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 provisionally appointed as a trainee Senior Section Engineer in the Railways and, after completing 46 of the required 52 weeks of training, was sent for a specialised General and Subsidiary Rules course, which he failed twice despite being given a second chance. His services were terminated, and he was also asked to refund a stipend paid during the repeat training. He challenged the termination before the Central Administrative Tribunal and later the High Court, pointing out that four other trainees had been made permanent after only 46 weeks without undergoing this extra course, and the High Court ruled in his favour, holding no "departmental examination" had been prescribed for permanent status.
The Supreme Court held that the governing Master Circular clearly required every direct recruit to pass a written test at the end of training as a prerequisite for confirmation, and that a provisional appointment is only a "recruitment," not a completed "appointment," until training is successfully finished. It found the other four trainees the respondent compared himself to had, in fact, completed the full 52 weeks before being confirmed, so there was no discrimination. The termination was therefore upheld and the High Court's judgment set aside. However, the Court refused to allow recovery of the stipend paid during the second training attempt, since it was paid due to administrative error and not through any fraud or misrepresentation by the respondent.
A provisional or trainee appointment is not equivalent to a permanent appointment, and failing a mandatory qualifying test can validly result in termination; but an employer cannot recover money paid to an employee by its own administrative mistake unless the employee obtained it dishonestly.
