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 moreBPL Limited, facing severe financial distress, proposed a restructuring scheme under Section 391 of the Companies Act to settle debts with its creditors. Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services Ltd. (ILFS), which had earlier given BPL a short-term loan secured by a registered hypothecation deed, objected that it was only an unsecured creditor and should not be bound by the scheme meant for secured creditors, arguing that a later arbitration award (passed by consent) that quantified its claim as a simple money decree had effectively erased its secured status. Both the Company Court and the High Court's Division Bench rejected this argument and held ILFS remained a secured creditor bound by the scheme.
The Supreme Court agreed with the lower courts and dismissed ILFS's appeal. It held that a hypothecation deed, once duly executed and registered with the Registrar of Companies, continues to bind the parties unless formally released; merely suing on the underlying debt (here, through arbitration) and obtaining an award does not by itself extinguish or waive the security created by the hypothecation. Relying on the distinction between a pledge/hypothecation and a decree, and on Sections 176-177 of the Contract Act, the Court found that a creditor who sues upon a debt while retaining a registered charge does not lose the charge, and nothing in the consent award recorded any agreement to release ILFS's security. ILFS therefore remained a secured creditor and was bound by the restructuring scheme approved by the requisite majority of secured creditors.
Getting a money decree or arbitration award on a debt does not automatically give up any security (like a registered charge or hypothecation) a creditor already holds over the debtor's assets: the security survives unless it is expressly and formally released.
