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 police constable in Jammu and Kashmir, was summoned to the Senior Superintendent of Police's office in connection with a narcotics inquiry and was allegedly detained and brutally tortured in custody for six days, resulting in amputation of his genitals, electric shock injuries, and a fractured foot, before being hospitalised in a comatose state. Instead of registering a case against the police personnel involved, the authorities lodged an FIR against the appellant himself for attempted suicide under Section 309 IPC, based on a claim that he had tried to cut his own vein. When the appellant and his wife's repeated complaints to police and the Deputy Inspector General went unanswered, they approached the High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh seeking registration of an FIR against the police officials, transfer of investigation to the CBI, and quashing of the FIR against the appellant. The High Court only ordered a preliminary departmental enquiry and declined to quash the FIR or transfer the probe, prompting the appellant to appeal to the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court found the "suicide" narrative implausible given that the medical report from SKIMS Srinagar recorded injuries (a large scrotal laceration with both testicles surgically removed, bruises on buttocks and thighs, blunt trauma signs, and multiple fractures) entirely inconsistent with self-harm and consistent with custodial torture. It noted that the FIR used to justify the appellant's summons was itself registered after his detention had already begun, making his custody illegal from the outset. Invoking Article 21 jurisprudence on custodial violence (including Nilabati Behera and Sube Singh), the Court held this was an extreme case meeting every threshold for compensation: the violation was patent, gross, and shocking to the conscience, and was backed by medical evidence. It directed the CBI to register a case and investigate within 90 days, with responsible officers to be arrested within a month; quashed the fabricated FIR against the appellant; and ordered the Union Territory to pay Rs. 50,00,000 as interim compensation, recoverable later from the guilty officials.
When state officials inflict custodial torture and then try to cover it up with a retaliatory or fabricated FIR against the victim, constitutional courts can step in under Articles 32/226/136/142 to order an independent CBI probe, quash the retaliatory FIR, and award substantial interim compensation: sovereign immunity is no defence to fundamental rights violations by the state.
