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 moreThe wife and two minor children of a man killed in a 1995 road accident (his car collided with a truck) sought compensation before the Motor Accident Claims Tribunal. The deceased, an engineer with British Telecom based in the UK, was earning in Pounds Sterling. The Tribunal found the truck driver negligent and awarded roughly Rs.79 lakh, which the High Court largely upheld with a minor correction to the currency exchange rate used.
The Insurance Company challenged the quantum on multiple grounds: the multiplier used, the exchange rate, the 9% interest rate, and an argument that the claimants themselves caused the 20+ year delay in disposing of the case. The Supreme Court rejected each argument: it found no proof that the claimants caused the delay, held that 9% interest was reasonable given the case's long pendency since 1995, and confirmed that future prospects and the multiplier were correctly applied despite the wife's remarriage in 2002 (since the minor children remained entitled). The Court additionally observed that insurers could avoid such prolonged litigation and interest liability by settling claims on a provisional computation soon after an accident is reported.
Courts will not penalize accident claimants for the ordinary pace of litigation unless there is clear proof the delay is their fault, and insurers who contest liability for years risk paying sustained interest: sometimes it is cheaper and fairer for insurers to make a provisional settlement early.
