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 arrested for allegedly carrying a commercial quantity of contraband narcotics, an offence under the NDPS Act read with the Customs Act, and had been denied regular bail by the Madras High Court. By the time her case reached the Supreme Court, she had already spent over four years in custody awaiting trial. She also pointed out that a co-accused who had travelled on the same flight as her had already been granted bail by the Supreme Court in a separate order.
Without commenting on the merits of the underlying case, the Supreme Court granted bail primarily because of the appellant's prolonged pre-trial incarceration (over four years) and because a similarly-placed co-accused had already been released on bail, directing the trial court to set stringent bail conditions and requiring her to surrender her passport. Separately, the Court noted a troubling procedural gap: the appellant had not been able to cross-examine prosecution witnesses at the initial stage of trial until she later engaged her own counsel. It used the opportunity to issue a broader direction: that trial courts must, before starting to examine witnesses, formally inform accused persons of their right to legal representation (including free legal aid if they cannot afford a lawyer) and record on the record the offer made, the accused's response, and the action taken.
Prolonged pre-trial detention without trial, especially where a similarly situated co-accused has already been released, is itself a strong ground for bail even in serious narcotics cases; separately, every accused person has a right to be clearly informed of their entitlement to legal aid before witness examination begins, and trial courts across India are now directed to formally record that this was done.
