Criminal Law – Acquittal – Appeal against High Court’s order acquitting accused – High Court found prosecution case to suffer from serious infirmities and inconsistencies – Missing links in chain of circumstances – Prosecution failed to establish guilt beyond reasonable doubt – Acquittal upheld by Supreme Court [Paras 19-26].

Conspiracy – Circumstantial Evidence – Direct evidence of conspiracy seldom available – Conspiracy inferred from circumstances – Prosecution failed to prove complete chain of circumstances linking accused to crime – High Court's reasoning endorsed by Supreme Court [Paras 25-28, 29].

Evidence – Witness Credibility – Hostile Witnesses – Several key witnesses turned hostile – Inconsistencies in prosecution evidence – High Court's appreciation of evidence found to be correct – Acquittal upheld [Paras 30-40, 41-50].

Decision – Appeals dismissed – High Court’s judgment acquitting accused persons upheld [Para 50].

Mining Law – Transportation of Iron Ore – Legislative Policy – Rule 12(1)(gg) of the Minerals Concession Rules grants lessees six months to remove mineral ore after lease termination – The Supreme Court set aside the High Court’s order, permitting transportation of royalty-paid iron ore mined before 15.03.2018 – State of Goa’s decision to allow such transportation upheld [Paras 1-37].

Judicial Review – Consistency with Supreme Court Orders – The High Court's interpretation restricting transportation was found incorrect – Orders dated 04.04.2018 and 11.05.2018 by the Supreme Court Bench allowed transportation of royalty-paid iron ore – Legislative intent and policy considered [Paras 19-32].

Environmental and Regulatory Compliance – Strict Monitoring – State to ensure only iron ore mined before 15.03.2018 is transported – Compliance with all other directions from Goa Foundation-II judgment mandated [Para 37].

Decision: Appeals allowed. The Supreme Court upheld the State of Goa’s decision dated 21.03.2018, allowing the transportation of royalty-paid iron ore mined prior to 15.03.2018. Transportation must be completed within six months from the judgment date.

Rent Control – Determination of Fair Rent – Appeal against High Court order dismissing challenge to fair rent determination – Application for fair rent can be made by both landlord and tenant even during the currency of contractual tenancy – Supreme Court upheld the dismissal of the appeal, affirming that the Rent Control Act provisions override contractual agreements and allow for fair rent determination to protect both parties [Paras 1-16].

Contractual Tenancy – Application for Fair Rent – Appellants argued that landlord cannot apply for rent enhancement during subsisting tenancy – Court rejected the argument, relying on precedents and statutory interpretation – Determination of fair rent is crucial to prevent exploitation of either party under the Rent Control Act [Paras 8-13].

Majority vs. Minority Judgments – Reliance on Majority Judgment – Appellants' reliance on minority judgment in M/s. Raval and Co. was rejected – Court adhered to majority opinion and subsequent seven-Judge Bench approval in V. Dhanapal Chettiar case [Paras 10-12].

Decision – Appeal Dismissed – Court found no merit in the appellants' submissions – Affirmed that fair rent can be fixed during the currency of contractual tenancy to ensure equitable treatment of both landlord and tenant [Para 16].

Service Law – Termination – Challenge to High Court order upholding reinstatement – Termination order was a speaking order with reasons clearly stated – High Court erred in concluding the termination was without reasons – No legal or factual similarity between the cases of Ram Gopal and Shyam Behari Lal to warrant parity – Ram Gopal had not been in service since 1978, unlike Shyam Behari Lal who had served for 17 years – Respondent's writ petition was filed with an inordinate delay of 12 years without valid justification – Appeals allowed, High Court's orders set aside, and writ petition dismissed [Paras 1-20].

Equity – In Personam vs. In Rem – High Court's retention order for Shyam Behari Lal was not a judgment in rem – Equitable considerations in Shyam Behari Lal’s case not applicable to Ram Gopal – Fence-sitting and prolonged delay in filing writ petition cannot justify reinstatement – Legal principle of equity acts in personam, not in rem [Paras 13, 16-19].

Laches and Delay – Respondent's writ petition filed after 12 years – Courts reluctant to exercise discretionary jurisdiction in favor of those who sleep over their rights – Delay defeats equity – Legal tenets restated that unexplained delays and laches are valid grounds to deny relief [Paras 14-17].

Decision – Appeals allowed – Orders of Single Judge and Division Bench of High Court set aside – Writ petition dismissed – Interim order in contempt proceedings also quashed [Para 20].

Motor Vehicles Act – Cross-objection – Appeal against High Court's rejection of cross-objection in motor vehicle compensation case – Conjoint reading of Section 173 of the Motor Vehicles Act, Rule 249 of the Bihar Motor Vehicle Rules, and Order XLI Rule 22 of the CPC allows any party aggrieved by any part of the award to prefer an appeal – Respondents may file cross-objections even if they have not appealed – High Court erred in declining to consider the cross-objection on merits – Appeal allowed, matter remitted to High Court for decision on cross-objection [Paras 1-28].

