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 appellants, Upper Division Clerks in the Central Secretariat Clerical Service, challenged ante-dated promotions given to certain colleagues based on a disputed cadre-restructuring exercise from 2003. They argued that some Lower Division Clerks had been promoted all the way to Assistant without actually serving the required time or experience as Upper Division Clerks, jumping ahead of otherwise-senior, qualified staff. The Union of India and the other respondents disputed this.
The Court granted leave and heard both sides at length. Rather than itself examining each disputed promotion, it held that if any person was indeed appointed as Assistant without the qualifications/experience mandated by the rules, that is a matter the Competent Authority must examine. It gave the appellants two months to point out specific instances of such rule-violating promotions, directed the Competent Authority to examine and take remedial steps within four months of receiving the representation, and ensured affected parties would get a hearing. Subject to this mechanism, the appeal was disposed of without otherwise disturbing the High Court's judgment.
Where a service dispute turns on factual verification of individual promotion records, the Supreme Court may finally dispose of the legal issue while directing the departmental authority, not the Court itself, to verify and correct rule violations in specific cases, with an opportunity of hearing for those affected.
