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 moreA group of Assam residents who had completed Class XI and XII outside Assam challenged Rule 3(1)(c) of the Medical Colleges and Dental Colleges of Assam (Admission) Rules, 2017, which required candidates to study Class VII to XII within Assam to be eligible for State-quota MBBS/BDS seats. They argued the rule was arbitrary and violated Article 14, since they were otherwise permanent residents of Assam and had cleared NEET. The State defended the rule as necessary to ensure that doctors trained with State resources actually serve Assam's population, particularly its underserved regions.
The Supreme Court dismissed all the writ petitions and the tagged SLP, upholding Rule 3(1)(c) as constitutional. Surveying a long line of precedent (D.P. Joshi, Pradeep Jain, Saurabh Chaudri, and others), the Court held that residence- and education-based preferences for basic MBBS/BDS admission (as opposed to postgraduate/super-specialty admission) are permissible under Article 14 because they have a rational nexus to the State's legitimate goal of retaining doctors to serve its own population. The Court found the rule's exceptions (for children of government employees posted outside the State) were reasonably tailored, and declined to extend similar relief to children of private-sector employees or those who left Assam voluntarily for "better coaching," since there was no data showing such facilities were unavailable in Assam.
A state can lawfully condition reserved "state quota" professional-course seats on having actually studied within the state, as a rational way to ensure publicly-funded medical education benefits the state's own residents: this is settled law for basic MBBS/BDS courses even though a stricter standard applies at the postgraduate level.
