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 moreIn 2007, 21-year-old Palani, an unmarried contract worker, died when the motorcycle he was riding collided with a bus belonging to the respondent State Transport Corporation, driven rashly and negligently. The Motor Accident Claims Tribunal and later the Madras High Court awarded his legal heirs (the appellants) compensation of Rs.5,01,500, but the computation did not add anything for the deceased's "future prospects": the likely rise in his income over time had he lived.
Relying on the Constitution Bench ruling in National Insurance Co. Ltd. v. Pranay Sethi, the Supreme Court held that future prospects must be factored into compensation even for a self-employed or fixed-wage worker, and that for a deceased below 40 years of age this addition should be 40% of established income. Applying this, the Court recalculated the deceased's monthly loss of dependency from Rs.4,000 to Rs.5,600 (after the 40% addition), which raised the "loss of dependency" head from Rs.4,32,000 to Rs.6,04,800 using the correct multiplier of 18. The Court left all other compensation heads (love and affection, transport, funeral, loss of estate) undisturbed, enhancing the total award from Rs.5,01,500 to Rs.6,74,300, with interest at 9% per annum. It directed the Transport Corporation to deposit the additional amount within eight weeks, with the minor appellant's share to be kept in a bank deposit until she attains majority.
When calculating compensation for the death of a young victim in a motor accident, courts must add a standardized percentage for "future prospects" (lost future income growth) on top of the deceased's actual earnings at the time of death, leaving this out, as the lower courts did here, under-compensates the family.
