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 moreAmbala Bus Syndicate operated non-air-conditioned stage-carriage buses between Punjab and Chandigarh under old permits issued before 1966 and had continued operating until 2008. The Punjab and Haryana High Court's Division Bench held that a 1998/2001 transport Scheme for Chandigarh barred the Union Territory from counter-signing the company's permit, overturning a Single Judge who had ruled in the company's favour, so the company appealed to the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court held that the Division Bench had overlooked a specific 2008 reciprocal agreement between Punjab and Chandigarh, which expressly allowed counter-signature of non-AC buses holding pre-1966 permits, regardless of the unilateral 1998 Scheme. It reasoned that a Scheme under Chapter VI of the Motor Vehicles Act only overrides a reciprocal agreement under Chapter V where the two are genuinely inconsistent, and here the bilateral 2008 agreement specifically preserved the company's category of permit, so there was no real conflict. Accordingly, it set aside the High Court Division Bench's order and restored the Single Judge's ruling in the company's favour.
A later, specific bilateral agreement between two transport authorities can continue to protect a pre-existing class of permits even where a general unilateral scheme appears to say otherwise: the two must actually conflict before the general scheme is allowed to override the specific agreement.
