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 moreParadeep Phosphates Ltd. had a 1985 agreement with Paradip Port Trust (now Paradip Port Authority) for exclusive berthing facilities at a dedicated "Fertilizer Berth," with tariffs to be revised by mutual agreement. When the Port unilaterally revised its rate schedule in 1993, a dispute over the enhanced charges went to arbitration, then to an Appellate Authority (which partly upheld the award), and eventually to the Orissa High Court, which by a common order in 2023 disposed of two writ petitions covering different tariff periods, largely against the Port Authority. The Port Authority (and its Board of Trustees, in the connected appeal) appealed both matters to the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court set aside the arbitrator's award, the Appellate Authority's order, and the High Court's order in both connected appeals, remitting the tariff disputes back to the Tariff Authority for Major Ports (TAMP) for fresh adjudication, covering both the pre-1999 period and the later period. Beyond deciding the specific dispute, the Court used the case to flag a structural concern: the appellate mechanism against TAMP/adjudicatory board orders under the port laws was not effective or meaningful, and it recommended that the Union of India constitute a proper expert appellate body to hear such appeals, directing that a copy of the judgment be sent to the Ministry of Law and Justice for follow-up action.
Even where a court sets aside lower orders and sends a specific dispute back for fresh decision, it may separately use the case to press for systemic fixes: here, flagging that the appeal route against port tariff orders needs a proper expert body rather than an inadequate existing mechanism.
