The Plea of Limitation V: Written Statements, District Consumer Forums I

As per Section 13(2)(a) of The Consumer Protection Act, 1986 the period of limitation for filing a written statement before a District Forum is 45 days. In J.J. Merchant, (2002) 6 SCC 635 the question arose whether the Forum can grant time beyond 45 days to the opposite party for filing its version. The Three-Judge Bench answered […]

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The Writ of Mandamus II

“Writ of Mandamus is an extraordinary remedy and is intended to supply deficiencies in law and is thus discretionary in nature. The issuance of a Writ of Mandamus pre-supposes a clear right of the applicant and unjustifiable failure of a duty imposed on an authority otherwise obliged in law to imperatively discharge the same. The […]

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Promissory Estoppel III

“A new class of Estoppel recognised as ‘Promissory Estoppel’ has assumed considerable significance in recent years. This principle, evolved by equity, to avoid injustice is traceable in the leading case on the subject in Central London Property Trust Ltd. vs. High Trees House Ltd., (1947) 1 KB 130. This Court in Nestle India Limited, (2006) […]

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Mohandas Must Pay

Anuradha v. Mohandas, [Transfer Petition 702 of 2015] Petitioner got married to Respondent in 2010. Petitioner was a divorcee. It was a love marriage.  In 2015, Respondent filed for a decree of divorce before Family Court, Bombay. Petitioner moved an application before SC for a transfer of that divorce case to Hyderabad, where she way staying. On […]

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A Valuable Human Resource

Retired, Hon’ble Chief Justice of India A.N. Ray once said, as evidenced by George H. Gadbois, Jr, “An Indian Chief Justice, like the Lord Chief Justice, in England, should not take up any Post-Retirement Positions.” Hon’ble Justice T.S. Thakur believes however, “An Indian Chief Justice, should not be a Wasted, Valuable Human Resource.” 65 is […]

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Family Arrangements

My Lord, Family Arrangements? “Paragraph 9 of Kale v. Deputy Director of Consolidation, (1976) 3 SCC 119 deserves full respect.” – Hon’ble Justice Shiva Kirti Singh, Rajni Sanghi v. Western India State Motors, [Civil Appeal No. 3698 of 2006]. _____________ For Interest, Paragraph 9 of Kale v. Deputy Director of Consolidation, (1976) 3 SCC 119 [By virtue […]

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The Writ of Mandamus I

 My Lord, What is Mandamus? “Mandamus literally means a command. The essence of Mandamus in England was, it was a royal command issued by King’s Bench (now Queen’s Bench) directing performance of a public legal duty. A Writ of Mandamus is issued in favour of a person who establishes a legal right in himself. A […]

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Sen J II

Hon’ble Justice Vikramajit Sen has yet again described what “holds the field” [See, The Proverbial Chickens of Destiny & Sen J I ]. The phrase “holds the field” is to Sen J what a “means and includes” definition is to Nariman J. “A Smaller and a Later Bench has no freedom other than to apply the […]

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A Continuing Offence

My Lord, What is a ‘Continuing Offence’? Deokaran Nenshi, (1972) 2 SCC 890 distinguished between continuing offences and offences committed once and for all. “A continuing offence is one which is susceptible of continuance and is distinguishable from one which is committed once and for all. It is one of those offences, which arises out […]

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James, James Bond

Trivia 1: There is an irony in the name Franz Oberhauser. Franz, the half-brother of Bond, is the one who stays in the ‘other house’, the Oberhaus, the house other than Skyfall. Trivia 2: Growing up, what did Bond have for breakfast? Do we have a definitive scene of James Bond eating? He has ordered […]

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Tape Records of Speeches

Tape records of speeches are “documents”, as defined by Section 3 of The Evidence Act, and stands on no different footing than photographs [See, Ziyauddin, (1976) 2 SCC 17]. They are admissible in evidence on satisfying the following conditions: (a) The voice of the person alleged to be speaking must be duly identified by the maker […]

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A 70 Feet Long Cricket Match

Crime stories are good reads. At the centre of State of Rajasthan v. Daud Khan, [Criminal Appeal No. 126 of 2010] is Cricket [India v. Pakistan], held on 24th March, 2004 at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore. India won by 40 runs and thereby nailed the 5 match series 3-2. Javed Beg and Daud Khan had some […]

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Divorce v. Judicial Separation

My Lord, Decree for Divorce v. Decree for Judicial Separation? “A 3-Judge Bench in Jeet Singh, (1993) 1 SCC 325 ruled that, a Decree or an Order for Judicial Separation permits the Parties to live apart. There would be no obligation for either Party to cohabit with the other; mutual rights and obligations arising out […]

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Moral Misconduct of an Arbitrator I

Under Section 30(a) of The 1940 Arbitration Act, an Arbitral Award can be set side if the Arbitrator has “misconducted himself or the proceedings”. In K.P. Poulose, (1975) 2 SCC 236 it was held, “misconduct under Section 30(a) has not a connotation of moral lapse. It comprises legal misconduct which is complete if the Arbitrator on […]

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