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 was appointed as a Veterinary Compounder at a Central Cattle Breeding Farm in 1999 by an officer who was only authorized to handle the "current duties" of the Director's post, and without the required prior approval of the competent authority. When this came to light, the department cancelled the appointment and terminated his services without a hearing. The Central Administrative Tribunal upheld the termination, but the High Court reversed it, holding the appointment was only an irregularity curable without a hearing requirement, so he should have been given one.
The Supreme Court held that an appointment made without the mandatory prior approval of the competent authority was not a mere irregularity but a nullity, void from the start, because that approval requirement was an essential safeguard, not a directory formality. It also noted the appointing officer had constituted the selection board and chaired it despite a conflict of interest involving a relative-candidate. Since the appointment was void ab initio, the Court held that affording a hearing before terminating it was not an essential requirement and would have been an exercise in futility, distinguishing the precedent the High Court had relied on. It therefore set aside the High Court's judgment and restored the Tribunal's order dismissing the respondent's challenge.
When a government appointment is made without a legally mandatory approval step, it is void from inception rather than a fixable irregularity, and where an appointment never had any legal existence, the usual rule requiring a hearing before termination does not apply.
