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 moreVivekananda Shenoy, a 47-year-old Mechanical Engineer, died after a bus collided with his motorcycle in Mangalore in 2012. His widow sought Rs. 1 crore in compensation, citing his Income Tax Returns showing annual earnings of about Rs. 5,00,000. The Motor Accidents Claims Tribunal awarded only Rs. 13,91,300, computing his income at just Rs. 90,000 per year, and the Karnataka High Court declined to enhance this, holding that Income Tax Returns could not be treated as proof of income. The widow then appealed to the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court held that both the Tribunal and High Court erred by disregarding the deceased's Income Tax Return, reaffirming that a statutory document like an ITR must be the basis for computing income when it is available, per its earlier rulings in Malarvizhi v. United India Insurance and New India Assurance v. Sonigra Juhi Uttamchand. Recalculating based on the actual ITR figure of Rs. 1,98,192 for the relevant year, and applying the standard formula from National Insurance Co. Ltd. v. Pranay Sethi (adding future prospects, deducting personal expenses, and applying the appropriate multiplier), the Court raised the total compensation to Rs. 24,53,280, nearly double the original award.
In motor accident claims, a deceased person's Income Tax Returns are strong, statutory evidence of their real income and cannot simply be brushed aside by courts in favour of a lower, more conservative estimate: claimants should insist on their probative weight when computing compensation.
