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 Maharashtra government framed 2016 recruitment rules for the post of Assistant Inspector of Motor Vehicles and held a competitive examination in which over 69,000 candidates appeared, with a final select list published in 2018. A candidate who had earlier failed to get the initial advertisements themselves struck down then filed a fresh writ petition challenging the 2016 Rules and the resulting select list, framing it in part as a public-interest matter concerning loss to public revenue. The Bombay High Court (Nagpur Bench) partly allowed this petition, prompting the selected candidates and the State of Maharashtra to appeal to the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court held that the High Court erred in entertaining the writ petition as if it were a public interest litigation, reiterating settled law that PILs are not a permissible route to agitate what are essentially service-related grievances. Since the petitioner had already been held not entitled to challenge the original recruitment advertisements, the Court found it legally impermissible for the High Court to then strike down the governing Rules and modify the select list on a PIL-like challenge. The Supreme Court allowed the appeals, set aside the High Court's judgment, and dismissed the writ petition, while leaving the substantive questions about the validity of specific Rule provisions open for decision in an appropriate future case. Parties were left to bear their own costs.
Service and recruitment disputes must ordinarily be pursued through proper service-law channels (such as by an affected candidate with direct standing), not dressed up as public interest litigation to get around existing bars on a petitioner's own standing.
