SCC 367 : (2001) AIRSCW 4468 : (2001) 7 Supreme 764

State of U.P. and Another Vs. Synthetics and Chemicals Ltd. and Another, (1993) 41 ECC 326 : (1991) 3 JT 268 : (1993) 2 SCALE 65 : (1991) 2 SCALE 110 : (1991) 4 SCC 139 : (1991) 3 SCR 64 : (1992) 87 STC 289 : (1991) 2 UJ 396

Tamil Nadu State Electricity Board Vs. Central Electricity Regulatory Commission and Others, AIR 2007 SC 1711 : (2007) ELR 1155 : (2007) 6 JT 74 : (2007) 6 SCALE 26 : (2007) 6 SCR 416 : (2007) 1 UJ 575 : (2007) AIRSCW 2699

Union of India (UOI) Through Director of Income Tax Vs. Tata Chemicals Ltd., (2014) AIRSCW 4644 : (2014) 363 ITR 658 : (2014) 4 JT 430 : (2014) 4 SCALE 32 : (2014) 6 SCC 335

Darshan Singh and Others Vs. State of Punjab, AIR 1953 SC 83 : (1953) 19 CLT 419 : (1953) CriLJ 525 : (1953) 4 SCR 319

Pratibha Processors and others Vs. Union of India and others, (1996) 8 AD 261 : AIR 1997 SC 138 : (2002) 82 ECC 233 : (1996) 88 ELT 12 : (1996) 9 JT 478 : (1996) 7 SCALE 737 : (1996) 11 SCC 101 : (1996) 7 SCR 596 Supp : (1996) AIRSCW 4299

H.P. Housing and Urban Devt. Auth. and Another Vs. Ranjit Singh Rana, AIR 2012 SC 1337 : (2012) 2 ARBLR 1 : (2012) 2 CTC 445 : (2012) 3 SCALE 412 : (2012) 4 SCC 505 : (2012) AIRSCW 2034 : (2012) 2 Supreme 558

M/s. Fuerst Day Lawson Ltd. Vs. Jindal Exports Ltd., AIR 2001 SC 2293 : (2001) 2 ARBLR 1 : (2001) 3 CompLJ 9 : (2001) 1 JT 263 Supp : (2001) 3 SCALE 708 : (2001) 6 SCC 356 : (2001) 3 SCR 479 : (2001) AIRSCW 2087 : (2001) 4 Supreme 141

Nasiruddin and Others Vs. Sita Ram Agarwal, AIR 2003 SC 1543 : (2003) 4 CTC 284 : (2003) 2 JT 56 : (2003) 1 SCALE 658 : (2003) 2 SCC 577 : (2003) 1 SCR 634 : (2003) 2 UJ 781 : (2003) AIRSCW 1474 : (2003) AIRSCW 908 : (2003) 2 Supreme 472 : (2003) 2 Supreme 50

N.S. Nayak and Sons, Heera Constructions and Rani Constructions Pvt. Ltd. Vs. State of Goa and Another, (2003) 3 ARBLR 109 : (2003) 3 CompLJ 193 : (2003) 4 SCALE 622 : (2003) 6 SCC 56 : (2003) 44 SCL 460 : (2003) 1 SCR 69 Supp : (2003) 2 UJ 1227

State of Haryana and Others Vs. S.L. Arora and Company, AIR 2010 SC 1511 : (2010) 2 JT 534 : (2010) 3 SCC 690 : (2010) 3 SCR 297

Sree Kamatchi Amman Constructions Vs. The Divisional Railway Manager (Works), Palghat and Others, AIR 2010 SC 3337 : (2010) 9 JT 57 : (2010) 8 SCC 767 : (2010) 10 SCR 487 : (2010) 8 UJ 3964 : (2010) AIRSCW 5326 : (2010) 6 Supreme 402

Keshavji Ravji and Co. etc., etc. Vs. Commissioner of Income Tax, AIR 1991 SC 1806 : (1992) 2 SCC 231 : (1990) 49 TAXMAN 87

Dr Ganga Prasad Verma and Others Vs. State of Bihar and Others, (1995) 1 SCC 192 Supp : (1995) 1 SCC 192 : (1994) 5 SCR 455 Supp

Oil and Natural Gas Commission Vs. M.C. Clelland Engineers S.A., AIR 1999 SC 1614 : (1999) 3 JT 202 : (1999) 2 SCALE 727 : (1999) 4 SCC 327 : (1999) 2 SCR 830 : (1999) 2 UJ 825 : (1999) AIRSCW 1224 : (1999) 4 Supreme 235

Sayeed Ahmed and Co. Vs. State of U.P. and Others, (2009) 9 JT 429 : (2009) 9 SCALE 261 : (2009) 12 SCC 26 : (2009) 11 SCR 841 : (2009) 8 UJ 3559

Land Acquisition - Appellant challenged acquisition of his land used for firework manufacturing under the Land Acquisition Act, 1894, citing violation of Article 14 due to discriminatory release of similar lands - High Court dismissed the writ - Supreme Court finds merit in appellant's claims under the Right to Fair Compensation Act, 2013, noting procedural lapses including non-payment of compensation within statutory timelines - Held, acquisition proceedings deemed lapsed under Section 24(2) of the Act of 2013 - Acquisition quashed [Paras 1-24].

Application of Section 24(2) - Held, proceedings lapse if compensation not paid or land not taken within five years prior to 2014 when the 2013 Act commenced - Court emphasized the non-exclusion of time during which land acquisition was stayed by court orders, following precedent in Sree Balaji Nagar Residential Association vs. State of Tamil Nadu [Para 21].

