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, a government official, was investigated for alleged misappropriation of public money and disproportionate assets, and a charge sheet was filed against him under the Prevention of Corruption Act. The Special Court discharged him because the prosecution sanction had been issued by the wrong authority (a Secretary, not the Governor), but once the Governor later issued a valid sanction, the police filed a fresh/supplementary charge sheet, which the Special Court and the High Court refused to take on file, holding it was barred by "double jeopardy" since the respondent had already been discharged once.
The Supreme Court held that the principle of double jeopardy under Article 20(2) of the Constitution and Section 300 Cr.P.C. applies only where a person has actually been tried and convicted or acquitted by a competent court, not merely discharged on a technical defect like an invalid sanction, where no trial ever took place. Since the earlier discharge was purely due to lack of proper sanction and not a decision on the merits, the Court held there was no legal bar to filing a fresh charge sheet once valid sanction was obtained. It therefore set aside the High Court's and Special Court's orders and directed the Special Court to take cognizance of the fresh charge sheet and proceed with the case.
Being discharged from a criminal case due to a procedural defect (like an invalid prosecution sanction) is not the same as being acquitted or convicted after trial: such a discharge does not bar the prosecution from refiling the case once the defect is cured.
