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 handicraft-exporting company running multiple manufacturing units (metal art ware, glass art ware, thermocol blocks, and later marble art ware and corrugated boxes) was accused before the National Green Tribunal of illegally extracting groundwater, releasing effluents into a tributary of the Ganga, and otherwise violating environmental norms. Proceedings ran for about three years, during which the company paid environmental compensation and undertook remedial measures; a final compliance report in July 2021 confirmed the company had come into full compliance. Despite this, the NGT went on to impose a fresh Rs. 50 crore compensation based on the company's turnover and directed the Enforcement Directorate to examine the matter under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.
The Supreme Court set aside the Rs. 50 crore penalty, holding, consistent with its own earlier ruling in Benzo Chem Industrial, that there is no rational link between a company's turnover and the extent of environmental damage caused, and that this "polluter pays" figure cannot simply be a percentage of revenue. It also struck down the NGT's direction to the Enforcement Directorate, holding, following Waris Chemicals, that the NGT has no jurisdiction to direct prosecution under the PMLA, since that requires an actual scheduled offence and FIR, neither of which existed here. The Court retained only the NGT's directions for continued monitoring, audit and restoration of the site, while leaving the pollution control boards free to independently pursue any genuine shortfall in compensation. The Court also criticized the NGT's judgment for excessive length without corresponding substance.
Environmental compensation imposed on a polluting company must follow a reasoned, evidence-based methodology tied to the actual damage caused, not simply a percentage of the company's revenue, and environmental tribunals cannot direct criminal-law enforcement action (like a PMLA probe) that falls outside their statutory powers.
