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 moreAround 955 workers at the Food Corporation of India's (FCI) Chennai branch office, who had been engaged through a contract labourers' society, claimed they were in substance FCI's own employees and sought regularization of their jobs within the FCI. The FCI argued these workers belonged to the contract society, not to FCI itself, and had no claim to regularization against it. The dispute was referred to the Industrial Tribunal, Madras, which ruled in the workers' favour; the FCI's subsequent writ petition and intra-court appeal before the Madras High Court were both dismissed, leading the FCI to approach the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court held that the Industrial Tribunal had correctly found, based on unrebutted evidence, that the contract labour arrangement had lapsed since 1991, that the workers were paid directly by FCI, that their work was of a permanent nature within FCI's operations, and that FCI had failed to produce any evidence to counter the workers' case, which justified an adverse inference against FCI. Since these were concurrent findings of fact by the Tribunal, the Single Judge, and the Division Bench, none of which suffered from perversity or illegality, the Supreme Court held it was bound to respect them and found no merit in FCI's appeal. The Court accordingly dismissed FCI's appeal and upheld the regularization of the 955 workers.
An employer that fails to present evidence to rebut a workers' claim before an industrial tribunal cannot expect appellate courts to overturn consistent factual findings against it later; and long-term workers performing permanent-nature duties and paid directly by an organisation can be recognized as its employees even if initially engaged through a contractor, once the contractual arrangement has lapsed.
