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Supreme Selections: Yearly Digest 2024, PART-IV



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Part-IV: July and August

July

After summer vacation, the Supreme Court (SC) of India reopened on July 08, 2024 (Monday). The top Court heard various important matters and delivered a total of 108 Judgments including approximately 86 Reportable Judgments in July 2024. Following is the list of judgments passed by the SC in July, Click on the Links to read the full judgment. 

Bail Condition: Sharing Google PIN Location 

Judgment Name: Frank Vitus vs. Narcotics Control Bureau & Ors. (July 08, 2024)

Bench: Justice Abhay S Oka and Justice Ujjal Bhuyan

Brief: The SC bench opined that a court cannot impose a bail condition on an accused to share his Google PIN location with authorities for continuous monitoring. The SC said, “There can't be bail condition defeating the very objective of bail. There can't be a bail condition enabling the police to constantly track the movement of the accused and virtually peep into the private life of the accused.”

Power to Levy Tax on Mineral Rights

Judgment Name: Mineral Area Development Authority & Anr. vs. M/S Steel Authority of India & Anr etc. (July 25, 2024)

Bench: Former Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud, Justice Abhay S Oka, Justice JB Pardiwala, Justice Ujjal Bhuyan, Justice Augustine George Masih, Justice Hrishikesh Roy, Justice BV Nagarathna, Justice Manoj Misra, and Justice Satish Chandra Sharma.

Brief: With an 8:1 majority, the SC overruled its 1998 judgment in the India Cements case holding royalty to be a tax. It said that ‘royalty’ is not the same as ‘tax’ and the States have the power to levy tax on mining and mineral-use activities. 

Enrolment Fees Charged by Bar Councils

Judgment Name: Gaurav Kumar vs. Union of India and Ors. (July 30, 2024)

Bench: Former CJI DY Chandrachud and Justice JB Pardiwala

Brief: The SC held that “Section 24(1)(f) (Advocates Act, 1961) is a fiscal regulatory provision and has to be construed strictly. Parliament has prescribed the enrolment fees in the exercise of its sovereign legislative powers. The SBCs (State Bar Councils) and the BCI (Bar Council of India), being delegates of Parliament, cannot alter or modify the fiscal policy laid down by Parliament.”

Other Important Judgments of July Month

Week 1

Week 2

Week 3

Week 4

August

In August 2024, the top court pronounced around 85 Judgments including approximately 67 Reportable Judgments. 

Sub-classification of SC/ST(s)

Judgment Name: The State of Punjab & Ors. vs. Davinder Singh & Ors. (August 01, 2024)

Bench: Former CJI DY Chandrachud, Justice Vikram Nath, Justice Pankaj Mithal, Justice Manoj Misra, Justice BR Gavai, Justice Bela M Trivedi, and Justice Satish Chandra Sharma

Brief: The Supreme Court held that sub-classification of Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes (SC/STs) is permissible with a majority of 6:1. It overruled the EV Chinnaiah vs. State of Andhra Pradesh judgment which stated that sub-classification of SC/STs is contrary to Article 341 of the Indian Constitution conferring right on the President to prepare the list of SC/STs.

POCSO Case

Judgment Name: In Re: Right to Privacy of Adolescents (August 20, 2024)

Bench: Justice Abhay S Oka and Justice Ujjal Bhuyan

Brief: The SC held that the remarks made by the Calcutta High Court such as adolescent girls should control their sexual urges, were objectionable, preachy, sweeping, unwarranted, and irrelevant. It added that such remarks are an insult to the rights of dignity and privacy of adolescents.

Other Important Judgments of August Month

Week 1

Week 2

  1. Mahendra Kumar Sonker vs. The State of Madhya Pradesh (August 12, 2024)
  2. Jalaluddin Khan vs. Union of India (August 13, 2024)
  3. Sri Sujies Benefit Funds Limited vs. M. Jaganathuan (August 13, 2024)
  4. James Kunjwal vs. State of Uttarakhand & Anr.  (August 13, 2024)
  5. In Re: Patanjali Ayurved Limited through its Managing Director Acharya Balkrishna and Baba Ramdev (August 13, 2024)
  6. Mineral Area Development Authority & Anr. vs. M/S Steel Authority of India & Anr Etc.  (August 14, 2024)
  7. Maheshkumar Chandulal Patel & Anr. vs. The State of Gujarat & Ors. (August 14, 2024)

Week 3

Week 4

1. How many total judgments were given by the Supreme Court in July 2024 and August 2024?
2. How many were reportable judgments in July 2024 and August 2024?

Related Articles

Supreme Selections: Yearly Digest 2024, PART-I
Supreme Selections: Yearly Digest 2024, PART-II
Supreme Selections: Yearly Digest 2024, PART-III



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