Legal Reference Library

Tournier v. National Provincial and Union Bank of England The United Kingdom Court of Appeal in 1923 determined that the duty of confidentiality owed by a bank to its clients was not absolute. Rather, it was qualified by four caveats: disclosure compelled by law; public duty to disclose; interests of bank require disclosure; disclosure is made with express or implied consent of customer. The matter arose after the Defendant learned of Plaintiff using his income for purposes other than paying off the debt owed to it. Pursuant to enquiries by Defendant, certain information regarding Plaintiff’s account was divulged to other parties. Though the Court expressed qualifications to confidentiality, it nonetheless was unequivocal that “it is an implied term of a banker’s contract with his customer that the banker shall not disclose the account, transactions relating”. The Court ordered trial afresh, with the jury made aware of the legal duties of the bank.

Patna High Court has held that Division Bench of a High Court cannot exercise its power of superintendence, under Article 227 of the Constitution of India, against an order made, in a suit, by a Single Bench of the High Court. Division Bench comprising of Acting Chief Justice I.A. Ansari and Justice Chakradhari Sharan Singh observed that single Judge or a single Bench of a High Court is not a court subordinate to the Division Bench of the High Court. IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT PATNA Civil Writ Jurisdiction Case No.718 of 2016 =========================================================== ANIL KUMAR SHRIVASTAVA, SON OF LATE CHITRANJAN SAHAY VERMA, RESIDENT OF MOHALLA HARI SABHA CHOWK, P.S. – MITHANPURA, DISTRICT MUZAFFARPUR .... .... PETITIONER VERSUS 1. SHAURYA SUNIL, S/O SUNIL KUMAR, RESIDENT OF MOHALLA – HARI SABHA CHOWK, P.S. MITHANPURA, DISTRICT MUZAFFARPUR CORAM: HONOURABLE THE ACTING CHIEF JUSTICE AND HONOURABLE MR. JUSTICE CHAKRADHARI SHARAN SINGH CAV JUD...

High Court of Australia: In the instant case, the respondent sustained serious spinal injuries which rendered her paraplegic, when she was thrown from the back seat of a car being driven by the appellant who was drunk at the time of the accident. The issue for determination was whether the respondent was contributorily negligent  for choosing to travel in the car driven by the appellant when she ought to have known that he was intoxicated and, secondly, for failing to engage her seatbelt. The trial Judge rejected the contention of the respondent that the appellant’s erratic driving had prevented her from fastening her seatbelt and held that failure to wear a seatbelt constitutes contributory negligence under Section 49 of the Civil Liability Act 1936. The Judge further held that the exception in Section 47(2)(b) of the Act applies in the present case as the respondent could not reasonably be expected to have avoided the risk of riding with the appellant in the circumstances. On ap...

Relatives who are not immediate ‘legal heirs’ of the victim can also file appeal against acquittal: Delhi High Court Answering a reference whether a member of the extended family of a murder victim file an appeal challenging the acquittal of the accused, Full Bench of Delhi High court, has held that the word “Victim” would embrace any person who has suffered any loss or injury caused by reason of the act or omission for which the accused person has been charged. The Full bench, comprising of Justices Pradeep Nandrajog, Gita Mittal and  RavindraBhatin Ram Phalvs State gave a liberal interpretation to the term“a person who has suffered any loss or injury” to include a person who has suffered “harm caused to the mind‟,overruling the decision in Chattar Singh vs Subhash wherein it was held that appellant, who is not a legal heir of the victim cannot file appeal. The court was interpreting Section 2(wa) of the Code of Criminal Procedure, which was introduced by 2008 amendment of the c...

IN THE HIGH COURT OF DELHI AT NEW DELHI Date of decision: 23rd December, 2015 W.P.(C) No.5975/2013 MANU NARANG & ANR ..... Petitioners Versus THE LT. GOVERNOR, GOVERNMENT NATIONAL CAPITAL TERRITORY OF DELHI AND ORS .... Respondents In a landmark verdict that will benefit thousands of land owners in Delhi, the high court on Wednesday allowed registration of properties even if valued below the minimum circle rate of the area.

If the symbol Rs/Rs is missing on the package of a product for sale, it could invite penalty under the Legal Metrology (Enforcement) Rules, 2011. The offence is compoundable, but the rules are valid, the Delhi High Court stated last week in its judgment, M/s IMS Mercantiles Ltd vs Union of India. In this case, the premises of the firm were inspected by a team of Legal Metrology officials and they found that one of the packets containing rechargeable LED flash lights did not bear the word 'Rs'. The MRP shown on the package merely showed 'MRP 299.00'. The firm was asked to pay Rs 25,000 for the lapse. It challenged the action in the high court and also argued that the rules were against the Legal Metrology Act. The high court dismissed the writ petition.

