Supreme Court - The Legal Chamber

Supreme Court Upholds Expert Panels’ Role in Cauvery Water Dispute, Dismisses Tamil Nadu’s Applications

3Feb

By The Legal ChamberNo Comments

Supreme Court

Supreme Court Upholds Expert Panels’ Role in Cauvery Water Dispute, Dismisses Tamil Nadu’s Applications

The Supreme Court declined to intervene, emphasizing the principle of judicial restraint in matters requiring technical expertise. It held that statutory expert bodies like the CWMA and CWRC are the appropriate fora to adjudicate disputes concerning water allocation and project approval under the final decree, and parties must exhaust these remedies first. Facts Of The Case: The case concerns the long-standing Cauvery river water dispute between the State of Tamil Nadu and the State of Karnataka. The core issue arose when Tamil Nadu filed Miscellaneous Application No. 3127 of 2018 in the Supreme Court, seeking to stall Karnataka's proposed Mekedatu Balancing Reservoir cum Drinking Water Project. Tamil Nadu argued that the Central Water Commission's (CWC) permission for ...

No Medical Injury? No Problem: Supreme Court Explains When Victim’s Word Wins in POCSO Cases

3Feb

By The Legal ChamberNo Comments

Supreme Court

No Medical Injury? No Problem: Supreme Court Explains When Victim’s Word Wins in POCSO Cases

The Supreme Court upheld the appellant's conviction under Sections 9(m) and 10 of the POCSO Act, 2012, for aggravated sexual assault on a child. The Court ruled that cogent ocular evidence from witnesses, including the victim's traumatized behavior, can sustain a conviction even if medical evidence does not show injury or penetration. The sentence was partially modified. Facts Of The Case: On August 15, 2021, the appellant, Dinesh Kumar Jaldhari, returned to the victim's home in Jashpur, Chhattisgarh, with her father and another man after collecting wood. After consuming alcohol, the victim's four-year-old daughter was sleeping inside. Around 4:30 p.m., the mother went inside to give food to the appellant and found him wearing only shorts, sitting near her daughter's legs. Th...

Supreme Court Restores Dismissal, Limits Judicial Review in Disciplinary Cases

3Feb

By The Legal ChamberNo Comments

Supreme Court

Supreme Court Restores Dismissal, Limits Judicial Review in Disciplinary Cases

The Supreme Court held that judicial review in disciplinary matters is limited to examining the inquiry process, not the merits. Once a fair inquiry with due opportunity is conducted, and misconduct is established, interference with the imposed penalty is unwarranted. The Court reinstated the penalty of removal from service. Facts Of The Case: The respondent, Indraj, was appointed as a Gramin Dak Sevak/Branch Post Master in 1998. During an annual inspection on June 16, 2011, irregularities were discovered involving the misappropriation of public funds. It was found that he had received installment amounts from depositors for Recurring Deposit accounts and a life insurance premium, duly stamped their passbooks, but failed to make the corresponding entries in the official post office...

Supreme Court Clarifies: Buying Software for Business Is Not ‘Consumer’ Activity

3Feb

By The Legal ChamberNo Comments

Supreme Court

Supreme Court Clarifies: Buying Software for Business Is Not ‘Consumer’ Activity

The Supreme Court held that a company purchasing software to automate and streamline its core, profit-generating business operations does so for a "commercial purpose" under Section 2(1)(d) of the Consumer Protection Act, 1986. Consequently, it does not qualify as a "consumer" and cannot maintain a complaint before a consumer forum for alleged deficiency in such services. Facts Of The Case: M/s Poly Medicure Ltd., the appellant, is a company engaged in the import and export of medical devices. To implement an export/import documentation system at its plant, it purchased a product license for the "Brillio Opti Suite" software from M/s Brillio Technologies Pvt. Ltd., the respondent. After making the requisite payment, the appellant alleged the software was defective and non-functional. Cla...

Supreme Court on NDPS Bail: Delay and Custody Can’t Override Statutory Bar for Commercial Quantity

3Feb

By The Legal ChamberNo Comments

Supreme Court

Supreme Court on NDPS Bail: Delay and Custody Can’t Override Statutory Bar for Commercial Quantity

The Supreme Court set aside the High Court's bail order, holding it failed to properly apply the stringent twin conditions under Section 37 of the NDPS Act. The matter was remitted for fresh consideration, mandating a reasoned assessment of the accused's involvement, statutory compliance, and the substantial quantity of seized contraband before granting bail. Facts Of The Case: The case involves appeals by the Union of India against two bail orders granted to the respondent, Vigin K. Varghese, by the Bombay High Court. The prosecution, initiated by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, stemmed from the seizure of approximately 50.232 kilograms of cocaine on October 6-7, 2022. The narcotics were found concealed within a consignment of pears imported from South Africa in the name of M...

