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 moreDr. Manisha Narayan alleged she was sexually harassed by a colleague while on deputation at the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). An Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) (headed at the relevant time by the appellant, Suneeti Toteja, a Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) scientist then on deputation as an FSSAI Director) investigated the complaint. Years later, when the complainant felt no action had followed, she filed an FIR that also implicated the appellant, and a Magistrate took cognizance and issued a chargesheet and summoning order against her without any sanction for her prosecution having first been granted by her competent authority (BIS). The Allahabad High Court declined to quash these proceedings, leading to this appeal.
The Supreme Court held that since the acts complained of (her conduct as ICC presiding officer) were reasonably connected to her official duties, prosecution sanction from her competent authority was mandatory before a court could take cognizance. The request for sanction was in fact sent to the wrong authority (FSSAI, not BIS, her employer at the relevant time) and reached BIS only after the chargesheet and summoning order had already issued; BIS, on receiving the request, expressly declined to grant sanction. The Court rejected the argument that a "deemed sanction" arises after an inordinate delay, finding no such rule has been enacted by Parliament despite judicial suggestions. Because valid sanction was never obtained, and was in fact refused, the Court held the entire prosecution against the appellant was vitiated from inception and quashed the chargesheet and summoning order against her.
A public servant cannot be prosecuted for acts reasonably connected to their official duties unless the competent authority has actually granted sanction, and if that authority is approached late, mistakenly, or refuses sanction outright, any chargesheet or summoning order issued in the meantime is void, not merely delayed.
