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 24-year-old man died after a car struck his motorcycle in Haryana in December 2013. His father and sister filed a compensation claim before the Motor Accidents Claims Tribunal (MACT), which awarded about Rs. 3.39 lakh based on minimum-wage income and a multiplier tied to the father's age. On appeal, the Punjab and Haryana High Court enhanced the compensation to about Rs. 14.21 lakh, correcting the multiplier to be based on the deceased's own age and adding "future prospects" at 50% of income. The insurance company appealed to the Supreme Court, challenging several components of the enhanced award as excessive and inconsistent with the Constitution Bench ruling in National Insurance Co. v. Pranay Sethi.
The Supreme Court largely upheld the High Court's approach but corrected the future-prospects addition from 50% down to 40% (the rate applicable to self-employed persons under 40, per Pranay Sethi), and reduced funeral expenses from Rs. 25,000 to Rs. 15,000 in line with that precedent. It rejected the insurer's argument that only a mother could be a "dependant" of a deceased bachelor, holding that an aged father and unmarried sister who depended on his income clearly qualified. Significantly, the Court went further than the parties had asked and, exercising its special powers under Article 142 of the Constitution, awarded additional amounts for "Loss of Estate" and, for the first time clearly articulated, "Loss of Filial Consortium", recognizing that parents suffer a real, compensable loss of love, care, and companionship when their child dies, distinct from mere economic loss. The final compensation was fixed at Rs. 14,25,600 with 12% annual interest, apportioned 60:40 between the father and sister.
Compensation in fatal motor accident claims is not limited to lost income: the law recognizes a family's loss of a child's love, care, and companionship ("filial consortium") as a distinct, compensable head, and courts can award "just compensation" for such losses even if not specifically claimed by the victims' family.
