Reasoned appellate judgments required in intra-court appeals; a bare concurrence without independent reasons cannot stand.

A judgment disposing of an appeal must disclose its own reasons; a mere endorsement of the lower court view without addressing the submissions or material before it deprives the parties of an intelligible basis for the result and frustrates appellate review. An intra-court appellate decision that simply agreed with the Single Judge, without independent reasons, could not be treated as a valid adjudication on merits and was set aside. The matter was remanded to the High Court for fresh consideration.

---

---

Issues: Whether the High Court's intra-court appellate judgment, which merely agreed with the Single Judge without independent reasons, could be sustained and, if not, what consequential order should follow.

Analysis: A judgment that does not disclose its own reasons does not permit effective scrutiny, deprives the parties of an intelligible basis for the result, and frustrates appellate review. The requirement to record reasons is an integral part of fair adjudication and applies with equal force to orders disposing of appeals. Where the appellate court merely endorses the lower court's view without addressing the submissions or the material developments placed before it, the order cannot be treated as a valid adjudication on merits.

Conclusion: The impugned judgment could not be sustained for want of reasons and was liable to be set aside, with the matter remanded to the High Court for fresh consideration.

---