Stridhan Property is Wife’s Absolute Property

Stridhan property is essentially what is gifted to a woman before marriage, at the time of marriage or at the time of bidding of farewell or thereafter and it is an “absolute property” of a woman. The husband has no control over it and it does not become a joint property of the wife and the husband. But he can use it in times of distress and he has a “moral obligation” to restore the same or its value to his wife, says the Supreme Court (SC) in Maya Gopinath v Anoop S B [2024 INSC 334].

No Easement by Necessity if Alternate Way Exists

The claimant of an easement right wouldn't be entitled to claim the easement right by necessity when there exists an alternative way to access the claimant’s land, apart from the way over which the easement rights were claimed, the Supreme Court (SC) says in Manish Mahendra Gala v Shalini Bhagwan Avatramani [2024 INSC 293].

No Transfer of Property Occurs If the Transferor has no Title

If someone tries to transfer property rights to another person through a legal document but doesn't actually own those rights, the new owner or their successors won't have the legal right to claim those rights from that document, says the Supreme Court in Kizhakke Vatakandiyil Madhavan (D) Thr LRS v Thiyyurkunnath Meethal Janaki [Citation : 2024 INSC 287].

SC deprecates HC’s Interference in SARFAESI Matters

The Supreme Court (SC) , in PHR Invent Educational Society v UCO Bank & Others, deprecated the High Court's interference in the auction sale proceedings completed by the Bank, on behalf of the borrower, despite having statutory remedy of appeal under the Securitization and Reconstruction of Financial Assets and Enforcement of Security Interest Act, 2002 (SARFAESI Act).

Abetment of Wife’s Suicide under Section 306 IPC

A man cannot be held guilty for abetment of suicide of his wife, under Section 306 of the Indian Penal code (IPC) read with Section 113 A of the Indian Evidence Act (IEA), within seven years of marriage, unless there is cogent evidence of harassment or cruelty, the Supreme Court has said in Naresh Kumar v State of Haryana [2024 (1) KLD 427 (SC)].

Suppression of Facts & Repudiation of Insurance Claim

Suppression of details regarding the illness suffered by the insurance proposer/assured, the previous treatment administered to him including hospitalization, and so on, which are raised as specific queries in the proposal form of the insurance company are material facts, and in the event of any material suppression or furnishing of false information by the proposer/assured regarding the same, the Insurance Company would be entitled to repudiate the policy, says the Kerala High Court in Life Insurance Corporation v Rosamma Varkey.

Evidence must be Construed in favour of the Accused

On the basis of evidence on record in a court proceeding, if two equally sustainable views - one in favourable to the accused and the other against him - are equally possible, the court should take the one that is favourable to the accused, but not the other, says the Supreme Court (SC) in Chandrappa & Others v State of Karnataka