Facts:

An agreement was entered into between a broadcaster and multi-system operators (MSOs) for the transmission of a news channel. The MSOs terminated the agreement, leading to a complaint to the Competition Commission of India.

Issues:

Whether the termination of the agreement by the MSOs constituted an abuse of dominant position and denial of market access?

Whether the Competition Commission's finding of abuse of dominant position was justified?

Whether a penalty should be imposed on the MSOs for the termination of the agreement?

Held:

The MSOs abused their dominant position by terminating the agreement, resulting in denial of market access to the broadcaster. This constituted a violation of Section 4(2)(c) of the Competition Act, 2002.

The Competition Commission's finding of abuse of dominant position was upheld, as the MSOs held a dominant position in the relevant market, and their action of termination constituted an abuse of this position.

Although an abuse of dominant position was established, the Court decided not to impose a penalty on the MSOs due to justifiable reasons provided for termination, such as low viewership ratings of the broadcaster.

The appeal was allowed, setting aside the judgment of the Appellate Tribunal and the penalty imposed by the Competition Commission.

FACTS:

The case involved an incident on June 1, 1994, where the accused allegedly threw a burning cow dung cake at several women attending a marriage celebration, causing serious burn injuries to them. Two of the victims later died due to their injuries.

ISSUES:

Whether the High Court's acquittal of the accused was justified, considering the discrepancies and inconsistencies in the prosecution's case.

HELD:

The Supreme Court upheld the High Court's decision to acquit the accused. It observed that the prosecution's case had significant discrepancies and inconsistencies, including contradictions in the statements of eyewitnesses and a delay in filing the First Information Report (FIR) and recording witness statements.

The Court emphasized the importance of establishing guilt beyond reasonable doubt and noted that the High Court had thoroughly considered all aspects of the case before reaching its decision.

Therefore, the Supreme Court found no reason to interfere with the acquittal and dismissed the appeal.

Facts:

The Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai filed a complaint against the respondents due to structural issues in a building, endangering its inhabitants. The Metropolitan Magistrate refused to take cognizance of the complaint due to a delay in filing it. The Corporation appealed to the High Court, which dismissed the application but granted liberty to file appropriate proceedings. Subsequently, the Corporation filed a criminal writ petition under Article 226 of the Constitution, which was also dismissed by the High Court, citing finality to earlier observations.

Issues:

Whether the High Court was correct in dismissing the writ petition without examining its merits based on earlier observations made without jurisdiction.

Held:

The Supreme Court held that the High Court erred in dismissing the writ petition without examining its merits. The observations made in the earlier order were not binding as they were made without jurisdiction. The Court clarified that these observations were not foundational to the jurisdictional issue and, therefore, could not be treated as final or preclusive. The Court set aside the High Court's order and restored the writ petition, directing the High Court to afford an opportunity for hearing and dispose of the case on its merits expeditiously. It was clarified that the Supreme Court hadn't expressed any opinion on the case's merits.

In conclusion, the Supreme Court clarified the jurisdictional issue and instructed the High Court to reconsider the case on its merits, emphasizing that earlier observations made without jurisdiction were not binding.

Facts:

The appellant issued a tender enquiry for the supply of Defoamers.

The respondent successfully submitted its bid and supplied the Defoamers.

A dispute arose when the respondent demanded payment, but the appellant contended that nothing was due and payable.

The respondent invoked arbitration.

The arbitrator first addressed the issue of limitation, deciding it in favor of the respondent-claimant.

Issues:

Whether an award on the issue of limitation can be considered an interim award?

Whether a decision on a point of limitation falls under the jurisdiction of Section 16 of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996?

Held:

The language of Section 31(6) of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996, allows for a broad interpretation of interim arbitral awards, covering any matter in dispute between the parties. Such awards can be challenged separately under Section 34 of the Act. The award in this case, addressing the issue of limitation, is deemed an interim award and is challengeable under Section 34.

The Kompetenz-Kompetenz principle under Section 16 of the Act relates to the tribunal's jurisdiction concerning the validity of the arbitration agreement, constitution of the tribunal, and adherence to the agreement regarding submitted matters. The award on limitation does not fall under Section 16's jurisdictional scope and can be challenged independently under Section 34. Legislative amendments may be considered to consolidate interim awards with final arbitral awards to streamline the challenge process.

Decision: The appeal is allowed.

Facts:

The case involves an appeal arising from a bail granted to Resham Chand Kaler by the High Court of Punjab and Haryana. Resham Chand Kaler was granted bail in a case involving serious charges including murder, attempted murder, and violations of the Arms Act.

Issues:

Whether the High Court granted bail to Resham Chand Kaler without proper consideration of the serious nature of the charges and the evidence against him.

Whether there was a likelihood of Resham Chand Kaler tampering with the investigation.

