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 petitioner, Chief Whip of the Indian National Congress in the Gujarat Legislative Assembly, challenged a circular that extended the NOTA ("None of the Above") voting option to elections for the Council of States (Rajya Sabha), which are indirect elections conducted by MLAs. The Election Commission had directed Chief Electoral Officers across most States and Union Territories to include NOTA on Rajya Sabha ballot papers, relying on its general powers under Article 324 of the Constitution and the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961. The petitioner argued this went beyond the Commission's legal authority and undermined the specific character of indirect elections, where each MLA's vote has a transferable value.
The Supreme Court held that the Election Commission's power under Article 324 is a "reservoir of power" to be used only where the law is silent, and the Commission must act strictly within the framework laid down by Parliament and binding judicial precedent (citing the Constitution Bench ruling in Kuldip Nayar): it cannot invent new voting concepts that don't fit the existing legal scheme. The Court reasoned that NOTA, while suited to direct elections where every citizen's vote carries equal value, is fundamentally incompatible with the indirect, preferential, and transferable-value voting system used for Rajya Sabha elections, and that introducing it there would open the door to defection and corruption rather than protect democratic purity. The Court allowed the writ petition and quashed the Election Commission's circulars introducing NOTA for Council of States elections, with no order as to costs.
A voting reform that works well in one kind of election (direct elections) cannot simply be transplanted into a structurally different kind of election (indirect, preferential elections like those for the Rajya Sabha) without undermining the very system it is meant to protect; election authorities must act within the law Parliament has made, not invent new procedures on their own.
