Injured Eye-Witness

Refaz Kotwar stabbed Mohd. Jamil Kotwar with a dagger. We see no reason to doubt testimony of witnesses examined. PW7 and PW8 are injured eye-witnesses. State of Madhya Pradesh v. Mansingh, (2003) 10 SCC 414 held, evidence of an injured eye-witness has great evidentiary value and unless compelling reasons exist, their statements are not to […]

Retrospective v. Retroactive II

It manifests, legislative intent is to make The Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016 applicable not only to projects which were yet to commence after RERA became operational but also to bring under its fold ongoing projects. The distinction between retrospective and retroactive has been explained in Jay Mahakali Rolling Mills v. Union of […]

Review of Death Penalty XX

High Court of Karnataka confirmed Death Sentence for Irappa Siddappa Murgannavar. Shanti Devi v. State of Rajasthan, (2012) 12 SCC 158 had considered, factum of recovery of body at instance of accused is a strong circumstance for conviction. Similar is Ranjit Kumar Haldar v. State of Sikkim, (2019) 7 SCC 684. On an overall view […]

Vicarious Liability

Girdhari Lal Gupta v. D.H. Mehta, (1971) 3 SCC 189; State of Karnataka v. Pratap Chand, (1981) 2 SCC 335; Municipal Corporation of Delhi v. Ram Kishan Rohtagi, (1983) 1 SCC 1; Municipal Corporation of Delhi v. Purshotam Dass Jhunjunwala, (1983) 1 SCC 9; National Small Industries Corporation Limited v. Harmeet Singh Paintal, (2010) 3 […]

91 Predictions

Greenstone Lobo has dedicated 91 Predictions, (Westland, 2021) to a ‘genius scientist’ who will restore Pluto’s dignity, honor and its rightful place as a Planet. The wish is to exhibit, astrology is a science and a subject worthy of attention, exploration, serious study and application. An excerpt. Everything comes in cycles. Indian an Western systems […]

Preventive Detention Statute II / The Revival of Ray LXXIV

Sarabjeet Singh Mokha is said to have procured fake Remdesivir injections which were administered to patients during COVID-19 pandemic to make illegal profits. Article 22 of the Constitution provides specific protections to undertrials and detainees in India. The communication of grounds is in aid of facilitating right of detenu to submit a representation against ‘order […]

The Nature of Judicial Power: Pegasus

“If you want to keep a secret, you must also hide it from yourself.” - George Orwell, 1984. Orwellian concern. September, 2018 – Citizen Lab released software capabilities of a ‘spyware suite’ called Pegasus, produced by NSO Group. Historically, privacy rights have been ‘property centric’ rather than ‘people centric’. In 1604, in Semayne’s case, 77 […]

Section 511, Indian Penal Code

There is a visible distinction between ‘preparation’ and ‘attempt’ to commit an offence and it all depends on statutory edict coupled with nature of evidence produced in a case; stage of ‘preparation’ consists of deliberation, devising or arranging means or measures, which would be necessary; an ‘attempt’ starts immediately after completion of ‘preparation’; ‘preparation’ or […]

Blood of Human Origin III

Two-Judges in Kansa Behra v. State of Orissa, (1987) 3 SCC 480 observed, “few small blood-stains on clothes of a person may even be of his own blood.” Do remember one Raghav, who had earlier been convicted of murdering his First Wife and Son, based on circumstantial evidence. Dead bodies were/are still missing. Relevant Serologist […]

The Rules of The Game Principle III

As was subtly recognized, State of Haryana v. Subash Chander Marwaha, (1974) 3 SCC 220, unnoticed in P.K. Ramachandra Iyer, Durgacharan Misra, Umesh Chandra Shukla, Rajendra Bhimrao Mandve and K. Manjusree, carries instructions on the Tej Prakash Pathak issue. Subash Chander Marwaha is crucial to understand the time when the ‘process of ascertaining eligibility’, before […]

Condonation of Delay X: Special Statues

Kalpraj Dharamshi v. Kotak Investment Advisors Ltd., (2021) SCC OnLine SC 204 considered applicability of Section 14 of The Limitation Act, 1963 to reckoning of limitation under Section 61(1) of The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016. The law on limitation with respect to IBC is settled and emphatic in its denunciation of delays [Essar Steel […]

Investigation II

Gauri Lankesh was shot dead by unknown assailants, near her house at Rajarajeshwari Nagar [Bengaluru], on 05.09.2017. _____ This is limited to consideration of whether prior approval by Commissioner of Police [Bengaluru City], in connection with offence registered as Crime No. 221/2017, is valid or otherwise. We hold, same does not suffer from any infirmity. […]

Investigation I

H N Rishbud v. State of Delhi, (1955) 1 SCR 1150; Ramsinh Bavaji Jadeja v. State of Gujarat, (1994) 2 SCC 685; Union of India v. Prakash P. Hinduja, (2003) 6 SCC 195. What emerges is, an investigation commences upon receipt of information by Police which discloses commission of a cognizable offence. However, mere receipt […]

Furlough I

Mota Bhagwan Asaram was also convicted under Section 377, IPC. The Prisons (Bombay Furlough and Parole) Rules, 1959 were made pursuant to Section 59 of The Prisons Act, 1894 and are applicable in State of Gujarat. State of Maharashtra v. Suresh Pandurang Darvakar, (2006) 4 SCC 776 distinguished parole from furlough. The difference was also […]

Settlement Deed Cheque

This is a case of cheques, issued pursuant to a deed of compromise, being dishonoured. The dishonour of cheques, issued subsequent to a settlement agreement, would give rise to a fresh cause of action attracting liability under Section 138 and other remedies under civil law and criminal law. A contrary interpretation would lead to contradictory […]

Retrial

It emerges from decisions, Appellate Court may direct a retrial only in ‘exceptional’ circumstances to avert a miscarriage of justice; mere lapses in investigation are not sufficient to warrant a direction for retrial; only if lapses are so grave so as to prejudice, can a retrial be directed; determination of whether a ‘shoddy’ investigation/trial has […]

Lalita Kumari III

Lalita Kumari v. Govt. of U.P., (2014) 2 SCC 1 was analyzed by a Three-Judge Bench in Yashwant Sinha v. CBI, (2020) 2 SCC 338. Two-Judge Bench in State of Telangana v. Managipet, (2019) 19 SCC 87 noted, while Lalita Kumari held a preliminary enquiry was desirable in cases of alleged corruption, that does not […]

Section 141, The NI Act II

In light of S.M.S. Pharmaceuticals Ltd. v. Neeta Bhalla, (2005) 8 SCC 89 in addition to asserting Directors are in-charge and responsible for conduct of business, if statutory compliance of Section 141 has been made, it is not open for High Courts to interfere under Section 482, CrPC unless it comes across some unimpeachable, incontrovertible evidence […]

Environmental Jurisprudence I

Estragon: Let’s go. Vladimir: We can’t. Estragon: Why not? Vladimir: We’re waiting for Godot. Samuel Beckett, Waiting for Godot, 1954. Let us now hark back to Waiting for Godot… with which, we started. National Green Tribunal must act, if exigencies so demand, without indefinitely waiting for metaphorical Godot to knock on its portal. NGT is […]

The Doctrine of Fairness

The word ‘laches’ is derived from French, meaning “remissness and slackness”. A defence of laches can only be allowed when there is no statutory bar. The question as to whether there exists a clear case of laches is one of fact and so also of prejudice. The said principle may not have any application when […]

The Last Word

A Diversion for Lawyers and Others

Author: Rudrajyoti Nath Ray