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 moreThis appeal was one of four connected appeals (also including Javed Iftekher Ahmed Anand, Citizens for Justice & Peace, and Sabrang Trust) arising from an FIR alleging that activist Teesta Setalvad, her husband, and two NGOs they ran had collected crores of rupees in donations in the name of helping 2002 Gujarat riot victims (specifically, Gulberg Society residents) but diverted much of it for personal use. Police froze nine bank accounts belonging to the appellants and the two Trusts under Section 102 of the CrPC, and courts below (the Magistrate and the Gujarat High Court) refused to lift the freeze.
The Supreme Court held that Section 102 CrPC gives police wide power to seize "property", including bank accounts, where there is a reasonable suspicion of an offence, and does not require prior notice to the account holder before freezing; it also does not require the property to already be proven as "proceeds of crime," only that circumstances create suspicion. Given substantial, unexplained discrepancies in the Trusts' accounts (large transfers to personal accounts and a private company, heavy cash withdrawals, and accounts left unaudited for years), and the appellants' lack of cooperation with the ongoing investigation, the Court found continued freezing justified at this stage. It dismissed the appeals, while clarifying that once the investigation concludes, the investigating officer should de-freeze any accounts found not to be tainted.
Police can freeze a person's or organisation's bank accounts during an investigation under Section 102 CrPC without giving advance notice, so long as there are circumstances creating a genuine suspicion of an offence; account holders seeking to get frozen funds released are generally expected to cooperate with the investigation first and press for de-freezing once it is substantially complete.
