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 Punjab government reduced the VAT rate on certain goods with effect from 1 February 2014 and, through Rule 21(8) of the Punjab VAT Rules (notified 25 January 2014), tried to apply this lower rate retroactively to input tax credit that manufacturers like Trishala Alloys had already earned on stock purchased at the older, higher tax rate. However, the enabling amendment to the parent Punjab VAT Act (the first proviso to Section 13(1)) only came into force later, on 1 April 2014. Several affected manufacturers challenged the rule before the Punjab and Haryana High Court, which ruled in their favour, prompting the State's appeal.
The Supreme Court held that a subordinate rule cannot operate without a corresponding enabling provision in the parent statute, and since the Act's amendment took effect only from 1 April 2014, Rule 21(8) could not validly be applied to reduce input tax credit that had already accrued on goods purchased before that date. The Court reasoned that a vested right to input tax credit arises when the tax is paid and continues until the credit is used or the goods cease to exist, and cannot be diminished by a rule that outpaces its parent law. It also noted this interpretation avoided the anomaly of forcing reversal of credit at a lower rate than what was originally paid. All the State's connected appeals were dismissed, with no order as to costs.
Delegated legislation such as rules and regulations cannot take away or reduce a vested statutory right (like accrued input tax credit) unless the parent statute itself has been amended to permit it: a subordinate rule cannot run ahead of the law that authorises it.
