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 appellants were stopped at a police checkpoint in a notified TADA (Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act, 1987) area in Gujarat and found carrying unlicensed firearms, including a foreign-made pistol and a revolver. They were charged both under the Arms Act and under TADA, since carrying prohibited arms in a notified area is itself an offence under TADA. The accused sought discharge from the TADA charges on the ground that the mandatory sanction procedure under Section 20-A(1) of the TADA Act, requiring police to seek prior approval of a District Superintendent of Police before recording information under TADA, had not been followed; the Designated TADA Court rejected this discharge application, leading to the appeal.
The Supreme Court held that where the only offence disclosed by the information recorded is one falling under TADA itself (as opposed to an ancillary TADA offence arising out of some separate serious crime like murder or rape), the police cannot bypass the mandatory sanction requirement of Section 20-A(1). Since the sole basis for both the Arms Act and TADA charges here was the identical recovery of prohibited weapons in a notified area, and no sanction was obtained, the Court held the non-compliance was fatal to the TADA prosecution. It distinguished this from cases where TADA arises only incidentally to a separate primary offence, in which sanction would still be needed before proceeding under TADA but the initial arrest/investigation for the main offence could proceed without it. The appeal was allowed, the TADA Court's order was set aside, and the appellants were discharged from the TADA offence, though the Court clarified they could still be prosecuted under the Arms Act.
Special anti-terrorism laws carry extra procedural safeguards (like a mandatory sanction before registering a case) precisely because of their severity, and courts will strictly enforce such safeguards: failure to follow them can void that specific charge even though prosecution under an ordinary law for the same conduct may still continue.
