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 government employee at a medical college in Odisha was compulsorily retired in 1996 on grounds of mental incapacity after rendering less than 5 years of qualifying service, and died shortly after retirement. His widow was paid a service gratuity (the benefit prescribed for employees who retire before completing 10 years of service) but years later approached a tribunal seeking "invalid pension" and family pension instead, even though she had never raised this claim at the time of her husband's retirement or death. Both the tribunal and the Odisha High Court ruled in her favour, prompting the State to appeal to the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court held that the Orissa Civil Services (Pension) Rules require a minimum qualifying service of 10 years before an employee becomes eligible for any pension, including "invalid pension" under Rule 39: that provision cannot be read in isolation from Rule 47, which prescribes this threshold and provides gratuity as the alternate benefit for shorter service. Relying on its own earlier ruling in Union of India v. Bashirbhai R. Khiliji, the Court found the employee here did not meet the 10-year threshold, so neither he nor his widow was entitled to pension beyond the gratuity already paid, especially since the widow had also since been given a compassionate government job. The Court set aside the tribunal and High Court orders and allowed the State's appeal.
Pension rules must be read as a whole: a provision for a special category of pension (like "invalid pension" for employees who retire due to disability) does not override a general minimum-service requirement found elsewhere in the same rules, unless the rule itself says so.
