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 respondent's father, a driver with the Rajasthan State Road Transport Corporation, died in harness in 2006. The respondent, who had only passed 8th standard and later obtained a driving licence valid only for light (not heavy) vehicles, sought compassionate appointment as a driver, but the Corporation rejected this since he was not qualified for either the driver or conductor post. A Single Judge of the Rajasthan High Court directed the Corporation to consider him for the driver's post, and a Division Bench declined to interfere, though it noted the ruling was based on the special facts of the case.
The Supreme Court relied on its own precedents (I.G.(Karmik) v. Prahalad Mani Tripathi, Steel Authority of India v. Madhusudan Das, State of Gujarat v. Arvindkumar T. Tiwari) holding that compassionate appointment is a concession, not a right, and cannot be granted to a post for which the candidate is not qualified: courts cannot direct relaxation of eligibility criteria fixed by the rules. Since the respondent was neither a matriculate nor held a heavy-vehicle driving licence, the Court held the High Court erred in directing his consideration for the driver's post. The appeal was allowed, but the Court let stand the respondent's separate engagement (already offered by the Corporation during the proceedings) as Artisan Grade III.
Compassionate appointment schemes exist to provide minimum relief to a deceased employee's family, but they cannot override the minimum eligibility qualifications fixed for a post: courts will not direct an employer to relax those requirements, however sympathetic the circumstances.
