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 moreV. Shanmuganathan, an Inspector with the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), failed to report for a transfer posting in Assam in December 1993, citing an accident, and did not return to duty for over two years. After winding through multiple rounds of disciplinary proceedings, an initial exoneration, a suo-motu review imposing a minor penalty, a de novo enquiry, and finally a "removal from service" order, the Madras High Court partly allowed his challenge, quashing the removal as disproportionate but denying him back wages. When he later sought reinstatement, the department responded that an SLP (special leave petition) against the High Court's order was pending before the Supreme Court, which he says is why he was never reinstated; he ultimately reached superannuation (retirement age) in 2010 without being reinstated.
The Supreme Court modified the High Court's order, holding that rather than "removal from service," the appropriate punishment was "compulsory retirement from service": a less severe penalty that still ends service but preserves pension-related entitlements. The Court further directed that the respondent be given retiral benefits as per the applicable rules, counted from the date of the department's 2007 letter that had effectively prevented his reinstatement while the appeal was pending. With this modification, the appeal was disposed of with no order as to costs.
Even where misconduct (such as an unauthorized long absence) is established, the punishment imposed must be proportionate: courts can and will convert an overly harsh penalty like "removal" into a lesser one like "compulsory retirement," which still protects the employee's entitlement to retirement benefits.
