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 petitioner was convicted under Section 376 IPC (rape) in FIR No. 115/2001 of P.S. Jahangir Puri, and sentenced to life imprisonment and a fine of Rs 50,000 on 19.02.2003, with two years' simple imprisonment in default of the fine. In February 2026 the Sentence Review Board, on the recommendation of its December 2025 meeting, remitted the unexpired term of sentence for 26 life convicts, including him. The jail authorities nonetheless kept him in custody to serve the default sentence, relying on Rule 1176 of the Delhi Prison Rules, 2018.
The Court held that Rule 1176 applies only to prisoners who are in prison solely because they defaulted on a fine. The petitioner was a life convict, and once the Sentence Review Board had remitted his substantive sentence, the jail could not use the default sentence for the unpaid fine to keep him in custody. The detention was therefore not in accordance with law, and the Court directed his immediate release. A copy of the order was to be sent to the Jail Superintendent for compliance.
When a prison rule is used to extend detention, its scope must be read carefully, and a remission of the main sentence can cover a default sentence attached to an unpaid fine. A person who has been released by a valid remission order cannot be held on a technicality.
