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 moreA motorcyclist died in a road accident in March 2010. The Motor Accident Claims Tribunal found that the motorcycle's owner-driver did not hold a valid driving licence at the time (one licence produced was fake, and another had expired over two years earlier). The Tribunal directed the insurer to pay the compensation to the victim's family but to then recover that amount from the owner-driver, and the High Court upheld this on appeal. The owner-driver appealed to the Supreme Court, arguing this "pay and recover" direction was wrong.
The Supreme Court applied its earlier three-judge ruling in National Insurance Co. Ltd. v. Swaran Singh, which holds that mere absence or invalidity of a driving licence does not automatically free the insurer of liability: the insurer must prove the vehicle owner breached policy conditions through lack of reasonable care. Here, the Court found the owner never even entered the witness box to explain himself, had produced a licence found to be outright fake, and had let his other licence lapse for over two years before renewing it, showing a clear failure to take reasonable care. On these facts, the Court held the Tribunal and High Court were right to make the insurer pay the victim's family first and then recover the amount from the owner-driver. The appeal was dismissed with no order as to costs.
If you let your driving licence lapse or drive on a fake one, your insurer can still be made to pay the accident victim, but it can then recover that money from you personally; keeping your licence valid and renewed on time protects you from this financial liability.
