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 moreThe appellant, a long-serving Vijaya Bank officer who rose to Zonal Head, faced disciplinary proceedings in 1999 over alleged irregularities in sanctioning temporary overdrafts. Proceedings continued past his retirement date, and in 2002 he was dismissed from service. His departmental appeal was rejected. A Single Judge of the Karnataka High Court quashed the dismissal on natural justice grounds, but a Division Bench reversed this and restored the dismissal, prompting his appeal to the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court found two genuine natural justice violations: first, the Inquiry Officer never specifically questioned the appellant on the incriminating circumstances as mandatorily required by Regulation 6(17) of the applicable service regulations; second, the appellate authority relied on a Central Vigilance Commission recommendation to enhance his punishment to dismissal, while wrongly withholding that very document from him under an unsubstantiated claim of privilege. Both defects caused real prejudice. However, given the appellant's advanced age (now an octogenarian), the passage of over two decades, and the practical difficulty of reopening records after the bank's 2019 merger, the Court declined to order a fresh inquiry. Instead, it quashed the dismissal but limited relief to a lump-sum payment equivalent to gratuity, without full back wages or other terminal benefits.
Mandatory procedural safeguards in disciplinary inquiries (such as directly questioning an employee on adverse evidence, and disclosing documents relied on to enhance punishment) must be strictly followed, but even a successful natural-justice challenge does not automatically restore full benefits; courts can and do craft practical, proportionate remedies based on real-world circumstances like age and lapse of time.
