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 moreIQ City Medical College, Burdwan (West Bengal), had been granted permission in 2013 to admit MBBS students and had received three successive renewals. Its fourth renewal application (for the 2017-18 academic year, covering admission of its 5th batch of 150 students) was rejected by the Union Health Ministry on the Medical Council of India's recommendation, citing shortfalls in teaching faculty and resident doctors. In an earlier round of the same writ petition (August 2017), the Supreme Court had found the Central Government's rejection unreasoned and sent the matter back for a fresh, reasoned decision after a further hearing.
On the second round, the Court reviewed the Hearing Committee's post-remand findings, which recorded that the college's faculty shortfall was 15.9% and resident-doctor shortfall was 25.88%, both well above the acceptable limits, and that the college's explanations (staff being away at medical camps or exam counselling on the day of a surprise inspection) did not meet MCI's leave guidelines. Finding no perversity in this reasoning, the Court upheld the Central Government's decision not to renew permission for the 2017-18 academic year. However, it added a forward-looking direction: the college's prayer for renewal would be considered afresh for the 2018-19 academic year, with any bank guarantee already furnished treated as a deposit for that fresh inspection, making clear its ruling was confined to the 2017-18 refusal alone.
Courts will generally defer to a regulator's factual findings on compliance (like faculty/resident staffing ratios) once those findings are reasoned and based on a fair hearing, but they can still soften the practical impact: here, by ensuring one bad inspection cycle did not permanently bar the institution from applying again the following year.
