Civil law

A breach of contract does not amount to a criminal offence of cheating, under Section 420 or 406 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860 (IPC), unless fraudulent or dishonest intention is shown right at the beginning of the transaction, says the Supreme Court (SC) in Jay Shri v State of Rajasthan.

Executing Court must dispose of the execution proceedings within 6 months from the date of filing which may be extended only by recording reasons in writing for such delay, says the Supreme Court (SC) in Rahul S Shah v Jinendra Kumar Gandhi and Others [ (2021) 6 SCC 418].

when a person who is having property abutting a public road leaves some property while constructing a compound wall and ultimately the said property became part and parcel of the public road used by all in common, it has to be inferred that the person, who left property outside the compound wall abutting the road in existence, impliedly for deemed to have surrendered the said portion of the property also as public road for his convenience and for the public at large.

An Indemnity Bond is a contract in which one party promises the other from any loss caused to him by the conduct of the person who promises or any other person. It is called a Contract of Indemnity, under Section 124 of the Contract Act, 1872.

The precise objective of the Specific Relief Act, 1963 (SRA) is to enable the party to get some special remedies or reliefs, other than the usual reliefs such as damages or compensation in monetary terms, which the contract act provides in breach of a contractual obligation by a party to it.

One common misconception is that a criminal court alone can issue warrant to enforce attendance of a witness. But a civil court also can issue warrant and commit a person to civil prison. That can be done only after issuing summons or proclamation.

The Hindu Minority and Guardianship Act, 1956 (HMGA) and the Guardians and Ward Act, 1890 (GWA) are the two acts that deal with guardianship. Both the acts define the rights, obligations, relations between adults and minors. The GWA applies to everyone regardless of caste, creed, or community and it includes the procedure on how to petition courts for the appointment of a guardian. The HMGA has an overriding effect in regard to all other laws relating to guardianship, as per Section 5 of the HMGA.

The court, on an application by a party, can appoint or declared a guardian for a ward. The purpose is to ensure the welfare of the minor and take care of the ward’s person and property, as per the Guardian and Wards Act, 1890 (GWA).

Permanent Lok Adalat (PLA) is a judicial body consisting of one judicial officer and two technical officers. Its purpose is to consider and decide the disputes relating to public utility services such as transport, Post and telegraph, sanitation and public conveyance, conservancy, hospital, dispensary service and insurance.

No law exists in India that provides for a mechanism or procedure to appoint for a person in comatose state. However, there is a law that provides for appointment of guardian for a minor as well as the persons with disabilities like mental retardation.

A recent judgement of the High Court says in Bosco Leuis v State of Kerala, t is the prerogative of the building owner to decide whether to levy parking fee from the customers. The judgement says that if the building owner decides to levy fees it can be done after obtaining a licence from the local authority under Section 447 of the Kerala Municipality Act.