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.
14543 more judgements for members
You're seeing the newest cases. Log in — it's free — to keep scrolling, search by name or judge, and filter by court or legal area.
Log in to see moreThe appellants were the heirs of a 30-year-old commission agent who died after falling from a moving bus belonging to the Chandigarh Transport Undertaking in 1994. The Motor Accident Claims Tribunal found negligence not proved and awarded only Rs. 50,000 as no-fault liability. On appeal, the Punjab and Haryana High Court drew an adverse inference against the bus operator for not producing the driver and raised the compensation to Rs. 3,98,500, but reduced the interest rate from 12% to 6%. The heirs appealed to the Supreme Court seeking a higher amount.
The Supreme Court held that the High Court had erred in not adding anything for "future prospects" when computing the deceased's income, applying the Constitution Bench ruling in National Insurance Co. Ltd. v. Pranay Sethi. It recalculated the compensation by adding 40% for future prospects (given the deceased's age of 30), deducting one-third for personal expenses, and applying a multiplier of 17, arriving at a total compensation of Rs. 6,41,200 (including loss of consortium, loss of estate, and funeral expenses), with 9% annual interest from the date of the claim petition. The appeal was allowed on these terms with no order as to costs.
In fatal motor accident claims, courts must add a percentage for "future prospects" to a deceased's income before calculating compensation, per the Pranay Sethi formula: families should check that this component has been included when compensation is awarded.
