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 standing by the roadside in 2013 when a rashly driven lorry hit him, resulting in amputation of his right leg and paralysis of his left leg: a 100% functional disability, confirmed by treating doctors. The Tribunal awarded about Rs. 17,16,000 for loss of income (based on a monthly income of Rs. 11,000) with a total compensation of over Rs. 31 lakh, but the High Court substantially cut this down, reducing the assessed income to Rs. 6,500/month and the total award to about Rs. 20.65 lakh.
The Supreme Court restored the Tribunal's income assessment of Rs. 11,000 per month, finding that the High Court had wrongly relied on an older, factually different precedent (involving no income evidence at all) instead of the direct oral testimony of two co-workers who credibly described the claimant's daily wages as a loading-unloading worker. The Court also revised the attendant charges upward to Rs. 3,00,000, given the claimant's total loss of use of both legs, while leaving the High Court's other compensation heads undisturbed. However, since the claimant himself had not appealed the Tribunal's denial of "future prospects," he could not claim that benefit at this stage. The net result was a partial restoration raising the total award to Rs. 24,86,500.
When credible, specific witness testimony about a victim's actual earnings exists, courts should not substitute it with income figures borrowed from unrelated older cases; and compensation for essential care like an attendant must be realistically assessed against the severity of disability, not treated as a token amount.
