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 appellants were the successful Resolution Applicants whose plan to take over the insolvent company Tehri Iron and Steel Casting Ltd. was approved by the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) in May 2019; the plan listed a contingent income-tax liability for one assessment year (2014-15) but nothing for two other years. After the plan was approved, the Income Tax Department raised fresh demands for those other two assessment years (2012-13 and 2013-14), which had never been submitted as claims during the resolution process. Both the NCLT and the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) rejected the appellants' challenge to these new demands.
The Supreme Court relied on its own binding precedent (Ghanashyam Mishra and Sons) holding that once a resolution plan is approved, all claims, including statutory dues owed to the government, that are not part of that plan stand permanently extinguished, and no proceedings can be brought for such dues relating to the period before approval. Since the tax demands for 2012-13 and 2013-14 were never claimed before the Resolution Professional, they could not be revived afterward. The Court also criticised the NCLAT for brushing aside this binding precedent on technical grounds and criticised the NCLT for imposing costs without giving reasons. It set aside both the NCLT and NCLAT orders and allowed the appeal.
Once a company's insolvency resolution plan is approved by the tribunal, creditors, including tax authorities, lose the right to raise any dues from before that approval that they did not formally claim during the process; a new owner takes the company over on a "clean slate."
