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 are the heirs of a man who died in a motor accident in 1993 when a truck collided head-on with the jeep he was travelling in. The Motor Accident Claims Tribunal awarded roughly Rs 7.78 lakh with 12% annual interest; on the claimants' first appeal, the Gujarat High Court added a modest amount for loss of life/consortium but reduced the interest rate to 9% per annum. The claimants then appealed to the Supreme Court, arguing the High Court had failed to add anything for "future prospects" and had wrongly cut the interest rate.
Applying the Constitution Bench ruling in National Insurance Co. Ltd. v. Pranay Sethi, the Supreme Court held that a 25% addition for future prospects was warranted given the deceased's age, raising his annual income for compensation purposes and, applying a multiplier of 14 plus conventional-head amounts, increased the total compensation to Rs 12,67,000. On the interest point, the Court, after a corrigendum clarified the figures, declined to interfere with the High Court's rate of 9% per annum, rejecting the claimants' bid to have it altered. The appeal was allowed to the extent of enhancing the compensation amount, with interest at 9% p.a. payable from the date of the claim petition, and no order as to costs.
Motor accident compensation isn't fixed once and for all at the tribunal stage: the Supreme Court's own precedent on "future prospects" (a standard addition for a deceased's likely future income growth) can still enhance the payout years later, even while the court leaves an already-fixed interest rate undisturbed.
