Ratio Decidendi I

My Lord, Hon’ble Justice A.P. Sen View, Paragraphs 86-87, Express Newspapers v. Union of India, (1986) 1 SCC 133 = Majority View? Yes. “We, consider it apposite to refer to The Guardians of The Poor of The West Derby Union v. The Guardians of The Poor of The Atcham, (1889) 24 QBD 117. The question […]

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4 Kilograms of Opium

“The NDPS Act carries a reverse burden of proof under Sections 35, 54. Section 35(2) provides, a fact can be said to have been proved if it is established beyond reasonable doubt and not on preponderance of probability. Article 21 of the Constitution would be a hollow promise if the investigation were not to be […]

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Euclid’s Theorem II

“STATUTES SHOULD BE CONSTRUED NOT AS THEOREM OF EUCLID… WORDS MUST BE CONSTRUED WITH SOME IMAGINATION OF THE PURPOSES WHICH LIE BEHIND THEM”: JUDGE LEARNED HAND. Gypsum (Calcium Sulphate Dihydrate): Natural Mineral. Gypsum Board / Drywall: Cellulosic Composite Material; Primary Raw Material = Calcium Sulphate Dihydrate + Cellulose; See, George J Venta, The Athena Sustainable […]

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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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The Nature of Judicial Power: The Theory of Creative Interpretation

My Lord, Section 2(1)(d) of The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 should engulf and embrace, in its connotative expanse, the mental age of a person or the age determined by the prevalent science pertaining to psychiatry so that a mentally retarded person or an extremely intellectually challenged person, who even has crossed […]

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Implied Exclusion of Part I of The Arbitration Act IV: The Shashoua Principle

The Shashoua Principle [Roger Shashoua v. Mukesh Sharma, 2009 EWHC 957 (Comm)] “When there is an express designation of the Arbitration venue as London and no designation of any alternative place as seat, combined with a supranational body of rules [i.e. ICC] governing the Arbitration and no other significant contrary indicia, the inexorable conclusion is, […]

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Prima Facie

Throughout the history of the use of the term in Latin, ‘prima facie’ meant only the most cursory, initial impression. It retained that meaning upon its adoption into colloquial English. The term ‘prima facie’ is used in the law both as an adjective and as an adverb. Common Law Courts which developed the judicial meaning […]

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