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.
14543 more judgements for members
You're seeing the newest cases. Log in — it's free — to keep scrolling, search by name or judge, and filter by court or legal area.
Log in to see moreIn 2000, a woman riding pillion on a motorcycle died after the driver braked suddenly to avoid a cyclist. Her husband, as natural guardian of their two minor children, filed a compensation claim before the Motor Accidents Claims Tribunal, which awarded about Rs. 6.53 lakh in 2006. No appeal was filed at that time. Ten years later, in 2016, the children (by then adults) alone filed an appeal before the Kerala High Court seeking enhancement, and the High Court raised the compensation to about Rs. 14.95 lakh with interest. The insurance company challenged this before the Supreme Court, arguing the appeal itself was hopelessly delayed: filed roughly 8 years (2877 days) after the elder son had attained majority.
The Supreme Court held that Section 6 of the Limitation Act, 1963 (which extends time for a person under a legal disability such as minority) applies only to "suits" and "applications for execution of a decree," not to appeals: a distinction the Act itself draws. Since the original compensation claim had already been filed on time by the father as natural guardian, the disability of minority was never available to justify a late appeal filed years after the children turned adults. The Court also noted the father, who had capacity throughout, made a conscious decision not to appeal and could not now let his children resurrect that lost right decades later. Finding the High Court appeal grossly delayed and not maintainable, the Supreme Court set aside the High Court's enhancement and restored the original Tribunal award.
The "extra time" the law gives to minors to sue does not carry over to appeals. Once a claim has been properly filed by a guardian, an appeal from that claim's outcome must still be filed within the ordinary limitation period, even if some of the claimants are minors at the time.
