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 moreA social activist filed a writ petition under Article 32 after a series of lynchings and violent attacks by self-styled "cow protection"/vigilante groups across several states, asking the Court to direct state governments to act against such groups and to remove violent content these groups posted online. Several similar petitions on mob lynching and targeted mob violence were tagged and heard together. Over multiple hearings, states had already been directed to appoint senior police officers as "Nodal Officers" in each district to prevent such incidents, and affidavits on compliance were filed by several state governments.
The Supreme Court held that no individual or mob can take the law into its own hands and punish a person on its own assumption of guilt, since this undermines the rule of law and the right to a fair trial. Rather than deciding only the facts of one incident, the Court issued a comprehensive, three-part set of binding directions to the Union and State Governments: (A) Preventive measures (nodal officers and special task forces in every district to gather intelligence on potential mob violence, patrolling of vulnerable highway stretches, and a time-bound FIR/charge-sheet process); (B) Remedial measures (prompt FIR registration, designated fast-track courts to try such cases within six months, victim compensation schemes, witness protection, and free legal aid to victims/next of kin); and (C) Punitive measures (maximum permissible sentencing on conviction, and departmental/disciplinary action against police or district officials who fail to act). It also recommended that Parliament enact a specific standalone offence of "lynching." Compliance reports were directed to be filed within four weeks, and the matter was kept pending for further directions/monitoring on 20 August 2018.
Mob violence and "vigilante justice" have no legal sanction in India, only courts and lawful authorities can determine guilt and punishment, and citizens and police officials who fail to prevent or promptly act on mob violence can face both criminal consequences and disciplinary action.
