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.
14543 more judgements for members
You're seeing the newest cases. Log in — it's free — to keep scrolling, search by name or judge, and filter by court or legal area.
Log in to see moreKarnataka's Sales Tax Act contained Entry 25, taxing the processing and supply of photographs/photo prints, which was struck down as unconstitutional by the Karnataka High Court on two earlier occasions (in the Keshoram and Golden Colour Labs cases) on the ground that such contracts were predominantly for services, not sale of goods. The State Legislature re-enacted the same entry retrospectively through the Karnataka State Laws Act, 2004. Respondents again challenged it, and the High Court struck it down a third time, reasoning the earlier ruling continued to bind the State. The State appealed to the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court held the High Court had taken an erroneous approach: the earlier decisions relied on the precedent in Rainbow Colour Lab, which had since been doubted and effectively overruled by a three-judge bench in the ACC Ltd. case, meaning the legal basis for striking down Entry 25 no longer existed. The Court reaffirmed that a legislature has the power to enact curative/validating legislation retrospectively to fix a defect that courts found unconstitutional, and that such "small repair" legislation is a permissible and frequently used fiscal-legislation technique. Since the State had properly re-enacted Entry 25 after the legal landscape changed, and the High Court failed to consider these subsequent developments, the Supreme Court set aside the High Court's judgment, allowed the State's appeal, dismissed the respondents' writ petitions, and upheld Entry 25 as constitutionally valid, with no order as to costs.
A law struck down as unconstitutional under one legal interpretation can be validly re-enacted, even retrospectively, once the underlying legal position changes (e.g., through a later Supreme Court ruling): legislatures are permitted to make such corrective "validating" amendments rather than being permanently barred from re-legislating on the same subject.
