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 moreNHAI had engaged Gwalior Jhansi Expressway Limited (GJEL) to widen a stretch of National Highway No.75, but terminated the concession after alleging GJEL fell badly behind schedule and abandoned the site. An Arbitral Tribunal, acting on an interim application, directed NHAI to let GJEL match the lowest bid received in a fresh re-tender and exercise a contractual "Right of First Refusal" (ROFR) even though GJEL had not actually participated in that re-tender. The Delhi High Court upheld the Tribunal's order, and NHAI appealed to the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court held that a right to match the lowest bid (ROFR) could only be exercised by a party that had actually participated in the bidding process; GJEL could not claim the benefit of ROFR while sitting outside the re-tender altogether. The Court found this core legal error meant the Arbitral Tribunal's order allowing GJEL to leapfrog into the contract without bidding violated the "fundamental policy of Indian law," a recognised ground for a court to set aside an arbitral award. It rejected GJEL's argument that its prior part-performance of the original project justified bypassing the tender process. Both the Tribunal's order and the High Court's confirmation of it were quashed, and GJEL's underlying application was dismissed.
A contractual right to "match the lowest bid" is not a free pass to re-enter a contract without competing in the tender for it: courts will strike down arbitral awards that ignore basic principles of fair competitive bidding, even in a commercial dispute.