The Supreme Court has ruled that a widow can be a manager of a joint family in some particular circumstances. An apex court bench gave the ruling while deciding a property dispute between cousins of a family in Uttar Pradesh in a suit filed in 1978 in favour of the mother who bought the property. A bench comprising justices Ranjan Gogoi and N V Ramana said, “Such a role (as manager) necessarily has to be distinguished from that of a Karta which position the Hindu widow cannot assume by virtue of her disentitlement to be a coparcener in the Hindu Undivided Family (HUF) of her husband. Regrettably the position remains unaltered even after the amendment of the Hindu Succession Act in 2005.” “Though women could not be treated as Karta of a joint family, she can be a manager of a joint family, in some particular circumstances,” it said. The bench also held that the expression ‘Manager’ can be understood as denoting a role distinct from that of the Karta. The case dates back to 1978, whe...

In two rare verdicts, Central Information Commission has awarded compensation to applicants fighting for information on their provident fund and salary. A senior citizen resident of Dhanbad, who had been seeking information from his employer Bharat Coking Coal Limited on deduction from his salary towards provident fund for two years, has been awarded a compensation of Rs 15,000. Another resident of Brahmpuri, who was employed as a teacher on contract by East Delhi Municipal Corporation, has been awarded a compensation of Rs 8,000 for being wrongfully denied information on his emoluments for three years. RTI applicant B K Mukhopadhyay, who was working as senior technical inspector in Bharat Coking Coal Limited, had sought information about provident fund deductions from his salary between 1986 and 1991 after he came to know that his contribution had not been properly deposited. However, the organization did not give him any information. While arguing his case before the Commission, ...

The Punjab and Haryana High Court has made it clear that a deceased victim’s family cannot strike a compromise with the accused on behalf of the dead. “Legal heirs of the deceased have entered into a compromise with the accused. It is inexplicable how they can be allowed to do so on behalf of a dead person. Possibility that they have acted under pressure or for some consideration cannot be ruled out,” Justice Rajan Gupta has asserted. IN THE HIGH COURT OF PUNJAB & HARYANA AT                                              CHANDIGARH.                                                CRM-M-22257 of 2014                                           ...

In the case where the Court was deciding the question regarding the exhibition of Compact Discs filed in defence by the accused and to get the same proved from Forensic Science Laboratory, the bench of Dipak Misra and P.C. Pantt, JJ held that the courts below erred in law in rejecting the application to play the compact disc in question to enable the public prosecutor to admit or deny. In the case where a female child aged nine years was alleged to be sexually abused by his uncle, considering the fact that the compact disc in question had the conversation between the father of the victim and son and wife of the appellant regarding alleged property dispute, the Court referred to various judgments of this court where it was held that tape recorded conversation is admissible provided first the conversation is relevant to the matters in issue; secondly, there is identification of the voice; and, thirdly, the accuracy of the tape recorded conversation is proved by eliminating the possibili...

Declaring the Karnataka Religious Institutions and Charitable Endowments (Amendment) Act, 2011 and the Karnataka Religious Institutions and Charitable Endowments (Amendment) Act, 2012 discriminatory and violative of Constitutional Rights, the High Court held that if the law passed by a legislature is struck down by the Courts as being invalid for one or the other reason, it would be competent for the appropriate Legislature to cure the  said infirmity and pass a validating law so as to make the provisions of the said earlier law effective from the date when it was passed. But the changed or altered conditions should be such that the previous decision would not have been rendered by the Court if those conditions had existed at the time of declaring the law as invalid. Article referred: http://blog.scconline.com/post/2015/12/04/legislature-cannot-directly-overrule-a-decision-or-make-a-direction-as-not-binding-on-it-but-has-power-to-make-the-decision-ineffective/

A Two Judge Bench of the Supreme Court comprising of Justices J.S.Khehar and R.Banumati has held that, in view of the Amended Section 142(2) of Negotiable Instruments (Amendment) Second Ordinance 2015, the place where a cheque is delivered for collection i.e., the branch of the bank of the payee or holder in due course, where the drawee maintains an account, would be the determinative of the place of territorial jurisdiction for filing Complaint under the NI Act. The Bench was hearing an Appeal from an order dated 5.5. 2011 of Madhya Pradesh High Court in which it is held that the Jurisdiction to file a Complaint under NI Act lay only before the Court where-in the original drawee bank was located. The High Court relied on the Three Judge Bench Judgment of the Supreme Court in Dashrath Rupsingh Rathod vs. State of Maharashtra. Criminal Appeal No. 1557 of 2015 (Arising out of SLP (Crl.) No. 7850 of 2011), Criminal Appeal No. 1562 of 2015 (Arising out of SLP (Crl.) No. 9758 of 2011), Cr...

A married daughter is eligible to get government job of her deceased's father on compassionate grounds, the Chhattisgarh High Court has observed. Justice Sanjay K Agrawal made the observation on Tuesday while hearing a petition filed by Sarojani Bhoi (28) who had challenged the state government on the ground that she was not given the job of her father who passed away in 2011. Article referred: http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-married-daughter-eligible-for-deceased-father-s-govt-job-on-compassionate-grounds-chhattisgarh-hc-2151213

In a judgment that will shield parents against unruly and unsupportive children, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has given a new meaning to their relationship. The High Court has asserted that a son is a mere licensee putting up on the premises owned by his father. The District Magistrate is competent to order his eviction. The judgment by Justice Hemant Gupta and Justice Sneh Prashar came on a petition by Gurpreet Singh against his father and other respondents. The Bench said: “The petitioner is a licensee living on the premises on the basis of concession given by his father to live in the property owned by him. As a licensee, the petitioner is only permitted to enjoy the possession of the property licensed, but without creating any interest in the property. A licence stands terminated the moment the licensor conveys a notice of termination of the licence. There is no vested right of any kind in the licensee to remain in possession of the property licensed,” it said. Arti...