Civil Procedure – Order XLI Rule 22 – Cross-objection maintainability – Sub-rule (4) of Rule 22 of Order XLI CPC specifies that cross-objection must be heard even if the original appeal is withdrawn or dismissed for default – High Court required to decide cross-objection on merits despite dismissal of original appeal by Insurance Company – Appeal allowed, High Court's order set aside [Paras 27-28].

Decision – Appeal allowed – Impugned judgment and order set aside – Matter remitted back to High Court for deciding the cross-objection on merits – No order as to costs [Para 28].

Mining Law – Transportation of Iron Ore – Appeal against High Court's order permitting JSPL to transport iron ore purchased from SMPL – Supreme Court's interim directions prohibited mining operations, not transportation of already mined, purchased, processed, and royalty-paid ore – High Court correctly allowed transportation – Appellants' objections concerning environmental clearance and application of MMDRA misplaced – Appeal dismissed subject to conditions [Paras 1-20].

Environmental Clearance – Mining Operations vs. Transportation – Clarification that "mining operations" as per Section 3(d) of MMDRA includes only extraction processes, not transportation – Interim directions by Supreme Court on mining operations do not bar transportation of legally procured minerals – High Court's reliance on Bihar Mines Ltd. case upheld [Paras 10-13, 18].

Intervening Applications – Financial Interests – Banks' intervention supporting JSPL's plea due to financial exposure – Allowed subject to compliance with directions to deposit proceeds in a Trust & Retention Account under SBI's supervision [Paras 15-16].

Decision – Appeal dismissed – JSPL allowed to transport iron ore post compliance by SMPL with Supreme Court's directions – All interim applications disposed of accordingly [Para 20].

Rent & Eviction – Re-induction of Tenant – Statement by counsel in court – Landlord bound by counsel's statement regarding re-induction of tenant – High Court's decision to uphold counsel's statement in review petition justified – Counsel's statement binds landlord, cannot resile from it – Order for re-induction of tenant in reconstructed premises upheld with modifications [Paras 1-20].

Counsel Authority – Professional Responsibility – Lawyer's authority as agent of client – Counsel's statement within the scope of engagement binds client unless explicitly instructed otherwise – Reliance on Himalayan Coop. Group Housing Society vs. Balwan Singh & Ors. (2015) 7 SCC 373 for scope of lawyer's authority [Paras 5, 11].

Decision – Appeal partly allowed – High Court's order modified – Landlord directed to provide specified portion of premises to tenant and pay compensation – Implementation supervised by court-appointed receiver [Para 19].

Criminal Law – Quashing of Proceedings – Dispute over property between complainant and father of appellants pending prior to alleged incident – Police had already initiated proceedings under Sections 151, 107, and 116 Cr.P.C. against both parties to maintain peace – Application under Section 156(3) Cr.P.C. filed six weeks after incident – Complaint under Section 200 Cr.P.C. followed rejection of application under Section 156(3) – High Court erred in not quashing proceedings which were manifestly attended with malafide and aimed at exerting pressure in property dispute – Appeal allowed [Paras 20-24].

Jurisdiction – Inherent Powers of High Court – Section 482 Cr.P.C. – High Court's failure to exercise jurisdiction despite clear case of abuse of process – Judicial precedent from Bhajan Lal's case applied – Quashing of proceedings justified to prevent misuse of judicial process [Paras 10-16].

Decision – Appeal allowed – Criminal proceedings quashed as abuse of process of court with malicious intent [Paras 24-25].

Mercy Petition – Judicial Review – Grounds for Review – Quick consideration and rejection of mercy petition by the President not grounds for judicial review – Delay may warrant review, but swift rejection suggests thorough consideration not predetermined stance – Petitioner’s arguments on non-application of mind and solitary confinement found unsubstantiated [Paras 35-36].

Relevant Materials – Requirement – President’s decision on mercy petition must consider all relevant materials – Affidavit of Joint Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs confirms all necessary documents were placed before the President – Contention of petitioner regarding non-consideration of materials dismissed [Paras 19-23].

Solitary Confinement – Misinterpretation – Petitioner’s claim of solitary confinement rejected based on affidavit of Director General Prisons – Petitioner kept in a single room with access to common areas, not solitary confinement under legal definitions [Para 29].

Legal Precedents – Limited Grounds for Review – Reaffirmation of established principles for judicial review of executive decisions on mercy petitions – Relevant cases discussed including Shatrughan Chauhan and Narayan Dutt [Paras 16-17].

Decision: Writ petition dismissed. The Supreme Court found no grounds to exercise judicial review of the President’s rejection of the mercy petition. Petitioner’s arguments on quick rejection, non-application of mind, and solitary confinement were not substantiated.