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 moreThe appellants had filed a writ petition before the Patna High Court seeking relief related to a grievance against the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC). The High Court permitted them to withdraw the petition so they could instead file a representation before NTPC's competent authority, but in doing so added a condition that they would have "no liberty" to approach the High Court again on the same cause of action. Aggrieved by this restriction, the appellants appealed to the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court, disposing of the appeal at the admission stage itself without notice to the other side, agreed with the appellants that the High Court had erred. While the High Court was right to grant liberty to file a representation to NTPC, it had no justification for simultaneously stripping the appellants of their right to return to court if that representation was later rejected or left undecided. The Court held that the right to prosecute a legal remedy against the decision of the State or its agency is a valuable right of a citizen, which cannot be taken away without assigning reasons. It therefore allowed the appeal in part, setting aside only the portion of the High Court's order that barred future recourse to the courts, and expressly granted the appellants liberty to pursue all available legal remedies if and when the need arose depending on the outcome of their NTPC representation.
A court granting a litigant liberty to pursue an alternative remedy (such as an administrative representation) cannot, without stating reasons, simultaneously close the door on returning to court later if that alternative remedy fails: the citizen's right to seek judicial recourse against government action is not to be casually extinguished.
