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 moreICSSR, a Central Government-controlled society, gives grant-in-aid to CRRID, an autonomous research institute in Chandigarh, covering 45% of CRRID's funding. After inquiries found financial and administrative irregularities at CRRID (fake degrees, improper promotions, misuse of funds), ICSSR withheld its grant from April 2021, which left CRRID unable to pay staff salaries. Seventeen CRRID employees moved the Punjab and Haryana High Court, which held that ICSSR had "deep and pervasive" control over CRRID and ordered it to release the grant so salaries could be paid.
The Supreme Court held that having one or two ICSSR nominees on CRRID's twelve-member Governing Body, nominees CRRID's own rules let it reject without giving reasons, does not amount to "deep and pervasive" State control; that requires far more day-to-day administrative and financial interference than merely funding or regulating a body. It found that ICSSR's grants are expressly discretionary and could be validly withheld given CRRID's repeated failure to correct the irregularities flagged by three separate committees. Crucially, the Court held there is no employer-employee relationship between ICSSR and CRRID's staff, so the responsibility to pay salaries rests with CRRID alone, not ICSSR. It set aside the High Court's orders but directed CRRID to pay the withheld salaries from its own resources within three weeks, failing which ICSSR could withhold further grants as leverage.
A body that funds or regulates another organisation is not automatically its employer: employees' claims for unpaid wages must be pursued against their actual employer, not against a funding agency, unless that agency exercises truly deep, day-to-day control.