Lingard v. Milne-McIsaac, 2015 ONCA 213 – This Court of Appeal case arises from a motor vehicle accident which occurred on October 28, 2008. The plaintiff sustained injuries when his vehicle was rear-ended by an uninsured vehicle. The Motor Vehicle Accident Report (MVA Report) prepared by the police at the scene of the accident listed the driver, owner and insurance company. On June 29, 2010, the plaintiff’s doctor determined that he would require back surgery as a result of the accident. The plaintiff commenced a Statement of Claim on September 24, 2010 seeking damages from both the driver and owner of the vehicle. On or about January 25, 2011, the plaintiff learned that the defendant vehicle was uninsured and the insurance was cancelled prior to the subject accident. As a result, the plaintiff brought a motion for leave to amend his Statement of Claim to claim uninsured motorist coverage from his insurer, Wawanesa Insurance Company. The motion judge denied the plaintiff leave, findi...

Spentex Industries Ltd vs. CCE (Supreme Court) The Supreme Court was concerned with whether or not the manufacturer/exporter is entitled to rebate of the excise duty paid both on the inputs and on the manufactured product, when excise duty is paid on a manufactured product and also on the inputs which have gone into manufacturing the product and such manufactured product is exported? HELD in that context by the Court: (i) It is to be borne in mind that it is the Central Government which has framed the Rules as well as issued the notifications. If the Central Government itself is of the opinion that the rebate is to be allowed on both the forms of excise duties the government is bound thereby and the rule in-question has to interpreted in accord with this understanding of the rule maker itself. Law in this respect is well settled and, therefore, it is not necessary to burden this judgment by quoting from various decisions. Our purpose would be served by referring to one such decisi...

A woman has inalienable rights over stridhan and she can claim it even after separation from her husband, the Supreme Court has ruled, saying that denying it would amount to domestic violence making the husband and in-laws liable to face criminal prosecution. As per Hindu law, stridhan is whatever a women receives during her lifetime including all movable, immovable property, gifts etc received prior to marriage, at the time of marriage and during child birth. A bench of Justices Dipak Misra and Prafulla C Pant quashed the order of a trial court and Tripura High Court which had held that a woman cannot claim her stridhan after separation from her husband and criminal proceedings cannot be initiated against husband and in-laws for not handing over the properties. It pulled up the courts for dismissing the plea of a woman on the ground that she lost the right over stridhan after judicial separation with husband. The court said that the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act...

The Bombay High Court last week allowed the petition of Italian firm Sideralba SPA seeking the execution of a foreign award in its favour against Mumbai firm Shree Precoated Steels Ltd. There was a series of disputes between the Italian firm, the Mumbai firm, its sister concern in UAE and insurer New India Assurance over dispatch of steel items, some of which were damaged while the ship with the consignment from Mumbai was damaged at Djibouti. The high court rejected the arguments of the Mumbai firm resisting the execution of the award stating that "the findings of facts rendered by the arbitral tribunal cannot be interfered with in this court and it cannot refuse to enforce the foreign award by adjudicating upon the disputes between the parties on merits… According to Swiss law applicable to the parties, the award has achieved finality." The judgment cited several Supreme Court judgments in respect of execution of foreign awards and concluded that enforcement could be refuse...

The Bombay High Court has ruled that information regarding development plans of a building company can be disclosed by the municipal authorities on an application under the Right to Information Act. In this case, Ferani Hotels Ltd and Nusli Wadia, the two parties had an agreement to develop certain lands in Mumbai. The relationship turned sour and the agreement was terminated, leading to a suit in the high court. Meanwhile, Wadia moved an application before the public information officer of the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai seeking details of the architectural plans and reports submitted by the company to the municipal commissioner and his approval. When the information was denied, Wadia moved the state information commissioner, who ordered the release of the information. The company appealed to the high court, arguing that the information sought did not serve any social or public interest, it was only for private interest. Moreover, it would harm its business interest and wo...

The Supreme Court has ruled that the government cannot amend its export-import policy to take away rights already accrued to exporters under a specific scheme. A special scheme related to their performance was announced in 2004 to boost exports by giving incentives on some items. Later it was amended by removing certain items. This spawned a rash of petitions in various high courts, which took different stands, especially Bombay and Gujarat high courts. All the parties appealed to the Supreme Court. In its common judgment, DGFT vs Kanak Exports, the court stated the government can decide policy. However, if the government realised that the earlier policy was "ill-considered" it was free to withdraw it but it could do so only prospectively, but not from a back date. "Duty credit entitlement cannot be snatched from exporters by making the amendment retrospectively."