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 appellant, a Professor in the Department of Pediatric Surgery at King George's Medical College (KGMU), Lucknow, had been appointed Nodal Officer for implementing a hospital management software system in 2010. After an adverse audit report and subsequent disciplinary action, he filed multiple proceedings against the university, some already decided by the Supreme Court and others pending. He filed a contempt application before the Allahabad High Court (Lucknow Bench) alleging that his termination violated an interim order restraining such action, but a Single Judge dismissed the contempt application, partly because of the pendency of other related proceedings raising similar issues.
The Supreme Court held that once an interim order restraining action against the appellant was operative from 20 December 2018 and kept being extended, the mere administrative release/disposal of the matter on 6 February 2019 could not by itself justify violating that order. On this narrow ground, the Court allowed the appeal, quashed the High Court's order dismissing the contempt petition, and remitted the matter back to the High Court to decide the contempt petition afresh, also suggesting the High Court consider clubbing the other connected pending matters for effective adjudication.
An interim protective order continues to bind the parties for as long as it remains in force and is being extended; a technical or administrative development (like a case being "released" from a list) does not by itself excuse non-compliance with a live restraining order.
