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 appellant, an Officiating Director at a government institute, was accused by an Assistant Professor of reprimanding her loudly in his chamber after she complained about him to higher authorities, allegedly aggravating her medical condition following recovery from Covid-19. A chargesheet was filed against him under Sections 269, 270 and 504 IPC (negligent spread of infectious disease and intentional insult to provoke breach of peace), partly based on an allegation that he failed to supply adequate PPE kits. The High Court had refused to quash the chargesheet, prompting this appeal.
The Supreme Court found that other staff witnesses had directly refuted the claim of inadequate PPE supply, undercutting the Sections 269/270 charges. On the Section 504 charge, applying precedent (including Fiona Shrikhande and Mohammad Wajid), the Court held that mere rudeness, admonition, or a raised voice by a superior addressing a subordinate's workplace conduct does not amount to an "intentional insult" meant to provoke a breach of peace, especially where the reprimand concerned legitimate disciplinary and professional conduct issues during the Covid-19 pandemic. Finding none of the chargesheeted offences' ingredients made out even on the prosecution's own version, the Court quashed the chargesheet and all proceedings against the appellant.
A workplace reprimand or a heated exchange between a superior and subordinate, however unpleasant, does not automatically amount to a criminal offence: criminal insult under Section 504 IPC requires an intentional insult meant to provoke a breach of peace, not just rudeness or strict discipline.
