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 convicted under Section 20(b)(ii)(C) of the NDPS Act for possession of 1.5 kg of charas (recovered from a bag he was carrying) and sentenced to 14 years' rigorous imprisonment with a fine of Rs. 1,40,000. He challenged his conviction before the Supreme Court, arguing that the police had not complied with the mandatory search-and-seizure procedures of the NDPS Act.
On the first argument, the Court held that Section 42 (which requires an officer to record information in writing and inform a superior before searching a building/conveyance/enclosed place) did not apply because the appellant was intercepted and searched on a public road: a "public place" governed instead by the less stringent Section 43. On the second argument, the Court held that since both the appellant's bag and his person were searched, Section 50 (the right to be searched before a gazetted officer or magistrate) was indeed attracted, but found it had been strictly complied with, since the appellant was clearly informed of this right twice (once by the raiding officer, once again by the gazetted officer who arrived later) and each time voluntarily chose to be searched before the gazetted officer. Finding no infirmity, the Court dismissed the appeal and upheld the conviction.
Where police search and seize contraband in a public place (a street, open area, etc.), the stricter pre-search paperwork requirements of NDPS Section 42 do not apply, but if a person's own body (not just a bag they are carrying) is to be searched, the police must still strictly and clearly inform them of their right to be searched before a magistrate or gazetted officer; failing to do so would make the search, and any resulting conviction, vulnerable to challenge.
