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 moreOn 07.02.2003, Smt. Tarawati was struck and killed by a truck while walking to a bus stand in Haryana. Her family sought Rs. 15 lakh in compensation before the Motor Accident Claims Tribunal (MACT), which awarded Rs. 4,31,680, later enhanced by the Punjab & Haryana High Court to Rs. 5,96,761 with 7.5% interest. The family appealed to the Supreme Court, arguing the lower courts had understated the deceased's age, income (which included family pension and notional homemaker wages), and had failed to apply settled compensation formulas properly.
The Supreme Court held that the deceased's age (45 years, per the post-mortem report) and monthly income (family pension of about Rs. 5,137 plus notional homemaker wages, rounded to Rs. 7,000) had been undercounted, and recalculated compensation using the multiplier method from Sarla Verma v. Delhi Transport Corporation and the standardised heads from National Insurance Co. v. Pranay Sethi. It added 25% for loss of future prospects (relying on Rajendra Singh v. National Insurance Co.), corrected the personal-expense deduction to one-fourth as required by precedent, and increased amounts for funeral expenses and loss of love and affection/consortium (extended to all dependents per Magma General Insurance v. Nanu Ram). Total compensation was raised to Rs. 13,82,500, with 7.5% interest per annum from the date of filing until realisation, and the High Court's order was set aside.
Compensation for the death of a homemaker must properly value her non-monetary domestic contribution alongside any actual income like pension, and courts must apply the full standardised formula (multiplier, future prospects, consortium for all dependents, correct personal-expense deduction) rather than an incomplete calculation, since motor accident law is meant to secure "just compensation," not a token sum.
