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 petitioner, a Food Safety Officer, was named as an accused in an FIR concerning the illegal manufacture and sale of Gutkha and Pan Masala containing tobacco/nicotine. The Madras High Court, in a public interest litigation, had issued a writ of mandamus transferring the investigation from the State Vigilance Commission to the CBI. The petitioner challenged this transfer before the Supreme Court, arguing that similar transfer requests had earlier been rejected by coordinate benches of the same High Court, that he was not heard before the transfer order, and that no special circumstances justified moving the probe to the CBI.
The Supreme Court held that the High Court's decision to transfer the investigation to the CBI, given the peculiar facts and circumstances including serious health-related allegations, did not warrant interference. It rejected the argument that the PIL was improperly entertained at the instance of a sitting MLA, relying on precedent that political figures can legitimately raise public grievances if genuine and not merely vendetta. The Court clarified that transferring the probe to CBI was not a reflection on the competence of the State Vigilance Commission. Finding no merit in any of the grounds of challenge, the Court dismissed the special leave petition, thereby upholding the CBI transfer.
Courts can transfer a criminal investigation to an independent agency like the CBI when circumstances raise a reasonable apprehension of bias, and such a transfer is not a condemnation of the original investigating agency; similarly, a public interest litigation is not automatically suspect merely because the petitioner is a political figure, if the grievance raised is genuine.
