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 moreThis batch of writ petitions (filed by Nipun Saxena and others, clubbed with several connected petitions) asked the Supreme Court to lay down clear rules on how the identity of rape victims and child victims of sexual offences under the POCSO Act should be protected from disclosure by the media, police, and courts. The petitioners pointed to repeated instances where victims' names or identifying details (photographs, village names, exam results, family details) were published despite the bar in Section 228A of the IPC, causing victims social ostracism. The Court examined Section 228A IPC, Section 327 CrPC, and the POCSO Act's confidentiality provisions, as well as prior case law and state-level guidelines (e.g., a Calcutta High Court framework) on protecting victims during investigation and trial.
The Court held that Section 228A IPC bars disclosure not just of a victim's name but of any detail that could make her identifiable, and that even courts (trial courts, High Courts, and the Supreme Court) should avoid naming rape victims in judgments despite a technical exemption for published judgments. It ruled that a dead or mentally unsound victim's identity cannot be disclosed by "next of kin" absent government-recognised welfare institutions, and that victims appealing acquittals may file under a pseudonym with identifying documents kept in a sealed cover. For POCSO cases, the Court held that the "minor" exception under Section 228A(2)(c) is effectively superseded by POCSO's own confidentiality regime, and issued a detailed set of binding directions covering FIR registration, in-camera trials, child-friendly examination procedures, video-conferencing for victims who cannot attend court, non-disclosure of identity in judgments, and mandatory interim/final compensation for POCSO victims. It directed all States/UTs to set up at least one "one stop centre" per district within a year and sent copies of the judgment to all High Courts for implementation.
The identity of a rape or child sexual abuse victim, including any detail that could reveal who they are, not just their name, is legally protected from disclosure by media, police, and even courts, and victims (or their next of kin, within limits) retain control over whether and how that identity is ever revealed, including the right to pursue appeals under a pseudonym.
