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 trust applied to open a new medical college in Kerala for the 2016-17 academic year, but the Medical Council of India (MCI) found the state government's "Essentiality Certificate" submitted with the application did not conform to the prescribed format, and recommended rejecting the application. The Kerala High Court (both single judge and division bench) directed that the application still be considered and inspected despite the defective certificate, prompting MCI's appeal to the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court held that an application for a new medical college must be complete, with a valid Essentiality Certificate, at the time of filing: a conditional or defective certificate is not a valid Essentiality Certificate in law, and incomplete applications are liable to be rejected at the threshold rather than sent for inspection. Relying on its own earlier binding precedents (including Royal Medical Trust and Educare Charitable Trust), the Court held the High Court had no power to direct consideration/inspection of an application that didn't meet MCI's regulatory schedule and binding timeline. It therefore set aside the High Court's orders and allowed MCI's appeal, while leaving it open to the Trust to file a fresh, compliant application for a future academic year.
Regulatory timelines and document requirements for setting up institutions like medical colleges are strictly enforced: courts will not direct authorities to overlook a fundamentally defective application, even to a deserving applicant; the appropriate remedy is to reapply correctly for the next cycle.
