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 Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) was probing a massive fraud at Bhushan Steel Ltd., alleging that its promoters, aided by associates, used a web of 157 shell companies to siphon off funds and manipulate accounts, causing an alleged wrongful loss of about Rs. 20,879 crore to banks. Nittin Johari, the company's former CFO, was arrested in the case but was granted bail by the Delhi High Court. SFIO appealed to the Supreme Court against that bail order.
The Supreme Court found that the High Court had not properly applied the mandatory, stricter bail conditions that Section 212(6)(ii) of the Companies Act requires for such serious economic offences, instead relying on a vague reference to "broad probabilities." The Court also held the High Court had been improperly influenced by the bail status of co-accused persons in a related matter that was itself still pending before the Supreme Court. It set aside the High Court's order granting bail and sent the bail application back to the High Court to be decided afresh, properly applying the statutory conditions, while directing that Johari remain in custody in the meantime.
In serious economic offence cases, courts must strictly apply the specific statutory conditions for bail laid down by Parliament (here, the Companies Act's twin conditions) rather than relying on generalised reasoning, and a bail order that skips this analysis can be overturned on appeal.
