Appellate Jurisdiction under Section 37(2) of the Arbitration Act: Jurisprudence on the setting aside awards under Section 34 of the Arbitration Act has enjoyed extensive academic discussion. Less has been spoken of Section 37(2). This article hopes to plug that gap. It will analyse the spate of recent judgments limiting the scope of an appeal under Section 37(2). It will be submitted that there is need for a course correction in the jurisprudence — at least until the statute catches up with it, Appellate Jurisdiction under Section 37(2) of the Arbitration Act — A Hard Look by Varun Srinivasan, (2024) 4 SCC (J-13)
Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996 — Ss. 7, 8 and 11 — Arbitration agreement with State or State entity — Validity of: Law clarified on arbitrariness in arbitration agreement with State/State entity and pre-deposit clause in such agreement. Pre-deposit as a condition for invocation of arbitration clause, held invalid, [Lombardi Engg. Ltd. v. Uttarakhand Jal Vidyut Nigam Ltd., (2024) 4 SCC 341]
Criminal Procedure Code, 1973 — S. 439 — Regular bail: Effect of unqualified apology and satisfactory explanation in case of misuse/abuse of process of law, resulting in direction by High Court for initiating appropriate legal action against the appellant and those who tried to misuse the process by filing application for bail in two different fora in respect of the very same crime, explained, [Pradip Sahu v. State of Assam, (2024) 4 SCC 448]
Criminal Procedure Code, 1973 — Ss. 439 and 437 — Bail applications arising out of the same FIR: Practice of placement of bail applications arising out of the same FIR, before one Judge, followed in some High Court. Adoption of such practice in all High Courts, held necessary, [Pradhani Jani v. State of Odisha, (2024) 4 SCC 451]
Criminal Procedure Code, 1973 — Ss. 439 and 437 r/w Ss. 389 and 438 — Grant of bail — Suppression of facts [re prior bail application(s)]: Directions issued for mandatory mentioning of certain facts/information as to previous/pending bail applications in all bail applications, [Kusha Duruka v. State of Odisha, (2024) 4 SCC 432]
Criminal Procedure Code, 1973 — Ss. 482 and 156(3) — Quashment of proceedings: Imposition of costs on the police officials who connived with one side against the other, in conspiring and in abetting the crime of the illegal detention of the other side. Compromise between parties, as factor for quashment of proceedings against the said officials, determined, [Shatrughna Atmaram Patil v. Vinod Dodhu Chaudhary, (2024) 4 SCC 458]
Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881 — S. 143-A r/w S. 148(1) proviso (w.e.f. 1-9-2018), 138, 139 and 143(1): Grant of interim compensation under S. 143-A is directory in nature. Power of Court to grant of interim compensation in cheque dishonour cases and relevant consideration while exercising such discretion, explained, [Rakesh Ranjan Shrivastava v. State of Jharkhand, (2024) 4 SCC 419]
Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881 — Ss. 118(e) and 138 — Dispute over signature on cheque — Presumption under S. 118(e) — Manner in which may be rebutted: Duty of accused in this regard and effect of failure to request court for production of certified copy of specimen signature maintained by bank to compare the same with signature appearing on the cheque by exercising powers under S. 73 of the Evidence Act, explained, [Ajitsinh Chehuji Rathod v. State of Gujarat, (2024) 4 SCC 453]
Penal Code, 1860 — Ss. 302 and 34 — Related eyewitnesses — Presence on spot and reliability: Law clarified on matters to be considered to determine presence on spot and reliability of related eyewitnesses, [State of Punjab v. Gurpreet Singh, (2024) 4 SCC 469]
Penal Code, 1860 — Ss. 376(2), 377, 504 and 506 — Quashing of proceedings — When warranted — Consent of prosecutrix: If the prosecutrix not under 18 yrs of age is maintaining a sexual relationship with her consent, then there is no offence of rape. But if the consent of the victim is based on misconception, such consent will be immaterial, because of being not a voluntary consent. Further held, if it is established that from the inception, the consent by the victim is a result of a false promise to marry, there will be no consent, and in such a case, the offence of rape will be made out, [Sk. Arif v. State of Maharashtra, (2024) 4 SCC 463]
SEBI’s Consent Mechanism: This article attempts to delve into the core aspects of SEBI’s consent mechanism. It analyses the trend of settlement filings, acceptance, and disposal over the last 9 years, SEBI’s Consent Mechanism: Making it the Norm, rather than the Exception By Namita Shetty and Ilina Peehu, (2024) 4 SCC (J-22)
The Parallel Lives of Earl Warren and W. Subba Wao: This article seeks to explore the parallel lives of two great Chief Justices, whose interpretation of the Constitution expanded the scope of the rights guaranteed under it and led to a liberal exposition of constitutional law, Two Chief Justices: The Parallel Lives of Earl Warren and W. Subba Wao by N. Ashwani Kumar and Amit A. Pai, (2024) 4 SCC (J-1)
