Agatha Shukla

The Court targeted administrative delays by ordering jail authorities & banking institutions to utilize electronic verification methods for expediting surety appraisals.

Calling Regulation 2(1)(c) “inelegant legislative drafting”, the Court drew a clear line between regulatory breach and actionable securities fraud under PFUTP.

The Bench dismissed the Review petitions on merits; compliance window extended by one year to August 31, 2028, with categorical direction that no further extension shall be entertained.

The Bench noted that when wagering enters the picture, nature of the game ceases to be of relevance; betting on games of skill held res extra commercium, outside Article 19(1)(g) protection.

The Bench said that the structural bias in Dharmika Parishad rendered remand futile; appointed an independent enquiry committee under Article 142.

The Bench said that the double presumption of innocence after acquittal cannot be disturbed on mere possibility of another view.

The Bench said that the 2023 CGST amendments are clarificatory and retrospective; entire stake amount constituted taxable consideration, and prize pools cannot be excluded from valuation.

The Bench held that Provident Fund are vested statutory rights incapable of defeat by administrative lapses; 2,017 of 2,274 employees paid after two-and-a-half decades.

The Bench held TRAI's regulatory power over advertisement duration under S. 11 & 36 of TRAI Act valid; impugned framework protected under Article 31-C as it furthers Articles 39(b) & (c) of the Constitution of India.

The Court said that the fifteen-year restoration period reflects actuarial equilibrium, and not a mathematical recovery.