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 moreRashtriya Ispat Nigam Ltd. (Visakhapatnam Steel Plant), a government undertaking, had engaged Prathyusha Resources as a transport contractor to move pig iron to the port area under a 1992 agreement that was repeatedly extended and finally completed in 1997. A dispute arose over which year's rates ("base year" 1992 or 1994) should be used to calculate a price-escalation claim, and the appellant rejected part of the contractor's final bill on this point. An Arbitral Tribunal ruled in the contractor's favour, but the District Court set the award aside as time-barred; the High Court then restored the award, prompting this appeal to the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court held that the cause of action for the dispute did not arise merely when the contract ended in 1997, but only when a real, unambiguous dispute crystallised between the parties, which the Court found was with the letter dated 4.9.1998 raising the final bills, since the parties continued exchanging letters on unresolved billing as late as 2000. On that basis, the notice invoking arbitration was not barred by limitation, and the Court agreed with the Arbitrator and the High Court's concurrent findings. The civil appeal was accordingly dismissed with no order as to costs, confirming the arbitral award in the contractor's favour.
The limitation clock for invoking arbitration starts running from when a dispute actually and concretely arises between the parties (e.g., a clear assertion and denial of a right), not automatically from the date a contract formally ends, especially where parties kept corresponding on unsettled claims after completion of work.