Referred Cases:

Bimla Devi vs. State of Haryana, (2014) 7 SCALE 215: (2014) 6 SCC 583

Pune Municipal Corporation vs. Harakchand Misirimal Solanki, AIR 2014 SC 982: (2014) 3 SCC 183

Bharat Kumar vs. State of Haryana, (2014) 3 SCALE 393: (2014) 6 SCC 586

Sube Singh vs. State of Haryana, AIR 2001 SC 3285: (2001) 7 SCC 545

Union of India (UOI) vs. Shiv Raj, AIR 2014 SC 2242: (2014) 6 SCC 564

Sree Balaji Nagar Residential Association vs. State of Tamil Nadu, (2014) 10 SCALE 388

Kidnapping for Ransom – Prosecution story substantiated by testimonies of multiple witnesses including victim’s family and the rickshaw puller - Facts established show appellant’s involvement in kidnapping and subsequent ransom negotiation - Conviction upheld based on detailed witness accounts and corroborative evidence [Paras 3-14]

Legal Assessment – High Court's detailed discussion of evidence not cryptic, addresses every crucial aspect - Identification of accused by the victim’s father during ransom transaction crucial, upheld by court despite absence of test identification parade, relying on direct and circumstantial evidence - High Court’s reliance on established precedents regarding identification parades and in-court identification as adequate [Paras 8-14]

Decision – Appeal dismissed - High Court’s judgment affirmed as evidence and legal standards sufficiently met [Para 15]

Referred Cases:

Ashok Debbarma @ Achak Debbarma Vs. State of Tripura, (2014) 4 SCC 747

Rama and Others Vs. State of Rajasthan, AIR 2002 SC 1814

Kanta Prashad Vs. Delhi Administration, AIR 1958 SC 350

R. Shaji Vs. State of Kerala, AIR 2013 SC 651

Prasad @ Hari Prasad Acharya Vs. State of Karnataka, AIR 2009 SC 1911

Kanan and Others Vs. State of Kerala, AIR 1979 SC 1127

Ravi Kapur Vs. State of Rajasthan, AIR 2012 SC 2986

Ram Ratan Vs. State of Rajasthan, (2010) 13 SCC 509

Badam Singh Vs. State of Madhya Pradesh, AIR 2004 SC 26

Jurisdiction and Authority of State Human Rights Commission - Analyzed in the light of the Urban Land (Ceiling and Regulation) Repeal Act, 1999, and related State actions concerning land designated as surplus under previous legislation - Court held that the Human Rights Commission exceeded its jurisdiction by ordering the eviction of encroachers based on disputed title and possession rights, which were not conclusively established by any competent authority [Paras 42-47].

Property Rights and State Action - Appeal concerning the State's authority to dispose of land declared surplus under repealed statutes and the subsequent rights of possession and title held by a housing society and alleged encroachers - Supreme Court sets aside the lower court's and Human Rights Commission's orders, directing status quo on possession and calling for determination of rights by a competent court [Paras 48-50].

Impact of Repeal of Land Ceiling Act - Examination of how repeal impacted ongoing disputes over land declared surplus prior to repeal - Court emphasizes need for clear determination of possession and title post-repeal, highlighting legal complexities in transition from old to new regulatory frameworks [Paras 13-14, 37-40].

Decision: The Supreme Court set aside the orders of the Andhra Pradesh Human Rights Commission and the judgment of the learned Single Judge in Writ Petition No. 10414 of 2011 as well as the judgments in related Writ Appeals, leaving it open for the parties to seek remedies before appropriate legal fora and directed to maintain status quo regarding possession of the disputed land until rights are determined by a competent court.

Referred Cases:

Government of Andhra Pradesh Vs. Thummala Krishna Rao and Another, AIR 1982 SC 1081 : (1982) 1 SCALE 180 : (1982) 2 SCC 134 : (1982) 3 SCR 500 : (1982) 14 UJ 259

P.T. Munichikkanna Reddy and Others Vs. Revamma and Others, AIR 2007 SC 1753 : (2007) 6 JT 86 : (2007) 6 SCALE 95 : (2007) 6 SCC 59 : (2007) 5 SCR 491 : (2007) AIRSCW 2897 : (2007) 3 Supreme 751

SUPREME COURT OF INDIA

DIVISION BENCH

G. MANIKYAMMA — AppellantVs.ROUDRI CO-OPERATIVE HOUSING SOCIETY LTD. — Respondent

( Before : Sharad Arvind Bobde, J; Jasti Chelameswar, J )

Civil Appeal Nos. 10534-10535 of 2014 (Arising out of Special Leave Petition (Civil) No. 26315-26316 of 2013) and Civil Appeal No. 10536 of 2014 (Arising out of Special Leave Petition (Civil) No. 38017 of 2013)

Decided on : 25-11-2014

Civil Procedure Code, 1908 (CPC) - Section 9

Constitution of India, 1950 - Article 14, Article 21, Article 252, Article 300A

Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993 - Section 12

Urban Land (Ceiling and Regulation) Act, 1976 - Section 10, Section 10(1), Section 10(3), Section 10(5), Section 10(6), Section 20(1), Section 23, Section 6, Section 8, Section 9, Section 9(1), Section 9(3), Section 9(5)

Urban Land (Ceiling and Regulation) Repeal Act, 1999 - Section 1, Section 2

Cases Referred

Government of Andhra Pradesh Vs. Thummala Krishna Rao and Another, AIR 1982 SC 1081 : (1982) 1 SCALE 180 : (1982) 2 SCC 134 : (1982) 3 SCR 500 : (1982) 14 UJ 259

P.T. Munichikkanna Reddy and Others Vs. Revamma and Others, AIR 2007 SC 1753 : (2007) 6 JT 86 : (2007) 6 SCALE 95 : (2007) 6 SCC 59 : (2007) 5 SCR 491 : (2007) AIRSCW 2897 : (2007) 3 Supreme 751