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 moreIndian Oil Corporation runs an LPG bottling plant in an industrial area in Cuddapah, Andhra Pradesh. The local authority demanded property tax under the Andhra Pradesh Panchayat Raj Act, 1994, on the company's LPG storage spheres and bullets and on its water storage tanks, for several assessment years. The company argued that these are pressure vessels and tanks that no person can enter or live in, so they cannot be taxed as a "house."
The Court held that the tanks are "buildings" and that the Act's definition of "house" expressly covers warehouses and other buildings used for storage, so the tanks fall within the taxable category. It held that the requirement of being "fit for human occupation" applies only to huts, not to houses, so the fact that no one lives or works inside the tanks does not exempt them. The Court said the Legislature deliberately gave "house" a fictional meaning for tax purposes, and that this meaning must be applied. Both the appeal and the writ petition were dismissed with costs, upholding the property tax demands.
When a statute defines a term for tax purposes, that definition controls even if the everyday meaning seems narrower. A structure does not escape local property tax simply because nobody occupies it, so businesses should read the statutory definition closely before challenging a tax demand on that basis.
