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 deceased, a reputed transport contractor who owned two trucks, died in a road accident in 2017 when his vehicle was hit by another driven rashly and negligently. His wife and three children claimed compensation, and the Motor Accident Claims Tribunal computed his monthly income at Rs. 95,000, largely inferred from the roughly Rs. 42,500 in monthly EMI payments he was making on loans for his trucks. The High Court upheld this computation. The insurance company appealed, arguing the income figure was based on surmise, unsupported by income tax returns, and inconsistent with the fact that the deceased had defaulted on EMI payments 15 times.
The Supreme Court distinguished the precedent (Gurpreet Kaur) the claimants relied on, noting that case involved a single-tractor contractor without alternate business continuity, whereas here the deceased ran an established transport business with two trucks that could continue generating income after his death through hired drivers. The Court found no proper basis (like income tax returns) for the Rs. 95,000 monthly income figure and reduced the compensation. Applying the Constitution Bench principle from Pranay Sethi (that compensation should be just, neither a windfall nor a pittance), it accepted Rs. 50,00,000 already deposited (half of the Tribunal's original loss-of-dependency figure) as sufficient for loss of dependency, while awarding an additional Rs. 1,60,000 for loss of consortium (including for the children, per Magma General Insurance), loss of estate, and funeral expenses, all with 9% annual interest.
In motor accident compensation claims, courts require credible documentary proof (such as income tax returns) rather than inference from loan EMI amounts to determine a deceased's true income, and where the deceased ran a business capable of continuing to generate income after death (rather than depending solely on his personal labour), that materially affects how loss of dependency is calculated.
