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 petitioner filed a writ petition under Article 32 seeking directions to the Union and State governments to conduct periodic surveys on leprosy, publicize a 2010-11 National Sample Survey on the disease, run sustained public-awareness campaigns to dispel stigma, ensure free availability of Multi-Drug Therapy (MDT) and other medicines at government health centres, stop discrimination against leprosy-affected women and children in hospitals and schools, and provide welfare measures such as free footwear and clearer disability-assessment rules. The case had been pending since 2014, with the Court repeatedly directing the government to collect data and respond, while also drawing on a related Article 32 petition that had surfaced a Law Commission report recommending repeal of outdated, stigmatizing leprosy laws.
The Supreme Court noted that leprosy is now a scientifically curable, non-hereditary disease, yet continues to carry severe social stigma due to a widespread lack of awareness, resulting in discrimination in healthcare, education, and daily life for affected persons and their families. Finding this to amount to a violation of the fundamental rights to equality and dignity, the Court issued a comprehensive set of fifteen directions to the Union and State governments, including conducting and publishing periodic leprosy surveys, running year-round and Leprosy Day awareness campaigns using positive imagery, ensuring free MDT drug availability without stock-outs, prohibiting discrimination against leprosy patients (especially women) in hospitals and schools, providing free footwear, reconstructive surgery access, BPL card eligibility for food-scheme benefits, a rehabilitation assistance scheme, and consideration of separate disability-assessment rules for leprosy under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016. The writ petition was accordingly disposed of with these binding directions.
Even where a disease is medically curable, the law recognizes that unaddressed social stigma and institutional apathy can themselves violate constitutional rights to dignity and equality: courts can direct concrete, system-wide government action (awareness campaigns, free treatment, anti-discrimination measures, welfare schemes) to remedy that stigma, not just individual grievances.
