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 moreExcise officials raided premises in Vijayawada and uncovered a spurious liquor manufacturing operation producing counterfeit versions of branded liquor using bottling and blending equipment. The appellant, a businessman dealing in plastic and aluminum bottle caps, was not named in the original FIR but was later added as an accused after co-accused persons and witnesses told investigators he had supplied plastic bottles and caps bearing government labels used to package the fake liquor, and records showed around 400 calls between him and another accused plus some financial transactions. The Andhra Pradesh High Court refused him anticipatory bail, and he appealed to the Supreme Court, which had earlier granted him interim protection from arrest.
The Supreme Court allowed the appeal, set aside the High Court's refusal, and made its earlier interim protection absolute, granting anticipatory bail. It reasoned that the appellant was not initially named in the FIR, no raid was conducted at his own business premises, and neither of the raided locations (a general store and a restaurant/bar) belonged to him. The Court also noted he had previously been arrested and released on bail in two similar earlier cases with the same set of allegations, had appeared before the investigating officer as directed, and there was no allegation that he had misused the bail liberty already granted to him. Anticipatory bail was made subject to conditions that he must continue cooperating with the investigation and trial and must not influence witnesses.
Anticipatory bail can be granted (and interim protection made permanent) where an accused was not originally named in the FIR, is only linked to the alleged crime through third-party statements and no raid occurred at their own premises, and where the person has consistently cooperated with the investigation and shown no history of misusing bail.