Supreme Court: Insurance Claim Can’t Be Denied Based on Age of Equipment

3Feb

By The Legal ChamberNo Comments

Supreme Court

Supreme Court: Insurance Claim Can’t Be Denied Based on Age of Equipment

The Supreme Court held that an insurer cannot repudiate a claim merely by invoking an exclusion clause for wear and tear. The burden lies on the insurer to prove material non-disclosure, fraud, or that the loss was definitively caused by an excluded peril. A valid statutory fitness certificate creates a strong presumption of the equipment's insurable condition, shifting the evidentiary onus onto the insurer. Facts Of The Case: The appellant, a sugar mill, held an insurance policy from National Insurance Co. Ltd. covering its boiler. During the policy period in May 2005, an incident occurred causing two boiler tubes to detach. The insurer repudiated the claim, citing Exclusion Clause 5, which excludes losses from wear, corrosion, and gradual deterioration. It relied on a surveyor's ...

Supreme Court Rules: Counter-Claim Against Co-Defendant Not Allowed

2Feb

By The Legal ChamberNo Comments

Supreme Court

Supreme Court Rules: Counter-Claim Against Co-Defendant Not Allowed

The Supreme Court held that a counter-claim by impleaded defendants against a co-defendant is not maintainable in a suit for specific performance. Such a claim must be incidental to the original suit's cause of action and cannot be independently raised against another defendant. The Court set aside the admitted counter-claim. Facts Of The Case: The appellant, Sanjay Tiwari, filed a suit for specific performance against the first respondent, Yugal Kishore Prasad Sao, based on an alleged oral agreement dated 02.12.2002 for the sale of 0.93 acres of land. The plaintiff claimed full payment was made and he was put in possession. The first defendant, in his written statement, contended that defendants 2 and 3 were in possession of part of the property, making the suit defective for non-joinde...

Supreme Court Decides Long-Running Property Dispute on Mortgage Redemption

2Feb

By The Legal ChamberNo Comments

Supreme Court

Supreme Court Decides Long-Running Property Dispute on Mortgage Redemption

This Supreme Court judgement clarifies the limitation period for redeeming a usufructuary mortgage. The Supreme Court held that the right to redeem does not arise from the mortgage's creation date. Instead, the limitation period commences only when the mortgagor tenders the mortgage money, meaning the mortgagor's redemption right is not extinguished by mere lapse of time. Facts Of The Case: This case originated from a dispute over the redemption of a usufructuary mortgage concerning agricultural land in Punjab. The respondents' ancestors had mortgaged the property to the appellants' predecessors. In 1975, the Collector allowed the respondents' application for redemption under the Redemption of Mortgage Act, 1913. Challenging this, the appellants (original plaintiffs) filed a civil suit, ...

Alternative Remedy Rule Strengthened: Supreme Court Says Writ Petition Not Maintainable If Appeal to High Court Was Available

2Feb

By The Legal ChamberNo Comments

Supreme Court

Alternative Remedy Rule Strengthened: Supreme Court Says Writ Petition Not Maintainable If Appeal to High Court Was Available

This Supreme Court judgment reiterates the principle that the existence of an alternative statutory remedy, especially one before the High Court itself, is a valid ground for refusing to exercise writ jurisdiction under Article 226 of the Constitution. It emphasizes that discretionary writ relief is generally unavailable where a litigant has, through their own fault, failed to exhaust an equally efficacious alternative forum provided by statute. Facts Of The Case: The appellant, Rikhab Chand Jain, faced proceedings concerning 252.177 kg of allegedly smuggled silver seized on September 27, 1992. The Additional Collector of Customs, respondent no. 3, ordered the confiscation of the silver and imposed a penalty of Rs. 50,000 on the appellant via an order dated May 7, 1996. The appellant app...

Judicial Propriety Upheld: Supreme Court Says Validity of Sanction Must Be Challenged Only Before It

2Feb

By The Legal ChamberNo Comments

Supreme Court

Judicial Propriety Upheld: Supreme Court Says Validity of Sanction Must Be Challenged Only Before It

The Supreme Court ruled that when a sanction order is issued pursuant to its ongoing monitoring of proceedings, its validity can only be challenged before the Supreme Court itself. No other court, including a High Court, is entitled to entertain such a challenge or grant a stay on that sanction while the matter remains pending before the apex court. Facts Of The Case: The case originated from the Supreme Court's suo moto action concerning illegal construction and rampant tree felling within the Corbett Tiger Reserve. The investigation, initially directed by the Uttarakhand High Court and later monitored by the Supreme Court, was conducted by the CBI. The CBI filed a final report, leading to the requirement of prosecution sanction against involved officers. While the State of ...