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 was appointed as an ad hoc lecturer in a school in 1993 to cover a colleague's leave vacancy; that colleague died while on leave, and the school management then tried to absorb the appellant into the now-vacant substantive post without seeking proper approval or following a formal selection process. The District Inspector of Schools (DIOS) had, in fact, declined approval of this appointment years earlier as contrary to the applicable selection rules. The appellant continued working for over two decades under a series of interim court orders while his claim to a permanent post, and his salary, remained disputed; both the Single Judge and Division Bench of the Allahabad High Court ultimately ruled against him.
The Supreme Court agreed that an ad hoc appointment to cover a temporary leave vacancy cannot, without a proper selection process, mature into a substantive, permanent appointment, so the appellant had no legal right to be made a regular lecturer. However, exercising its special constitutional powers under Article 142 to do complete justice and avoid disrupting the school's functioning, the Court directed that the post be filled through a proper regular selection within four months, and that the appellant be allowed to continue on an ad hoc basis, and be paid his salary, until that regular appointment is made.
An ad hoc appointment to a temporary vacancy does not create a right to permanent absorption, no matter how many years the person continues in the post under interim court orders; only a proper, lawful selection process can confer a substantive government or aided-school post.
