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 one of several men convicted by a Special Judge under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) and various IPC provisions (including kidnapping for ransom, dacoity and extortion), and sentenced to life imprisonment plus several additional substantive sentences, each carrying its own "default sentence" (extra jail time if the heavy fines were not paid). The Bombay High Court upheld the conviction. Before the Supreme Court, the appellant did not contest guilt but focused narrowly on whether the multiple default sentences for non-payment of fines could run concurrently (at the same time) rather than one after another (consecutively), and whether their total duration was excessive given his financial circumstances.
The Supreme Court held that, unlike substantive sentences (which Indian criminal law allows courts to run concurrently), default sentences imposed for non-payment of fines cannot be directed to run concurrently with each other: Parliament deliberately left out that power for default sentences. However, taking into account the appellant's financial condition, the Court reduced the quantum of several individual default sentences (for example, cutting the default terms under the IPC fines to one month each, and under the MCOCA fines from three years each to one year each), bringing his total maximum additional default time down to three years and four months, of which three years had already been served.
Courts have discretion to reduce how long you might spend in jail for failing to pay a fine, but they cannot let multiple such "default" terms run together automatically, only genuine substantive sentences get that benefit, so an unpaid fine on multiple counts can still add up to real additional time behind bars.
