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 appellants' 27-year-old son, a Bank Manager at HDFC, died after his motorcycle was hit by a tanker driven by Respondent No.1. His parents sought Rs.27,85,000 compensation under Section 166 of the M.V. Act; the Motor Accidents Claims Tribunal awarded Rs.12,10,014, and the Madhya Pradesh High Court enhanced it only slightly, by Rs.2,00,000. The parents appealed to the Supreme Court arguing the lower courts had underestimated the deceased's income and under-awarded on several compensation heads.
The Supreme Court held that the courts below had wrongly computed the deceased's monthly income at Rs.11,146 instead of the correct Rs.15,155 (based on his actual annual salary of Rs.1,81,860), and added 50% for future prospects given his age and promotion potential, following its ruling in Vimal Kanwar v. Kishore Dan. After deducting 10% tax and 1/3rd for personal expenses, and applying a multiplier of 11 appropriate to the parents' age, it recalculated loss of dependency at Rs.18,00,414. It also raised the awards for funeral expenses (to Rs.25,000), loss of love and affection (to Rs.1,00,000), and added Rs.5,00,190 for medical expenses, bringing the total to Rs.24,25,604, with 9% annual interest from the date of filing until payment. The appeal was allowed to this extent with no order as to costs.
In motor accident compensation claims, courts must correctly compute the deceased's actual gross income (not reduce it by improper deductions), add a future-prospects increment for younger earners, and apply the standardized heads (funeral expenses, loss of love and affection, medical expenses) at the levels set by binding Supreme Court precedent: under-calculation on any of these heads is a ground for correction on appeal.
