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 Medical Council of India (MCI) appealed against a Kerala High Court judgment that had quashed the Central Government's refusal to grant renewal permission/recognition to four medical colleges (clubbed together in one High Court order), and that had directed immediate admission of students for 2018-2019. The High Court had also directed MCI to re-inspect the colleges to check if deficiencies were cured. This particular appeal concerned S.R. Educational and Charitable Trust's medical college, one of four colleges whose cases the High Court had decided together despite each having different facts and deficiencies.
The Supreme Court held that the High Court erred in deciding four factually distinct cases through one common/clubbed order, since the deficiencies found at each college differed. On the merits, the Court found that given the genuine deficiencies in faculty strength and bed occupancy, the decision to deny permission for fresh admissions for the 2018-2019 academic year was appropriate and could not be faulted. However, the Court ordered that the compliance submitted by the college should still be considered by MCI for the separate purpose of future "recognition" under Regulation 8(3), unaffected by the admission-denial order. The appeals (including this one) were allowed, the High Court's common judgment was set aside, and the colleges were left free to seek admission permission for the next academic year (2019-2020) in accordance with law.
Regulatory bodies like the MCI can validly deny permission for a fresh batch of student admissions where genuine infrastructural deficiencies exist, even while a separate process for long-term institutional recognition continues independently; courts should also avoid deciding factually distinct cases through one clubbed order.
