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 complainant, proprietor of the firm M/s. Balaji Traders (a betel-nut leaves business), alleged that a rival running a business under the same name, with whom he had ongoing trademark/copyright litigation, along with associates carrying rifles, stopped him, threatened to shut down his business unless he paid Rs.5 lakh per month, and beat and attempted to kidnap him when he refused. After police did not register an FIR, he filed a private complaint, and the Trial Court found a prima facie case and summoned the accused under Section 387 IPC (putting a person in fear of death/grievous hurt in order to commit extortion). The Allahabad High Court quashed the summoning order, reasoning that since no money or property was actually delivered, the essential ingredient of "extortion" (Section 383 IPC) was missing, so no offence under Section 387 IPC could stand either.
The Supreme Court held that the High Court erred by relying on a precedent dealing with Section 384 IPC (punishment for actual extortion, which does require delivery of property) rather than Section 387 IPC, which criminalises putting a person in fear of death or grievous hurt in order to commit extortion: an offence that is complete upon the threat itself, regardless of whether money or property actually changed hands. Since the complaint prima facie disclosed both that the complainant was threatened with death by armed men and that this was done to pressure him to pay Rs.5 lakh, the ingredients of Section 387 IPC were made out even though no payment occurred. The Court further rejected the argument that the case was a "counterblast" to the accused's own trademark litigation, without going into the merits of the underlying dispute, and restored the complaint and summoning order, directing the parties to appear before the Trial Court.
Under Section 387 IPC, the mere act of threatening someone with death or grievous hurt to extract money or property is itself a punishable offence: a criminal case for this specific threat need not fail simply because the victim never actually paid up, unlike a completed extortion charge which does require delivery of property.
