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 Tehsildar of Tangi Chowdwar, Cuttack, invited sealed bids for a five-year lease to extract sand from the Mahanadi Sand Quarry. Of 20 bidders, the one who quoted the highest rate was disqualified for failing to submit an Income Tax Return as required by Rule 27(4)(iv) of the Odisha Minor Mineral Concession Rules, 2016; a lower bidder was declared successful instead. The disqualified bidder challenged this before the Orissa High Court, which upheld the disqualification but also directed the Tehsildar to ask the successful (lower) bidder to match the higher rate quoted by the disqualified bidder, citing the loss to the public exchequer. Both sides then appealed to the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court agreed that the disqualification of the non-compliant bidder for failing to submit the required Income Tax Return was correct. However, it held that the High Court had no legal basis to direct the successful bidder to "match" a disqualified rival's rate after the tender process had already concluded: that amounted to unilaterally rewriting the terms of a public tender after the fact. The Court quashed the High Court's judgment and instead directed that a fresh auction notice be issued for the same quarry, with all interested parties, including the earlier bidders, free to re-bid on equal terms, and the earlier successful bidder's deposit refunded with 6% annual interest.
Courts cannot fix a flawed public tender by ordering a compliant bidder to match a disqualified rival's rate. If the process is found unfair or in need of correction, the proper remedy is a fresh, transparent re-tender open to everyone, not an after-the-fact modification of the existing award.
