Real judgements, distilled
Court judgements broken down into the case type, how the decision played out, and the lesson worth remembering, with the full judgement available as a PDF.
Civil Appeal · 2026 INSC 1094
An older qualification must still satisfy the eligibility rules governing the appointment sought. Here, the certificate's early date did not secure reinstatement, and rejection of eligibility should not be confused with a conclusive finding that the certificate was forged.
Civil Appeal · 2026 INSC 1095
A party benefiting from a conditional stay must meet its deposit requirement or face enforcement. The additional ₹15 crore deposit secures the pending dispute; it does not settle the land's final compensation or amount to an immediate payment to the landowners.
Criminal Appeal · 2026 INSC 1093
An alleged attempt to kill does not become a lesser offence simply because the victim avoided a fatal injury. Restoring this charge means the accusation must be tried; it does not establish that the accused is guilty.
Civil Appeal · 2026 INSC 1090
For the assessment in this case, assistance reducing ordinary manufacturing costs was taxable even though the government wanted to encourage industry. The purpose and actual operation of the particular subsidy mattered more than its general development label.
Criminal Appeal · 2026 INSC 1091
Proof that someone caused a serious injury does not by itself prove the additional ingredients of robbery. A court can substitute a lesser offence supported by the evidence; the sentencing reduction here depended on Appa's particular circumstances.
Special Leave Petition (Civil) · 2026 INSC 1092
Someone challenging an election must ensure that the personal-presentation requirement is met and can be proved. Merely entering the court building does not establish compliance, and a filing defect can end the challenge before the election allegations are examined.
Civil Appeal · 2026 INSC 1088
An employee who retires on 30 June may be entitled to the increment that falls due on 1 July after completing a year of service. Authorities that delay paying the amounts due must pay interest after the deadline set by the court.
Civil Appeal · 2026 INSC 1089
Recruitment must follow the qualifications stated in the advertisement and the governing Recruitment Rules. A court will not override a merit-based eligibility decision made under those rules merely because the candidate concerned was higher in the written test.
Writ Petition (Criminal) · 2026:DHC:8797
A person who occupied property only because of employment has no independent right to remain once the employment and decree end. Even when a petition fails, courts can make practical arrangements to let a person recover personal belongings.
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Log in to see moreAjmera Shyam, a defeated candidate in the 2023 Telangana Assembly election from Asifabad constituency, challenged the election of the winner, Kova Laxmi, alleging she had failed to disclose her income tax returns for four of the last five years in her mandatory Form 26 nomination affidavit, marking it "Nil" instead. He argued this omission, plus alleged non-disclosure of a monthly honorarium and a pension, meant her nomination was wrongly accepted and amounted to a corrupt practice that should void her election. The Telangana High Court had already dismissed his election petition, finding the omission insignificant, prompting this appeal.
The Supreme Court dismissed the appeal, holding that not every non-disclosure in a nomination affidavit is fatal to an election. The law distinguishes between criminal-antecedent disclosures (treated strictly) and disclosures of assets, income, or educational qualifications (which only void an election if the omission is of a "substantial" character that could have materially affected the result). Since Kova Laxmi had disclosed her assets, PAN, occupation, and income source, and no candidate had objected during scrutiny of nominations, the missing income-tax figures were held inconsequential and not proven to be deliberate concealment.
An election will not be struck down for every technical gap in a candidate's disclosure affidavit. Courts look at whether the missing information was substantial enough to have realistically affected voters' choice or the election result, not just whether a box was left incomplete.
