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 moreKalsi Construction Company was awarded a contract to build the Advanced Pediatrics Centre for the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh. A dispute over completion of the work went to arbitration, and in 1999 the arbitrator awarded the contractor about Rs. 1.17 crore (against a claim of over Rs. 10 crore) plus interest at 18% per annum. The Institute's challenges to this award under Sections 34 and 37 of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act both failed in the lower courts, and it appealed to the Supreme Court, by then pressing only the question of the interest rate.
The Supreme Court noted that Section 31(7)(a) of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act allows an arbitral tribunal to fix a reasonable interest rate in the absence of a contrary agreement, and that the arbitrator had acted within that power in awarding 18%. However, given that the award was now 20 years old and the contractor's own senior counsel left the rate to the Court's discretion (while seeking only a "reasonable" rate), the Court used its special constitutional power under Article 142 to do complete justice and reduced the interest rate from 18% to 10% per annum simple interest. It directed payment of the award plus 10% interest within eight weeks, failing which the original 18% rate would revive on the whole amount.
Even where an arbitrator's award is otherwise legally sound, the Supreme Court can use its Article 142 power to moderate harsh terms like a high interest rate in the interest of fairness, especially where a long time has passed since the original award.
