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 moreJSW Steel Limited and one of its compliance officers challenged proceedings under the PMLA arising from ECIR/09/BZ/2012, including a Special Court order taking cognizance of offences and issuing summons against them. The proceedings stemmed from JSW's supply contract with Obulapuram Mining Company for iron ore, with part of the allegations relating to how certain payments/withdrawals connected to the contract were made. The Karnataka High Court had dismissed their writ petitions challenging the investigation and the cognizance order, prompting this appeal to the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court declined to quash the cognizance order or interdict the ongoing PMLA proceedings at this stage, holding that interference now would prejudge issues, such as whether the attached property constitutes "proceeds of crime" under Section 2(1)(u) of the PMLA, that fall squarely within the domain of the Appellate Tribunal. The Court found the allegations, at this stage, confined to recovery of a quantified amount (about Rs. 33.80 crore) and did not extend to broader criminal liability, so the apprehension of arbitrary prosecution was misplaced. The appellants were left free to pursue their statutory appeals before the Appellate Tribunal, and the criminal appeals were disposed of without any order as to costs.
Courts are reluctant to short-circuit PMLA proceedings at an early stage by quashing cognizance orders when statutory appellate remedies (like the Appellate Tribunal) exist to examine factual questions such as whether property qualifies as "proceeds of crime."
