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 and a few others, who had worked for about 25 years as contractor-supplied workers at the Ordinance Factory Board, approached the Central Administrative Tribunal seeking regularization of their services. The Tribunal dismissed their application, and the Calcutta High Court later dismissed their writ petition too, holding that their proper remedy was to seek an industrial reference under Section 10 of the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947 rather than a writ petition.
The Supreme Court agreed with the High Court's view, holding that a dispute of this nature, involving factual questions about employment status and entitlement to regularization, needs to be adjudicated through evidence before the Industrial Tribunal under Section 10 of the ID Act, not through a writ petition or an Original Application before the Tribunal. The Court found no merit in the appeal and dismissed it, while clarifying that if the Central Government does refer the matter to the Industrial Tribunal, it should decide the dispute strictly on facts and law, uninfluenced by any observations made in the earlier proceedings.
Long-serving contract workers seeking regularization must pursue the correct legal forum, an industrial reference under the Industrial Disputes Act, rather than a writ petition, since such disputes often turn on disputed facts that only a Tribunal taking evidence can properly resolve.
