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, a 26-year-old load man working for a building contractor, was riding pillion on a motorcycle in 2004 when a lorry crashed into it, leaving him with a fractured spinal cord, right leg, and right hip, and total loss of sensation and movement below the abdomen. The Motor Accident Claims Tribunal assessed his disability at 70% and awarded about Rs. 11.27 lakh with 12% annual interest, but the High Court, while keeping the compensation amount, reduced the interest rate to 7.5% per annum, prompting the claimant's appeal.
The Supreme Court held that the Tribunal's 70% disability assessment understated the real impact, since complete loss of sensation below the abdomen made it impossible for the appellant to ever resume work as a load man, meaning his disability should realistically be treated as total/complete for income-loss purposes. The Court rejected the insurer's argument that the claimant had conceded the compensation amount was fair, clarifying that counsel's earlier statement addressed a different, narrower point. It restored the amount the Tribunal had controversially deducted (rounding it up to Rs. 3,00,000 extra) and fixed interest at 9% per annum (between the Tribunal's 12% and the High Court's 7.5%), directing the insurer to pay the difference within eight weeks.
Compensation for permanent disability must reflect the claimant's real, practical ability to earn a livelihood in his actual occupation, not just a clinical percentage figure, and a general statement by counsel on one issue cannot be stretched into a binding concession on an unrelated point.
