Administrative Law

A 25-year power deal locked at Rs 2.64/unit. Then a regulator changed the rules. The Supreme Court just said: no takebacks.

Wind energy generators wanted to hike their tariff after a 2013 amendment. The Supreme Court ruled that a contract is a contract, even if the market shifts.

8 min read

A Council That Changed Its Mind After 7 Years — And Why the Supreme Court Stopped It

A rejected claim under the MSMED Act was revived by the same Facilitation Council after government pressure. The Supreme Court ruled: no review power, no retrospective application.

6 min read

A lawyer wrote a will leaving himself £50,000. No one was in the room when he wrote it.

The Privy Council upheld the will despite the suspicious circumstances, deferring to the trial judge's assessment of witness credibility.

6 min read

A will was admitted as evidence. The objection came too late—here's why that matters.

The Privy Council ruled that if you don't object to a document's mode of proof at trial, you can't complain later. A simple rule with big consequences.

6 min read

A will with 'unusual features' was challenged. The court's test: not one flaw, but the whole picture.

The propounder helped draft the will, summoned the witness, drove the testator to the registrar. The court said: that alone isn't suspicious. Here's what it takes to 'completely remove' doubt.

5 min read

A wind power PPA locked at ₹2.64/kWh. Then the rules changed. Who pays?

Gujarat's bulk power buyer signed 25-year deals with wind developers under the old REC regime. After a 2013 amendment, developers demanded a higher dynamic tariff. The Supreme Court had to decide: is a voluntary contract still binding when the regulator shifts the goalposts?

5 min read

Can a regulator appeal against its own order being corrected?

The Supreme Court says no—except in one narrow situation. And it also stops electricity companies from charging consumers twice for the same loan.

5 min read

Council directed the penalty. Registrar signed. Court said that's illegal.

A council directed a penalty before the disciplinary authority could independently consider the employee's explanation — the High Court held that the entire proceeding was vitiated.

5 min read

Council said comply. Government said no. Court said the council loses.

The Council of Architecture tried to enforce new standards the government had rejected, but the Madras High Court ruled that no administrative letter can replace the law's requirement for approval and Gazette notification.

5 min read

Dental colleges must be near medical colleges, SC says

The Supreme Court upheld a Dental Council rule requiring new dental colleges to attach with recognized medical colleges within 10 km, reversing a High Court decision.

6 min read

Electricity regulator challenges court that overturned its own order — Supreme Court says: you can't

When the Appellate Tribunal corrected the Commission's tariff decisions, the Commission appealed to the Supreme Court. The Court found this 'seriously doubtful' and questioned whether a quasi-judicial body can be an 'aggrieved party' against its own corrections.

6 min read

Force majeure failed. The meeting never happened. The clock still rewound.

A builder blamed government delays and a meeting with other buyers, but the tribunal held that a registered agreement's possession date cannot be moved by general meetings or foreseeable regulatory hurdles.

6 min read

He got the will. He wrote it. He was the heir. The court said: so what?

Shama Charn was the adopted son, the executor, and the main beneficiary. The High Court saw a red flag. The Privy Council saw a family tie.

7 min read

He nodded along. The court said that's not enough to prove a will.

A man's will was drafted entirely by his trusted adviser. The testator just understood what was happening. The Privy Council said: that's not a valid will.

7 min read

He said he never signed. The court asked: where's the Registrar?

Madras High Court says if you challenge a registered document, you must call the Sub-Registrar as a witness — or risk losing the case.

5 min read

Minority college can't claim complete immunity from fee regulation, says SC

The Supreme Court held that minority institutions must submit their fee proposals to the state regulatory body, which can only review them — not fix fees unilaterally.

4 min read

Power regulator changed rules after fixing tariff. SC says no.

BSES Rajdhani challenged DERC's truing up exercise that altered the original tariff calculation method. The Supreme Court held that a tariff order is final and cannot be reopened during truing up.

6 min read

She signed a will at home. The court said she should have gone to the office.

The Supreme Court overturned a ruling that doubted a dying woman's mental capacity because the Sub-Registrar visited her house instead of her visiting his office.

6 min read

The Article 309 rule that overrides every executive instruction on transfers.

The Supreme Court upheld a ban on inter-commissionerate transfers for inspectors, ruling that recruitment rules under Article 309 trump executive instructions, even when family hardship is at stake.

7 min read

You can't object to how a document was proved after it's been admitted

The Privy Council ruled that if you don't object when a document is marked as an exhibit, you can't complain about it later in appeal. The reason: fair play.

5 min read