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 moreA CRPF Head Constable was cleaning his loaded carbine without removing the magazine when it discharged, killing a fellow constable. He was dismissed from service after a disciplinary enquiry found him guilty of negligence, but was separately acquitted in a parallel criminal trial for the same incident. The High Court's Division Bench had set aside his dismissal, reasoning that his criminal acquittal undermined the disciplinary finding, prompting the Union of India to appeal to the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court held that a criminal acquittal does not automatically invalidate a disciplinary punishment, because the two proceedings operate on different standards of proof and different charges: the criminal case concerned causing death, while the disciplinary charge concerned negligent handling of a weapon in violation of departmental instructions. Since the disciplinary charge of carelessness stood proved independently on the departmental evidence, the acquittal in the criminal trial was not a valid ground to overturn the dismissal. The Court set aside the High Court Division Bench's judgment and restored the order of the Single Judge, which had upheld the dismissal.
An employee's acquittal in a criminal case arising from the same incident does not by itself nullify a disciplinary punishment for misconduct, since criminal and departmental proceedings serve different purposes and apply different standards of proof.
