We are in complete agreement with observations of G. S. Patel J in Lite Bite Foods Pvt. Ltd. v. AAI, 2019 SCC OnLine Bom 5163, that, “The guiding principle is neutrality, independence, fairness and transparency even in Arbitral-Forum selection process.” It would not be unreasonable for a party to apprehend, an Arbitrator unilaterally appointed by […]
Read more "Section 12(5) of The Arbitration Act VI"Contra Proferentem is not a principle of universal application and it does not merit applicability in case of commercial contracts, for a clause in a commercial contract is bilateral and has mutually been agreed upon. Any question as to unconscionableness of a stipulation contained in an agreement would probably arise for consideration only if it […]
Read more "The Contra Proferentem Rule VIII"Niranjan Shankar Golikari v. Century Spinning and Manufacturing Co., 1967 SCC OnLine SC 72 made a distinction between restrictive covenants operating during subsistence of an employment contract and those operating after its termination. This view was reiterated by Justice A.P. Sen, in concurrence, in Superintendence Company (P) Ltd. v. Krishan Murgai, (1981) 2 SCC 246. […]
Read more "Minimum Service Tenure"Court has, on multiple occasions, noted, a contractual clause which bars payment of interest is interpreted differently under 1940 Act and 1996 Act. In fact, while deciding cases under 1996 Act, Court has been slow to rely on principles laid down under 1940 Act, considering legislative incorporation of Arbitrator’s power to grant interest through Section […]
Read more "Section 31(7) of The Arbitration Act XI"Courts have authority to determine appropriate interest rate, considering totality of facts and circumstances in accordance with law. That apart, Courts have discretion to decide whether interest is payable from date of institution of suit, a period prior to that, or from date of decree, depending on specific facts of each case. Court must ensure, […]
Read more "Costs Jurisprudence III: Interest Rates"Indian Council of Social Science Research is under total financial and administrative control of Ministry of Education, Government of India. Centre for Research in Rural and Industrial Development is under grant-in-aid of ICSSR. But, this itself cannot be called a ‘deep and pervasive control’. A ‘deep and pervasive control’ would require much more than just […]
Read more "Deep and Pervasive Control"Disortho and Meril executed an Agreement for distribution of medical products in Colombia. Clause 16.5, clear and unambiguous, explicitly states, entire Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with laws of India and all matters arising from Agreement shall fall under jurisdiction of Courts in Gujarat. Given this, it is reasonable to assume, […]
Read more "Arbitration in Bogotá, Court in Gujarat"The idea of compassionate appointment is not to provide for endless compassion [I.G. (Karmik) v. Prahalad Mani Tripathi, (2007) 6 SCC 162]. Any appointment without considering financial condition of the family of a deceased is legally impermissible [Union of India v. Amrita Sinha, (2021) 20 SCC 695]. The right to apply cannot be exercised at […]
Read more "Compassionate Appointment VII"It is a disconcerting reality. Secretary, State of Karnataka v. Uma Devi, (2006) 4 SCC 1 is often misinterpreted or misapplied to deny legitimate claims of long-serving employees. Government often cites and distorts Uma Devi’s spirit and purpose, effectively weaponizing it against employees who have rendered indispensable services over decades. Where appointments were not ‘illegal’ […]
Read more "Misinterpretation of Uma Devi"It is well settled, where a ‘citizen aggrieved’ by an action of Government Department has approached Court and obtained a declaration of law in his/her favour, others similarly situated ought to be extended benefit without need for them to go to Court [Amrit Lal Berry v. Collector of Central Excise, New Delhi, (1975) 4 SCC […]
Read more "Aggrieved Person III"Union of India v. Tantia Constructions Limited, 2021 SCC OnLine SC 271 prima facie disagreed with Central Organisation for Railway Electrification v. ECI-SPIC-SMO-MCML (JV), [2019] 16 SCR 1234. In present reference, we have upheld decisions of this Court in TRF Ltd. v. Energo Engineering Projects Ltd., [2017] 7 SCR 409 and Perkins Eastman Architects DPC […]
Read more "Referred to Larger Bench XXX Answered: Unending Suspicion and Endless Cycle of Mistrust"The eligibility criteria for being placed in select list, notified at commencement of recruitment process, cannot be changed midway through recruitment process. Even if such change is permissible under extant rules or advertisement, change would have to meet requirement of Article 14 and satisfy test of non-arbitrariness. K. Manjusree, (2008) 3 SCC 512 lays down […]
Read more "Referred to Larger Bench I Answered: The Rule of The Game Principle XI"Hon’ble Justice J.B. Pardiwala described, ‘tenure’ is derived from Latin: ‘tenere’, which means ‘to hold’.”[1] In a ‘tenure’ what does one even ‘hold’ considering Hon’ble Justice Dr. D.Y. Chandrachud himself declares, “We may not be masters of our destiny. Nor can we control what life has in store. What we can determine is how we […]
Read more "Justice Dr. D.Y. Chandrachud’s Tenure"Our interpretation of the Constitution must fill silences in its text. Framers could not have anticipated every situation to arise in future. They also intentionally left certain decisions to discretion of future generations. However, choices we make today must align with broader constitutional framework and values. The fight against caste-based discrimination is not a battle […]
Read more "The Nature of Judicial Power: Caste in Prison Manuals"State of Andhra Pradesh v. S. Sree Rama Rao, AIR 1963 SC 1723; State of Andhra Pradesh v. Chitra Venkata Rao, (1975) 2 SCC 557; State Bank of India v. S.K. Sharma, (1996) 3 SCC 364; Union of India v. K.G. Soni, (2006) 6 SCC 794; State of Uttar Pradesh v. Man Mohan Nath Sinha, […]
Read more "Disciplinary Proceedings X"Forasol v. Oil and Natural Gas Commission, 1984 Supp SCC 263 held, “Court must select a date which puts Plaintiff in same position in which he would have been had Defendant discharged his obligation when he ought to have done, bearing in mind, rate of exchange is not a constant factor but fluctuates and very […]
Read more "Date and Rate of Exchange"For over 50 yrs., High Court has been disposing of Writ Petitions raising claims or challenges to exercise of powers or dereliction of duties under The Maharashtra Slum Areas (Improvement, Clearance and Redevelopment) Act, 1971. The propensity and proclivity of 1971 Act to generate litigation are worrisome. The exasperation of High Court is understandable. Court […]
Read more "Assessment of Statute"Most minerals are spatially located in a few mineral rich states, namely, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Rajasthan and West Bengal. Constitution is a living organic document and must be interpreted in that spirit [Saurabh Chaudri v. Union of India, (2003) 11 SCC 146 ; Navtej Singh Johar v. Union of […]
Read more "The Nature of Judicial Power: Typographical Errors"What cannot be done directly, cannot be done indirectly. It is apt to refer to a decision of a Division Bench of Karnataka High Court in Nalini Sunder v. GV Sunder, AIR 2003 Kar 86. It was held, a party could not make out a case on basis of evidence for which he/she has laid […]
Read more "Forfeiture of Right to File Written Statement"Appellant contends, i) no Arbitrable Dispute remained after a ‘full and final settlement’ and ii) appointment of an Arbitrator was an exercise in futility. However, we uphold and affirm, appointment of Justice K.A. Puj, Former Judge of High Court of Gujarat, as an Arbitrator. There is no rule of an absolute kind which precludes Arbitration […]
Read more "Accord and Satisfaction"
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