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 39-year-old employee of the Food Corporation of India died in a road accident when the three-wheeler he was riding in was hit by a rashly driven truck. His family's compensation claim turned on a dispute over his true income: his employer's salary certificate showed about Rs. 8,848 per month, but his income tax returns showed a much higher annual income. The Claims Tribunal relied only on the salary certificate, but the High Court relied on the tax returns instead and substantially raised the compensation to about Rs. 44 lakh.
The Supreme Court held that a tribunal is not legally required to rely solely on an employer's salary certificate when calculating a deceased person's income for compensation purposes, especially where unchallenged income tax returns show additional income (possibly from other sources). The Tribunal had wrongly placed the burden on the claimants to "explain" the discrepancy between the two income figures, when the tax return evidence itself was credible and undisputed. Finding no error in the High Court's approach of using the income tax figures with a future-prospects increase and an appropriate multiplier, the Court dismissed the insurance company's special leave petitions and upheld the enhanced compensation.
In motor accident compensation claims, income tax returns can be relied upon to establish a deceased person's true income even if it is higher than what an employer's salary certificate shows: claimants are not obligated to explain away the difference if the tax evidence is otherwise credible.
