OTHERS
Exclusion Of Caste From List Of Scheduled Castes At Later Date Cannot Take Away Promotion Granted Earlier: Gujarat High Court
The Gujarat High Court has ruled that benefit of caste reservation granted to a person belonging to Schedule Caste cannot be halted midway on exclusion of the concerned caste from the list of Scheduled Castes. In doing so the court quashed the demotion of an official who was promoted earlier based on his caste, but was later demoted after the caste he belonged to was excluded from list...
When Alteration Of Cheque Is Patently Clear, Further Evidence Not Necessary : Supreme Court Sets Aside S.138NI Act Conviction
The Supreme Court has set aside a conviction under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881 (NI Act), after finding that the cheque had been visibly and materially altered from Rs 10,000 to Rs. 1,10,000.A bench of Justice Sanjay Kumar and Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva allowed the appeal filed by the accused, holding that the High Court and the Trial Court have erred in calling...
Shifting Idols From Dilapidated Temple To Continue Worship Not Misconduct By Priest: MP High Court
The Madhya Pradesh High Court has held that the action of a priest in shifting the idols from a dilapidated temple structure to a nearby functional temple to continue uninterrupted worship cannot be termed as misconduct or abandonment of duty. [2026 LiveLaw (MP) 296]Setting aside the removal of the priest of Temple Radha Gopalji Shri Ram Jankiji in Shivpuri District, the bench of Justice...
Unused Acquired Land Need Not Be Returned To Original Owners; Can Be Used For Another Public Purpose: Jharkhand High Court
The Jharkhand High Court has refused to interfere with the acquisition of over 200 acres of land for a coal washery in the 1960s, holding that once land has been validly acquired for a public purpose and compensation has been paid, the mere fact that a portion of the land remains unused does not entitle the original landowners to reclaim it. The Court reiterated that where the original...
S.159 Income Tax Act Can't Validate Reassessment Notice Issued To Deceased Assessee: Allahabad High Court
The Allahabad High Court at Lucknow has held that the Income Tax Department cannot invoke Section 159, which allows proceedings against a deceased assessee's legal representative, to continue reassessment proceedings initiated in the name of a dead person. It held that where the notice is issued after the assessee's death, the department must issue a fresh notice to the legal...
Muslim Family Can't Bury Deceased On Disputed Land When Community Graveyard Is Available: Gujarat High Court Denies Relief
The Gujarat High Court rejected a plea by Muslim residents of a village challenging a notice asking them to explain reasons for burying a body on a disputed land despite existence of a separate earmarked graveyard for the community. [2026 LiveLaw (Guj) 201]Referring to a site inspection report of the disputed land showing graveyard for the Muslim community, the court said that when there...
Private Apartment Dispute Can't Be Converted Into RPwD Act Complaint Merely Because One Party Has Disability: Karnataka High Court
The Karnataka High Court has recently quashed proceedings initiated against residents of an apartment complex under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act, holding that the statute cannot be invoked to settle mundane civil disputes merely because one of the parties is a person with disability. [2026 LiveLaw (Kar) 263]The single judge bench of Justice Suraj Govindaraj was hearing...
Debarment Can't Continue After Contractor Completes Work Accepted By Department: Patna High Court
The Patna High Court has held that a contractor's debarment cannot continue after the work for which the debarment was imposed has been completed and accepted by the department. The Court observed that in the absence of a fresh order extending the debarment or assigning reasons for its continuance, such debarment assumes the character of an impermissible indefinite debarment.A Division Bench...
Administrative Authorities Can't Cancel Registered Sale Deed Even On Allegations Of Impersonation/ Fraud: Allahabad High Court
The Allahabad High Court has reiterated that a sale deed registered under the Registration Act, 1908 cannot be set aside by the registering authority or by any authority invoking administrative powers, even where the registration is questioned on the ground of impersonation or fraud. Relying on the Full Bench decision of the Allahabad High Court in Smt. Kusum Lata v. State of U.P.., the bench...
Contract Doesn't Become “Statutory” Merely Because One Party Is An Instrumentality Of State: Allahabad High Court
The Allahabad High Court has held that a contract does not become a “statutory contract” merely because one of the contracting parties is an instrumentality of the State falling within Article 12 of the Constitution of India. It held that where a party's rights arise only from a purely commercial contract, that does not bar the State entity from floating a tender for competition venture,...
Fair Price Shop Dealer Must Be Allowed To Cross-Examine Complainants Before Licence Cancellation: Andhra Pradesh High Court
The Andhra Pradesh High Court set aside the termination of a temporary Fair Price Shop dealer, holding that the dealer was denied an opportunity to cross-examine the complainants and was not furnished with the material relied upon. [2026 LiveLaw (AP) 150]A Single Judge Bench of Justice Ravi Cheemalapati passed the order in a writ petition filed by a temporary Fair Price Shop dealer...