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 moreRaveechee and Co. had a 1981 contract with the Western Railway (Union of India) for quarrying and supplying stone ballast. Disputes arose, and an Arbitral Tribunal awarded the contractor roughly Rs. 76.4 lakh against its claim of about Rs. 1.35 crore, including pendente-lite interest (interest for the period the dispute was being arbitrated) of 12% on part of the award. The Gujarat High Court partly allowed the Railways' challenge and struck down this interest award, reasoning that a contract clause (16(3)) barring interest on security deposits and contract payments also barred the arbitrator from awarding pendente lite interest. The contractor appealed to the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court held that Clause 16(3) only barred interest on earnest money, security deposits, and amounts otherwise payable under the contract, not on damages awarded for losses determined during arbitration. It explained that pendente lite interest compensates a claimant for being kept out of money that is only finally ascertained during the arbitration itself, so it is conceptually different from interest on sums already fixed by the contract. Relying on its own earlier rulings (including Union of India vs Ambica Construction), the Court held that an arbitrator has an inherent power to award pendente lite interest unless the contract contains a clear and specific bar on it, which this contract did not. The appeal was allowed, the High Court's judgment was set aside, and the arbitrator's award of interest was restored.
A contract clause that bars interest on specific items like security deposits or earnest money does not automatically stop an arbitrator from awarding interest on damages for the period the dispute was being arbitrated: any such bar must be clear and specifically worded to cover pendente lite interest.