Held:

The Court observed that there was a prima facie case against Resham Chand Kaler based on the evidence available, particularly from a compact disk submitted with the petition. The Court noted the seriousness and gravity of the offenses allegedly committed by Resham Chand Kaler. The Court also emphasized that the nationality of the accused should not affect the application of bail laws, stating that every accused is treated the same under the law regardless of nationality.

The Court clarified that the appeal was not seeking the cancellation of bail but rather challenging the legality of the bail order. It distinguished between the two and noted that there were no grounds for cancellation of bail as there had been no breach of bail conditions.

The Court allowed the appeal, setting aside the bail granted to Resham Chand Kaler by the High Court. The Court directed the concerned authorities to take Resham Chand Kaler into custody immediately.

Facts:

Deceased, Brijitha, a widow living alone on agricultural land, employed Natarajan, father of accused no.1.

Accused no.1 (Issac alias Kishor) started staying with Brijitha to assist with agricultural work after Natarajan ceased employment due to directions from Ronald Cheriyan, Brijitha's son.

On 06.02.2006, cries were heard from Brijitha's house, and Brijitha was found unconscious while accused no.1 was found tied with a rope in the kitchen, claiming that thieves had suffocated Brijitha and stolen valuables.

Accused no.2 was arrested later, leading to the recovery of stolen items.

Issues:

Whether the High Court was justified in setting aside the trial court's judgment and directing retrial.

Held:

The Supreme Court analyzed the powers of the Appellate Court under Section 386 of the CrPC and established that retrial should only be ordered in exceptional cases where there is a material defect affecting the trial or causing prejudice.

The Court referred to previous judgments to delineate the circumstances under which retrial may be ordered. Ultimately, the Court dismissed the appeal and directed the trial court to proceed with the retrial as directed by the High Court.

Facts:

The case involves petitions concerning the interpretation of Article 233 of the Constitution of India regarding the appointment of District Judges via direct recruitment. The petitioners raised two main contentions: (i) whether candidates with seven years of advocacy experience are eligible despite being in the service of the Union or State at the time of application/appointment, and (ii) whether members of the judicial service with seven years of service should be considered eligible candidates.

Issues:

Interpretation of Article 233 regarding eligibility criteria for appointment as District Judges.

Determination of eligibility based on the duration of advocacy experience and membership in the judicial service.

Held:

The court concluded that the case raised substantial questions of law regarding the interpretation of Article 233. It recommended the matter to be placed before the Chief Justice of India for the constitution of an appropriate bench.

Notably, the court highlighted the distinction between candidates from the judicial service and those from the bar in terms of eligibility criteria, emphasizing the requirement for candidates to have seven years of continuous practice as advocates immediately preceding the application.

The court also clarified that eligibility for appointment as a district judge should be assessed at the time of application, appointment, or both. It noted the special circumstances of petitioners who had participated in examinations and interviews pending the resolution of their cases, suggesting seeking appropriate orders for an early posting from the Chief Justice of India.

Facts:

The incident occurred on August 3, 2008, involving the appellant and other accused individuals allegedly assaulting the victims with deadly weapons, resulting in the deaths of three individuals and injuries to others. The prosecution relied on witness testimony, recoveries of weapons, and forensic reports to establish its case.

Issues:

Whether the accused acted in self-defense.

Whether the prosecution adequately explained the injuries sustained by the accused.

Held:

The Supreme Court, after analyzing the evidence and arguments presented, upheld the convictions and sentences imposed by the trial court and the High Court.

The court rejected the appellant's claim of acting in self-defense, emphasizing the need to examine the entire incident to determine the aggressors.

Additionally, the court ruled that the prosecution was not obligated to explain simple injuries sustained by the accused. The medical evidence suggested that these injuries could have been self-inflicted. The appeals are dismissed.

Facts:

Various applicants, holding diplomas or degrees in Engineering through distance education mode from Deemed to be Universities, sought clarification and modification of directions issued in a previous judgment.

The controversy primarily concerned the validity of engineering degrees awarded through distance education mode and the subsequent career advancements of the applicants based on these degrees.

Issues:

Whether the judgment applied only to courses leading to degrees in Engineering and not to diplomas?

Whether the judgment covered post-graduate degrees obtained based on the disputed engineering degrees?

Whether the candidates who had advanced in their careers based on the disputed degrees should be exempted from appearing in the examination directed by the court?

Held:

The court clarified that the judgment did not cover courses leading to diplomas conferred by Deemed to be Universities through distance education mode.

The judgment indeed applied to both graduate and post-graduate degrees in Engineering obtained through distance education mode.

The court rejected the submissions seeking exemption from appearing in the examination directed by the judgment, stating that the infirmity in the degrees was fundamental and could not be overlooked.

However, as a one-time relaxation, the court allowed candidates enrolled during specific academic years to retain their degrees and advantages until one month after the declaration of the test result, provided they appeared for the examination in May-June 2018. This relaxation was not applicable for subsequent attempts.

All other submissions were rejected.

The court disposed of all applications, petitions, and writ petitions accordingly, with no costs imposed.