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 respondent, who worked as a Physical Instructor at the appellant University, claimed that since his post was a teaching position, he was entitled to continue in service up to 62 years of age like other teachers, rather than retiring earlier. The Allahabad High Court (Lucknow Bench) ruled in his favour, and the University, aggrieved, approached the Supreme Court. Contempt proceedings had also arisen over the University's non-compliance with the High Court's order.
The Supreme Court, having regard to the "peculiar facts of this case," held that the respondent should be permitted to continue in service up to the age of 62 years and directed the University to implement this order within two weeks. As a consequence, the pending contempt proceedings against the University stood recalled, and a related writ appeal pending before the High Court was declared infructuous and dismissed. The Court disposed of the appeal on this specific relief but expressly kept the broader underlying question of law open, and directed that this judgment not be treated as a precedent for other cases.
Even a short, fact-specific Supreme Court order that grants relief to one party can finally and conclusively resolve that individual's dispute (including unwinding any contempt action), while deliberately avoiding laying down a general rule of law for future cases, so such a ruling should not automatically be read as binding precedent on the broader legal question it touches.
