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 moreA 31-year-old man, a US national self-employed as a driver/operator of a transport company in America, died in a road accident in India in 2007 when a truck struck the car he was travelling in. His widow, daughter, and other heirs sought compensation. The Motor Accident Claims Tribunal assessed his income at a low Rs. 5,000 per month for lack of proof of US wages, awarding only about Rs. 7.8 lakh, but the High Court, relying on US minimum wage data and his salary documents, enhanced his income to about Rs. 78,300 per month and the compensation to about Rs. 1.17 crore, while denying any addition for "future prospects" since he was self-employed.
The Supreme Court upheld the High Court's income assessment as evidence-based and undisturbed since no cross-appeal was filed by the insurer, and rejected the claimants' request for a higher multiplier of 17 (holding 16 was correctly applied per binding precedent). However, it held that the High Court erred in denying the "future prospects" benefit merely because the deceased was self-employed and worked abroad, following the Constitution Bench ruling in National Insurance Co. v. Pranay Sethi, a self-employed person below 40 years is entitled to a 40% addition to income towards future prospects, and conventional heads (loss of estate, consortium, funeral expenses) must also be revised per Pranay Sethi's standardized figures. Recalculating on this basis, the Court raised the total compensation from about Rs. 1.17 crore to about Rs. 1.60 crore, an additional Rs. 42.95 lakh with 6% interest.
The 40% "future prospects" addition to income laid down in Pranay Sethi applies to self-employed accident victims just as it does to salaried ones (with the standard age-based percentages), and it cannot be denied simply because the victim worked abroad or lacked a fixed salary.
