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 moreA Food Inspector took a sample of Ghee from a sweet shop in Delhi, and the Public Analyst found it adulterated; on the accused's request, the Central Food Laboratory Director also tested a counterpart sample and confirmed adulteration. A magistrate convicted the shop's in-charge, but the Sessions Judge acquitted him on appeal, and the High Court refused the prosecution's request for leave to appeal that acquittal, reasoning that the Ghee was only an ingredient for sweets (not itself sold) and that differing lab readings between the Public Analyst and the Director made the sample unreliable. The Delhi Administration then appealed to the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court held that storing adulterated food for use as an ingredient in food meant for sale is itself an offence under Section 7's explanation (added by a 1976 amendment), so the "not meant for sale" defence failed. It also held that once the Director, Central Food Laboratory issues a certificate, that certificate by statute supersedes and effectively nullifies the Public Analyst's report and becomes final and conclusive evidence, so any numerical variation between the two reports is legally irrelevant, and the High Court was wrong to rely on such variation to doubt the sample's reliability. Finding the acquittal unsustainable, the Court set it aside and convicted the respondent, but given that 14 years had passed, the business had closed, and the accused was now about 70 years old, it limited the sentence to time already served. The appeal was allowed accordingly.
Once a government food-testing certificate from the Central Food Laboratory is obtained, it legally overrides the earlier Public Analyst report and cannot be second-guessed by comparing the two reports' numbers; and storing an adulterated ingredient is an offence even if that specific item was never itself going to be sold separately.
