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 moreAfter preventive detention for foreign-exchange-related activities, a man faced proceedings to forfeit assets as illegally acquired property under SAFEMA. The forfeiture tribunal released two properties but maintained the remainder of the order. He challenged the proceedings because reasons were not supplied with the original notice, and argued that the forfeiture violated the constitutional protection against retrospective criminal punishment.
The Supreme Court dismissed the appeals and refused to remit the case for a fresh examination of the evidence. Although the notice initially omitted the recorded reasons, they were later supplied before the forfeiture decision, and the appellant had an opportunity to respond and be heard. The Court held that this statutory forfeiture was directed at illegally acquired assets rather than additional criminal punishment, so the Article 20 objection failed. The authority still needed recorded grounds for believing particular assets were illegally acquired; the Act did not authorise automatic forfeiture of every asset. A new challenge to the factual assessment could not justify remand without the necessary pleading in the original writ petition.
A person facing asset-forfeiture proceedings should address the alleged source of each disputed asset and raise factual objections in the proper proceedings. Whether a procedural omission invalidates the result depends on the statutory requirements and the opportunity actually provided to answer the case.
