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 was arrested in 2023 for allegedly misappropriating around Rs. 1.6 crore from his employer, a training-institute business, while working as its business development manager. The Bombay High Court granted him regular bail in April 2024 after he filed a sworn affidavit undertaking to deposit Rs. 25 lakh with the trial court within five months. He secured his release on this basis but never made the deposit. The complainant then applied to the High Court to modify/cancel the bail order for this breach, and the High Court directed the appellant to surrender, which he challenged before the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court refused to interfere, holding that the appellant had made "a mockery of justice" by taking the benefit of bail through a solemn undertaking and then simply defaulting on it: an abuse of the legal process deserving no sympathy. Going further, the Court issued a binding prospective direction to all trial courts and High Courts across the country: bail (regular or anticipatory) must never again be granted merely on an accused's undertaking or promise to deposit money; such pleas must be decided strictly on the actual merits of the case. The appeal was dismissed, the appellant was directed to surrender (with liberty to apply for bail afresh on merits), and a cost of Rs. 50,000 was imposed on him for abusing the process of the courts.
Bail can no longer be granted anywhere in India simply because an accused promises to pay or deposit a sum of money. Courts must decide bail strictly on the merits of the case, and going back on a court undertaking used to obtain bail can lead to its cancellation plus a monetary penalty.
