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 IRS officer posted at the Central Board of Direct Taxes, was accused by a woman IAS officer of sexually harassing her at her own workplace, which belonged to a different government department. A criminal FIR was registered against him, and separately, the woman filed a workplace-harassment complaint under the POSH Act before the Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) constituted at her own department. The appellant challenged the ICC's jurisdiction, arguing that only the ICC at his own department (where he was actually employed) could inquire into a complaint against him. Both the Central Administrative Tribunal and the Delhi High Court rejected this challenge, leading to the present appeal before the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court held that the POSH Act's definition of "workplace" is deliberately broad and must be read in light of the law's purpose as social welfare legislation protecting women. It does not require the complainant and the accused to belong to the same department. Reading Sections 11 and 13 of the Act together with a 2015 government office memorandum, the Court held that inquiry proceeds in two stages: first, a fact-finding/preliminary inquiry that may validly be conducted by the ICC at the aggrieved woman's own workplace; and second, once that ICC's report is sent to the accused's employer, formal disciplinary proceedings (if warranted) are conducted by the ICC at the accused's own department, applying his service rules. Since the appellant could not show any actual prejudice from this process, and the woman's ICC had duly sought the necessary information from the appellant's department, the appeal was dismissed and the sealed inquiry report was directed to be sent to the appellant's department for further action under the applicable service rules.
A woman does not have to file a workplace sexual-harassment complaint with the accused's own office. She can complain to the Internal Complaints Committee at her own workplace, which can conduct the initial fact-finding inquiry regardless of where the accused works; formal disciplinary action, if warranted, is then handled by the accused's own department based on that inquiry's findings.
