In Brief
The State of Jharkhand (formerly Bihar) challenged a High Court order dismissing its demand for recovery from Tata Iron under the Public Demands Act. The Supreme Court found that the demand properly fell within the Act's scope, contrary to the High Court's conclusion. However, the Court upheld the High Court's dismissal on other grounds, noting that the High Court should have referred the matter to a larger Bench instead of silently departing from its own earlier precedent. The one-crore rupees deposited by Tata Iron was ordered to be returned."
The lawyer headnote and full judgment text are available to registered users.