Under Clause 15 of the Letters Patent, must an interlocutory order finally determine rights to be appealable as a judgment?

Constitution of India — Article 226(3) — Letters Patent — Clause 15 — Writ appeal — Maintainability against interlocutory order — Constitution of India — Article 226(3) — Letters Patent — Clause 15 — Interlocutory order — Test of appealability — Held: A writ appeal under Clause 15 of the Letters Patent lies only against an order bearing the traits of a true judgment — one that conclusively settles a vital right, resolves a fundamental dispute or causes direct and irreparable prejudice. An order that determines no final rights and inflicts no permanent harm does not qualify. (¶4, 6) Letters Patent — Clause 15 — Interim orders — Five categories — Which are appealable — Held further: Interim orders fall into five categories; orders finally deciding a question in controversy, an issue materially and directly affecting the final decision, or a collateral issue, constitute judgments and are appealable, while routine orders facilitating progress of the case and orders causing mere inconvenience without finally determining rights are not. (¶5) Constitution of India — Article 226(3) — Statutory remedy against interim order — Proper forum — Held further: Where an administrative body is aggrieved by an interim order of the writ court, the proper procedure is to apply for vacating that order before the same forum under Article 226(3), and not to bypass the writ court by rushing to the appellate court. On facts, a direction to provisionally accept an application, without any final opinion on eligibility, is a routine protective measure and the writ appeal against it is not maintainable; appeal dismissed, with liberty to raise ineligibility by counter-affidavit before the Single Judge. (¶7, 8)

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“15. Interim orders/interlocutory orders passed during the pendency of a case, fall under one or the other of the following categories: (i) Orders which finally decide a question or issue in controversy in the main case. (ii) Orders which finally decide an issue which materially and directly affects the final decision in the main case. (iii) Orders which finally decide a collateral issue or question which is not the subject-matter of the main case. (iv) Routine orders which are passed to facilitate the progress of the case till its culmination in the final judgment. (v) Orders which may cause some inconvenience or some prejudice to a party, but which do not finally determine the rights and obligations of the parties.” The Supreme Court further held that, while orders falling under the first three categories constitute "judgments" and are appealable, the orders falling under the categories (iv) and (v) are not.