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 moreS.V. Seetha Devi had approached the Supreme Court challenging an order of the Kerala High Court. She had been working during the pendency of litigation pursuant to interim orders passed by the High Court, but the dispute concerned whether she was entitled to be paid her salary for that period. The judgment itself is brief and does not set out the full underlying service dispute (such as the nature of her post or why her entitlement was contested), beyond this salary question.
The Supreme Court declined to interfere with the High Court's order on the broader merits and, notably, did not even find it necessary to issue notice to the respondents given the limited nature of the relief it intended to grant. However, on the specific and narrow question of salary, the Court held it would be "just, proper and equitable" for the appellant to be paid for the period she had actually worked pursuant to the High Court's interim orders. It modified the impugned judgment to that limited extent, directing that any unpaid salary for that period be paid within three months of production of a copy of the order, and disposed of the appeal.
A person who actually performs work under the protection of a court's interim order is ordinarily entitled to be paid for that work, even where the court declines to otherwise disturb the final order under challenge: courts will often carve out basic equitable relief like unpaid wages even while leaving the main dispute undisturbed.
