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 moreSushila Jaiswal, an assistant teacher at a government-aided school in Allahabad, went on medical leave and was then not allowed to rejoin when she returned in 2002 because the school doubted her fitness to teach. Years of litigation followed: she was eventually found fit, reinstated in 2010, but almost immediately took voluntary retirement, and a dispute arose over whether she was owed nearly eight years of back salary for the period she was kept out. The High Court (Single Judge and Division Bench) had ruled in her favour, ordering payment of arrears with interest, and the Education Officer appealed to the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court held that the teacher had made no serious effort to pursue her legal rights for years after 2002, that she showed clear physical difficulty in standing (even using a walker) when she finally appeared, and that she voluntarily retired within days of being allowed to rejoin after working for only 36 days. Given these facts, the Court found it unsustainable to require the department to pay nearly ten years' salary for a period in which she had barely worked, and held the "no work no pay" order passed by the department was correct and justified. It allowed the appeal, set aside the High Court's judgment, and dismissed the writ petition that had sought the arrears.
Claims for back-pay during a long period of absence from work can fail if the employee did not actively pursue the dispute for years and there is genuine doubt about fitness to work during that period: "no work, no pay" can be upheld even after an employee is ultimately reinstated.
