Sushil Chowdhary v State of Bihar: Limited Case Record Available
The Supreme Court's decision in Sushil Chowdhary and Others versus State of Bihar, decided on June 8, 1979, sits in the Court's reported judgments as [1980] 1 S.C.R. 587. A single-judge bench issued the ruling. The case now appears in legal databases and law school curricula across India, though detailed substantive analysis requires access to the full judgment text.
What we know: The case involves parties named Sushil Chowdhary and others on one side, and the State of Bihar on the other. The Supreme Court examined the matter. One judge heard the case. The decision went into the 1980 volume of the Supreme Court Reports.
Why Single-Judge Benches Matter in Supreme Court Practice
Single-judge benches decide specific classes of Supreme Court work. They handle admission matters, interlocutory applications, and certain procedural motions. A one-judge bench does not typically decide major constitutional questions or novel points of law. That work falls to larger benches.
The fact that this case went to a single judge suggests it fell within that narrower jurisdictional category. Without the full text, the exact nature of the relief sought or the legal question posed remains unclear from available sources.
Citation Practice and Case Accessibility
The citation [1980] 1 S.C.R. 587 tells legal researchers the judgment appears on page 587 of volume 1 of the 1980 Supreme Court Reports. This standard format makes cases findable in law libraries and digital databases. Indian lawyers and judges regularly consult reported judgments to understand established law.
The 1979 date indicates when the Court decided the case. Publication in 1980 reflects the normal lag between judgment and reporting. This timeline reflects standard Supreme Court practice of that era.
The Challenge of Sparse Case Records
Not every Supreme Court judgment comes with published headnotes or detailed statutory citations in readily available summaries. Historical cases from 1979 sometimes lack complete metadata in modern legal databases. This case presents that challenge: the headnotes are not available, and the statutes cited are not specified in the source material.
Legal researchers who need to cite Sushil Chowdhary must consult the full 587-page volume. Law libraries maintain physical copies. Digital legal research platforms increasingly digitize older volumes to improve access.
What the Case Record Shows
The case involves criminal law matter (indicated by the State of Bihar as respondent). Multiple parties appear as petitioners or appellants (noted as "and Others"). The single-judge bench reviewed their matter and issued a decision that the Court deemed worthy of reporting in the official reports.
The ratio decidendi—the legal principle on which the Court based its decision—is not extracted in the summary available here. Readers seeking that reasoning must consult the judgment itself.
Professional Impact and Precedent Status
Cases reported in the Supreme Court Reports carry weight in Indian legal practice. Lawyers cite them to courts. Lower courts often follow Supreme Court precedent. Law schools teach reported cases to law students learning how courts reason and apply statutes.
A 1979 ruling remains relevant today if courts still cite it, if the legal principle has not been overruled, and if the statutory framework it interprets remains in force. Without access to the full text and ratio decidendi, assessing the judgment's current influence requires consulting legal research databases that track case citations over time.
Single-Judge Bench Decisions and Reporting Standards
Not all single-judge bench decisions get reported. The Supreme Court selects cases for inclusion in the official reports based on their significance, novelty, or relevance to legal principles. The fact that Sushil Chowdhary appears in the 1980 volume indicates it met those reporting criteria.
This reporting decision itself suggests the case involved a matter the Court believed warranted public record and potential citation by future litigants and judges.
Accessing the Full Judgment
Legal professionals who need to cite this case or study its reasoning should consult: the Supreme Court of India's official judgment repository, law firm legal research subscriptions (LexisNexis, Westlaw India equivalents), university law library collections, and bar association resources.
The citation format [1980] 1 S.C.R. 587 provides a clear reference point for retrieval. Most Indian law libraries and digital platforms maintain comprehensive Supreme Court Reports collections dating back decades.