Tag: legal tags

Supreme Court Converts Life Imprisonment to 25 Years in POCSO Matter: Here’s Why the Court Showed Leniency
12Feb By The Legal ChamberNo Comments
Supreme Court

Supreme Court Converts Life Imprisonment to 25 Years in POCSO Matter: Here’s Why the Court Showed Leniency

The Supreme Court partially allowed the appeal, upholding the conviction under Section 376(3) IPC and Section 6 of the POCSO Act. Exercising its sentencing power, the Court commuted the sentence of life imprisonment until natural death to a fixed term of 25 years of actual imprisonment without the benefit of remission, citing the appellant's age, clean antecedents, and satisfactory jail conduct. Facts Of The Case: The case originated from FIR No. 08/2022, registered on 04.05.2022, against the appellant, Deepankar Tikedar. The allegations pertained to the commission of sexual offences against a minor girl, who was reportedly between 15 to 16 years of age at the time of the incident. The appellant was subsequently tried and convicted by the Trial Court under Section 376(3) of the Indian Pe...
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Key Ruling on Vakalatnama & “No Instructions”: Supreme Court Clarifies Lawyer-Client Procedure in Civil Cases
4Feb By The Legal ChamberNo Comments
Supreme Court

Key Ruling on Vakalatnama & “No Instructions”: Supreme Court Clarifies Lawyer-Client Procedure in Civil Cases

The Supreme Court clarified that a counsel’s “no instruction” pursis does not equate to withdrawal of vakalatnama under the Advocates Act or Civil Manual. Absent a formal withdrawal, the court is not obligated to issue fresh notice; a litigant’s failure to instruct counsel cannot invalidate proceedings. The High Court’s interference under Article 227 was deemed unwarranted. Facts Of The Case: The appellant, Shri Digant, filed a civil suit in 2014 against the respondents, M/s. P.D.T. Trading Co. & Ors., for possession under the Maharashtra Rent Control Act, 1999. The defendants were initially served summons, and after they failed to appear, the suit proceeded ex parte. Upon applications, these ex parte orders were later recalled, and the defendants filed written statements. Duri...
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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...
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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...
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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, ...
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Supreme Court on Trap Cases: Criminal Trial Can Proceed Despite Departmental Exoneration
30Jan By The Legal ChamberNo Comments
Supreme Court

Supreme Court on Trap Cases: Criminal Trial Can Proceed Despite Departmental Exoneration

The Supreme Court held that exoneration in departmental proceedings does not bar continuation of criminal prosecution, as the standards of proof and purpose differ. However, it remanded the case to the trial court to determine the validity of the prosecution sanction, emphasizing that sanction must be granted by the authority competent to remove the public servant from office. Facts Of The Case: The appellant, T. Manjunath, a Senior Inspector of Motor Vehicles in Bengaluru, was accused of demanding and accepting a bribe of ₹15,000 through an intermediary. Following a trap by the Lokayukta, a criminal case was registered under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988. The Transport Commissioner granted sanction for prosecution, and a chargesheet was filed. The appellant sought dischar...
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Supreme Court Revives Forgery Case: Fake Stamp Paper Probe Must Go On
19Jan By The Legal ChamberNo Comments
Supreme Court

Supreme Court Revives Forgery Case: Fake Stamp Paper Probe Must Go On

The Supreme Court held that a Magistrate's referral under Section 156(3) CrPC for police investigation is justified when a complaint discloses a cognizable offence and such a direction is conducive to justice. The High Court's orders quashing the referral were set aside, emphasizing that the police must be allowed to investigate prima facie allegations of forgery and fabrication of documents. Facts Of The Case: The appellant, Sadiq B. Hanchinmani, filed a civil suit claiming ownership of a property via an oral gift from his father, challenging a registered sale deed in favour of accused No. 1, Veena. The suit was dismissed in 2013. During the pendency of his appeal (RFA No. 4095/2013) before the High Court, a status quo order on the property's title and possession was initially granted b...
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Understanding the Supreme Court’s Verdict on Interstate Bus Permits and State Schemes
19Jan By The Legal ChamberNo Comments
Supreme Court

Understanding the Supreme Court’s Verdict on Interstate Bus Permits and State Schemes

The Supreme Court ruled that an inter-state reciprocal transport agreement under Section 88 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, does not override an approved nationalization scheme under Chapter VI. A notified route for a State Transport Undertaking prevails, prohibiting private operators from plying on any overlapping portion, even if part of an inter-state route. Facts Of The Case: The case centered on disputes arising from an Inter-State Reciprocal Transport (IS-RT) Agreement of 2006 between Madhya Pradesh (MP) and Uttar Pradesh (UP). The agreement reserved certain inter-state routes for the Madhya Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (MPSRTC). After MPSRTC reportedly stopped operations, private operators obtained temporary permits from MP's transport authority to p...
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Supreme Court Allows Plea of Juvenility Raised Decades After Conviction in Murder Case
27Dec By The Legal ChamberNo Comments
Supreme Court

Supreme Court Allows Plea of Juvenility Raised Decades After Conviction in Murder Case

This Supreme Court judgment affirms that claims of juvenility under the Juvenile Justice Act, 2000 can be raised at any stage, even post-conviction. The Court held that a juvenile offender cannot be detained beyond the statutory maximum period prescribed under the Act, and such excess detention violates Article 21 of the Constitution. Facts Of The Case: The petitioner, born on 10th June 1969, was convicted for a murder allegedly committed on 2nd November 1981, when he was approximately 12 years and 5 months old. The trial court, in its 1984 order, recognized his juvenility under the Children Act, 1960 and directed his placement in a children's home instead of prison. Following a reversal of his acquittal by the Supreme Court in 2009, the petitioner absconded and was subsequently arrested...
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Merely Producing a Licence is Not Collusion, Rules Supreme Court, Protecting Owners from Insurer’s Recovery
24Dec By The Legal ChamberNo Comments
Supreme Court

Merely Producing a Licence is Not Collusion, Rules Supreme Court, Protecting Owners from Insurer’s Recovery

The Supreme Court held that merely proving a driver’s licence is fake does not absolve the insurer unless it is established that the vehicle owner knowingly breached the duty of due diligence in employing the driver. Absent proof of such breach, the insurer remains liable to third parties and cannot recover from the owner under a “pay and recover” order. Facts Of The Case: The accident occurred on January 26, 1993, at 2:00 AM at an intersection, involving a collision between a truck and a Matador van. The Matador van was carrying ten passengers, including the driver. Tragically, nine persons lost their lives in the accident, while two sustained injuries. Claims were filed before the Motor Accident Claims Tribunal by the injured and the legal heirs of the deceased passengers, as wel...
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