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 moreWorkmen's wage claims under the Timely Payment of Wages Act, 1978 had been pursued through the Labour Court, but the High Court found the Labour Court's award was passed without jurisdiction and quashed it. While quashing the award, the High Court directed that if the matter was brought before the Government again, the Government must refer it for adjudication to the Labour Court. The employer (Rahman Industries) challenged this direction, arguing it stripped the Government of its own discretion to first decide whether a genuine dispute existed.
The Supreme Court agreed with the employer's narrow objection. It held that under the scheme of the Industrial Disputes Act, the appropriate Government is not a mere "post office" that must refer every dispute it receives: it has the power (though not the power to decide the case on merits) to first satisfy itself that a referable dispute genuinely exists. Courts can only direct a reference if the Government's refusal to refer was shown, on judicial review, to be unjustified or based on irrelevant considerations. Since the High Court's direction effectively took away this preliminary screening power from the Government, that part of the order was set aside, while the rest of the High Court's order (allowing the workmen to still pursue their claim) stood, with a three-month timeline set for the Government to act if approached again.
A court cannot order the Government to automatically refer every industrial dispute to adjudication; the Government retains the limited power to first check whether a genuine dispute actually exists, and only unjustified refusals to refer can be judicially corrected.
