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 moreAfter a minor road accident, the appellant and his wife were allegedly treated rudely by a Bengaluru traffic police inspector, who they said threatened to drag them to court. Upset by this treatment, they posted comments criticising the inspector on the Bengaluru Traffic Police's own Facebook page and also emailed a complaint about the harassment. The inspector responded by filing a complaint over the Facebook post, leading to an FIR against the appellants under Sections 353 (assault/criminal force against a public servant) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the IPC, which the Karnataka High Court declined to quash, calling the challenge premature.
The Supreme Court held that even taking the FIR's allegations at face value, none of the ingredients of either offence were made out: Section 353 requires actual assault or use of criminal force, and nothing of that kind had occurred through a Facebook post; Section 506 requires a threat intended to cause alarm, and the Court found the appellants had merely posted a grievance in good faith on a forum that the police themselves had created for the public to raise concerns. Since continuing the prosecution on these facts would be unjust and an abuse of the court's process, the Supreme Court set aside the High Court's order, allowed the appeal, and quashed the FIR entirely.
Posting a good-faith complaint or criticism on an official public forum such as a government social media page is not, by itself, criminal intimidation or assault on a public servant: criminal law requires actual force or a genuine threat meant to cause alarm, not merely an unflattering comment about an official's conduct.
