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, then aged 38, was riding a bike when it collided with a jeep being driven rashly on the wrong side of the road, and he suffered multiple fractures and a Syme's amputation (amputation through the ankle, preserving the heel pad). The Motor Accident Claims Tribunal awarded him about Rs. 6.6 lakh in compensation, which the High Court increased to about Rs. 12.65 lakh across various heads such as loss of income, medical expenses, and pain and suffering. The appellant approached the Supreme Court seeking a further increase.
The Supreme Court went through each head of compensation and increased several of them: it raised pain and suffering from Rs. 1.2 lakh to Rs. 1.5 lakh given the severity of the amputation, awarded the full proven medical bills of about Rs. 1.86 lakh instead of a lower composite figure, and, most significantly, recalculated lost future income by fixing a more realistic unskilled worker's monthly income of Rs. 10,000 (up from the Rs. 9,000 used by the High Court) with a 40% addition for future prospects, applied to his 50% disability. This raised the total compensation from Rs. 12.65 lakh to about Rs. 17.06 lakh, payable within two months with 9% annual interest.
Compensation in a motor accident claim is not a one-time fixed calculation. Courts will recompute each component (medical bills, future income loss, pain and suffering) against the real facts of the injury, so claimants should ensure they produce complete medical and income evidence rather than accepting an early, lower assessment.
