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 appellants, Assistant Professors employed at the National Institute of Technology (NIT), Kurukshetra since 2008, aspired to be promoted to the higher, selection-based post of Associate Professor but were found not to meet the eligibility criterion of holding an Academic Grade Pay of Rs. 8,000 for the required minimum period. A Division Bench of the Punjab and Haryana High Court had disposed of their writ petitions (along with a connected case from NIT Jalandhar) in a common order that the appellants found partly adverse to their interests, prompting these appeals limited to the portions of the order affecting them.
The Supreme Court held that the appellants could not be treated as having actually served in the post of Associate Professor for experience purposes, since no genuine appointment or work in that capacity had occurred: an appointment on paper does not substitute for the real experience the eligibility norms require. However, in the interest of fairness on continuity of service, it directed that the appellants be treated as Associate Professors from the date of their "notional appointment" solely for computing terminal/retirement benefits, and directed the NIT Kurukshetra Board of Governors to take an appropriate decision implementing this within a month, while clarifying that a related one-time relaxation under the 2023 Statutes would stand exhausted once acted upon. The order was expressly confined to the Assistant Professors of NIT Kurukshetra and did not disturb the position of any faculty member at NIT Jalandhar.
Eligibility for a promotional post generally requires genuine, actual service in that role, not merely a notional or paper designation, but courts can still calibrate relief so that employees don't lose legitimate service-continuity benefits like pension or gratuity even where a full promotion claim fails.
