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 moreA truck driver, Gangaram, was found transporting 415 kg of poppy straw (an NDPS-regulated narcotic) in a truck parked well outside the villages named in his transport licence. He claimed the loading was legitimate under a valid licence held by a contractor, and that the truck couldn't enter the licensed villages due to rain. The trial court convicted him under Section 8 read with Section 15(c) of the NDPS Act (commercial-quantity contravention) and sentenced him to 10 years' rigorous imprisonment plus a fine, confiscating the truck; the High Court affirmed this.
Before the Supreme Court, the appellant argued that merely breaching a licence condition should only attract the lighter punishment under Section 26 (maximum 3 years), not Section 15. The Court held that Section 15 specifically governs contraventions relating to poppy straw (including unlicensed transport of commercial quantities), while Section 26 is a residual provision for licence breaches not covered elsewhere, since transport of poppy straw is expressly dealt with in Section 15, that provision, not Section 26, applied. The Court found the appellant had admitted the seizure and failed to produce any evidence (despite naming potential witnesses) to support his claim that rain prevented village-based loading, so his conviction was factually sound. Because Section 15(c) prescribes a mandatory minimum of 10 years for commercial-quantity contraventions, the Court held it could not reduce the sentence below that floor even though the appellant had already served 8 years and was out on bail, and dismissed the appeal, directing him to surrender within four weeks.
Where a special provision (like Section 15 of the NDPS Act) specifically addresses an offence, a more lenient general/residual provision (like Section 26) cannot be invoked instead, and courts have no discretion to go below a statutorily mandated minimum sentence, however sympathetic the circumstances.
