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 moreCrown Theatre complained to the Competition Commission of India that the Kerala Film Exhibitors Federation (KFEF) and its office-bearers, its President and General Secretary, were boycotting film distributors who dealt with Crown Theatre, threatening that their films would not be screened in KFEF member cinemas. After investigation, the Commission found KFEF in contravention of the Competition Act's anti-competitive conduct provisions and penalised not just the Federation but also its two individual office-bearers, and issued behavioural directions restricting them from associating with the Federation's affairs. The Competition Appellate Tribunal (COMPAT) upheld the penalty against the Federation but set aside the penalty and directions against the two individual office-bearers, prompting the Commission's appeal to the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court held that under Section 48 of the Competition Act, individuals in charge of and responsible for a company or association's affairs at the time of a contravention are deemed liable along with the entity itself, and that no second show-cause notice specifying the proposed punishment is legally required beyond sharing the investigation report to satisfy natural justice. The Court found that the office-bearers had been given adequate notice and opportunity, and rejected the argument that the restrictions violated their constitutional right to form associations, since that right is subject to reasonable restrictions. The Court allowed the Commission's appeal, restored the full findings and penalties against the office-bearers, with the behavioural restriction on their association with the Federation's management to run for two years from December 2025.
Office-bearers of a trade body cannot escape personal liability for anti-competitive conduct by hiding behind the entity's corporate structure. If they were in charge of and responsible for the organisation's affairs when the violation occurred, the law holds them individually accountable too.
