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 moreAtul Tiwari, then a B.Tech student, suffered severe injuries (including to his head, jaw, legs, knees, and chest) in a motorcycle accident caused by a truck driving on the wrong side. He underwent three surgeries and was left 60% permanently disabled. The Motor Accidents Claims Tribunal (MACT) awarded him about Rs. 19.4 lakh in compensation; on cross-appeals, the High Court partly enhanced this (notably raising the loss-of-income component) but otherwise left the award largely intact. Tiwari appealed to the Supreme Court seeking further enhancement across several heads, including future medical/therapy expenses, attendant charges, and non-pecuniary damages.
The Supreme Court held that while the High Court had correctly enhanced the loss-of-income component using settled principles (multiplier method, future prospects, as laid down in cases like Sarla Verma and Pranay Sethi), it had failed to properly examine whether compensation under the other heads (speech therapy, physiotherapy, attendant expenses, and non-pecuniary damages) was adequate given the doctors' own recommendations for longer treatment periods and the uncertainty of full recovery. Finding the MACT's awards under these heads too restrictive and not aligned with the medical evidence, the Court enhanced the total compensation to Rs. 48,00,000, matching the amount originally claimed by Tiwari.
In personal injury compensation cases, courts must look beyond just the loss-of-income calculation and closely scrutinise whether awards for ongoing medical care, therapy, and non-pecuniary suffering genuinely match the medical evidence and prognosis, rather than mechanically capping them at arbitrary durations.
