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 moreSeasonal workers of sugar factories that had stopped crushing years earlier sought "retaining allowance" (a payment to keep seasonal workers notionally attached to the factory between seasons). The High Court held that since the factories were not crushing at all, the seasonal workers were not entitled to any retaining allowance, and the workers' unions appealed to the Supreme Court. By the time of the hearing, an "Exit Settlement" scheme for winding up the closed factories had come into the picture.
The Supreme Court noted that although the factories were shut, the affected seasonal workers had actually been kept on the rolls and retired only on reaching the superannuation age of 60, apparently to preserve pensionary benefits. The Court held it would be just and fair that the notional retaining allowance the workers would otherwise have received be factored into calculating their pensionary benefits or their entitlements under the Exit Settlement scheme, while clarifying the workers were not entitled to actual cash retaining allowance for the non-functional period. The Court directed the respondents to act on this within four months and disposed of the appeals accordingly, with no order as to costs.
Even where a benefit (like retaining allowance) cannot be paid in cash because a factory is not functioning, courts can still direct that it be notionally reckoned for calculating pension or exit/settlement dues, balancing the employer's financial reality against workers' legitimate long-term entitlements.
