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 appellant alleged that respondent no. 2, the Managing Director of the company where she worked as Personal Assistant, took inappropriate photographs of her without consent, then used them to blackmail her into sexual acts over an extended period, including alleged rape on work trips to Baroda, and later contacted her fiancé to disparage her character and sent him her photographs after she had left and gotten engaged. An FIR was registered under Sections 376 (rape), 499 (defamation) and 506(2) (criminal intimidation) IPC, but the Gujarat High Court quashed the FIR under Section 482 CrPC, accepting the accused's claim that the relationship was consensual and that the parties had reached a signed settlement agreement with payment.
The Supreme Court held that the High Court exceeded its Section 482 CrPC jurisdiction by conducting what amounted to a "roving inquiry" into disputed facts, including whether the settlement itself was obtained under threat and coercion, and whether the accused had continued to interfere with the appellant's life even after the alleged settlement, before the investigation was even completed. It noted Section 114-A of the Indian Evidence Act, which presumes absence of consent once sexual intercourse is proved and the woman states in evidence that she did not consent, and held such disputed, serious allegations call for investigation rather than premature judicial foreclosure. The Court set aside the High Court's quashing order, allowed the appeal, and directed the investigation to proceed, while expressly declining to express any opinion on the actual merits of the complaint; the accused was directed to appear before the police and cooperate, with no coercive action to be taken against him in the interim.
A High Court cannot use its inherent power to quash an FIR as a shortcut to resolve genuinely disputed factual questions, such as whether a "settlement" in a sexual-assault case was voluntary or coerced, before investigation is complete; such disputes must be examined through investigation and trial, not pre-empted at the quashing stage.
