The Golden Lasso of Truth

Uncontrolled and indiscriminate entry of persons, Hindu or Muslim, from Pakistan into India or from India to Pakistan, is fraught with the possibility of espionage and sabotage. When employed for espionage, care is taken to see, he does not know who his real employers are but knows only the name of his contact man, whose […]

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The Doctrine of Merger I

“Doctrine of Merger would come into play as exposited in Kunhayammed, (2013) 10 SCC 655 wherein a Three-Judge Bench of this Court opined that once a Special Leave Petition has been granted, the doors of the Appellate Jurisdiction of this Court have been let open and any Order passed thereafter would be an Appellate Order […]

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Non-Signatories to Arbitration I

The legal position as to when a Non­-Signatory to an Arbitration Agreement can be impleaded and subjected to Arbitration Proceedings is no more res integra. Three-Judge Bench in Chloro Controls India Private Limited, (2013) 1 SCC 641 opined, invoking ‘Doctrine of Group of Companies’, Arbitration Agreement entered by a Company, being one within a Group […]

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Section 7(5) of The Arbitration Act IV

“The principle of ‘incorporation by reference’ of an Arbitration Clause, from another document or contract, is a well-­established principle in Arbitration Jurisprudence [Clements v. Devon Country Insurance Committee, [1918] 1 KB 94; Macleod Ross and Co. Ltd. v. Compagnie d’ Assurances Generales L’Helvetia of St Gall, [1952] 1 Lloyd’s Rep 12 (CA)]. This principle has […]

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Retrospective v. Retroactive I

“Two ­Judge Bench in State Bank’s Staff Union (Madras Circle) v. Union of India, (2005) 7 SCC 584 had occasion to examine the concept. Further in Jay Mahakali Rolling Mills v. Union of India, (2007) 12 SCC 198 following has been laid down: “Retrospective means looking backward, contemplating what is past, having reference to a […]

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Principles of Natural Justice IV

Security Clearance is Mandatory – The Cable Television Network (Amendment) Rules, 2012.  My Lord, Principle of Natural Justice, Fair Play Overlooked? “In similar circumstances, in Ex-Armymen’s Protection Services Private Limited, (2014) 5 SCC 409 following was laid down: “What is in ‘interest of national security’ is not a ‘question of law’. It is a ‘matter […]

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Principle of Parity I

“Equality means parity of treatment under parity of conditions. The rule of parity is the equal treatment of equals in equal circumstances.” – Chief Justice of India, Hon’ble Justice A.N. Ray, State of Kerala v. N.M. Thomas, AIR 1976 SC 490. “The imposition of a penalty in disciplinary proceeding lies in the sole domain of […]

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Principles of Natural Justice III

“Willie (William) Slaney v. State of Madhya Pradesh, AIR 1956 SC 116 explained the concept of ‘prejudice caused to the accused’ and held: “Trial is not vitiated unless the accused can show substantial prejudice. Some violations of the Code will be so obvious that they will speak for themselves as, for example, a refusal to give the […]

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The Revival of Ray VI

While stating, ‘genesis’ of creamy layer principle is to be found in State of Kerala v. N.M. Thomas, (1976) 2 SCC 310 Hon’ble Justice R.F. Nariman quoted a few words of Hon’ble Justice Krishna Iyer in Jarnail Singh v. Lachhmi Narain Gupta, [Special Leave Petition (Civil) No. 30621 of 2011]. Of course, Ray CJ had […]

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Consortium I

“In legal parlance, ‘consortium’ is a compendious term which encompasses ‘spousal consortium’, ‘parental consortium’ and ‘filial consortium’. The right to consortium would include company, care, help, comfort, guidance, solace and affection of deceased. With respect to a spouse, it would include sexual relations with deceased spouse; parental consortium is granted upon premature death of a […]

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#The377Debate II : 06.09.2018

Navtej Singh Johar v. UOI, [Writ Petition (Criminal) No. 76 of 2016] was filed for declaring Section 377 to be unconstitutional. It was held by:  Dipak Misra CJI and A.M. Khanwilkar J. The phrase ‘against the order of nature’ has neither been defined in any provision of the IPC. What is ‘against the order of nature’? Procreation […]

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A Mensa Et Thoro

Parliament often begins to legislate with remarkable vigor but about the same time it gives up the attempt to govern. It begins to lay down general rules, entrusting its working to Officials/Secretaries of State/Boards of Commissioners/Law Courts, who are endowed with new statutory powers. Once or twice upon a time, Ecclesiastical Courts could pronounce a divorce, ‘a mensa et […]

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Falsus in Uno, Falsus in Omnibus

“It is a well settled position of law, testimony of a witness cannot be discarded in toto merely due to presence of embellishments or exaggerations. Doctrine of ‘falsus in uno, falsus in omnibus’, which means ‘false in one thing, false in everything’ has been held to be inapplicable in Indian scenario, where tendency to exaggerate […]

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Clear and Present Danger

“A single revolutionary spark may kindle a fire that, smouldering for a time, may burst into a sweeping and destructive conflagration.” It was the Judgment of Holmes J in Schenck v. United States, 249 US 47 at 52 (1910) that gave rise to the test of ‘clear and present danger’ for determining whether restrictions on […]

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