Justice Sandeep Mehta
Know Thy Judge | Supreme Court of India: Justice Sandeep Mehta’s stellar career and notable judgments
Justice Sandeep Mehta, formerly the Chief Justice of Gauhati High Court, took oath of office as Judge of Supreme Court of India on 9-11-2023 and will be retiring on 10-01-2028.
Forest lands cannot be used for non-forestry purposes: Read Supreme Court’s direction to restore Karnataka’s forest land with indigenous plantations
The very grant of lease to the respondent for agricultural purposes was uncalled for because it led to devastation and deforestation of huge forest area admeasuring nearly 134 acres.
Supreme Court issues directions to Trial Courts for ensuring systematic presentation of evidence for efficient appreciation of record
The directions were issued with the aim to institutionalize a standardized format for cataloguing witnesses, documentary evidence, and material objects, in order to facilitate better comprehension and immediate reference for all stakeholders, including the Appellate Courts
Statutory finality of Lok Adalat award excludes appellate/penal civil remedy; only remedy is High Court’s supervisory jurisdiction: Supreme Court
The Executing Court’s role in enforcing a decree based on a Lok Adalat award under the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987 is limited to execution alone. It cannot annul, set aside, or question the validity of the award, and objections in execution cannot serve as an alternative remedy to challenge the award.
Supreme Court enhances Alimony from Rs. 30 Lakh to Rs. 50 Lakh in Former AAG and Family Court Judge Divorce Case
The Court observed that the husband, being a judicial officer holding a responsible public position, owed a heightened duty of fair, adequate, and dignified financial security for his wife and daughter.
Accessible grievance redressal mechanism; Inclusive education; Mobility aids: SC issues additional directions on rights of disabled prisoners
The Court directed that directions issued in L. Muruganantham v. State of T.N., 2025 SCC OnLine SC 1444, shall be extended to all the States and the Union Territories, to ensure that the principles are adopted mutatis mutandis within their prison systems as well.
Parties agreeing to rate of interest cannot later challenge it on ground of public policy: SC upholds 36% interest in BPL-Morgan Securities and Credits case
BPL Ltd., having knowingly entered into the bill discounting agreement, was bound by its terms. Since it defaulted on repayment for years, the stipulated 36% compound interest could not be considered burdensome or oppressive.
Include provision for Scribes; Deployment of Screen Reader Software for visually impaired candidates: SC issues necessary directions to UPSC
“The rights guaranteed to persons with disabilities are not acts of benevolence, but expressions of the constitutional promise of equality, dignity, and non-discrimination enshrined in Articles 14, 19, and 21 of the Constitution”.
Supreme Court issues directions addressing rise in dog bites incidents within institutional areas & road accidents caused by stray cattle
“The State and its instrumentalities bear an affirmative obligation to ensure that no citizen, least of all children, elderly people and patients, are exposed to preventable injury or disease within public premises”.
Supreme Court urges High Courts to encourage filing of anticipatory bail applications first before Sessions Court; discourage direct interference
“A balance has to be struck to protect individual liberty of accused and to secure an environment that is free from any fear in the hearts of victims of the alleged perpetrators. Although grant of bail is a discretionary exercise, the courts must be cautious to exercise the discretion judiciously.”
Disability Rights | Supreme Court directs 8 NLUs to undertake nationwide ‘Project Ability Empowerment’ monitoring drive
The Court also specified 6 Key Areas of focus for Project Ability Empowerment and directed the Centre to present their explanation on issues concerning Reservation for the differently abled.
Supreme Court reiterates need for HC to timely upload reasoned order after pronouncing operative part of judgment, following a notable delay of almost 2.5 years in a case
The practice of delay in uploading the reasoned judgment deprived the aggrieved party of the opportunity to seek further judicial redressal, particularly in criminal matters wherein the appeal was dismissed affirming the judgment and order of conviction passed by the Trial Court.
Witness Protection Scheme cannot substitute bail cancellation; rendering provisions of bail cancellation otiose: Supreme Court
Witness Protection Scheme is a remedial and curative measure, designed to neutralise the effects of threats once they have materialised. Bail cancellation, on the other hand, is a preventive and supervisory function of the criminal court, whose duty is to ensure that the trial proceeds unpolluted by intimidation.
Simple blow with a school bag without evidence of deliberate maltreatment, doesn’t satisfy ingredients of Child Abuse: SC
“The offence of “child abuse” cannot be attracted to every trivial or isolated incident involving a child, but must necessarily co-relate with acts involving cruelty, exploitation, deliberate ill-treatment, or conduct intended to cause harm”.
POCSO| ‘No mitigation for crimes that subvert notion of family as space of security’; SC upholds father’s life sentence
“Incestuous sexual violence committed by a parent is a distinct category of offence that tears through the foundational fabric of familial trust and must invite the severest condemnation in both language and sentence”.
Man who killed family over wife’s alleged infidelity spared death penalty; to remain in prison until natural death: Supreme Court
The Court stated that though the appellant was illiterate, he was not irrational, as he had a plan in mind which he executed, thereby achieving his goal.
Constitutional bar against retrospectively imposing harsher penalty is clear and absolute: Supreme Court modifies sentence in POCSO case
Since the offence was committed on 20-5-2019, the amended provision of Section 6 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act, 2019, which came into force on 16-8-2019, could not have been applied to his case.
High Courts must consider incorporating provision in their respective Rules, obligating disclosure of criminal antecedents by accused persons: Supreme Court
The Court stated that while considering the bail applications, accounting for the criminal antecedents of the accused has been a subject matter of concern for the courts across the country.
Supreme Court issues comprehensive Guidelines on protecting mental health of young students in coaching centres and colleges
“Mental health is an integral component of the right to life under Article 21 of the Constitution which has been upheld by the Court time and again.”