Supreme Court of India judgments

The Supreme Court quashed the FIR for cheating and criminal breach of trust, holding that a commercial dispute lacking proof of dishonest intent at inception cannot be prosecuted under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. The ruling protects businesses from criminal charges unless fraud is clearly established, shaping future FIRs in commercial disagreements.

The Supreme Court affirmed Dinesh Kumar's murder conviction under IPC 302/34 but, after the Juvenile Justice Board confirmed he was a minor at the time, it vacated his life term and rigorous imprisonment, ordering his release and removing any disqualification. The ruling clarifies that juveniles cannot be subjected to adult sentencing even for serious offences.

The Supreme Court ruled that writ petitions for electrocution compensation are inadmissible where facts are disputed, reaffirming strict liability for hazardous activities. It also rejected the Motor Vehicles Act multiplier as the damages yardstick, requiring a new compensation formula for electrocution claims.

A Division Bench may not set aside a trial judge’s grant of an interim injunction unless the discretion was exercised arbitrarily or perversely. The Supreme Court said appellate courts can intervene only on a ground of abuse of discretion, leaving the interim relief intact.

The Supreme Court ruled that a High Court may not issue a week-long protection from arrest unless a Section 69 order under the CGST Act has been passed, and that interim relief is unavailable once a pre-arrest bail plea is rejected. Taxpayers facing GST raids must first secure a valid Section 69 order, curbing lower courts’ protective powers.

Milestone payments under the EPC agreement are treated as operational debt under Section 5(21) of the IBC, and the creditor’s Section 9 petition is dismissed as time-barred after three years. The ruling confirms that such contracts continue despite delays, limiting insolvency claims by contractors. This impacts EPC contractors and lenders seeking recovery in insolvency proceedings.

A Registrar’s Exhibit-8 memorandum conclusively establishes a firm’s registration, and a money-recovery claim filed after the limitation period is barred under Section 69(2) of the Indian Partnership Act and the Limitation Act, affecting partners seeking recovery.

The Supreme Court ruled that the 35-year age limit for compassionate appointments under the National Coal Wage Agreement must be measured from the date the application process begins, not from when the claim is finally considered. This prevents employers from using procedural delays to disqualify eligible dependents of deceased workers.

The Supreme Court ruled that a single appeal filed under Section 96 of the CPC can be maintained to contest a common judgment dismissing two separate suits filed by the same plaintiff. This eliminates the need for separate appeals, reducing litigation time and cost for litigants. The holding applies to all civil parties seeking to appeal consolidated judgments.

The Supreme Court reinstated SEBI's penalty on Tara Jewels promoters, ruling that merely possessing unpublished price-sensitive information and trading on it satisfies insider-trading liability, irrespective of any profit or the intended use of the proceeds. This establishes that motive or purpose of proceeds is irrelevant for penalty under the SEBI Act, affecting all present and future insider-trading cases.

The Supreme Court overturned the ten-year rigourous imprisonment, restoring the trial court’s acquittal because the medical and forensic reports failed to establish the offence beyond reasonable doubt. This underscores that rape prosecutions must be backed by conclusive forensic proof, affecting all pending Section 376 IPC cases.

A single composite appeal can now be filed when a suit and its counterclaim are disposed of by one decree, removing the requirement for separate appeals. This streamlines civil procedure and benefits litigants facing dual decrees. The ruling applies to all CPC cases where both claims are adjudicated together.

Employers cannot dismiss an employee for alleged false statements on verification forms unless they prove the employee knowingly concealed a pending criminal case. The Supreme Court reinstated the technician with back wages and interest, reinforcing that mere existence of a case does not justify termination. This safeguards workers who are unaware of or have not suppressed criminal proceedings.

The Supreme Court upheld a Delhi High Court order directing the appellant to deposit Rs 3.5 crore under Section 9 of the Arbitration Act, clarifying that courts may grant interim security to a party who ultimately loses the arbitration where equity demands it. This ruling expands the scope of Section 9, allowing preservation of assets even when the applicant’s substantive claim is weak, affecting all parties seeking interim protection during arbitration.

The Supreme Court set aside the dowry-death charges against a BSF officer, holding that a service certificate proving his posting elsewhere and the acquittal of his relatives removed any prima facie case, making continuation an abuse of process under Section 482. This clarifies that alibi evidence and related acquittals can justify dismissal of criminal complaints at the highest court.

The Supreme Court ruled that Provident Fund and ESPP contributions cannot be treated as compulsory deductions when determining net income for maintenance under HMA Sections 24 and 26. The Court enhanced monthly child maintenance to Rs.1.25 lakh and granted the wife Rs.30,000 for cancer treatment, ordering compliance within three months.

The Supreme Court upheld the High Court's reduction of a murder conviction to culpable homicide not amounting to murder, holding that material inconsistencies in eyewitness accounts and a dying declaration uncorroborated by medical evidence failed to prove the specific intent required for Section 302 IPC. The ruling reinforces that courts must rigorously test dying declarations against ocular and forensic evidence before sustaining murder convictions. The accused, having already served a six-year sentence under Section 304 Part II, will not face life imprisonment.

Supreme Court accepted a 12-year filing delay and denied interest on the enhanced award. It confirmed that lands acquired under the 1999 notification must receive Rs 6.5 lakh per acre with statutory benefits, matching the Ravindra award. The decision ensures equal compensation for similarly situated landowners despite prolonged procedural delays.

The Supreme Court ruled that a compulsory retirement order under Rule 56(j) of the Central Industrial Security Force’s Fundamental Rules is a non-punitive service measure, not subject to natural-justice safeguards, and can be challenged only on grounds of arbitrariness or mala-fides. This narrows the scope of judicial review for senior officers facing retirement at the age of 50.

Supreme Court set aside a Telangana High Court order, ruling that the Andhra Pradesh Civil Courts Act, 1972 still governs partition suits between non-tribal parties in scheduled areas. Ordinary civil courts therefore retain jurisdiction, with the Act’s special provisions applying only to tribal matters. The decision guides litigants and lawyers handling property partitions in scheduled zones of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

Even without signing the MoS, a shareholder named in its schedule is deemed a veritable party and can be forced into arbitration under the Arbitration Act. The decision widens arbitration’s reach to parties whose performance is essential to a deal. It affects buyers, sellers and related stakeholders in corporate share-purchase transactions.

The Supreme Court ruled that fitting together imported CKD components at Xerox’s warehouse does not amount to ‘manufacture’ within Section 2(f) of the Central Excise Act, shielding the company from excise duty and penalty. This clarifies that mere assembly of knocked-down parts is outside the scope of central excise liability.

The Supreme Court ordered the Ministry of Environment to issue binding guidelines on environmental compensation under the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2026. The ruling gives statutory force to the Central Implementation Committee and entrenches the polluter-pays principle for waste-generating parties.

Central government must provide subvention to private medical colleges only for students admitted up to the 2002-03 academic year, as the Supreme Court applied the T.M.A. Pai Foundation decision prospectively. Orders directing payments for later admissions are set aside, impacting colleges that relied on the scheme beyond that cut-off.