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 moreGujarat Maritime Board (GMB) had issued a Letter of Intent to L&T Infrastructure to develop a port, backed by an unconditional bank guarantee of Rs. 5 crores to secure the developer's obligations (project report, clearances, financial closure within fixed timelines). When GMB concluded the developer had failed to meet these obligations, it cancelled the Letter of Intent and sought to invoke the bank guarantee. The developer approached the High Court under Article 226 of the Constitution and obtained an order restraining GMB from encashing the guarantee, which GMB then challenged before the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court reiterated the well-settled rule that an unconditional bank guarantee is an independent contract, and courts should be slow to injunct its encashment except in narrow situations such as egregious fraud or irretrievable injustice: a mere dispute over the underlying contract is not enough. Since the bank guarantee here required the bank to pay on GMB's written demand "without demur," and GMB had made such a demand after concluding the developer breached the Letter of Intent, the High Court was wrong to use its writ jurisdiction to examine and restrain that invocation. The Court allowed GMB's appeal and set aside the High Court's order, while clarifying that the developer remains free to pursue its grievances about the legality of the cancellation through appropriate separate legal proceedings.
An unconditional bank guarantee is meant to be honoured on demand: a party on the losing end of a contractual dispute generally cannot use a writ petition to stop the other side from encashing it, and must instead fight the underlying dispute through ordinary legal remedies.
